Four years old

Kyla turned 4 on May 24th. And I just couldn't do another birthday party, although she had talked about nothing else since Allie's birthday in April. So we compromised. I told her she could invite 4 friends and we would take them to Kangaroo Zoo (a place with all the bounce houses) and then come back home for dessert and presents. She agreed.

We went the day before her birthday, because the kids get out of school earlier and Jeff was going to be home. I wish I could have bottled up the excitement oozing out of the kids as they ran into Kangaroo Zoo. I would sell it to thrill seekers and make a fortune. It was the perfect place for her "party," as it wasn't real crowded, I wasn't worried about anyone getting lost, and I didn't have to provide any of the entertainment.

This is Kyla and one of our neighbor girls, Olivia, posing on a bounce house.

Carter wasn't so sure about the whole thing. He kept trying to get out the door and take off. Who knows why. Eventually, though, he found something he loved more than anything--a step stool. He carried it around, occasionally putting it down to make sure he could still climb on it.

You can see him eyeing Allie suspiciously as she nibbles on a corner of the bounce house. Jeff took him on a few of the big slides and he cried in terror. Oh well. His favorite bounce house was, ironically, the scariest of them all. It was designed to look like the mouth of a giant toothed animal (I can't remember if it was a dinosaur or a dragon...), and was dark and creepy. He kept taking his step stool over to it and trying to get in. Strange little man.

Allie and Damon were lucky enough to tag along for the party and had just as much fun as the little kids.

After the kids had had their fill of fun, we went back home and opened presents, had some mini corn dogs and cupcakes and ice cream. Kyla, truthfully, doesn't like cake all that much, so I convinced her she didn't need a cake that she wasn't going to eat anyway. I was really feeling stressed about daily life and fortunately for me, she was more than willing to go along with my simplified birthday ideas.

She is holding her precious Barbie from Grandma (complete with hair extensions that you can "cut" off) and a cupcake. I think she may have licked the frosting off. Maybe.

Overall, it was really low key and everyone seemed just fine with it. Although, the next day Kyla asked when we were going to do her party and play games. Hmmm...maybe I didn't do a good enough job explaining what her party entailed...

On her actual birthday, I took her Sonic for her free wacky pack and to Coldstone for her free ice cream (LOVE birthday clubs online). This is a pic from my phone so it's not the best quality, but she was sure happy with her cotton candy/white chocolate chip concoction. I was more than happy with my sweet cream/Oreo treat myself.

This is a pic of Kyla with her two friends on our street. Kyla is the oldest, born on May 24. Gwen turns 4 on June 4 and Olivia is 4 May 31. So fun to have them so close in age.

Finally, here are four things I love about my four-year-old:

1. She is very affectionate. She is always expressing love for everyone. When Allie leaves for school, she says, "Bye Allie, I love you," even if Allie doesn't respond.

2. She loves to pray. Her prayers usually include something about Satan ("please bless that I won't drown and that Satan will instead,") and always include asking for blessings that she won't have any bad dreams. Fear has set in with her at night time.

3. She thinks everything is "cute." And she always wants to be cute. I think she is.

4. She is very agreeable, and when she's in a good mood (not always, but often), she is very helpful and does more than her share of the work. Allie loves this, too.

Happy birthday KyKy!

Carter's Temp Agency

Remember back when I posted about what jobs I thought my kids would be suited for? This "temp agency" is dedicated to Carter.

Carter would be a great shoe salesman. He loves shoes. Several times a day, he brings me different shoes to admire and comment on. The only problem is that his feet are thick (more like stumps than anything else) and very few shoes fit him. He'll have to be an admirer only.

Carter would also make a good soil tester. I'm not sure what the official scientific name for that kind of profession is, but it's a nice way of saying Carter loves dirt. He likes "testing" it by tasting it. He also loves tasting soaps, sanitizers and lotions if you know of anything in that field.

Carter is also an excellent climber. I think he may have a future in mountain climbing. I'm not sure he is Sherpa quality, though, because of his respiratory issues, but he may be able to handle the lower 48 states.

Here he goes, starting his ascent...

...and at the top with his accomplice.

As you well know, Carter loves to eat, so we may be able to get him into competitive eating successfully. Watch out Joey Chestnutt, Carter has his eye on t

he Fourth of July hot dog eating challenge this summer.

But I think he may be best suited for a career in modeling. When I put him in a tie, I just knew we had something special. Who wouldn't want to buy what he's selling?

Two Months

McKay is now two months old. He still seems little to me, but when I look at pictures of him last month, it's obvious he's getting bigger. That, and the fact that size 1 diapers keep leaking remind me that he's growing up. Next week he'll get his shots (I think I'll be very relieved to have him immunized against whooping cough, as there has been lots of babies hospitalized this winter before they had a chance to be immunized) and I'll post more then.

Here are some recent shots. I think he's starting to grow into his Trapnell cheeks, which was inevitable. But maybe he'll be the runt of the family and never match up to Damon and Carter. We'll see...

Okay, here's a fun game. Guess which one is Carter at two months and which one is McKay at two months.

#1

#2

Well, that wasn't really too hard. They don't look that much alike. (Carter is #1, McKay #2)

Here are a couple more with the moose. I like the boxer pose in the first one.

McKay is not extremely fussy, but he also isn't extremely content, either. I'm withholding judgment until he is 3 months old because I'm still holding on to hope that he's going to be a good baby. And right now he's not awful. But not exactly easy, either.

He does have a great smile.

And I LOVE a sleeping baby.

This is just a cute look.

He's started doing a little better at night. Twice he has slept from 11:00-4:00 and a couple other times from 11:00-3:30. One night I didn't swaddle him (the blanket was downstairs and I didn't want to come look for it) and he did NOT do well. So, swaddle it is.

I also give him on average 4-6 ounces of formula a day, in addition to nursing. I just don't make quite enough milk (even with Fenugreek) and sometimes he needs a little extra. We'll see how long I can make it this time around.

For the future, here is my list of things I couldn't do without:
1. Swaddle Me blanket. I never have tried the Miracle Blanket (it was too pricey for me), but this one works well. Better than any others that I've tried.

2. Bouncy chair and/or swing. I need to put McKay down in places that I know he won't be harassed by Carter (Carter likes to steal his binkies). I can put him in the swing in my bathroom while I shower and lock the door, or in his bouncy chair on the kitchen counter while I am cooking, cleaning, etc. I know he's safer there (while I'm nearby) then he would be on the floor, where Carter can get him and love him.

3. Binkies. They have seriously saved me with all my babies. I like to take them to the hospital and get them going from day one. I used to use MAM but have switched to Nuk, just because they were the first to go BPA free. Now, most everything is BPA free so it really doesn't matter. But I don't know what I would do without them.

4. A baby tub that fits over the kitchen sink. I used to hate bath time with babes, because it killed my back leaning over the big tub. But whoever invented a baby tub that fits over the sink was a genius.

5. Boppy. Seriously the best pillow for nursing, lounging, helping kids hold babies and other things.

6. Breast pump. I have gone through two Medela Pump in Styles and I don't know how I would survive without them (I have only had to replace one when the other was lost, not that it stopped working at all). Even though I mostly just breastfeed, it's invaluable to leave a bottle home when I leave for an hour to play Futsal. I also like knowing how much my baby is eating.

Those are the essentials. Everything else, while nice, I probably could do without.

Moms

Mother's Day is a great time to reflect on why I love being a mom. Because I do. Most of the time.

Reminder #1-It's nearing 10:00 am. Damon is at school, I have just finished nursing the baby and he is fast asleep, and the girls are watching tv. Carter is beyond ready for a morning nap, not to mention he needs his diaper changed and clean clothes. So I carefully snuggle McKay into Allie's arms and take Carter up to his closet. Yes, he sleeps in a closet.

I change and dress him and feel the need to put him quickly in his bed, as I can hear that McKay is now crying downstairs. Apparently, Allie isn't as comfy as mommy. But before I can put Carter in bed, he finds Goodnight Moon on the shelf and hands it to me, sitting down in my lap. Knowing that his attention span for books is all of 5 seconds, I can't refuse. So I open the book and start reading it to him. But he doesn't care about the words. He just wants to point to the pictures on the page and babble nonsense words. And my heart melts.

Suddenly, I'm thinking about the hundreds of hours I spent with one-year-old Damon on my lap, reading thousands of books. He didn't have to fight for his mommy's attention. He didn't have to sleep in a closet.

So I stay there, pointing out kittens and mittens, cows and moons for a little longer. McKay can wait. Allie will be patient with him. I'm enjoying being a mom to Carter.

Allie took this picture of the three of us. It breaks my heart a little to see how much he wants his mommy.

***

There are so many hard moments. At least one kid is crying almost all the time. That doesn't bother me. But when two kids are crying, I start to get a little agitated. And when three or even FOUR of the five kids are crying (which has only happened once), I feel like joining in myself. This morning, Allie decided she wanted to fight me on everything; she didn't like her hair, she didn't want to clean her room, and she certainly wasn't going to give in to anything I said. And so there was a LOT of crying on her part. Carter refused his morning nap, and was especially grouchy by 10:30. And McKay just felt like crying. It was a stressful couple of hours until Allie went to school and Carter went to bed. Now it's just an unpleasant memory.

***

Reminder #2-Having kids means lots of funny moments, too.

One day, we were driving in the car and talking to the kids about cliches. We were giving examples, such as, "Hold on to your horses," and "Holy smokes." Kyla, from the backseat, came up with one of her own. "Hold on to your smokes!," she yelled.

This morning, before Damon left for school, he was attending to McKay while I cleaned up breakfast. He called down, "McKay's back hair is curly!" I was a bit confused. I had never noticed my baby having curly hair on his back. And that is definitely something I would have noticed. When I asked for clarification, he said, "the hair on the back of his head is curly!" Phew.

***

Having a baby is hard. Especially when I have so many other people to care for. At least once a day, McKay cries himself to sleep in his swing or his bouncy chair because I just can't get to him. There are so many other little people (and sometimes big people) who need me. My left shoulder always smells like spit up. I'm tired and grouchy and irritated because there are always so many messes to clean up. There just isn't enough of me to go around.

***

Reminder #3- Dinner is cooking and is nearly done. It's chaotic, because all the kids are hungry and have been making messes while I have been cooking dinner. But I have to stop and take a break because McKay is hungry, too. And I can't ignore him forever. So I go into his room and shut the door behind me. I could use a few minutes of quiet, too.

I nurse McKay and he falls asleep. I put him up on my shoulder to burp him, and stop for a moment to breathe in his newborn goodness. I can hear the kids getting antsy downstairs. Part of me says I should hurry and get dinner on the table. But I don't listen to that voice. I listen to the one that tells me to snuggle with my baby a little longer. His legs are curled underneath him, pressing against my still flabby tummy, and I know that it won't be long before he won't want to be all curled up on me.

And so I rock him, savoring his even breathing on my neck, and wish we could stay like this forever. Because even though there may not be enough of me, physically, to meet his every need, I'll always have more than enough love to give. And I think that's what it means to be a mom.

Allie's 6!

I'm so behind.

Allie turned 6 on April 30. She had been thinking about her big day for months. And she wasn't feeling well and her birthday ended up being kind of a bummer. But she acted like it wasn't. Good girl.

We had her birthday party with all the neighbor kids. It was fun. Allie said next year Damon isn't invited because all of the kids wanted to jump on the trampoline with him instead of playing with her. I seem to remember Heather saying I did the same thing to her at her birthday parties...

I didn't get her cake finished until Sunday (we had been at a niece's baptism the morning of Allie's party), and Allie was too sick to even blow out her own candle. Sad. The cake was definitely not what I envisioned (it's supposed to be a castle. Jeff thought it was a pinata), but oh well. Damon and Kyla had fun decorating it with me while Allie slept on the couch (she had strep).


I sure love my Allie girl. I love this picture of her and McKay. She is very helpful (when she wants to be) and so tender hearted. She is working on brushing her hair multiple times a day so she can grow it long and not cry so much about getting it combed. She has the craziest hair I've ever seen. It can be clean and smooth one minute, and the next it is a wild tangle. I don't understand how it gets that way. But she is determined to grow it out longer and so she's trying to keep it from getting TOO tangled.

Allie has a very vivid imagination. Which is a nice way of saying that she tells lots of fibs. I was reading her journal from school and everything she wrote about never actually happened (unless, of course, I taught her a Hawaiian song on her ukulele and we got a hot tub) and she is still full of stories about people in her class. I mostly praise her for her fictional stories and tell her she should be a writer. Hopefully it isn't indicative of a future of lying.

Here are six things I love about Allie:
1. She has the most expressive eyes. I love looking at her when she is happy.
2. She is a great big sister to Kyla. Usually, she loves to play with Kyla and they get along very well.
3. She loves to sing with GUSTO. As long as her nerves don't take over (the way they did on Mother's Day where she giggle through the entire primary medley), she is the loudest singer in primary.
4. She dances and checks herself out in the mirror but is far too self-conscious to let anyone see her acting like a diva.
5. She is a fantastic reader.
6. She is very good about reminding me about things we need to do (reading scriptures, taking her medicine, watering her plants, etc). She is great about keeping me on track, which I really need.

A Typical Day

I was thinking recently that my life has become very predictable. And I know one day it will be completely different and this time of life will all be a distant memory. So I thought it would be fun to document what a typical day is like for me. So that I can look back later and remember.

7:45-I pull myself out of bed. McKay is sleeping next to me, having been there for several hours. The kids are all up and watching a kid show. Carter is knocking at my door, whining for food, poopie, and Jeff is getting ready for work. I change Carter's diaper, come downstairs and start making breakfast (oatmeal, cracked wheat or other hot cereal). While it's cooking, I get Carter a banana or a piece of toast to stop the whining. I unload the dishwasher and get breakfast on the table.

8:00-8:30-We eat breakfast while reading the Book of Mormon. Carter refuses to let me feed him, crying nonstop so that I will leave the cereal on his high chair tray so he can feed himself. McKay starts crying upstairs and I go get him out of his swaddle and smile as he stretches his little arms. I bring him back down and we finish reading and the kids finish eating. Jeff is off to work. I finally sit down and eat my own breakfast. Carter is covered in cereal, because one of the kids has taken pity on him and given him his bowl so he can feed himself.

8:30-9:00-Damon gets himself ready for school, makes his lunch, and waits for the neighbor to come pick him up. The girls watch another show while I try to get breakfast (and Carter) cleaned up. I wash the high chair tray for the first time. Then I nurse the baby, and if it's the left side, I give him an ounce of formula after he's finished. All the while, I check Facebook on my phone for updates.

9:00-10:00-I try to squeeze in 30 minutes of exercise (a new development, suddenly more important after learning that a lot of people have struggled getting weight off after they got a Mirena) and then get in the shower. 1-3 kids join me, while McKay watches from his swing. He usually lasts for a few minutes without crying, but spends the majority of our shower time crying in his swing.

10:00-Everyone gets dressed and Carter goes down for his first nap. While holding McKay, I help the girls make their beds and I make my own bed and Jeff's. We are currently separated at night, not due to marital problems, but due to my belief that one of us should get a good night's sleep. That, and I love the bed in McKay's room. So soft.

10:30-11:30-I try to get things picked up around the house. Inevitably, there is a huge mess somewhere and I put McKay in his bouncy chair while I try to clean up. He lasts 5 minutes max before he cries and I feel defeated. I silently curse Jeff and the kids for not helping me more and get McKay out of his seat. I try to clean up while holding him. I nurse him again, catching an episode of 16 and Pregnant on the computer. This always makes me feel better about my own life and I get my second wind.

11:30-12:30-After McKay has fallen into a drunken sleep, I put him down again and tell the girls it's time to start thinking about lunch. I get Carter out of bed and bring him down for lunch. We have lunch, after a lengthy debate about who does or doesn't like ravioli and who wants to have quesadillas instead. I help Allie get dressed for school and go through the horrifying process of combing her hair. Tears are shed by many. McKay is crying again from his seat. Finally, Allie is ready for school and she waits for the neighbor to pick her up. I get McKay out of his seat and make lunch for Jeff. Sometimes I wait until he gets home to eat and sometimes I just eat alone, depending on how starving I am by now. I clean up lunch, wash the high chair tray for the second time, and say good-bye to Jeff as he goes back to work.

12:30-3:30-With the big kids gone, Kyla asks if she can do the "three fun things:" play the computer, watch tv, and play my phone. I let her do one of the three, then try to get her to do something else, like color or read books with me or practice writing her letters. That lasts about 5 minutes before she is asking to do another of the three fun things. Carter goes back down for his second nap around 1:30 or 2:00, depending on when he woke up, and I nurse the baby again, catching up on blog posts. I also try to get something cleaned (toilets, floor, vacuum, etc., saving the vacuuming for when McKay is really fussy. He loves the vacuum).

3:30-5:30-Damon and Allie get home from school and we have snack. Carter wakes up in time to eat again. I wash the high chair tray for the third time and pray that the weather is good enough to send the kids outside. If it is, we play outside or even take a walk to the park. If it's not, we stay inside and watch everything get messy again. Carter gets whiny after a while, and I try to ignore his crying. I start thinking about dinner and try to get that going. I nurse the baby again.

5:30-6:00-Jeff gets home from work and we eat dinner, McKay on my lap. Then we try to get dinner cleaned up, and I load the dishwasher. I wash the high chair tray for the fourth time.

7:00-Carter's crying reaches the tipping point, and we get him ready for bed. The other kids finish homework and beg to play Tickle Monster with Jeff.

7:30-We tell Kyla that it's her bedtime and send her to get her jammies and toothbrush. We say family prayer.

7:45-Kyla finally gets in bed, after begging me to pray with her that she won't have any bad dreams. Especially that one about the baby who was trying to bite her. She's been worried about that one for weeks now.

8:00-We send Allie and Damon to get ready for bed. They instantly want to read to us, but only after it's 8:00. Sometimes we give in, sometimes we tell them they need to read to themselves.

8:15-8:30-the kids are all in bed with minimal crying. Jeff and I sit down to watch a show and I nurse the baby again. I look around to see the house is a mess AGAIN and I'm too tired to do anything about it.

9:00-11:30-Jeff and I enjoy the time without the rest of the kids while McKay fusses off and on. We watch our shows and NBA playoffs and I fall asleep on the couch. Dazed, at some point I wake up and go get ready for bed. I take McKay and get him ready for bed as well. I nurse him again and put him in his own bed. I get in bed and we sleep for 3-4 hours.

3:00-I nurse McKay again. Sometimes he doesn't fall back asleep easily so he gets in bed with me and I pat his back until I fall asleep and he squirms again. The cycle continues for an hour or so until we both pass out.

5:30-I nurse him again, this time in bed because he's there with me. We go back to sleep.

7:00-I hear the kids downstairs and try to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

7:45-I drag myself out of bed and start the routine again.

There are some variations, such as laundry day on Monday, or park day with Noel (for Kyla) on Wednesday, but by and large, that is what we do. Pretty dang exciting.

Futsal

Futsal is indoor soccer, played in the gym. 5 on five. No goalie, no hands, no kicks higher than the waist. Awesome cardio (like basketball, but requires less skill), and really, really fun. I highly recommend it..

One Month and Easters

McKay's first month (now six weeks) of life has been full of cold, miserable weather and LOTS of hours spent indoors. He has avoided all the sickness that we have had so far, and for that I couldn't be more grateful. He has had a little snotty nose, but it seems to be getting better, and it never really bothered him that much.

He is a very gassy little guy, and he stinks! Mostly, though, he doesn't act like it bothers him too much.

He only poops about every other day (besides little squirts) and then they are HUGE and get everywhere.

He still has the baby acne, although it looks a touch better than it did last week.

He is doing a lot better at night. He sleeps 3 hours at a time (mostly in his bed) and usually goes right back to sleep. Last night he slept 4 hours, from 11:15-3:15, which was encouraging for me. And usually he ends up in bed with me after the second night feeding (5 or 6 am).

He is doing a little better during the day at not needing to be held constantly, meaning I can sometimes get 15-30 minutes of good behavior at a time. BUT, I still have to hold him MOST of the time. Everything I do takes 3 times as long (it took me an entire day to get the laundry done and the house vacuumed), and some things just don't get done at all.

There are many, many, MANY moments of mass chaos and I think I'll lose my mind (and I admit, my patience is running thin most of the time). Someone is always crying. But I have realized that when the sun comes out (and it seems it has been out only RARELY lately), everything seems better. Please, oh please, can Spring come and stay?

This is pretty much my life right here.

Here is is one month pic. You can see he was not too thrilled that I took off his clothes and put him down. Typical.

This shirt is from Old Navy and says St Patrick's Day 2011--McKay's birthday. How could I resist?


He is holding his head up really well and coos and smiles at us all the time. My milk has started dwindling already, so I'm taking Fenugreek and giving him a little bit of formula if he doesn't seem satisfied after a feeding. I think that's why he slept 4 hours last night--I got him full!


Carter loves him, but has no idea how to be gentle. He tries to say "baby," but it comes out "daydee." I got a good pic of Carter going in to touch McKay and Jeff reaching out to stop him. Ha ha.

We also had Easters. Not much to be said (McKay is screaming on my lap, so this will be short). Dyeing eggs was fun, but SUCH a mess. And I need to have a little more patience before we try this again.


And the kids all got new clothes (except McKay, who didn't go anywhere near the church building anyway).

Pre Easter

I have to admit, five kids is kind of kicking my butt. It's hard. And if the spring doesn't get here soon (it IS April 25th, after all), I might just lose my mind.

Last week, our stake started Futsal. I really wanted to go play, but Jeff told me he wasn't going to be home. I can't tell you how disappointing that was. It was Thursday, after all, and I had been out of the house three times (once to take Damon to school and twice to get the mail). I really needed to get out. And Jeff obviously could sense that. He canceled his plans and I got to go play. I'm just now starting to get over the extreme soreness that caused my muscles. But it felt so good to have my lungs burn again.

I have much more to write about Easter and other happenings, but I wanted to post these pictures from last week first. I wanted to get a picture of Damon in his suit before he turns 9, and so I finally just took some. These are my favorites.

Love that you can see the Y over his shoulder.

Awesome smile.

I think this is the one I am going to have blown up for the wall. I know that the snow on the mountains give away the fact that it was not actually summer, but maybe no one will care about that. :)

The girls got two new dresses for Easter (thanks to Old Navy's awesome deals) and they wanted a couple pictures taken of them, too.

And Carter wasn't going to church, so he wasn't dressed, but he came out for the photo shoot, too. He mostly just wanted to get in the way, but I got this cute shot of him.

This is proof that he doesn't cry ALL the time. Note to self.

And two things I wanted to remember about Kyla:

1. Carter was wearing overalls one day and Kyla said, "I love Carter's underdogs." I think I like even better.

2. One morning, she was in a bad mood and refused to "read" her verse in the scriptures. Later that day, she came to me, very concerned, and said, "Am I on Satan's team because I didn't read my scriptures today?" She was happy to learn that no one under 8 can be on "Satan's team," and that she could read her scriptures the next day.

First Photo Shoot

McKay is now a month old. And these pics are from when he was 5 days old. I wanted Jeff to edit them (and he still will), but here are a few of my favorites. I'm no profesh, but at least baby #5 isn't completely neglected.

Almost bath time

Kyla is typically a very agreeable child. Except when she's not. Then my life becomes a whole lot more difficult. This particular day at my mom's house, I took the three little kids (plus Kenya) inside to get them ready for bed and put them in the bath. Carter was crying (surprise, surprise), and Kyla was also incredibly whiny. I tried to capture the chaos on my phone, but it doesn't do the crying justice. I did, however, catch a funny moment when Kyla's tattling on Kenya didn't receive the expected response.

Mom's Camera

I'm down here in St. George without my own camera, but have been helping my mom get all the pics off of her camera onto the computer. I found several I wanted to have for myself, so here they are:

These are some of my besties from high school. We all got together in December to eat, laugh, reminisce and share birthing stories. I love these girls (and all Hookers who weren't there).

These are a few from when my mom was helping, after McKay was born. Carter has complete sympathy from her, so she made sure he was well fed.

Damon had a great time putting together a volcano. We watched it "erupt" (baking soda and vinegar) a few times.

And here are a few from McKay's bath the other night. He really loved it.

One day this week, McKay was really grouchy. And he's not usually like that. But he cried a lot and acted like he was in pain. He has always been a gassy little guy, and he didn't seem any more gassy than usual, but we just didn't know what else to think.

I was getting him ready for bed and I noticed that his right nipple was still red (it had been that morning) and harder than the left nipple, which was also hard. My mom wondered if it were possible for babies to get a plugged duct so we googled it. Turns out they can. And so we spent the next hour or so putting warm wash cloths on his chest. By morning, the redness was gone and it was much less swollen. And he has been so much happier. Phew! I'm glad we figured that out. Swollen nipples, coupled with the baby acne that covers his cheek, and I think it's safe to say he has entered his "12 year old girl" phase for the first, and hopefully ONLY, time of his life.

St. George has treated us well, with gorgeous sunny days. Jeff, Damon and Allie have been in Arizona with the Trapnell's for spring break, and I won't be surprised if they come back a nice darker shade of white from all their time in the sun. I'm trying my best to convince this weather to come back to Orem with me when we go. We sure need some sunshine up there!