While the cat's away...

Just a small sampling of the many, MANY pictures that were taken while Jeff and I were in Hawaii and the kids partied with grandma and grandpa. They did pedicures...

Decorated for Halloween...

 

 

Played at the park...

 

Played at home...

Read scriptures together...

Fell asleep together...




Had a class Halloween party...



Got all prettied up for the ward trunk or treat...

Made sugar cookies...

Talked to mom and dad ONCE the whole week...

Had a little grandma time...

And a little grandpa time...



And had a whole lot of fun!

Hawaii

So, while there are many things I need to post to get caught up, I have had numerous requests for pictures from our trip to Hawaii. So, let's skip all those other posts and get right to the good stuff...

Last summer, Jeff and I celebrated our ten year anniversary. We had talked about doing a big trip to mark our first decade, but it wasn't a good time (what with me being pregnant and sick and all), so we sort of agreed to wait until our 11-year and go somewhere then. We went to Maui on our honeymoon, but Jeff had never been to Oahu, so when a trade became available (via our Marriott timeshare we own in Park City), we jumped at the chance to stay at the Ko Olina Beach Club for seven nights.

Fortunately for me (and more fortunately for my kids), my parents agreed to come and stay at our house with the kidlets while we were gone, and judging by the pictures my mom took, they had a fabulous time. Those pics can be a post later on.

Jeff and I flew from SLC Saturday morning (after getting back from our Fall Break Moab Trip the night before). We had a layover in San Francisco, and were supposed to leave CA at 6:00 pm, arriving in Honolulu at 8:44 Hawaiian time. Our flight was delayed, however, and wasn't supposed to leave until 7:00. AND the flight before ours, set to leave at 12:45, was also delayed. We got on the standby list for the earlier flight and were the last two to get on, which meant we got to Hawaii even earlier than we had planned! Unfortunately, our luggage didn't get on the earlier flight (even with the 2 hours United requires to make the change) and didn't end up getting there until 11:20 pm! We checked into our resort and planned on resting for a while and then going back to the airport (about 30 minutes away) later that night to pick up our bag. We didn't make it, though, because we were so exhausted (there is a 4 hour time change for us) and fell asleep while we were waiting. We ended up having to go back Sunday morning to pick it up, which ruined our plans of attending Sacrament meeting. 

We spent the day getting lost several times (the freeways were not labelled as well as we hoped they would be) before finally making it to Pearl Harbor to see the sites. We were too late to do everything we wanted to do, so we just saw the museum and took the boat over to the USS Arizona Memorial (The Arizona was one of the battleships we lost during the attack and it is still visible beneath the surface of the water. There is a memorial built right on top of the battleship, and it still smells heavily of oil and gasoline). It was very cool and definitely a very solemn experience. We also saw two other families sporting BYU apparel. What else do Mormons do on Sunday in Hawaii? Haha.

Monday morning we went back to Pearl Harbor to tour the USS Missouri, the battleship where the war with Japan was ended in 1945. We got there early (one of the perks of the 4 hour time change--I couldn't sleep past 6 am any day we were there) and had our own private tour before the rest of the crowds got there. It was amazing and such a cool experience. Here is one of the rare pictures I got Jeff to pose for, standing in front of the "big guns," that shot missiles 23 miles. Impressive.

You can see the USS Arizona Memorial in the distance from this picture taken on the battleship. It looked like a partially melted cube of butter. Not sure why it was designed that way.

 

There was a dentist office on board and Jeff peeked in to see what the conditions were like. Not great.

We spent the afternoon at our resort, wondering how in the world we got so lucky. It truly was amazing. I posted this picture on Facebook from there. That was also when Jeff told me he would pose for ONE picture with me the entire trip and ask someone to take it for us. Isn't that nice? That night we took advantage of being kidless and went to see Footloose at the movie theater. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. 

Tuesday we took the scenic route to the North Shore. It's amazing to me how different the island is at different locations. We stopped and did a session at the temple and stayed to do some sealings. The temple was even more beautiful than I remembered (my sis said it was recently remodeled, and you could tell), and I even got Jeff to pose for a picture with me with our camera on timer. He must have been feeling the spirit. Haha. We then found Ted's Bakery and had a good lunch before stopping by Turtle Bay to look for turtles. We didn't see any. Then we snorkeled at Shark's Cove (and spotted an eel!) and jumped off the 30 foot rock at Waimea Bay. We got a shave ice from Matsumoto's (with ice cream, no beans or condensed milk) and drove back to our resort through the pineapple plantation. It was a super fun day.

  

 

Try to focus on that itty bitty pineapple here and not my white thighs, mmkay?

Wednesday we drove to Hanauma Bay and did some more snorkeling. What an amazing place that is.  On our second time, we saw a sea turtle. It was right below us, eating off the coral just like in the movie. We stayed and swam with it for the next 10-15 minutes and it was really the highlight of my day! Maybe the highlight of my trip. I did have a little run-in with some coral (it is really shallow in spots and you have to get past the shallow stuff to get out to the good stuff), which put a little damper on the day. After we had had our fill of sun and water, I changed out of my suit and drove over to "hike" Diamond Head Crater. It was a short hike, mostly consisting of steps to the top. But the view of Waikiki was amazing and definitely worth it. Jeff took a really cool panoramic picture with his camera and I'll add that eventually when he edits it. 

FYI-This is the one pic we asked someone to take for us. It doesn't begin to do justice to the beautiful crystal clear water.

Thursday we spent the day at Waikiki. We got there in the morning and rented an umbrella and two chairs so we could people watch. That was a lot of fun. We played a game where we tried to guess whether tourists were American or European. It was harder than American or Asian? We had a late lunch and went back to our resort for our massages. That was heavenly and I could have done that every day. We got the new X-Men movie from Redbox and watched it in our room. Well, I fell asleep about halfway through, but it was after 9:00 pm after all!

Friday morning we got up and went to the driving range at the gorgeous golf course near our resort. That was a lot of fun and made me want to take some lessons so we can golf together. We went back to our resort, sat by the pool and then went back in to watch the BYU game. Then, after admiring a gorgeous sunset, we went to dinner and to another movie, this time to see Puss in Boots. Jeff thought it would be fun to see it WITHOUT kids. It was funny. Not as funny as the previews made it look, but still. We were at our second movie in a week without kids. How could it be bad?

Saturday we had to check out at 10:00, so we got up and got ready. Then we went to the swap meet at the stadium and got all our goodies. We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening at the resort, feeling sad that it was already time to go. Jeff took some more awesome pictures (coming soon, I hope) and I finished reading The Help for the second time. I loved it just as much as the first time. We showered at the fitness center and headed back to the airport to take the red eye home. Oh, it was so hard to come home. We had the BEST time. It was so relaxing and I could sleep, not wondering if someone was going to wake me up during the night. We could eat when we felt like it and basically do anything we wanted to do. 

I HIGHLY recommend a week long vacation without children. If not Hawaii, go somewhere you can relax. But if you can find a way to do it, I recommend Hawaii. It was magical. And we want to go back again next year (maybe Kauai next time!). And the year after that....

(this was one more that we set up with the timer. About Wednesday, Jeff came up with a game. He said we could each choose two things the other person had to do. I wish he had come up with this game on Saturday. I totally would have picked "pose for any picture I want to take." We would have had a LOT more pics of the two of us. And because we started the game so late, we each only got one thing from the other. I guess that's something else to look forward to next year.)

Problems

I haven't taken many pictures lately, so I had to dig through some old ones to find some to post today. It seems like we have all been dealing with our own issues lately and thought it would be a good idea to document here. So forgive the hodge podge. 

McKAY-McKay probably has the fewest problems of any of us. His biggest one is that Kyla STILL won't leave him alone. She wants to hold him all the time and was thrilled beyond belief when she got to bring him for show and tell at preschool and he got to stay and read books with them on the carpet. Fortunately, McKay is pretty cooperative and loved all the attention.

CARTER-Carter has developed a bit of an attitude lately. He thinks he's two already, but he still has four months until that milestone. He has started telling me "no." He thinks he knows best and wants his way. Especially when it comes to food. He wants to tell me when and where and what he'll eat. But he can't talk very well, so he gets frustrated. And if I ask him to do something he doesn't want to do (like kindly take his banana into the kitchen instead of eating it on the couch), he gets mad, yells "MO," and runs away. Or throws his food.

Carter's other big problem is his separation anxiety. Last night I had to take Damon and Allie to parent/teacher conference and Carter wasn't happy about being left home with dad. Jeff told me he found Carter walking up the street, crying for me. So, not only is he getting harder to leave, he's also feeling more brave in wandering from home. We're in for it with this one, I can feel it.

KYLA-Kyla has become very sneaky. And sometimes a little sassy. Yesterday, she found two Polly Pockets I had in my closet (bought for cheap and saved for birthday parties the girls get invited to) and asked if she could have them. I told her no. So she went into the closet while I was distracted and opened BOTH of them. Dang girl. She now has 10 jobs she needs to do to work off her "debt," and I'm not going to let her keep either of the Polly Pockets (although I guess I will give them to the girls for Christmas, since I can't use them for birthday gifts anymore).

Kyla has also become a little less unsure about herself, and it's sad to see. She has never really cared about what anyone thought of her, but was happy to do as she pleased. Now she's self-conscious and scared and trying to figure out where her confidence comes from. I'm thinking it is just a phase and will pass.

ALLIE- Allie has always had an issue with time management, but we have really been stressing it lately. She just seems to have no concept of time. Even though she has 30 minutes to get ready for school, make her bed, her lunch and be waiting outside, I will find her trying to get into the shower. Or playing in her room instead of getting dressed. And inevitably, she is rushing around at the end, blaming everyone else for her being late. 

The other problem Allie is dealing with is a big increase in her anxiety. She is still terrified of spiders and wouldn't sleep in her own bed for weeks after she thought she saw a daddy longlegs crawling across the comforter. She completely panicked about the fact that her top two teeth were loose, and told me she never EVER wanted to lose them. I don't know what she was afraid of: that it was going to hurt or that there was going to be a lot of blood, but we were treated to many, many screams at the top of her lungs as she let us know that "Daddy is not going to pull my tooth out with those dirty tweezers!" (NOTE: They were pliers and she originally wanted Jeff to pull the teeth out. She quickly changed her mind, though, when the pliers came out). During General Conference, we were attempting to listen to President Eyring and he mentioned something about anxiety. Allie said, in all seriousness, "he has anxiety like me." 

I am seriously wondering if we should take her to see someone. I have spent a lot of time talking her down from her panic attacks, and usually I can get her to relax and wind down, but I just don't know what is typical childhood anxiety and what needs professional help. 

DAMON-Poor Damon still has no friends in the neighborhood/ward. It's not his fault at all. He is the only boy his age in our ward (except for one other 9 year old boy who is autistic and doesn't go to his primary class or scouts). Jeff and I had a long discussion about him the other night, wondering what we can do (if anything) to help him. He has two things against him. 1. It's just not easy here, when his school friends live far away and there isn't anyone next door or up the street that he can play with. And 2. He doesn't love big groups. He is much better in small groups or one on one. If we are all together with Jeff's family, he will usually play by himself instead of going with all the boys. If there are one or two boys, he can handle that. But he just do well in big groups. 

I completely empathize with what he's going through, because it was like that for me growing up. I wanted a friend desperately (I wanted someone to move in next door that could be my BFF), and it just didn't happen easily. I had to make and remake friends every year, based on who was in my class at school. And my saving grace was playing sports, because I had ready made friends every season. I sure hope (and pray!) that Damon will be able to make friends at school that will help him all throughout his life. It's so important.

KRYSTAL-My problems, as you can probably imagine, have to do with my kids. I worry about them and want what's best for them. Also, I have demands on my time and attention that I am trying to balance. AND I'm working hard to try to get my body back after my last 2 pregnancies. I have been doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and have been getting stronger every day. I've worked out 19 out of the last 23 days (M-F) and I'm hoping that in two weeks, when Jeff and I leave for vacation, I am not embarrassed to get in a swimsuit.

(Carter and McKay kind of look alike in this picture. Must be the angle--taken from below by a child--, because they don't really look alike in real life)

JEFF-Jeff bought the Provo practice a couple of months ago, and now he's the boss. It's all on him. It's great, and the next step he was waiting for, but it's still stressful. 

So, we all have problems. Thankfully, nothing serious. Just part of this phase of life, I guess. 

259

Jeff was lucky enough in high school to make the best friend's a boy could have. They all (but us) ended up living in Arizona, so occasionally they have to get together so they can relive their glory days. They came up to Park City for a weekend of boys fun (I heard something about some Green Lantern underwear?!), and we were lucky enough to see them a couple of times. My kids kept asking where the "259 Brothers" were. I think that's a fitting description. I know Jeff loves his 4 brothers, but I wonder if he loves these guys just as much (if not more). I have to admit, I love them a little bit myself. And I think they have all chosen fabulous wives that I absolutely love as well. 

Soccer

Damon and Allie just finished soccer for the fall. This is Damon's third year playing. He is getting better and really seems to enjoy it. Soccer may just be the sport he sticks with. Allie...well, Allie had fun dressing up in shin guards and cleats and jogging after the ball. But at least she didn't fight me about going. 

Between the two of them, we went to 3-4 soccer games a week. It took up a lot of time, and sometimes I did NOT look forward to going. Only because Jeff couldn't make it to some of them and it was hard by myself. Especially if I tried to do something daring, like take a few pictures.

I love this shot of Damon. You can imagine he is the star of the team when you see an action shot like this. I hope he feels that way (although he told me he likes playing defense and is not good at offense).

Allie liked playing goalie. Once I had to untangle her from the net when the rest of the kids were at the other end of the field. That pretty much says it all.

This is the best action shot I could get of her going after the ball. Amazingly, she scored a goal this season. I didn't see it (I wasn't there), but Jeff said she was in the right place at the right time. 

What do the rest of us do at the games? Here's a little taste. Kyla looks fabulous. She may have been going clubbing later, I'm not really sure.

Carter wandered around watching all the other kids, usually throwing things in the air to impress them all.

And McKay sucked his thumb. He was usually tired and not especially fond of soccer. But he's a good baby and he puts up with a lot. Just as #5 should. 

Six big months

Wow, is McKayters really six months old? (Insert cliche here about how time is flying and I'm getting old).

He's starting to make that moose look small.

Probably the biggest development in McKay's young life is that he has now been introduced to the world of solid food. The first time or two didn't go over so well. He gagged like a bulimic before finally swallowing his rice cereal. Since then, however, he has done much better (maybe he likes oatmeal better?), and he would like to taste anything I put in his mouth. I think he's ready to start on sweet potatoes and squash this week. If I can make it to the grocery store.

He is also sitting up really well, and doesn't usually fall over unless he is pushed. I'm not sure whether he is teething or if he just found his tongue, but he has been making this face all the time.

Carter has been opened to the world of "older sibling," and is always trying to make McKay laugh. It's one of my favorite things right now. I'm so glad these two have each other. They're going to need it if they're going to survive Mommy Kyla...

(A quick Kyla story from today to illustrate the above point. I was mopping the kitchen floor, when I heard Kyla ask Carter, "do you want to play type rope?" I looked up to see the broom balanced between the counter and the island. Carter gave his standard "no," which sounds like "mo," and another catastrophe was avoided.)

This is probably my favorite picture from this month. It was at Damon's soccer game. I love that Jeff and McKay are so engaged. And I love that Carter is watching the soccer game with feigned interest. And I love his blond hair that I buzzed off. Dang me!

Perspective

Reliving 9/11 over the weekend with my family was a good experience. Damon wasn't born when we were attacked 10 years ago, but he couldn't get enough of the coverage. He watched the towers get hit, and then collapse, dozens of times. And watching all the footage brought back a lot of memories for me as well, especially once we turned on "Where Were You (when the world stopped turning)?" by Alan Jackson and danced in our living room. Ten years ago, we all reexamined our priorities and put those things that were most important first in our lives. And this week, I was reminded again that my perspective on life can sometimes get a little skewed.

I focus too much on all the hard things, the bad things, and not enough of how blessed that I am. And so I have been mentally composing a list of all the things I would typically complain about, realizing that all these things are really blessings.

The fact that we go through so much toilet paper means that 5 of the 7 of us are potty-trained.

My flabby stomach and chunky thighs mean that I have been able to carry 5 babies inside of me.

All the rooms in my house that I am constantly having to clean mean that we have plenty of space to live and grow.

The food I scrub off the table and chairs means we have enough to eat.

The constant chaos I am surrounded by means I am never lonely.

The grass that needs to be mowed every week means that it's not winter and the ground isn't covered in snow.

The fact that McKay had a fever of 101.2 last night doesn't worry me, because he isn't tiny enough for that to be a concern.

All the clothes I own that don't fit (either too big or too small) mean that the baby weight from the last two years is coming off (and that I need to keep working on it).

The fact that I have to make lunch for Jeff, as well as the kids, means that he wants to come home for lunch instead of spending it with someone else.

The fact that the girls are still giggling and laughing in their rooms at 10:00 pm means that they love each other and like being together.

All the homework I have to nag the kids about means that they are back in school.

The fact that I have to carry two heavy boys around most everywhere means that they are close enough to one day be best of friends.


What kinds of things are you thankful for, that you might not have realized were blessings before?

Sticks out like a...

...sore thumb? Where did that saying come from, anyway? Because as I sit here thinking about things that "stick out," a sore thumb is probably one of the very LAST things that would come to mind. A broken thumb, perhaps. But not a sore thumb. Sorry. For the purpose of this post, I'm going with "sticks out like a black eye." Something that actually seems to make a little bit of sense. And is relevant to my children, who are not currently experiencing thumb pain.

The story I'm about to relate happened two weeks ago, before Jeff was fulfilling his John Wesley Powell fantasies and rafting down the Colorado River, aka the Grand Canyon. I am just now able to talk about it. One morning, McKay had just awoken from his nap and Kyla asked if she could go in and talk to him. I told her yes, even though I knew that "talk to him" really meant "crawl in his crib with him," because I was doing something else and needed to buy a few minutes before I went to get him out of bed. It wasn't long before I heard a gigantic THUD followed by a very hurt little baby cry. My first thought was that Kyla had dropped him on the floor (unfortunately, it wouldn't be the first time). I yelled upstairs and asked her what was going on, and she brought him out to me. He clearly had a circular carpet burn about the size of a silver dollar above his eye and he was a little pale. He was also whimpering and just laid on my shoulder when I took him from Kyla. I began questioning her, asking what had happened. At first, she tried to tell me that she didn't know. Finally, though, she confessed.

"I tried to frow him on the bed." WHAT?! Suddenly my heart started beating faster, as I realized what had happened. She had climbed into his crib, as I expected, picked him up, and thought that she would be able to throw him from the crib onto the bed. Obviously he didn't make it. My mind ran through worst case scenarios, such as he fell straight down onto his head, not even grazing the bed, and I began checking for serious injury. Kyla was hysterical. McKay, who was no longer crying, but still a little pale, seemed unaffected. But still, I made him sit up and perform his usual "tricks," such as reaching for things with both hands. He seemed okay. But I was still worried and so scared.

After a while, the carpet burn faded and normal coloring returned to his face. He was acting normally, eating and sleeping, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief when it seemed he was going to be just fine. I asked Kyla to reenact the event for me, so I could try to determine EXACTLY what had happened. She demonstrated how he hit the edge of the bed and slid to the floor. I hoped with all my might that that was actually what happened. She told me, "I'm not a good frower." No, I think not.

The next day, his left eye looked a little swollen, and he eventually developed some light green bruises newt to his eye, but mostly escaped the situation unscathed. And believe me, I know how lucky we are about that.

 The REAL black eye story happened while we were in St. George. Carter, yet again, let his cousin, Jayda pick on him. She pinched his cheek, and must have really had a hold on him, because it turned black and blue underneath the eye the next day. Then, to add injury to injury, when we got home, Kyla thought it would be funny to scare him while he was in the bathtub. However, this caused him to bump the top of his eye on the faucet. I have had a hard time getting a good picture of it, but you can see it a little bit here.

Yesterday, it had really turned some pretty colors. I needed Damon's help to get a good picture. I'm sure the girls are jealous of that natural eye shadow! And believe me, it sticks out much more than a sore thumb would have.

So...I guess you could say that preschool couldn't have come at a better time for Kyla. Or her black-eyed brothers. She started on Tuesday and had to have some pictures of her own. Nice pose here.

After changing her mind repeatedly about what she wanted to wear, she finally decided on this little dress. Definitely fitting, seeing how she loves wearing skirts and dresses so much.

 Here she is hanging up her backpack and saying good-bye to me. Clearly, she isn't nervous at all. So it's surprising that she burst into tears only moments later when I had to leave. It actually is a little surprising. Kyla usually doesn't have separation anxiety. Well, unless she is separating from Grandma Karen. Then it's quite bad. But she doesn't usually have a problem separating from me. It did break my heart a little to have to leave her there when she was upset. Fortunately, she had a fantastic day and has been so excited to go back every day since.

It's good to have talented friends

At our ward play group a few weeks ago, Lori Harris took some pictures of all the kids. We should have paid her for her services, they turned out so good. So, thank you Lori! Now I only have to worry about getting a family picture before Christmas. :)

Kyla, age 4

Carter, 18 months

Have I mentioned that I am totally in love with this kid? I just think he is the cutest thing in my closet (literally). :)

 Damon, age 9

 McKay, 5 months

Allie, age 6

Love this one of Damon!