Highs and Lows

So, I tried to read slowly and make it last. I managed all of three days. I finished Breaking Dawn last night, and you can read my review HERE. Don't read if you don't want anything spoiled.

This week without Jeff has been full of highs and lows.

Lows: Allie having a very hard time obeying and receiving several spankings, Allie waking up wet again (after weeks of being dry every morning), Allie sneaking things and lying about it (are we seeing a pattern here?), doing a Tae Bo workout three days ago and being so sore that I could barely get up and down, the toilet getting clogged and there's no one here but me to try to fix it,

Highs: Damon laughing in delight as he sang "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain," specifically the verse that says, "she'll have to sleep with granny when she comes;" Allie getting to paint with watercolors while KyKy was sleeping and laughing in delight as she turned the water different colors; the kids eating dinner so great, even when they thought they didn't like it; Kyla doing errands for me, like putting her diaper in the trash or taking things to Allie; the awesome weather we've been having with just a tiny hint of fall in the air; and my favorite memory from the week, which lasted all of three seconds. Kyla was wearing Allie's purple dancing skirt (which she thought was so fun) and she came into the kitchen and found the broom and swept the floor. She looked so big (sorry no pictures, Jeff has the camera on his river trip), and I couldn't help but hear "Sing Sweet Nightengale" as she swept, my little Cinderella (and yes, I know Cinderella never wore her gown when she was doing housework, but it was just the moment).

So, it's been good. We'll meet up with Jeff tomorrow and head to St. George for the weekend. Should be fun!

Olympics

Thoughts about the Olympics.

How about some volleyball! With Ryan Millar and the men and Logan Tom and the women, U.S.A. volleyball is alive and well! And not to mention our dominance in beach volleyball. How awesome was that? I went back and forth who I loved more, Misty or Kerri. What must it be like to block like Kerri? But Misty is the better player. So I decided. I want to be Misty May. And I want Kerri Walsh to be my best friend. I love those girls!


I'm a little annoyed that baseball and softball are getting cut from the Olympics. I understand that baseball is pretty boring without any MLB players, and that the U.S. softball team is too good for the rest of the world, but really? There are many "sports" that I think should be cut before baseball and softball: The 20 k walk, trampoline, rhythmic gymnastics, field hockey, sailing, judo, Greco Roman wrestling, tae kwon do... And I really don't have anything against any of those events, I am just a little disappointed that baseball and softball are out. Okay, I don't care about baseball. I am sad that softball is out. And do you think the U.S. threw the gold medal game on purpose so softball could be reinstated for 2016?

There's nothing like a good controversy. Especially when it involves gymnasts from China and the U.S. I was fascinated by the U.S. computer hacker who found "proof" that He Kexin is only 14, and how that stirred up so much trouble. Everyone suspects that the Chinese gymnasts are underage, and yet we all knew that the Chinese government was going to provide any necessary proof that they were eligible to compete. Also, it seemed a little fishy that the Chinese gymnasts were getting scores that even Tim Daggett claimed were "a little high." And I don't care how good her first vault was, "Pug Face" didn't deserve a bronze on vault when she fell on her knees on the second.

Luckily, though, our two stars couldn't be stopped. It was another toss-up of who you love more, Shawn or Nastia. I'm just glad they both did so well. It was wonderful to watch.

The Jamaican sprinters were on fire! They all seemed to have their best races at the best time. I really hope they are all clean, because I can't help but be a tad suspicious. Now, I know none of them have ever failed a drug test, and I really do hope they are all doing it without drugs, because it was fun to watch. Especially Usain Bolt. The man is a freak of nature. It's not right to be that tall and to run that fast. Amazing!


New athletes I love: Tyson Gay (did you see the story NBC did on him where he said he could sit and sign autographs all day for kids because he was just so happy to be making a difference in their lives? Love him! And I'm so sad that his Olympics was so awful).


Dara Torres (not technically a NEW athlete, but definitely one of my favs--I told Jeff she should've gotten some fake nails put on before her race, she would've won gold! And then she made the fingernail comment after the race (about how she shouldn't have filed them) and I didn't feel very original).

Kobe Bryant (it was so fun to actually cheer for him instead of detesting him!)

Jason Lezac (we may never see a better finish to a relay than in the 4x100--it was amazing! And thanks to him we got to see Michael Phelps' abs in a way we never would've otherwise!).


So...what am I going to do now that they are over? Jeff is gone all week on a rafting trip, so I will be especially lonely. But I am prepared. I have been waiting for the perfect time to get reacquainted with my good friends, Bella and Edward, and I think this is the time.

Pictures at last

Sorry. I know I have really been slacking in the photo department and it's a wonder that anyone reads my posts without pics. So, here are a few that we have taken over the last few days.

Last weekend all the Trapnell boys took a bunch of the kids camping/fishing at Fish Lake for two days. Damon was so excited to go, and even let Jeff talk him into hiking another high point. Jeff, Damon, our nephew Michael and Greg's dog, Vegas, set off on an 8.5 mile hike. Yes, that's right. MILES. Up to an 11,000 foot peak. When I heard about it, I thought they were crazy, but Jeff said the book listed it as a moderate hike and he thought it would be okay. Five and a half hours later, he wasn't so sure. He said the boys did really well, but were both so exhausted at the end that he had to carry them (in shifts) the last couple of miles. This is Damon and Michael at the top of the peak. Damon carried this feather with him all the way. In fact, Jeff said he didn't put the feather down the entire trip.


In the meantime, Allie and I had a girl's weekend. We painted our toenails, tried on lotion and lip gloss, got ice cream from McDonald's and Dairy Queen, and watched Michael Phelps. Good times. Allie has added a new item to her wardrobe: a swimsuit. It must be easier to put on than anything else, because although we haven't been swimming in weeks, she wears one nearly every day. This one made me laugh. Jeff is wondering if I can get one just like it.


Damon and Allie made a "fort" under the stairs outside. They filled it with pillows and spent quite a while hanging out there. Damon even protected them from the spider by blocking its web with a pillow. I'd rather not know the details. This isn't the best pic of Allie, but I love it of Damon.
And finally, Damon started school on Wednesday. He seems to be very happy, but my heart still goes out to him. He told me that on the first day he didn't know that he could leave the cafeteria after lunch to go out to the playground, and just sat there waiting for his teacher to come back and get him (that's what they did at Fort Caroline). I also gathered that he was sitting alone, as he hasn't made any friends in his class yet. Finally, he found his cousin, Maren, in the cafeteria and she took him outside to find David, his cousin in first grade. Sad. Anyway, here he is the morning he left for school. He is looking so grown up! And the hair may be a little too short for those chubby cheeks.

Eight in '08

Like the rest of the Mormon world, Jeff and I celebrate our anniversary in August. We were married August 19, 2000, and I know you are dying to see pics of that day. Sorry, but they are all still packed, and will have to wait until we are moved into our new house (however long that will be).

In honor of our eight years together, I wanted to share eight memories from our time together. These are not necessarily the best memories, but eight things that stand out. In no particular order.

#1 This comes from when we were newly dating. Jeff and I used to spend a lot of time sitting on the couch in my apartment after my roommates went to bed (or just went into their bedrooms so we could be alone). One night, as he was getting up to leave, we were standing in the doorway (door open to the outside) and he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before he left. I shut the door and immediately began to analyze what had happened. It had totally caught me off guard, and I started to worry that he had tried to kiss me (for real) and I had turned my head. I didn't want him to feel like I had rejected him, unintentionally, of course, so I decided to ask him about it.

We were sitting in the Benson building watching the Tuesday devotional (our usual spot), and we started writing notes back and forth about it (yeah right, like I was going to bring it up in actual conversation!). He assured me that he wasn't trying to kiss me, and said, "I don't usually miss," and that "when the time is right, you'll know it."

I kept those notes for a long time. I hope I still have them. Just thinking about that really makes me laugh. And as a side note, when he did kiss me, I did know it was coming and he didn't miss.

#2 When we were first married, we lived in a little apartment on University, close to BYU. It was such a cute little place, and perfect for just starting out. There was one window air conditioner in the family room, which really cooled it down. But no air whatsoever made it into the bedroom and we really suffered at night. We started off spraying each other with a water bottle before getting into bed, hoping we'd be asleep before all the water dried. Finally, we moved our mattress out to the family room. There was just enough room to squeeze it in between the couch and the dresser that held our tv. We slept there, on the floor, for at least a month before we moved. Good times.

#3 I will never forget the first time I went through the temple, two weeks before we got married. It was overwhelming, and so much to take in. I remember going from the veil to the celestial room and Jeff was standing there waiting for me and grabbed me in the biggest hug. I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life. One of the temple workers said, "I hope you'll still greet her like that in 50 years!" Jeff said, "I will." I always love to find him waiting for me in the celestial room, and it seems like he gets there before me quite often!

#4 When I was pregnant with Kyla, I really wanted to get a new crib. The crib we had used with Damon and Allie was a hand-me-down, and while very nice, I wanted something white. I had been looking at cribs, but I knew we didn't have the money to buy one, so I just thought it was a dream that wouldn't happen. On Valentine's Day, Jeff called during lunch and told me to go look outside. He was there with his brother's truck, a white crib with a big red bow in the back. I was so surprised! He had called several consignment stores and found one that had what I wanted. He spent his lunch hour figuring out how to get it into the baby's room and put together. There was no better declaration of his love for me than that. And it proved to me that he still had it in him to plan a few surprises.

#5 When Damon was a baby, we took a trip to Chicago (about a six hour drive from Columbus). We had gotten tickets to a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field, something Jeff had always wanted to do. We got stuck in traffic and the game started long before we got there. We listened on the radio as the game progressed, praying that the dark clouds hovering over Chicago would cause a rain delay. And it happened. With the game tied in the seventh inning, rain caused a delay and we FINALLY made it to the park. After an hour, the game resumed, and even went into extra innings. And because of the big delay, most fans had gone home. We got to sit anywhere we wanted, and we ended up just a few rows up on the third base side. The game went 14 innings (we got to see the last 7) and the Cubs won in the end. AND Jeff caught a ball thrown into the crowd by Moises Alou, the left fielder (he ended up giving the ball to a little kid). I'm so glad we got to experience that together.

#6 When I was pregnant with Allie, we took a trip to Washington, D.C. for Spring Break. We stayed with some friends, and had one of the best trips ever. We got to go to the D.C. temple, which was amazing, and enjoy perfect weather as we walked around town. On the way back to Columbus, we stopped to see Falling Water (Frank Lloyd Wright's home, built right on the water) and took a tour. It was awesome!

#7 When we were engaged, I worked as a Sports Camp Counselor at BYU. Most campers went home on Friday, but a few stayed and so a few counselors had to stay Friday night as well. It was my turn to stay a Friday night, but Jeff told me to get someone to trade with me, because he wanted to take me to dinner at The Roof restaurant in SLC. I managed to find someone to stay for me, and I called to ask him what to wear. We had been there once before (and spotted Sheri Dew there on a date!) and I remember feeling underdressed. He acted a little funny and told me I didn't need to wear a skirt. I was confused, but said okay, and wore pants.

While we were driving to SLC, he told me that I had something on my face, and I pulled down the visor so I could look in the mirror. An envelope fell into my lap, and when I opened it, inside were two tickets to the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill concert. For that night. I was so surprised! We had an awesome time at the concert, and it will always be one of my favorite memories with Jeff.

#8 Allie's birth. I have good memories of him with the births of the other two, but Allie's really stands out in my mind. Jeff and I spent the evening sitting in recliners at Babies R Us, talking about how glad we were I wasn't being induced that night because we were both tired. I hadn't had any contractions, so I was very surprised when I found myself in labor at 12:30 am. After only 15 minutes, I knew we needed to get to the hospital so I woke him up. It was just like in the movies, where the husband jumps up and tries to hurry, but is so disoriented it takes him a few minutes. I distinctly remember both he and my mom laughing at me as I suffered through the contractions on our drive to the hospital, throwing the seat belt off my shoulder. They had no idea that I was REALLY in labor, and thought I was just being dramatic. Once we got to the hospital, and I got to pushing, it was another scene from a movie, where the wife squeezes life out of her husband's hand as she tries desperately to rid herself of the child within. And even though I never want to do that again, I'm so glad we got to experience that together.

It's been a great eight years. Nothing has been perfect, but yet I wouldn't change a thing. All of our adventures have brought us closer together, and I can't wait to see what the rest of our journey has in store for us.

Advertising

Allie loves to watch commercials. And since we are currently DVR-less and have been watching a lot of Olympics, she has seen a lot of commercials lately. It always amazes me how much she remembers from commercials. You may recall the time she said Kyla needed Lipozene because she was too chubby. Well, her latest comment goes along with that one. She asked me if I was sad, and said, "if you're sad, you need Cymbalta." Really? It's that easy?

Night Thoughts

Poor Kyla. She was sleeping so peacefully until Allie went to bed and woke her up. Now she is having a hard time falling back asleep, and the only time I don't hear her crying is when the noise of the Olympics drowns her out. I'm sure she just wants to be out here enjoying it with me, even if she has no idea why I'm so dang excited.

The whole family has caught the Olympic fever. I have a few pics I want to post, but Jeff has the camera this weekend (the Trapnell boys took a bunch of the kids camping), so that will have to wait. But we all have been thoroughly enjoying watching every day and we won't know what to do with ourselves once they finish next week.

Today has been a very up and down day, and for no reason in particular. It's just part of being a girl, and dealing with all the emotions that surge through our bodies day after day. I love being back here in Utah. It is so nice to be surrounded by family, and to finally be done with school. But it is strange to be back. It's been six years since we last lived here, and I'm not used to "happy valley." Here are a few things that I have had to adjust to since I've been back:

1. HUGE Utah wards. Our ward here in Springville is completely out of control. In Jacksonville, we never filled the soft seats in the chapel, and everyone knew everyone else. Here, if we don't get to church 15 minutes early, we don't get a "soft seat," which makes things ten times harder with the kids. Jeff and I are in primary and we teach half of the nine year olds, and we have nine of them. Senior primary fills the entire primary room, and we have opening exercises in the chapel, where we fill all the "soft seats." It is insane!

2. All the "Mormon movies." There is one coming out right now about sister missionaries called "The Errand of Angels," and the previews feature the song "As Sisters in Zion." It catches me off guard every time I hear it.

3. There are so many Mormons everywhere we go! It's not uncommon to overhear people talking about missions and church at the bank, the grocery store...weird.

4. There are churches everywhere! I knew that, but it's still funny to see them all. There are three within walking distance of the Trapnell's (maybe more, but I haven't actually walked enough to know for sure).

5. While we have lots of family around, and I'm never really lonely, I don't have any friends close by yet. I miss having friends. I miss book clubs, and girls nights out, and park outings...I know it takes time, and mostly it doesn't bother me, but today I just started feeling sad. I'm praying that in our next house, and next ward, I will find some girls I can relate to, that have kids who will bond with my own instantly. Is that too much to ask? Damon is not very good at making friends (never has been), and does better one on one than in groups. There's got to be another six year old boy here in Springville that needs a friend as badly as he does. I'm hoping that he will find one, too.

Speaking of homes, we have spent a lot of time looking at neighborhoods and like several. There is a possibility that we'll end up here in Springville (more to come on that later), which I wasn't expecting, but I know that wherever we go it will be right. And thankfully, we aren't in a huge rush to get out of the basement, so we can wait for just the right situation to come along.

Okay, here's a final thought tonight (Kyla has finally stopped crying, so I can now fully enjoy the rest of the Olympic programming). I would love to be Michael Phelps for one day. It would be amazing to experience what it's like to be the best swimmer in the world. And it would be awesome to be "forced" to eat 8,000-10,000 calories a day.

Cryin'

Remember when I said Allie has gotten so much easier, and I went as far as to proclaim that she is happy 75% of the time? I would like to retract that statement. While she has gotten easier than she was a year ago, I was far too optimistic about the actual percentages. And for some reason, nights have gotten rough again. Just as she is finally consistently staying dry at night, she has started waking up and crying that cry that can only be described as inspired by the devil. Last week, she was up several times, crying and making us want to jab chopsticks in our ears, and Jeff said, "I can't stand her." And even though that sounds awfully harsh, cold and unfeeling, I couldn't help but agree. I certainly couldn't stand her then, either.

Last night really took the cake, though. As we were watching our nightly Olympic coverage upstairs with Jeff's parents, it came to our attention that someone was crying. When I determined it was Allie, I lay down next to her and asked her what was wrong. "I don't know," she blubbered. Great. I don't know the cure for that. I stayed for a few minutes, assuring her everything was fine, and left with her going back to sleep. Or so we thought. A few minutes later, she came out of the room crying, this time complaining about her ear hurting. And listening to her cry, you'd think someone HAD been jabbing chopsticks in there. I gave her a little ibuprofen, hoping mostly for the placebo effect to kick in, and sent her back to bed. Not five minutes later she was back, complaining that the medicine wasn't working and she needed more. I coaxed her back to bed again, telling her she needed to give it more time.

This went on for a while until Jeff and I finally went to bed (after watching the American gymnasts salvage the bronze medal!), and we hoped the worst was over. It wasn't. Five or six times throughout the night this scene continued. At one point she decided to sleep on our floor, but that didn't last either. And the crying was just terrible. Jeff and I took turns trying to reason with her, telling her we could either take her to the hospital or she needed to go back to sleep. Finally, Jeff explained to her that he had to work early in the morning and she needed to leave him alone (this was much nicer than the "I can't stand her" comment from before). I guess that did the trick, because around 4:00 we were able to fall asleep for good. Unfortunately, Kyla woke up at 6:50 and started her morning ritual of crying until I feed her everything in the kitchen.

Isn't motherhood great?

Wish List

I am a fairly simple girl. I don't need a lot to make me happy. Or at least content. As we have been looking for a house, I realize that there aren't a lot of things that really matter to me. But occasionally I find myself thinking about things that would be NICE to have. They aren't critical to my happiness, and I'm not in a big rush to have them, but I will put them on my "If We Have Extra Money Someday List." Here are a few items from that list:

1. A Sleep Number Bed. I like my bed soft, Jeff likes it a little more firm. And for the last year or so, I have been the one to get my way. I bought the pillow top memory foam from Costco for my birthday and I loved the comfy softness. But now that we are in the basement, we are sleeping in a huge king bed and the memory foam doesn't fit anymore. I am missing it. Jeff is not. So, my conclusion is that it would be nice to have a bed that we could each set however we wanted.

2. A hot tub. With a really good cover that children can't remove. While maintaining a pool seems like way too much work for me, I think we could handle a hot tub. I have always loved a good soak (we had a special relationship with "Mr. J," Alisha's hot tub, in high school), and I think it would be so nice to put the kids to bed and relax on a cool fall night. Or in the middle of the day during the winter.

3. A Yamaha digital baby grand piano. Ah, the piano of my dreams. And what an amazing thing it is. I will definitely have to wait for that one, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that the owner of a piano store has a house full of teenagers who need braces. Maybe we could work out some sort of trade.

4. A really sweet set of pots and pans. For the past eight years (almost), we have used nothing but wedding gift pots and pans. They are nothing special, and I am looking forward to the day that I can replace them with something better. I asked for some for Christmas and then found out the ones I really wanted were $300 at Costco. That didn't happen. Just before we left Jacksonville, I showed Jeff one of our bigger pots, and how the bottom that was once black was now scraped silver. "That can't be good," he said. "We need a new pot." So I went and bought one at Target for $15. I haven't seen it since we moved to Utah. So, I'm still using the wedding gifts. Only we're down one medium size one pot, and the rest are threatening to break at any moment.

5. A Mac. Our pc is less than two years old, and at times I am ready to throw it out the window. It has major problems with printing, and at times will refuse to work for reasons I can't fathom. I have heard such good things about Macs and how virtually problem-free they are, and I am dreaming of the day we say good-bye to computer problems for good!

6. A sweet washer and dryer. I watched this demo about the Whirlpool Cabrio and I was sold. Too bad they are so dang expensive!

7. This really awesome water filter/softener system that was presented to us in Florida. Seriously, the water was amazing. I was sold when I saw how great pure water cleans anything and everything! Jeff was sold when he tasted the water. If someone comes knocking, offering a free gas card for listening to a water presentation, do it!!

That is a short list. I reserve the right to add anything at any time. It is MY list after all. What things would be on your "wish list?"

Beaver Mountain

We had a great time in St. George, although it was hot, hot, hot! I'll focus on the cool, cool, cool!

Jeff had planned a camping trip with the boys, but once he got up to Beaver Mountain, he called and asked me to come and to bring Allie. We got talked into it when my sister said we could leave Kyla behind.

Damon and Jeff spent the first day hiking and fishing. They hiked the highest peak in Beaver County (and sixth highest in the state), Delano Peak. Damon snapped this shot of Jeff at the top.


They saw a herd of mountain goats at the top and got pretty close to them. My dad was jealous.


Then they went fishing and caught about 20 fish! Jeff thought he had died and gone to heaven. Damon was pretty happy, too.


Allie and I drove up with my BIL, Wayne, and my dad. We drove around looking for the mountain goats (no luck) and tried fishing again (no luck). Allie did manage to fall into the stream and cried for the next hour or so until we got back to camp and out of her wet clothes. You can see in this pic she is wearing Damon's t-shirt and her clothes are "roasting" over the fire. By this time she had cheered up. Jeff had everything set up, and took care of everything, including all the food. He cooked up four of the trout he and Damon had caught and we had a yummy dinner.


The night was rough. We were in the middle of a deer migration (as Jeff claimed) and were awake for several hours listening to the thumpety thump of our deer visitors. At one point we heard a hissing sound, followed by the quick retreat of a deer. That's when I started to get a little scared. I had to pee, but tried to wait it out as long as I could, as I didn't want to face whatever was hissing (do racoons hiss? What else would've been capable of scaring off the deer?). Finally, when all was quiet, I ventured out. It was a little spooky, but I didn't encounter anything out of the ordinary. Damon and Allie slept through it all, which was great, but Jeff and I didn't feel very rested in the morning.

The kids got impossibly dirty for being there such a short time (Damon didn't change once in the three days he was there), and, although Allie didn't have a bad night sleep, she was still pretty tired.

Camping is fun. But it sure is a lot of work. I have been working on getting this mountain of stuff put away. My hair still smells like campfire, but it was definitely worth it. As Damon said, "I love camping because I can get away from home and see the pretty things in nature." He sure must have a lot of pressure here at home if he can't wait to get away.

Excitement

I know it's been a while since I posted (REALLY posted), and I have a lot of things flying around in my head. First, some excitement.

Things I am Excited About:
1. The Olympics (just 11 days!). In HD. Can't wait!
2. Jeff told me Saturday that he only has to work today and tomorrow and has the rest of the week off, and he wants to go camping near St. George, which means I get to go visit my family for 5 days!
3. The fact that Jeff has a real job and gets days off. That's sure nice!
4. It's nearly August, which means Breaking Dawn is oh-so-close to being in stores!
5. Damon is already in St. George (he went down with my sister last night), so I only have two kids to take care of!

Second, the kids are doing great.

DAMON: Latest loves include: High School Musical (he told me the other day, "I wish Vanessa's real name was Gabriella."), Sugarland's "All I Want to Do," collecting rocks, hiking (he hiked the Y again last weekend with Jeff), riding his bike, playing with legos, and watching Tom and Jerry.


Jeff's list of things he wants Damon to avoid: High School Musical, songs by women, watching So You Think You Can Dance, combing My Little Pony's hair, using words like "pretty" and "beautiful" when describing anything, and wearing Allie's dancing dresses. We sure love our Damon and hope that he continues to be "well-rounded," as opposed to Jeff's term, "sissy."

ALLIE" Latest loves include: Care Bears and ponies, "Bleeding Love," "Should've Said No," helping me cook dinner, and looking gorgeous.



Allie has gotten much easier the past couple of months. She still has her fits (like when I comb her hair or for no reason at all), but is such a pleasant, happy girl 75% of the time. I can't believe I am actually saying this, but it is true. She is night time potty trained finally, and is getting better at obeying. She has discovered that she can "read" books and asked today to go to the library to get some "reading rainbows." We love our Allie!


KYLA: Latest loves include: eating, bananas (she loves them so much they are a separate category), dancing, animals, getting into everything, and eating some more.


Just as Allie has gotten easier, Kyla has gotten harder. She suddenly has an attitude and throws fits when she doesn't get what she wants. She cries MUCH more than she ever has (I told Jeff that she is such a happy girl when she isn't tired or hungry. She seems to be tired and hungry all the time!). She has five teeth, but they are taking their sweet time coming in. She signs a little, but has started talking more. She now can say, "baby," "Allie," "all done," "hot," "more," "me," and "kuh kuh." She is now trying to run, as walking isn't fast enough, and I love to see her getting those little (well, big) legs moving. She has grown very attached to her cow and cries when it's time for bed and he can't be found. She knows a few body parts, but routinely sticks her finger in her ear before guessing elsewhere. We love our Ky Ky, but hope her crankiness is due to teething and that she'll go back to being our sweet little girl soon.


Lastly, I am excited for the fall tv schedule. Particularly, I am excited for The Office, Pushing Daisies (the best new show from last season), and The Amazing Race. Plus, in January we get American Idol and the last 13 episodes of Scrubs. Awesome! Jeff can't wait for college football. Seriously. If that was all that was on tv, he would be happy. He's easy to please. I need to take some pics of him. Look forward to that!

Memories

How many times do you have to see something before you decide it's time to join in? I have eight blogs on my google reader with this on it, waiting for comments from me. So, play along it you'd like...



Here's how it works:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember, good or bad but be nice please! ;)



2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. Come on all my blog followers... I want to post something about you, let's see this on your blog!!!

I wouldn't...

I've often wondered what I would be doing if I weren't a mom. I doubt I would be teaching elemntary school (what I got my degree in) because, although it was very rewarding, it's a lot of work and you get paid so little for it. If I knew I would never get married and have kids, I would have thought long and hard about being a doctor. I always wanted to be one when I was younger, and my fascination with the medical profession hasn't subsided as I have grown older (proof: I love doctor shows on tv). I wouldn't be a surgeon or an ER doc, I know that for sure, but I could see myself enjoying a career as a doctor.


It's just as likely that I would have gone into education anyway, and tried to get a job coaching basketball (or another sport). I'm sure that's no surprise. I love sports. I think I would be a good coach. Sometimes I tell Jeff that when our kids are older I would like to volunteer my services at the junior high or high school. Who knows..


I actually haven't given it a lot of thought. It's hard to say exactly what I would be doing if I wasn't currently "employed" as a mom. But I do know what I WOULDN'T be doing:


1. I wouldn't be wiping the same high chair tray eighteen times a day.

2. I wouldn't find myself singing songs made famous by The Backyardigans.

3. I wouldn't be performing the "smell test" on clothes that weren't my own (you know the test, where you sniff an article of clothing to see if it is clean or needs to be washed).

4. I wouldn't find myself using made up words like, "kuh-kuh (meaning yucky)," "num-num (meaning food)," or "night-night (meaning bed time)."

5. The names Damon, Allie and Kyla wouldn't mean anything to me.
6. I wouldn't eat fish sticks more than once every six months.

7. I wouldn't know that nystatin, benadryl and motrin can cure most anything.

8. I wouldn't dig through nostrils not belonging to me to pull boogers out.

9. I wouldn't know how to get baby poop and spit up stains out of my clothes.

10. I wouldn't appreciate Jon and Kate Plus 8.

11. I wouldn't spend half my day in the kitchen.

12. I wouldn't wake up to the sound of little voices long before morning.

13. I wouldn't be doing laundry every couple days.

14. I wouldn't look down at my chest and try to remember what it was like to have one.

15. I wouldn't envy the animal world and their lightning quick pregnancies.

16. I wouldn't get to read "Little Miss Contrary" over and over and over again.

17. I wouldn't get to watch "High School Musical" over and over and over again.

18. I wouldn't have a reason to go to Chuck E Cheese.

19. I wouldn't get nearly as much free candy on Halloween.
20. I wouldn't be having nearly as much fun as I am now...
What WOULDN'T you be doing?

Changes

Not sure I'm going to stick with the new look, but it will do for now. If you're in the mood for a new look, it's gotten super easy. Check out THIS SITE. Awesome! Also, scroll down to the bottom of my blog for even more fun. My favorite is Allie in her CTR-uh (tiara) and dancing dress.

Trapnell Orthodontics

Did you know there is a Utah Valley Magazine? I didn't. But we learned about it in May when Jeff and his brothers were contacted and asked to be featured in a little article. I guess five brothers practicing orthodontics is a little unusual. For those of you who didn't get to see it, here is a scan. And no, we're not bitter that Jeff got the smallest paragraph and some of his info wasn't correct (he didn't do ortho at Ohio State, but in Jacksonville). I mean, it's only Utah Valley Magazine.

We're havin' us a weddin'!

Tonight, Kyla and I were witness to one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. I knew it would be good when Damon announced that he and Allie would be getting married, but I didn't know the treat we were in for once the "wedding" actually happened.

Damon and Allie changed into their wedding attire. Allie faced a problem I'm sure we all had to deal with on our own wedding day--the purple dress she had wanted to wear was giving off a "uriney" smell, and she had to go with her second choice, her beautiful blue dancing dress. She wiped some of the spaghetti sauce off her face, and put flowers behind her ear so she could look "beautifuller and beautifuller." Damon talked her into wearing sandals, as she had decided to go barefoot after only one of her pink sparkly flip flops was located. She picked several flowers from grandma's garden (don't tell!) for a bouquet and waited for instructions on how to proceed.

Damon chose to wear a long-sleeved blue shirt and blue pants, and was mildly frustrated when he learned that his ties had been left in St. George. He managed to get over it, though, and excitedly put on his own belt, socks and shoes. He was heard to say, "I love marriages!" I hope he feels the same 20 years from now. He was ready well before Allie was (imagine that!). I was shown to my seat, camera in hand, anxious to see what the "wedding" would entail.

Then, the fun started. Because I had been deemed photographer, there was no one to act as minister (or justice of the peace, or whatever they were going for). I gave minimal direction, but most of this was straight from their imagination.

Damon waited for his bride

She came down the aisle

They faced each other

They told each other they loved each other and kissed

They hugged

They kissed again

They held hands and walked past me

And that was that. I wiped tears from my eyes (from all the quiet laughing I had been doing), and thanked them for letting me be a part of that. Damon assured me that they were "really married" and then they proved it by fighting with his new "bride" only minutes later.

Reunited!

We're back together. Our family, that is. We were reunited on July 3, and my body celebrated my contracted pink eye. I'm sure Jeff found that very attractive, as I could barely open my eye, and when I did, it oozed and watered continuously. But a quick course of antibiotic eye drops cleared it right up, and I only had to endure three days of wearing Jeff's glasses (explanation: we have the same prescription in one eye and the other eye is pretty close. Neither of us have gotten a new pair of backup glasses in at least four years and mine were broken beyond repair. Jeff's are missing one arm, which I taped back on with masking tape.). It was a good look. But I'm glad to be through with it.

Damon got to do something he had been dying to do since he learned it was a possibility: he hiked the Y. Jeff said he did great, and even asked to do it again when they got to the bottom. I love that he is old enough to do fun things with his daddy, and I'm sure it made Jeff happy, too.

They are on the Y--that's not snow.

Jeff started his first day as an orthodontist yesterday. I am so proud of him, I can't even begin to describe the feelings I have inside. He has been in school since we met nine years ago (minus one year when he worked for his brothers making teeth models, and made a whopping $12,000. All year.), and has finally come to the end of his education. Now things get real. And real scary. The stakes are higher now, as he gets ready to buy an ortho practice (his plan is to buy the Provo office from his brother in two years), as we start the process of looking for the house we will raise our kids in, and student loans start coming due. It makes me a little sick inside when I think about all the money that entails. But I am optomistic that we will be alright. It's probably a good thing that we are both nervous. Hopefully that will help us be smart and careful in our decisions.

It's great to be back together, and back in our own space. We even have internet down here in the basement, which will make life so much easier. I am itching to get a library card, but the one piece of "official mail" that I got has disappeared and I don't know if I can get one without something else coming. Hopefully that will be soon. I'll have more later (including Damon's sixth birthday) when I get some pics from the Esplin fam.

It's good to be back!

Summer Heat

After a whirlwind trip to Temecula, CA for my uncle's wedding, we're all back home and safe in Utah. Including Jeff, who made it to Springville today. After we celebrate Damon's birthday tomorrow, we will head back home and be reunited for the first time in months!

Here are a few shots of the kids at the wedding (which I must admit, was beautiful and the place to get married if you're not going to the temple).

Damon was infatuated with the butterflies. We were handed boxes with live butterflies inside and released them at the end of the ceremony. Many of the butterflies were reluctant to fly away and Damon couldn't let them out of his sight.

Allie was infatuated with the flowers. And the leggings. Hard to tell, but they are there under the dress.

Kyla was infatuated with the food, but we didn't get any shots of that. This was a cute one of her with grandpa.

I found the pics from Jacksonville. They show exactly how Kyla has become. She is NOT going to be pushed around (she enjoys telling all of us "no no"), and she's NOT going to be distracted from what she wants. She and Tyson fought over this dump truck and neither one was backing down. Like all good parents, we stood back, laughing at them.

And one more random shot of the kids, enjoying the heat.

Apparel

I was telling my mom the other day that I have chosen not to fight with Allie (much) about what she chooses to wear. If I did, we would be fighting every day.

Allie has a few choice things that she likes to wear. Everything else, she doesn't care for much, but tolerates if she is in a good mood. If she's not, it's tears, tears, and more tears. Here are a few of her favorite outfits.

1. Her favorite jammies: the ice cream ones. She would wear these every night if they were clean. Unfortunately for her, she sometimes doesn't make it through the night dry and doesn't get to wear them nearly as much as she'd like. This was taken one morning when we spotted a hot air balloon on the horizon and watched it land a few hundred yards from us.

2. Her dancing outfits. You already saw the purple one in an earlier post, and I realized we haven't gotten a good picture of her in her new blue one (thanks Daisy and Romy!), but here she is wearing it (the kids were watching a show on the littlest tv in the house). She also wore it when we went to Cafe Rio a few nights ago. Like I said, I'm not willing to fight it.

3. Her Leggings. She has two pair of these and will change into them when she gets tired of dancing. One day Kimmy and Heidi helped her get all done up with curly hair and accessories. She did look cute.

For those of you who have boys and girls, it will come as no surprise to you that Damon has worn nothing but a swimsuit since swimming lessons started last week. It's either the orange one or the white one every day. All day. Which is why he doesn't have a shirt on in the picture with the kids or this one with Malakai.

Beach Friday

It's hard to break tradition. We have gone to the beach on Friday as often as we could. So even though we were in St. George, we tried to continue our tradition. We loaded the whole crew (my sis, her twins, another sis, two cousins, my bro and my three kids) and headed to Sand Hollow Reservoir today.

It wasn't the Atlantic Ocean, but it was still fun.

This was our setup. Everyone else there had a canopy. We had an umbrella, and it was missing the bottom pole. If you look closely, you can see Allie lying under it. She had a bit of a struggle at first. She had left her swimsuit at Subway and we didn't realize it until we got to the "beach," and she was left with some unfavorable choices: she could either get in the ocean in her leggings and shirt or take them off and get in in her undies. She hated both options. So, she cried. And cried. And CRIED.

Finally, Kimmy convinced her to put on a tanktop and get into the water. After that, we had a different Allie. A fun Allie. She even sat by me and posed for a picture with the other kids.

Damon spent most of his time hauling rocks out of the water into a big pile (and then made a firepit out of them). I was especially impressed with this big rock. It took him quite a while to get it across the sand, but he was awfully excited about his accomplishment.

Kyla loved it most of all. She is such a water baby, and has stopped eating sand, which makes her diaper changers very happy. She sported a faux hawk long enough for me to get a few pics.

I didn't put her in a swim diaper. Those things are precious! I was willing to risk infecting everyone with crypto and kept her in her regular diaper. She decided to impersonate J-Lo and we all thought she did a fantastic job.

You can imagine how sandy we all were, so we stopped at the bathroom on our way out to rinse off. I loved this picture of Kyla as she sat in the sink with Allie.

We all had a good time. I do miss Florida, but since we are now Utah residents, we will have to learn to make do.