Heaven according to Luke

This summer, Lukie has been in heaven. Grandma's house has a big swingset/sandbox/playhouse that he can play in anytime he wants. The backyard is completely fenced, so Mom just lets him go outside anytime he wants. All he has to do is make it safely past the slamming screen door, and he is home free!

There are a bunch of cousins staying here with us, so there is no shortage of playmates around the clock...

..including his old cousin/BFF from Michigan, Erik!

Don't you just wish you could spend a day in Lukie's shoes? Freedom, sunshine, friends, and a mandatory nap every afternoon - heaven!

Same finger, same hand, different boy

About a month ago, just before we packed up to come to UT, Pepper came home from school with a broken finger. He broke it when he tried to catch a ball in a game of kick ball. So, after a trip to the ER for some x-rays, he came home in a splint that he wore for 3 weeks.

Well, yesterday, Adam was swinging in Grandmas' backyard, and he broke his finger, too (at least we think it's broken). He was swinging on his tummy, and he twisted the swing up so he could spin around. While he was spinning around - very fast and out-of-control - he whacked his finger on the wooden swing-set pole. It didn't take long for the tip to turn a dark shade of purple, so I had my brother-in-law take a look at it. Luckily, my sister's husband Jeff is staying here with us and he is a fourth-year Emergency Medicine resident (very handy!). He looked at it and told us that if it is broken, which is a strong possibility, all they could do at the ER was splint it and wait for it to heal.

Well, after our recent broken finger experience with Pepper, I knew just what to do. I got out the bandaging and made a little splint out of a small popsicle stick. I thought it was nice of the boys to have the same injury - they even broke the same finger. Both of them injured the ring finger of their right hand. Poor Adam doesn't get all the glory of an emergency room visit, but he does get the fun and sympathy of a bandaged hand. I'm sure he'll make the most of it!

Blue Dylan

This is my sister's baby, Dylan. He is about 7 months old, and I think he's just adorable. I love his bright blue eyes, so I've been trying for days to get a good picture of him with blue the only color. I think finally I have some I like.

This is the smile Dylan always gives me when he sees me. It's because I am his favorite. He smiles at other people, and they think they are his favorite, but Dylan and I know the truth. Aunt Jill is the best!

Adam's Happy Place

Asleep on a swaying porch swing on a mild June afternoon. Need I say more?

Fun in the puddle

On Father's Day, we were all sitting around the kitchen table at Bitners' when we looked out the window and saw Gabe and Luke jumping around in a puddle on the deck. It was so cute, I sent Jessica out with the camera to get some video. Here are their hi-jinx:

I am happy to report that they came away from the puddle with minimal injuries. It's a good thing they don't have far to fall!

It just isn't summer...

...until we have pictures of the kids mowing the lawn with Grandpa.

Now it's official - summer is here!

FHE at the park

Last Monday, for FHE, we loaded the kids into the car and went to a park in "Peej". It was a very cool park - LOTS of fun and different play structures - but it was also very crowded. After about a half hour, I was truly "kidded-out". But, the kids had fun, and I guess that's what matters. Here are few pics of our evening:

Jess chased Luke around for a while, but then got tuckered out and sat in the shade with Grandma and Grandpa. Apparently, there was some dorky teenage boy who was trying to show off for her, and Grandpa thought this was hilarious.

Pepper was the easiest child to keep track of in all the crowded craziness because he likes to stay close to Mom.

Adam, on the other hand, ran from one play structure to the next as fast as he could, trying all the climbing, balancing, imagining things he could. I was lucky to get him to stand still long enough to take this shot. This picture makes my heart melt. I love the light shining through his ears. He hates his pokey-outy ears, but I just love them. It is all I can do not to kiss the tips of them everytime he is close enough. Moms are so embarrassing.

Luke was a nightmare to chase around. Because there was such a mob of people at the park, I wanted to make sure I knew where he was every minute. So, that meant chasing him around, through, over, and under all the playground equipment. Let's just say I am too tall for many of the structures, so I kept bumping the top of my head on stuff. There is still a soft sore spot where I had my sunglasses on top of my head and they dug into my scalp when I hit my head. The reason Jess is in this picture is to hold him still for a minute so I could get a picture of him.

Pepper proudly conquered the monkey bars.

Adam tried many times to get all the way across this jiggly balance beam, and he finally made it.

Grandpa and Grandma found a shady spot to sit and relax.

Adam on one of his many adventures. I'm telling you, he tried everything.

Lukie was intrigued by this bridge. He ran back and forth across it many times. When he was finally done, there were about 4 little kids who decided to give it a try, so I couldn't get across it to follow him. Yes, I was the mean, big lady who nearly shoved the small children aside so I could catch up with my running little boy. Not my best moment.

We had to wait in a little line for the chance to try this spinny thing. Luke just loved it, so it was worth the wait.

Inside the structure shaped like a rocket ship was this little captain's bridge. I thought Brad would appreciate his boys playing Captain Picard and Riker (Yes, I did just have to google Star Trek: Next Generation to get those names. Don't think for a minute that I know them off the top of my head).

After the park, we stopped and got a dozen donuts. Delightful night!

Random Pics for our Long-lost Father

It's now the middle of June, which makes it 3 1/2 long months since Brad left to begin work in Germany. We've had two very brief weekends with him since then, but that is really not enough. We all feel like it has been FOREVER since we've had a dad around. As rotten as it has been for us, I know it has been much worse for Brad. He's had to start a new job in a new place - a really different place - all by himself.

So Brad, I just want you to know that we all miss you and are thinking about you all the time. We will be especially sad this weekend when we have to celebrate Father's Day without our dad. Here are a few random pictures of us and what we have been doing here in Utah without you...just so you don't forget what we look like...

Adam, a couple of days after we arrived. This was the first picture I took with my new camera.

I told you Adam and Jayce have been spending hours in the basement building things out of Construx. This is their masterpiece. They each built part of it and then put it together. There was much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth about 10 minutes after this picture was taken when Austin decided to break it apart. You'll be happy to know that Adam was able to restore the masterpiece to its former glory.

Pepper was dying to learn how to ride a horse by himself, so my dad took him for a little lesson. Luke and Austin were a captive audience. Just this last Monday, Dad took Pepper with him and Jessica on a little trail ride. Pepper was not ready to ride a horse on his own, so he rode with my dad behind the saddle. Dad says that about 10 minutes into the ride, Pepper decided he was done. Unfortunately, there was a long way left to go. Pepper would not let my dad gallop AT ALL, which is what Jess loves to do, so once the trail ride was over, Dad let Pepper off by the horse trailer and he and Jess went for a wild gallop. I think Pepper's big desire to be a cowboy might be over. The idea of horseback riding was a little different from the reality!

Last Thursday, the kids and I went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. It is really a beautiful temple. I loved all the glass and windows throughout - it has a very open, light feeling everywhere inside. The three older kids liked seeing inside a temple and had lots of questions afterwards. Luke was just afraid that we were going to make him get into the baptismal font, so he was paranoid about that the whole time. Ever since Adam's baptism in February, Luke has been nervous that we are going to dunk him in water.

Yesterday, we drove up to Brigham City to see my Grandma Darrington. We had a very nice visit with her and it was good to see Grandma looking so well.

Always the teacher, Grandma taught Adam how to multiply by 10's. Adam was very pleased with himself when we quizzed him and he got them all right.

This morning Pepper got a much needed haircut. He went into Great Clips looking like a hippie, and came out looking like a missionary. Big improvement!

When I was taking Pepper's post-haircut picture, Lukie couldn't stand not to be included. So, here is Luke getting his face time with the camera.

So Brad, this is us wishing you a very happy Father's Day. We will be thinking about you all day and wishing you were here. We love you!

My New Toy

Right after we took the Mother's Day picture in May, I gave my camera to Lukie so he could see the picture. He must have dropped it on the cement porch, because 5 minutes later when I got the camera back, it was all screwed up. The lens inside was clearly sceewompus, and when I tried to take a picture, everything was distorted.

After an appropriate mourning period (I LOVED that camera!), I ordered a new camera. It is actually the same brand and model as my old one(Canon Powershot G10), just 5 years younger and 10 megapixels more. And, of course, half the price. I ordered it from Amazon, and it just arrived a couple of days ago. I have been having the most fun dinking around with it and figuring out all the settings.

My new favorite thing is the color accent feature, which lets me choose one color to highlight, and then take a black and white picture with only the one color showing. This is a new feature for me, and I have been having a great time playing around with it. Here are a few shots:

These two are the same shot, but with different colors highlighted. Do you love it?!

I think this is my favorite so far.

Sorry if this is boring, but to geeks like me, it is really cool!

Good-bye MI

So, today I am sitting at my computer surrounded by cardboard boxes. The movers are here, and I have managed to talk them into saving the computer for last. It is a weird feeling to feel like the stranger in my own house. There are four men here talking and working furiously while I kind of drift around, trying to stay out of the way. I am dying to take a nap, but I would feel so dumb to lie down in the middle of all their business, so I do what I can to appear busy, too, even though I really have nothing to do. It is so strange to feel like I don't belong in these walls. I guess this is good - I am becoming detached from my home a little bit at a time.

The other day, my ward friends threw a good-bye lunch for me, and they asked me to talk for a few minutes about what I will miss about MI. I guess I should share it here, too. So here is my list (incomplete though it may be - too many emotions to really think clearly):

* the smell of water in the air
* being within walking distance of many lakes, and at least one beach
* green lawns all the time, and not just in the yards with sprinkler systems
* "tree tunnels" - driving down roads where the leaves and branches of the surrounding trees make a perfect tunnel
* the hands-down, no contest, most beautiful autumns on earth (imagine the aforementioned tree tunnels in full Fall color - amazing!)
* wonderful teachers and schools - especially for Pepper
* dirt roads in the middle of town
* winters so cold, I just HAD to stay home all day - loved that!
* fantastic neighbors! I know the Lord put a little bug in Brad's ear when he was house-hunting for our home here, because when we moved in, we found out we were on the same circle as some ward members - unheard of out here! The Whartons have proven to be such good friends, whether helping me break into my home when Adam locked us all out (sorry Rob, I ratted you out!) or sharing a big turkey dinner with us on the spur of the moment because they had so much food. Almost from the moment we moved here, I felt like the Whartons had our backs - Michelle has said she can see our house clearly from her front window, and it has been a comfort imagining her keeping her eye on us. We will miss that feeling of friendship and security.

and of course...
* the Clarkston ward family. When we moved here almost 6 years ago, it was so hard for me to leave my family. Now I am having the same separation anxiety as I pry myself away from the friends we've made in the Clarkston ward. I can't think of a single person that I don't just love. Yesterday, as I was wandering the halls of the church during Sunday School (naughty, I know, but I needed a moment), I couldn't believe I wouldn't be there again for a couple of years. Sad. How I will miss being there every Sunday and Wednesday night, leaning against the brown-carpeted walls and chatting with whoever else happens to be there. And all the faces there - OK, now I have to stop. I can't have the movers see me down here weeping. Let me just say that I will love the people here forever - they have left a stamp on me that will never fade.

Good-bye MI.

Berlin has some big shoes to fill.