Surprise Trip

Happy Easter!

As a family this week, we surprised my parents by driving to Idaho for the weekend.

 My Dad and Mom have been serving in church with the young adults between the ages of 18-30 for the past 12 years approximately (meaning give or take a few months). We wanted to be in attendance when the congregation was asked to thank them. As a family we have been involved at some point or another. S and J helped us arrange the surprise and made it complete. We surprised my Dad at a freeway exit on his way to look at some machinary. He looked at Underfoot and me with a look like “this does not compute why you are here. You should be 1,000 miles away.” It was great! To surprise my Mom, K2 stood at the front door holding a pot of flowers with huge eyes. It took my Mom a second also. She knelt down and asked K2 if he would give her a hug. It was very sweet. There are lots of stories about the boys at the end of the letter. So beyond that there are other wonders that happened this week below (it is a little long but it was a long weekend:

L4 L4 worked a lot of extra time so we could leave on Wednesday evening. He worked 24 hours in a 36 hour time period to make this weekend work. While in Idaho, he got to go shooting marmots with his brothers-in-law. He LOVED being with them.

L4 got to see 2 of his former roommates in SLC on Sunday evening, Kevin and Jared.

Mama I worked to get us ready so we could leave on Thursday. L4 decided Wednesday morning that we would leave that night. I worked so that the house would be clean while we were gone. I got a lot of books to listen to on CD while we drove

I helped a little with getting a surprise baby shower for my sister who is having a a baby in June. The party happened on Saturday afternoon. She was surprised so she says, and we were lucky to have many wonderful neighbors and family come. My Auntie L and cousin N came from Utah! It was a surprise to my Mom to have her sister there.

Underfoot
– We didn’t tell Underfoot where we were going until we were far down the road. We didn’t want him to tell the surprise. He guessed it right away. When I told him we were going on an adventure, he was very helpful in getting everything ready.
– He loves to swim and was sad when he couldn’t swim with Hurricane at his swimming lessons. He got to swim with Hurricane on his check out day.
– Underfoot loved playing with his cousins. When asked what his favorite part was it was being with his cousins. He said “I’m going to miss those guys.”

– He is constantly singing and making up new songs.
– After we surprised my Dad, he went with them to look at the tractors. Apparently he talked the entire way until his Uncle S got a movie on for him.
– He found a light saber while at J and K's house. He was seen with it constantly. He even hid it before we left so no one else could get it.
– One night Underfoot sword fought (with said light saber) with his great-Grandpa K. Underfoot would tap Grandpa on the bum, the back, or arm and laugh. Grandpa would get Underfoot back. He loved it.
– While at the Locey family shin-dig, Underfoot smashed his own egg in the annual egg war. He took it as a bold triumph.

Hurricane

 – Hurricane finished his refresher swimming course after 5 weeks. During his last few lessons, he smiled.
– As I was getting ready for our adventure, Hurricane decided to drag a bike from the backyard to the front door. I was cleaning out the laundry room where Hurricane had spilled a lot soap. Underfoot came and told me Hurricane had gone outside. I thought nothing of it since I believed the front door was locked. Underfoot came back and told me it was the front door, and Hurricane was gone. I chased at a full sprint Hurricane down the street to catch him. He laughed and screamed at the top of his lungs. He was mad when I caught him and brought him home. It was truly funny.
– He announces when he is poopy by saying “I pooped” over and over again until it is solved.
– My Mom hosted an Easter party. She had 7 different stations. Hurricane loved the station with the live animals - chicks and rabbits. He got to pick 2 of the chicks. He sat watching the animals for about 30 minutes.

– Hurricane announced today he wants “no tickles.” He is mimicking Underfoot who doesn’t want to be tickled any more. He will mimic Underfoot in singing, talking, and being a big boy. He is Underfoot’s echo.
– Hurricane doesn’t like to be cold.
– We got a lot of feedback that Hurricane is not as grouchy. Hurricane smiled and interacted with people this trip. He is growing up and showing his personality.

– He has started to say his own prayers from beginning to end by himself.

Family When we left town Wednesday night, we ate supper with our friends, Dan and Julie and their children.

They had drove in from Alabama to visit family. Because we  were leaving town and couldn’t attend a game night they made arrangements to meet with us. It was wonderful to see them before our great adventure. We could have talked the  evening away but needed to get on the road.

While in Utah we went to see an art exhibit by Carl Bloch at Brigham Young University. Carl Bloch’s paintings are common pictures that we have seen in our LDS chapels. Bloch was commissioned to paint for 23 paintings for the Danish Frederiksborg Castle Chapel. We saw 5 of the 8 altar pieces he painted. L4 liked “Healing at the Pool of Bethesda” because he learned the symbols of the painting and thought about how the man in the picture had waited his whole life to be healed. Hurricane and I liked “The Daughter of Jarius” because Christ is in the background coming and the miracle that will take place. Hurricane kept saying that the girl was dead and that Jesus would make her better. Underfoot liked the rented iPad. He loved listening and pushing the buttons. Hurricane also loved running around.

After the exhibit, L4 showed us where he took classes. We met a two of his professors and the secretary-“Mom” for the department.

We made a surprise visit to L4’s sister.  Unfortunately she wasn’t there but her daughters were! We chatted with them before finishing our night with B and M for the night.

We visited with my Grandpa H before going to Idaho. He talked with us and helped us keep our surprise as my Dad called on the phone while we were at his house. My  Grandpa accompanied us to the cemetery so we could teach about the resurrection to our boys.

We brought flowers and cleaned the headstones of those we love and miss very  much.

Afterward Grandpa took us to lunch. We know we are very special to him and feel important when we are around him.

On Easter, we spent the day with both sides of our families! That was awesome to have time with both of them!

Campout and Sewing

The week for each of us...

L4 On Friday I had the day off. I spent the morning working on Fred (the Geo). I changed the front brake rotors and pads. It stops much better now! In the afternoon I took the boys on the annual Fathers and Sons camp out. We pitched a tent. We went on a little hike. It was fun to be together. We slept in sleeping bags. (Hurricane and Underfoot did, at least- I woke up every time the wind blew.) In the morning we had breakfast and came home.

I saw the whole arch of a rainbow this weekend for the first time. It was double rainbow. It was beautiful.

Today during Church I really enjoyed the discussion about fasting and self discipline. There are few examples in the public of people who exercise self discipline. It is certainly one area where we can all improve.
 
Mama On Friday night Mama enjoyed a few hours of complete silence (while the boys were camping.) She celebrated by sewing herself a dress. She spoke today in church about patience. She did a really good job  and looked great in her new red dress. Mama has changed quite a bit in the nearly three years that we’ve been in Arizona. It is hard to believe that we are nearing the point where we’ve been in Arizona longer than we were in Pennsylvania.

Mama is able to connect with other adult women through blogging. It is something that she really enjoys doing. Her capacity to communicate with written words has greatly improved in the six years that we’ve been  married. When we first started writing our weekly email, she did not like my suggestions and corrections. The process of writing has helped both of us to get better.

Underfoot I went camping with Daddy and Hurricane but not Mama. It was a boy camp not a girl camp, so all the boys came. All the boys stood around and played outside. We were setting our tent up. People were  playing with their motorcycles. We went home and we cleaned up from the camping. Then we went to see the Mesa Temple. We played with a puzzle of the United States of America while Mama was in the Temple.  That’s all. Underfoot says, “I am funny about a lot of stuff. Like all of my cars, everything. I laugh about my toys. I like to play with Hurricane. I like to do stuff with D (neighbor.) I like to play with D. I like to go to his house.” I was sick this week too. I’m better now.

Hurricane Hurricane has developed strong command of the word STOP. He repeats it often when he doesn’t like something or does not want to be disciplined. Hurricane has a very large smile. He also has a very strong will. Underfoot says, “Hurricaney is funny about the cars that have the faces and not the eyes.”

27 March 2011

L4: I spent Saturday morning with the Eleven Year Old Scouts. We played games, did some cooking and had a good time at a local park. On Saturday afternoon my Brother-in-law, Scott, called to tell me that there was a beater car for sale in Tucson. Scott has been looking for a commute car for me for some time. We bought a 1992 Geo Prizm (essentially a Toyota Corolla.) It is a beater. It should get me to and from work for at least a year. It is not unlike the pickup truck that we had in Pennsylvania. We still miss Chuck the Truck. Perhaps Underfoot or Hurricane will find a suitable name for the not so new white car.

Mama: I made 14 dozen banana muffins today. Underfoot and Hurricane helped. On Saturday I ran a Baskets site and went to a baptism. After buying the car, we went to a place in town called Trail Dust Town. It is a touristy place. We watched a Cowboy stunt show. (Hurricane did not like the loud gun shots, but Underfoot LOVED it!) We rode on a choo choo train. We had supper. It was a late night. L4 feels a lot of relief because now there are two semi reliable vehicles instead of just one. Hopefully we’ll always have at least two fully functional vehicles.

Underfoot: I made banana muffins with my Mom. I smashed the bananas to mush. I even got to use the  electric beaters. I went to swimming lessons. I did not cry this year at all. I like to swim

Hurricane: I like chocolate. Yum! I like to play with our marble game. I like to wake up early and wake up  Mom and Dad. I usually yell at them and ask them to “Come on.” I cried at my swimming lessons all week. I  do remember how to swim. I still don’t like to float. I would rather kick than float. I have become more  bossy. Very bossy. It is usually accompanied by a yell. I LOVE to look for the eggs (eggies) from our  chickens. I especially like to crack them. I have learned that I can’t crack the eggs on the carpet. I have  eczema all over my body. It sometimes itches. Mama and Daddy wonder if it has developed recently because of the chlorine from the swimming lessons.