Our First New Year's Eve

10 years ago tonight marks the first time R and I went out. Our history together is quite funny, looking back. When I got back from France, an old roommate asked me if I wanted to share an apartment again. R lived in an apartment on the same floor just kitty-corner to mine. I had acquired a stalker who I couldn't seem to shake and who claimed R and him were great friends. So thinking that R was in the same vein as this guy, I avoided him. The first time we spoke to each other, I walked away mid-conversation once R brought up that other guy. So for a few weeks/months I tried not to be ambushed and forced into talking to R again. I was more embarrassed than anything around him--because of the whole walking away from him while he's talking and because I thought he was like that stalker-guy and because I thought he thought that I LIKED that stalker-guy. Then came New Year's Eve.

I got back to my apartment on New Year's Eve Day. Originally, I had plans to go out with some friends from home.....but they abruptly changed their plans to go some where I didn't really care to go to. My roommie was there and we were hanging out in our living room wondering what we would do when a guy from downstairs came along saying that he's trying to get a group together to go up to SLC for New Year's Eve. His 2 sisters were visiting and he was trying to find others to come along. My roommate and I agreed, then I found out R was going to be part of the group. Yikes....and I had done so good on avoiding him.

So, the 6 of us drive up to SLC through all the fog. I remember it was hard to see the road as we drove up. They had fireworks that no one could see because of the fog: Instead, the fog just changed colors. We took some pictures, and EVERYONE of them R would put his finger in my ear! Weird-o!

 

 

So both pictures we have from that night I'm making a crazy face because who would think that a guy you barely know would stick his finger in your ear? During a group picture? Apparently, R would. (He still does that to our boys. Hilarious to me since it's not me this time around.)

We all had so much fun that we all kept getting together every night after that until classes started up again. Then, a couple days later R called me up and asked me out.

10 years later, we've been married 9-1/2 years, have 3 kids, and a mortgage. Oh, and I still have the coat.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas all! We have had a great morning and a smooth drive to R's dad's house in So. Nevada. Thank you to everyone who helped make our Christmas possible. The kids have had a great time....R and I, too.

A Festivus Miracle!

This morning R was a wonderful hubby and got up with MK who wakes up at 7:50am like clockwork. He brought her into bed with us, and she snuggled with him for about 15-20 minutes before I realized she was there. I then got up and did the morning routine with the kids getting them breakfast and ready for our day. Then C and S proceeded to do what all kids do this time of year when school is out, candy is in abundance, and excitement is in the air: They drove me absolutely insane! (i.e. fighting, whining, complaining, arguing, etc.) Finally, I had had enough. I sent C to their room and S to sit on the couch. I went into the bedroom to get a sweater so we can go deliver some Holiday Cheer (not sure where I was going to get some Cheer since I was in short supply.) R looked up at me when I came into the room, and I said "I'm done." I put on my sweater and realized something was in the pocket. I reached inside and pulled out 5 peppermint patties. Now, you have to understand that peppermint patties are my absolute favorite--I can eat them all day, everyday without end, forever and ever, amen. I looked at R and asked him if he had done that. "No," he said. "It's a Festivus Miracle!" I laughed: It was a Festivus Miracle. I ate my peppermint patties and went out to hug my kids. We bundled up and went out to deliver some Holiday Cheer....that and the SandArt Brownies we made for them.

Unexpected Visitor

So a crazy thing happened last night. The kids were all in bed, I was laying in bed reading a book waiting for R to finish up his work in his study when all the sudden someone started to pound (not knock politely, but pound frantically) on our door. At first, I thought it was just some neighborhood kids pulling a prank. But the pounding soon became very frantic accompanied by a woman screaming as if someone was chasing her. I tried to find some clothes to put on, while I heard R cautiously open the door. A woman was on our door step sobbing that she needed help, needed a fire extinguisher, because the car she was towing was on fire--in the middle of the street right in front of our house!

R quickly handed her our fire extinguisher, told her to keep away from the car (who knows if and when the fire would hit the gas tank) and that he was calling 911 right then. By then, I was dressed and grabbed my coat and shoes. I did my best to keep the driver from getting too close to the car and out of the snow. She was in shock and couldn't stop crying. The police came and blocked off the street and we waited for the fire department. It seemed like forever until the firefighters showed up, but in retrospect it was pretty darn quick--especially for a volunteer fire department. We stood on our driveway and watched the firefighters put out this car fire. R got some great pictures.

While we were outside, we noticed we were the first "on the scene" with the driver. A lot of neighbors came out of their homes to watch. But I realized that this woman chose our house because it was around 11:30 pm, and we were the only home with lights still on. I was glad that we could help her.

The kids slept through everything even though MK woke up during the pounding.

So, here's what we found outside our door.

Here are the firefighters.

This a really cool one R got.

And when it was all said and done.

David Lanz Concert

Last night R and I went to see David Lanz at a local Performing Arts Center. R bought tickets back in August as a birthday present for me. It was an amazing concert! It was held at a pretty small venue, so there wasn't a bad seat in the house. It was such a contrast between your typical rock-n-roll concert and this concert. His music is so mellow and relaxing....so there wasn't any dancing in the aisles. He played some of my favorite pieces of his, several Christmas pieces, and a medley of several songs. He told a few stories about how his favorites came to be.

The crazy thing was before the performance, the General Manager of the Center came out on stage to say they had some "important announcements." He proceeded a small bit thanking all those who donated. He announced that they were celebrating because the center is finally all paid for....then they threw confetti from the rafters and lit fireworks on stage.....of a small auditorium. It was so smokey! Just about everyone in the audience was coughing. They had to take a small break before David Lanz came on stage for people to leave the auditorium and get fresh air and for the HVAC to clear out the smoke, which it didn't really do but blow it all over the place. Poor R is getting over a cold and this wasn't the best thing for his lungs. Poor planning on the managements part--several people complaining during the intermission.

Besides the poor air conditions, we really enjoyed the concert. The kids got to spend the evening with one of their favorite babysitters, and we got to go out on a date.

House Update

People keep asking me for an update on the house since S poured water out of the tub and it started to rain downstairs.

The damage wasn't as exctensive has we had feared. R was quick thinking and got things drying pretty fast, which saved us in the end. So far, it's cost only a 1/5 of what we feared. BUT, we still have to put it back together. That's been the problem. We still have to large-ish holes in the ceiling that will need to patched and painted, etc.

One of these days we will have a working 2nd bathroom once again.

No Peanuts Please

A couple of weeks ago, I sent MK & S to daycare while I had to work. When I picked them up, my friend who watches them was a bit nervous about MK--MK's eyes were getting puffy. She said that it started shortly after lunch and thought it was just "tired eyes." She put MK down for a nap, but noticed that her eyes got worse and worse during the nap. When I picked her up, they were pretty bad. It kinda reminded me of when my little brother would get stung by a bee....okay, maybe not that bad. Apparently, the kids had PB&J for lunch. MK didn't eat the sandwich, but just picked at the bread. (She gets that bread obsession from me.) She'd eaten PB before, eating big bites from R's sandwiches. I took her home and gave her benadryl, which helped. It wasn't until about 36 hours later that all the swelling was gone.

I took her into the doctor for her 15 month check up (I still can't believe she's that old!) and had her tested for peanut allergy. I was so impressed with the ladies who took MK's blood--MK never bruised and they were SO fast. Anyways--we got back the results this past week: MK is highly allergic to peanuts.

Now, we are reading up on peanut allergies. This should be interesting

More Rain

So, tonight was bath night. S decided that the side of the tub needed to be cleaned because there were bubbles on it. He did this by pouring cup after cup after cup of water on it. (You see where this is going? sigh.)

By the time I discovered this helpful cleaner, the bathroom floor was already drenched. I made him get out and dry it all up. However, S poured so much water out of the tub that it once again started to rain in our downstairs bathroom. You remember this bathroom don't you? The one in January we had to tear out (after just finishing it) for water damage. Yeah, that one.

Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be as bad as the January fiasco. This isn't black water.

Unfortunately, we still need to drill holes into our ceiling to facilitate the drainage.

Fortunately, we have some big fans to help dry things out.

Unfortunately, it's going to be a long night.

Fortunately, There isn't as much water as last time.

Unfortunately, this is still going to cost a pretty penny. One of which we don't have considering R is still out of work.

Fortunately, S has a Savings CD for about the same cost of the damage.

Unfortunately, S will have to pay for this. He is pretty sad about "breaking the house."

Fortunately, S will believe us when we tell him that he will break the house if he does something now that he has broken the house doing something we told him not to do.

Halloween Pre-Show

We finally pulled out the Halloween Costumes. Both C and S had Halloween parties at school today. While we were making sure we had everything for C's Batman costume, MK tried on the mask. She sure makes a pretty cute Batgirl, don't you think?

Bat-MK

MK and I went to S's preschool Trunk-or-Treat. S was so excited to be Buzz Lightyear (thanks Mimi!) I just love this picture--his smile just shows how much he is loving this.

S as Buzz Lightyear

It was VERY cold out today, so I bundled MK up in her costume. She makes a pretty ferocious lion with her pink binkie.

MK as a Lion

R and S went to C's Halloween Parade at his school. I'll have to get pictures from R later.

Little Pioneer MK

Here are a few funny pictures of MK. Grandma made this little bonnet for her a little while ago and she loves to put it on and walk around. Every time she finds it, she brings it to one of us and makes us put it on. Such a little cutey!

Pioneer MK

Pioneer MK

Pioneer MK

Pioneer MK

Pioneer MK

MIA

I know I've been Missing in Action. (Motherhood is a state of Action--constantly doing something.) I was pretty busy for a while, picking up hours at work to bring in some kind of cash flow, helping R with his job search, wrangling kids, organizing scouting (my new calling--Bear Den Leader), driving kids around, helping with homework, and my normal keeping the house livable. Then, we all got sick. I'm just starting to feel human again. Give me a little bit and I'll start to update the blog with past activities and what we are up to right now.

A Reduction in Force

So, R was laid off yesterday. Apparently, his (former) company had a reduction in workforce by about 12%. Luckily, he was given a small severance and will be able to apply for unemployement. Also, he sent out a tweet as he was leaving and he's received many calls from friends and former co-workers offering help and pointing him in the direction of other job opportunities. R is very personable and has a great network.

Keeping our fingers crossed.

A day in the life of...

A day in the life of C

C started soccer this week. His first game was last night. He now plays with the "big kids" where the games are actually refereed, players play positions, and in general follow the rules of the game.

C at his Soccer Game

Here he is with his game face. He was pretending to kick an imaginary ball.

C at his soccer game

C did pretty well. He got to play a variety of positions, and most liked playing the goalie. He managed to make a few saves despite missing only one that went high over his head.

A day in the life of S

S has been adjusting to having his older brother gone most of the day. I love having lunch with him and chatting with him--he's pretty funny. Today, he had some watermelon as part of his lunch. He seems to really like watermelon. What do you think?

S digging into his watermelon

I love this one with watermelon juices running down his chin.

S loving his watermelon

A day in the life of MK

MK has had her nap schedule interupted by C's school schedule. This is her right before I had to wake her so we could go pick up C from school today. Let's hope she'll go to bed early tonight and not be a grump.

MK napping

Quilting

So, we all know what an amazing quilter my mom is. She makes beautiful quilts for the grandkids (skipped right over us kids to spoil the grandkids), for charities, for fundraisers (the quilt she made for Lady A's High School Choir raised around $4,500.00 and she just made another incredible quilt for this year, too), and of course for herself. Well, when my parents moved back from Saudi Arabia, I told her I'd like to have quilting lessons. We did this regularly before my dad decided he wanted to go back to Saudi. Then, we had to take a hiatus. Well, while my mom has been in the States this summer, I again invited myself (and kids in tow) to her house to quilt.

They have been fun evenings spent with my mom. We don't always get a lot of quilting done, but some. The evenings are usually spent playing with the kids, quilting for a bit, having dinner, and a walk to the neighborhood park. The kids love to go, but have told me that it's only fun to go to grandma's house when grandma or boppi are there. (While Mom & Dad are away, I usually stop by their house every so often to check up on things, pick up things for them, etc.)

Anyways, I've finally made progress with a quilt that I want to make for one of the boys. I picked out 2 patterns I liked and will use similar fabrics, but this way they each have a unique quilt. I've spent hours cutting and sewing different pieces. Yesterday, I thought I had an hour to quilt, so I pulled out my things and placed everything down to finally make a block. I was quite excited to finally have a "finished product."

Stars of Glory Quilt Block

Between all the sewing, pressing, moving MK, ripping and resewing, moving MK, back to sewing it took me 2 hours to sew it all together! I showed R and said, "Only 39 more to go." He quickly replied it would only take me another 78 hours. Sweet.

1st Day of School

Today, C started 1st grade. He has been SO excited. He has been most excited about 2 recesses and having lunch at school. Here he is just before school. He was squinty-eyed from the light outside.

C's first day of 1st Grade

While I was loading MK into the car, C took his bike for a ride. We'll walk/bike to school most mornings before the snow flies, but I didn't want to do it on the first morning. I had several errands to run once I dropped him off.

C's first day of 1st Grade

We walked C into his new classroom and got him all settled. We found his desk and cubby. He gets to sit by one of his good friends, too.

C's first day of 1st Grade

I had to laugh when my friend who's son sits next to C told me at the classroom door that she already warned the teacher that those two are used to playing together and can easily get out of hand. (Good thing they sit right in front of the classroom.) This has been the story of C's life since we moved here and found 3 other boys his age. They've been making life interesting for Nursery Leaders, Primary teachers, and School Teachers ever since.

I have to admit, it was pretty quite this morning while C was away. S enjoyed being able to sit next to MK in the car and to play the wii by himself. I think I'm going to enjoy this, especially once S starts preschool again. =)

9th Anniversary

R and I had our 9th Wedding Anniversary on Saturday. Can you believe it? 9 years! Crazy. We actually celebrated the weekend before by leaving the kids with a sitter and running off with the circus....well, we did go see Cirque du Soleil. It was an amazing show, and I did like the nod to all things French.

I started to think about what we did or where we were for our other anniversaries.
1--I graduated from BYU on the 16th of August
2--Dinner and a movie
3--Had a baby 2 weeks before
4--1st date leaving baby C at home
5--Had another baby 2 weeks before, then signed the papers on our 1st home on our actual anniversary
6--Dinner and a movie
7--Dinner and a movie
8--Had a baby 10 days before
9--Went to Cirque du Soleil

We're already planning on a big trip next year to celebrate 10 years that doesn't involve "dinner and a movie" nor "had a baby 2 weeks before."

Let them eat cake!

....because I am so tired of it. After 3 birthdays and 2 birthday parties in one week, I'm a little over eating cake everyday. I'm also 10 pounds heavier. No wonder the French revolted when Marie Antoinette said that.

Happy Birthday MK!

Today MK turned 1 year-old! I still can't believe it. What happened? Time seems to have flown by. But, it's true--she's now 1 year-old instead of "zero" like the boys have said all year. She was never 6 months-old nor 9 months-old, she was always zero.

We had chocolate cake with pink frosting after dinner tonight. MK was just memorized by the candle on her cake. Here's a before picture:

MK's 1st Birthday

Here is an after picture:

MK's 1st Birthday

We opened presents before the cake...thought it would be easier. She was concentrating pretty hard to get her new doll out of the wrapping paper.

MK's 1st Birthday

And she loved her new doll right away. Here she is giving her doll a kiss.

MK's 1st Birthday

It was a fun evening. She was entertained and entertaining.

We love having MK as part of our family. She's now walking, waving, clapping, giving kisses, and more. She gives great hugs and has such a sweet smile. She can go up and down the stairs all by herself. When she wants to be held, she'll crawl up to you, turn around, back into your legs, then sit at your feet. She loves her brothers and is loved by them. She loves to explore, including the pulling things out of cupboards like towels, pots, Tupperware, cereal, etc.

Happy Birthday to our little girl! We love you!

A Birthday Party for S

Can you believe it? We had another Birthday Party today. Today we had a pool party for S and his friends. If the pictures are looking familiar, it's because we had a familiar party with just different participants and different birthday boy. Today was S' turn in the spot light. It was the first time we did a birthday party for him, and he's been SO excited. He had 5 friends come and play today. They played in the pool, rode scooters and bikes, played with all the toys in the house, and had a great time.

Here are my two birthday boys. They are great friends to each other....most of the time.

Birthday Party

Here are all the lucky party go-ers. Only one wasn't in the picture because he showed up later.

 Birthday Party

We had barbecued hot dogs for lunch then chocolate cupcakes with orange frosting.

S at the birthday party

He LOVED being sung to again. After cupcakes, he opened presents. It was quite funny--just about every one of his friends would tell S what they got him and help him open the present. He didn't mind the help. They all played for a bit more before the moms came to claim their kids. One of presents he received was a Thomas train set. He LOVES playing with trains, and we promptly set it up for him.

S and his train

We had a lot of fun this morning. The boys all got along great, and everyone had fun. About an hour after his friends all left, S came up to me and asked me if he could have a friend come over and play. I told him I was all friended out for the day, but maybe tomorrow.

One more birthday to go.

A little side note--I lathered up the boys with sunscreen SPF 50 this morning. Poor kids have no chance with 2 pasty-white parents. Hence, the swim shirts. Anyways, R noticed this evening that S has a sunburn on his back.....a thin sunburned line along his plumbers crack. Oops. I hadn't put any sunscreen there. And this is after reading my sister's blog about how her 5 year-old got sunburned along his "crack-a-lackage."

Happy Birthday S!

Happy 4th Birthday S!

Today we celebrated S' 4th birthday! Hooray. We had a family dinner with cake and presents today. Tomorrow, will be his birthday party with his little friends. So, more Birthday fun to come. (Well, and more birthday fun to come with MK's birthday on the 5th.)

We went to church in the morning. The primary sang 'Happy Birthday' to both S and C. S was very happy to have been given a sucker. He told me it was chocolate and offered to let me have some so I would know it was chocolate, but I passed. I told him I believed him. S is so easy going that we were able to keep our normal Sunday routine. We came home from church, had lunch, and had some quite time. Love quite time.

My mom came over for dinner and cake. She has some friends from Saudi who were staying with her for the week and came along. They are on their way from Saudi to work at the Embassy in Cuba and were able to stop for a week in Utah with my Mom. It was fun to have them as well as my Mom. We had a yummy dinner and some delicious chocolate cake.

Here is S enjoying the Birthday Song followed by our Danish Birthday Song that is a Haws Family tradition. I love the look of anticipation on his face.

S blowing out the candles

S blowing out the candles

He blew out 3 of the 4 right away, but had a hard time getting that 4th one out. Mom joked that he was still 3. Once he blew out that 4th one she said, "Now he's 4!"
He opened presents before dinner.

Birthday Boy

S loves puzzles and got 2 new ones from Auntie J and Uncle Neal. He was most excited about this "cool Hot Wheels one."

Birthday Boy

We got him a new scooter for his birthday. He left his last scooter behind my van. Can you guess what happened to it? Yup. I didn't see it and ran over it. It mangled up the rear wheel axle and couldn't be fixed. He's been without a scooter for a good part of the summer. But, he'd always start or end his lament about his old scooter by saying that he left it behind my car and didn't put it away. We're hoping that means he learned his lesson. His last scooter was a 3-wheeled scooter. We got him a 2-wheeled scooter. Here is S trying it out.

Birthday Boy

We are so happy to have S as part of our family. He is such a character! He keeps us laughing with all his crazy antics and goofiness. He's easy-going. He's a gadget guy (our little engineer.) He gives great hugs and kisses. He's fearless. And he's loving. What would we do without you, S?

Happy Birthday C!

Happy 6th Birthday C!

Today C celebrated (Again. But for reals this time) his 6th birthday. Like I mentioned before, I had to work today so C, S, and MK went to the sitters this morning and C had to wait all the way until dinner before we let him open his presents from the family. This is a picture that C took during the day.

C's Birthday

Can you tell what was on his mind? He got a new backpack and workbook from mom and dad, a new 'cars' shirt from S & MK, paint and paper and LEGOS from Auntie J and Uncle Neal, and some cash from Grandma and Boppi. He's been asking for Legos forever!

C's Birthday

R sat down with him and watched C put together his LEGO car. C did it all by himself and was having a blast doing it. We took the kids out to the church parking so they could ride their bikes. It was a great day.

We love having C as part of our family. He is always eager to help. He is a great example to his younger brother and sister. He is creative. I love his stories--especially in the morning when he tells me about his dreams. We love you C!

C's Birthday Party

Birthday Week has officially begun!

Yes, tomorrow is C's birthday, but I have to work tomorrow so we started celebrations today. C has been telling me for weeks now that he wanted to have pancakes with a candle on it for his birthday breakfast (and he uses hand gestures to make sure I understand that it's on top of the pancake.) So, this morning he started of his 2-day birthday celebration with a pancake breakfast.

C's Birthday

Then, we had friends over for a birthday party. We pulled out our pool and had a water party. We have gotten so much mileage out of that little pool. Thanks Mimi! Here's S helping as I'm filling it up.

Birthday Party

They played in our little pool and popped balloons. Their favorite thing to do today was to pop balloons on the grass. Go figure. Here are all the boys.

Birthday Party

Grandma came by for a little bit to wish C a happy birthday and check out all the commotion.

C and Grandma

It was a FUN party--but man was I exhausted when it was all said and done. I pushed myself to clean it all up, telling myself that I could sit down for a little bit when it was all cleaned up. (There was water, cupcakes, balloon corpses everywhere!) The boys and I (well, me really) finally got it all cleaned up, and I grabbed a lemonade and sat down to rest. I started hearing MK in the kitchen and sent C to check it out. This is what we found.

MK playing in the Cheerios

Yup--she was hungry and wanted some cheerios. Do you think she got enough? She was quite pleased with herself.

MK playing in the Cheerios

She was kicking her legs around to move the cheerios around and giggling. She made little "cheerio angels" with her legs. And you can see the necklace she put on herself, too. She'll find the boys old glow stick necklace or necklaces I have in my bed side drawer and put them on. She gets mad when we take them off her.

MK's Big Week

MK has had a very big week.

1. She's finally gotten teeth. Okay, this one has been a couple weeks in the making, but still needed to be noted.

2. She's finally in a crib. Can you believe she's spent almost an entire year sleeping in her pack-n-play? Or her swing? We finally moved the boys out of her room and into their own room on real beds even. So, we could put up her crib. She has done great with the transition to her crib and sleeps better than before. Love it!

3. She's learned to go down the stairs. Nice. With the boys moving downstairs we couldn't keep the gate up all the time. I worked with MK a few times on the stairs showing her how to go down...which basically was me pulling her legs out from under her to put on the stair below her and making sure she was on her belly. But it worked! Now, she crawls over to the stairs (which still makes me nervous) and turned so her feet were first and down she goes. It sure is a cute little shimmy-shimmy she does.

4. She's watched her first fireworks show and LOVED it. She slept through the 4th of July fireworks. Last night was the 24th of July, which is HUGE here in Utah. A neighbor has a block party every year that is Bring-Your-Own-Fireworks. MK loved all the fireworks and kept clapping after each one.

5. She's taken her first steps! Wahoo! She's been standing for a while and just recently started to do the "furniture walk." Then out of the blue a couple days ago, she started walking. She's now up to about 5 steps before she goes down and just crawls the rest of the way. I finally washed our push-walking toy for her today. She now cruises around the house, giggling the entire time.

Happy Birthday R!

Yesterday we celebrated R's Birthday! Too bad he woke up with a headache and overall not feeling well. Sucks, doesn't it?

We had church in the morning and after our Sunday Quiet Time, we drove over to my mom's for a birthday dinner. My mom made us baked salmon and veggies, and I brought the cake. R kept telling me that he didn't need 33 candles on his cake.....but where's the fun without the fire hazard? Once he blew the candles out we were worried the smoke alarm would go off....but we were able to clear out the smoke. =) R was able to open up a few gifts from the kids and me, play a game of bocce ball against my mom (R won) and relax while my mom & I took the kids to the neighborhood park. Well, really R stayed at my mom's to fix my mom's computer/TV problems for her since my dad is in Saudi again.

It was a fun evening and were glad to celebrate R's birthday. We love you, R!

California Trip Part 4 -- Family Day

Our last day in California we spent with my entire family. We did family pictures in the morning at one park, then went to another park with more room for lunch and games. After the park, we all ended up at Steph's house for a light dinner and more games. It was a LONG but FUN day. Here's a picture of S waiting around while others were having their pictures taken.

S

S took this picture of me. Not bad for a 3 year-old, right?

I liked this one of R, my dad, and Brett.

 

MK really like Brett and would snuggle up to him. She was having a hard time while in CA--always needed to be held by me. No one else would do. My arms were quite sore by this point of our vacation. As long as she couldn't see me or hear me, she would calm down and enjoy the person she was with. Here's a picture of her with her cousins. She loved to look around her....I just had to be careful to not be in her line of sight or she'd lock her sights in on me and reach for me.

 

After lunch, Leslie goaded S on until he tackled Brett. It was hilarious to watch! Brett and S wrestled for a while....and S took Brett by surprise with his moves. S likes to practice at home with R and C. S was very determined.

 

And here is Brett admitting defeat.

 

We all gathered around to watch and play bocce ball....a Haws Family Tradition. Here I'm playing against Gerald. Leslie and I schooled Brett and Gerald. Whassup!

 

C is trying his hand a bocce ball. He'd try so hard to throw that ball....and it'd go maybe 5 feet. It was pretty funny.

 

And here is R sitting with MK watching the game.

 

R couldn't get time off of work to come to CA with the kids and I. He did, however, fly out to CA late Friday night and spent all of Saturday with us there. Then, lucky guy, he was there to enjoy the drive back to Utah on Sunday.

When we arrived in SLC, it was about 8:30 pm and S asked me, "Can we go to T's house for dinner?" Um, no. Sorry. "Then can we go to Lady C's?" Sorry, no. Not turning around and driving another 10-12 hours to do that. They miss their cousins.

It was such a great trip--being able to see my family, support my brother, enjoy some new adventures. It had been a year and half since the last time I was able to go out to CA. I'll have to see what I can do to make it happen more often.