Sad

I just feel sad. Last night, we said goodbye to my mom. She came to visit us before she and my dad
 leave on their mission next week. She took two days, out of the only three weeks that they had to
prepare to leave, and spent them with us. And we are so very grateful. We loved having her here.
And we love her. It was such a wonderful two days. But saying goodbye was really hard. Two years
 seems like a long time right at this moment. I'm not dealing with it especially well right now.

And then just a few minutes ago, we had to say goodbye to our best friends. I obviously knew

we were going to miss them, but right at this moment I am realizing how much. We did

everything with them. Our kids spent every moment they could together. They were like

 siblings. And Layne and I used to joke that our husbands talked more to each other than

to us. And while we wanted it to be funny, it was pretty close to the truth. I cannot even

put into words right now how much I will miss Layne. She was truly my best friend.

I know that compared to so many other traumatic and hard events, these two goodbyes are

 probably not a huge deal. But they are to me. And to our kids. And I just feel kind of broken

 right now. And I should probably stop crying. But I don't want to. Quite yet. Because I miss

 my amazing parents and our wonderful friends already. And I don't like feeling this lonely.

And I grow to love people so much...almost too much. And I hate goodbyes. I just feel so sad.

Moving slowly

The lazy days of summer are here. Things seem to be moving very slowly. We are taking the days as they come. There are days when we are exciting and visit a museum or the beach or a new park or the swimming pool. And there are days, many more days, when we play with friends. And then have lunch. And play with friends. And then have dinner. And play with friends. And the days seem to last forever. And the sun seems to stay in the sky indefinitely. And time moves about as quickly as a snail. And that is how it should be.

I don't have much to blog about lately. So you may be getting plenty of our favorite pictures coming your way. Because we are busy doing nothing. And creating fabulous memories. With people we are going to miss more than we can put into words. So here's to sporadic blogging and lazy summer days. Because right now for us...that is how it should be.

Wanna laugh?

Our Independence Day

We had a fabulous day yesterday. Having Jacob home was enough to celebrate for us,
but being with our wonderful friends made the day even more perfect. We spent the
day swimming, eating, visiting and watching fireworks with many of our close friends.
It could not have been more busy, nor any more fun. I kept forgetting my camera
everywhere we went. But I can always count on my friend Layne to save me.
I love this picture she took of us watching the fireworks. Happy, happy day.

July 4th

We wanted to wish you all a Happy Independence Day!
I feel so grateful to be raising our little family in this magnificent country.
We hope you have a day filled with patriotism, family and fun.

Excavation

I stole this idea from my friend's blog. She found the idea here. The kids absolutely loved it.
It took them well over an hour to excavate all of the hidden treasures. I used a bundt pan and froze
the items in layers, so as to have the treasures spread throughout. We'll definitely be doing this again.

Ohhh tomorrow...

Yes, indeed. The sun really will come out tomorrow. In the form
of my handsome husband. It has been ten days. I. Cannot. Wait.

Sit-in

As I was leaving Juxtlahuaca today, the taxi suddenly came to a stop behind some other cars.
We waited for a bit but nothing moved. After a while the driver got out to see what was going on.
In the middle of the road were about 60 people sitting down, with trucks and other cars blocking
the road as well. The women all had these really cool-looking red mantles or dresses on.

It turns out that they're all from the same village. And apparently one of their leaders disappeared
the other day and they decided to block the highway until something is done about it. In talking to
some of the people while we waited, I guess the people in this village of Copala have a
reputation for being pretty aggressive when they want things to happen. Still, they were
being completely calm, just blocking the only way in and out of Juxtlahuaca.

After a while we all left the taxi, walked passed the blockade and got in a taxi on the other
side. It was kind of interesting.When I came back later in the afternoon they were still
there, though many had left their sit-in to stroll around the nearby park and pond.

Opposites

Jacob and I are opposites in a lot of way. He has light hair, I have dark. He has freckles, I do not. He is calm and collected, I am hyper and try to avoid collecting anything. He is always kind, I’ve thought about being kind once or twice. He reads books with graphs, I make fun of people who read books with graphs. And yet, we have a wonderful marriage—an amazing marriage in my opinion. But one thing has come to my attention, and this particular opposite tendency is causing me a huge amount of grief. And so, for the first time, I am airing our dirty laundry on the blog. What is it that is causing such stress in my life?

Jacob uses Firefox to view the Internet and I use Internet Explorer.

And for the most part, it is a happy thing. For instance, whenever we use each other’s computer, we do not have to log out of our Gmail accounts. He has his Internet page set up just as he would like. And I have mine set up just as I like. But the problem lies with my lovely lack of knowledge about computers in general.

The other day, after I posted a new entry on our blog, the page was having some troubles and I could not tell what the post would actually look like. So I brought up Jacob’s inferior Internet browser to view our blog. And now I just feel annoyed by Mr. Firefox and his dumb idea to give people options for viewing the Internet. Because, as many of you might know, I am a little particular in how I do things. Just a little. And although I would prefer not to admit this, I adjust and fix and refix each post that I publish, way too many times. Because I want to have it just right. And for some strange reason, my brain did not think about the fact that these posts would not look the same on all computer screens and all Internet browsers. And I would have lived in my naïve little world, had my husband not been a Firefox follower.

I have to keep reminding myself that I can love the user, but not condone the using. And boy do I love the man who uses that Firefox junk. But if anyone wants to see how wonderful and organized and completely lovely each post that I publish looks on our blog, please come on over. Because I am pretty sure they only look completely perfect on my computer screen and on my Internet Explorer. So if you use an inferior service or an inferior monitor, my heart goes out to you. You will just have to imagine in your mind, how great the posts actually look. And if you think our blog is fabulous as is, thanks so much. But you should see it in all its glory. Through my eyes. Or maybe not. That would just give you obsessive compulsive disorder and cause you to have far less than perfect sight.

And just for the record, I think with a little counseling, Jacob and I can make it through this rough patch in our marriage. Who do we use as a counselor? Bill Gates. No, that would be a PC vs. Mac problem. And we do not have those issues.

Yet.

Pictures from Oaxaca

Hi Linny, Campbell, Annie, Matthew and Ben!!!

Thanks for talking to me this morning. I love you all so much. I miss you all so much! Here
are a few pictures to show you what things are like in Mexico. People are really poor and
live in small houses made out of cement or even just sticks. Right now people are starting to
plant corn so they have something to eat during the year. Most people don’t have tractors
 and things, so they have to hoe and plant and weed huge fields all by themselves. But, it’s
starting ‘the rainy season’ here so things are getting really green and beautiful.

Anyway, I love you all so much. Thank you for being the best family in the world.
I miss you all but will be home soon. I love you!!!!!!!

Love,
Daddy

Called to serve

I just got off the phone with my mom. My parents have received their mission call. They have been
called to serve in the Europe Central Area and will be living in Frankfurt, Germany. My dad has been
 called to be the Executive Secretary to the Europe Central Area Presidency and my mom will assist
him. They are thrilled. And so are we. But I am also so sad. What this means has suddenly hit me.
They will report to the Missionary Training Center in three weeks and fly to Frankfurt the following
 week. While their official call is to serve for approximately eighteen months, they have been told
it will most likely be two years. Congratulations Dad and Mom! We are so happy for you!

Here is a picture of my parents on their first mission together. A few years after they
were married, my dad was called to be a Mission President in Suva, Fiji. At the time
this picture was taken, they had five children under seven and were expecting their
sixth. Happily, this new mission will involve taking a few less children than the first.

Just one of the kids

I love this picture. Benjamin just looks so happy to be a part of the group.
And he is absolutely mesmerized by that toy catalog.

Air and Space Museum

Yesterday I took the kids to the Air and Space Museum at Balboa Park.
We had never been and they really liked it. It was a fun way to spend the morning.

PS. Do you just love the shirts? Our cute friend had a tie dye party at her home and
the kids each got to make their own shirt. I think they turned out great. Isn't Ben talented?
Making his own tie dyed onesie at only five and a half months. He just used my hands.

Man, I love these kids

Superbaby

Playtime at the beach

We've headed to the beach three out of the last four mornings. (The kids say Sunday doesn't
count and like to tell everyone we have gone three days in a row. Okay. Sure.) We have loved it.
We are trying to squeeze in every beach opportunity we can before we head off to the
other side of the country. Have I ever mentioned how much I love living here?

I honestly didn't pose this beauty. But I sure cracked up when I turned around and saw it.
It did take me several seconds to get a picture with all six eyes closed at the same time.
 

Our oldest and our youngest. What sweet boys.

 

This was definitely my favorite of the past three days. I think it would be wise not to

admit to the total number of pictures I took while at the beach. I will just say that

I only kept four. (Now don't be disappointed. We have many more visits planned

before we leave. And I might take a picture or two while we are there.)

 

This is how we all felt on the way home today. But this little one's exhaustion

is so much  cuter than the rest of us. And those eyelashes. I'm not sure

about the fairness factor involving little boys and eyelashes like that.

Gone

Tonight Jacob leaves for Mexico again. For ten days. This is his third trip there in a month and a half. The first trip ended up being only five days. His second trip was seven days. And now we are on the last one. He was able to come home early on both the previous trips, but this time he needs to be there every second he can to finish as many surveys as possible. And while I definitely don't want him to leave, I am glad the day is finally here. Because the faster he leaves, the faster he can come back to us. Nothing feels right when he is gone. We miss him like crazy. But I am so grateful for the hard worker that he is and what he is doing to get his PhD finished. It is worth whatever we need to do to get this degree done. And done it will be. In just a few short months. What a happy day to look forward to. But I'm not looking that far into the future right now. My focus is on ten days from now.

I miss him already.

Blue eyes

Warped

You know you live in California when you get excited about paying only $4.54 for a
gallon of gas. That is what I paid today. And I was so very happy about it. I think it's
 this darn weather. It fools you into thinking that many a strange thing is okay. I've got
to  get out of this place. On second thought, I think I'll just go to the beach.

Champions

What a time to be moving to Boston. We have definitely jumped on this band wagon. Cam even
skipped cub scouts to watch the final game. And boy was he into it. Way to go Celtics!

Oh, and enjoy the picture of our uncle below. Does anyone know where I get a hold of a Boston
 Celtics youth jersey? It definitely has to be number twenty. Can you just picture our Campbell with
his Boston jersey on? And what name would be across the back? You got it my friends. Allen.

Adoration

I could never have fully imagined, when I married my husband, what an incredible dad he
would be. The kids idolize him. He makes them laugh. He instills in them confidence.
They want to do what is right because they have his example. He plays with them, teaches
them and does every fun thing their mom often does not. I love him because of what he
means to me. And I absolutely adore him because of what he means to our children.

Happy Father's Day Jacob! You are amazing. We love you so very much!

Our basketball guy

Today was Cam's last basketball game. He had such a fun season and is really a great
player. We loved watching him as he is very intense and gets super excited with
every shot. He had several great baskets, but what I love to watch is his defense.
He has an amazing sense of the court, something that comes naturally to him.

Way to go Campbell! We are not only proud of how hard you worked and played,
but mostly your incredible sportsmanship. You are one amazing boy!

Field day

Graduation day

Annie's Kindergarten graduation was yesterday. She was so excited and so cute about the
whole thing. We are sure proud of her. And so very grateful for her incredible teachers.

We love you Annie girl!

Wolf achievement

Two weeks ago in cub scout pack meeting, Campbell earned his Wolf achievement.
He has worked very hard the past few months to finish all of the requirements.
He also went to town on the electives and earned three arrow points at the same time.
We are so proud of him and so grateful that he loves being a part of cub scouts.

A wonderful Sunday

We have had a wonderful Sunday. Our ward was divided and because we are no longer in the same ward as our previous bishop, Jacob was released as first counselor in the bishopric. The previous bishop remained and two men were called to be his counselors. Then a new bishopric was called for the new ward, with an amazing man called to be our bishop. And Jacob was called as his first counselor. And a new second counselor was also called. We are excited for the association we will have with these incredible men and their families.

I actually knew nothing of the matter until thirty minutes before church began. Because our stake presidency was extending many calls for this rather large occasion, they could not always schedule both the husband and wife to be present when the calls were extended. And so when Jacob had finished his Sunday morning meetings, he called me on the phone to tell me what would be happening in just a few minutes.

I was so pleased for Jacob, but was honestly quite surprised for two reasons. The first is that our upcoming move was supposed to happen in six weeks. I guess we had better think that through again. And the second being that this is Jacob's fourth call to the bishopric in three years. Three years ago next month, Jacob was called to serve as second counselor to our bishop at the time. Less than a year later, a new bishop was called and Jacob was called to serve as his second counselor. A few months later, the first counselor moved away and in reorganizing the bishopric, Jacob was released as second counselor and called as first counselor. Now less than a year later, he has been released as first counselor to our previous bishop and called as first couselor to our current bishop. (For those of you still following, I am very impressed. I think I lost it a few sentences ago.)

Nevertheless, today was an incredibly sweet experience. Not only did I spend most of the meeting watching my husband and being so deeply grateful for his goodness and his heart and the life he lives, but I spent the entire three hours of church feeling the Spirit so strongly and knowing, without any doubt, that the Lord guides His Church. It took the stake presidency a good hour to set apart all of these amazing men, and yet I was so grateful to be a part of it. And to once again witness the order and organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And to feel the Spirit. And to feel such a deep sense of gratitude for all that I have and all that we have been blessed with. It was a truly happy day.

My Grandpa

Seven years ago today, my grandpa passed away. I miss him more than I can put into words. There are some days that it seems just like yesterday and other days that my heart breaks at how long it has been since I saw his face and heard his voice. It has been my greatest honor to be named after him. And to name our oldest son after him.

He was kind and gentle and good and funny. He made everyone around him want to be better. It is still hard for me to think about the day I received the call that he was gone. Or the first time I walked into his house and he wasn’t there to hug me. I miss his jokes. And the funny songs he would sing to me. And his contagious laugh. And how when we were together, he would tell everyone he saw that I was named after him. There are still moments when I think my heart will break from the ache of losing him. And then I remember that he is just fine—more than fine. It is only me that is struggling. And I cannot wait to see him again.

Time is flying

Our Ben turned five months old a few days ago. Wow. He is rolling over and laughing
and grabbing everything in sight. For the past two nights, he has surpassed his incredible
eight to nine hours of sleep he usually gets each night. Ten hours. What a boy.
We love him so much and are so very grateful he is a part of our family.

Puzzles...and their many uses

So while Jacob is away on another trip to Mexico, he and I thought it would be fun for the kids to be able to count down the number of days until their dad returns—in a creative way. So I purchased a one hundred-piece puzzle, which also happens to glow in the dark, for our little plan.

Before Jacob left, he and I put the puzzle together (yes, I knew you would be impressed) and then flipped the whole thing over. He took a marker and wrote a message on the back. I actually did not see the message, but it was something to the effect that their reward for completing the puzzle was that we would all go out to dinner at a restaurant of their choice. Jacob then divided the puzzle into groups of pieces, with one group per night he was gone. Then I printed out numbers to represent each night, had the kids color them and then taped them on our pantry door. Below each number I taped a snack bag with that night’s pieces in it.

Now each night before they go to bed, we take off a bag, and the kids put the 10-12 allotted pieces together. Sometimes the groups connect and sometimes we have to wait until the next night. The kids have obviously noticed that there is writing on the other side of the puzzle, but will not be able to tell what any of the words say until the puzzle is finished and turned over.

It has been such a fun thing for the kids to do and makes things just a little easier on all of us. One bonus for me is that each night at bedtime, the kids quickly get ready for bed so that they can work on the puzzle. I also realized that the idea can be used over and over with different puzzles and different awards written on the back. As great as it has been though, we will definitely trade our nightly puzzle time for having our dad back with us. We cannot wait.

Preschool graduation

A couple of week ago, Matt had his last day of school—a graduation of sorts. We have had such an incredible experience this year with our Mom and Me Preschool. It has been a pleasure to work with five of my incredible friends and to associate with and teach their adorable kids. Matt has loved every second of it.

So on the last day, I hosted the graduation at our house. There was a lot of playing, eating, taking of pictures and just general excitement. We watched the DVD slideshow I put together of the year and then gave each child their own yearbook. My amazing friend, Christy, designed the books and I wish each one of you could see the inside. They are absolutely incredible! So, here is our happy guy, graduation cap and yearbook in hand.

Thanks to my amazing friends. We are not only grateful
for this fun year, but especially thankful for your friendship.

A visitor for breakfast

This morning as I was getting Matt some cold cereal for breakfast, I got a little surprise. He had chosen the same breakfast cereal as Annie had just eaten and I pulled a bowl out of the cupboard and started to pour. I then grabbed the milk and started to add it. Just as the milk started to rise in the bowl, up between a couple of pieces of cereal came a spider. And this was not a tiny, little spider. Can you say creepy beyond belief? Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew.

And then the questions started. Did it come from the bowl? Did it come from the box of cereal? I did rule out the milk pretty quickly. I wanted it to be the bowl because Annie had just eaten out of this same box of cereal. But just minutes before I had taken the two bowls above Matt's bowl out of the cupboard for the other kids. So the odds were against it. I think it had to be the cereal box. And I felt sick. And I don't know how it got in there. I promise I clean our house. I do. Really.

Here is the best resemblance I could find from my Internet options. I have to admit that after the initial shock, I had the thought to take a picture of the spider enjoying its bowl of cereal. But then I remembered Jacob has the camera in Mexico. So you were spared. Well, not so much as I just told you what happened and found a great spider photo for your viewing pleasure.

I've never liked cold cereal much. I think you can take the last word off the sentence now. Ew. Ew. Ew.