Ahhh, this is the life

Thursday we were all loaded up, ready to leave when we discovered the car battery was dead. A pretty rough start to the day. We finally gave in and just went and bought a new battery that my neighbor Mike installed and came to our rescue yet again. We were on the road by 2 and pulled into our Denver hotel at 11. The girls were so good, especially Lydia who won the grand prize for best behavior.

Friday we left Denver around noon and drove 8 hours to Wichita, Kansas where Ryan and his team are temporarily staying. The drive was incredibly boring and flat, but went by fast. We pulled in about the same time as Ryan was getting off work so we went and picked him up. It had been 32 days since we had seen him, I just don't know how Army wives do it.

The girls have been loving the hotel life. We have nothing to do but play. The hotel we're at provides a free breakfast and dinner, maid service, and free passes to the YMCA....who am I kidding, I am loving this life as much as anyone.

Sunday is the only day off. Most everyone goes to church and then we all met up for a day at the pool. The team met their goal so they hosted the yummiest BBQ dinner and we had fun getting to know some other families who we will be spending the summer with.

It's so nice having someone else to help put the girls to bed. It's not hard to do, they go to bed good, but it is still nice to have two parents in the family again.

The storms have been cause for concern. Luckily they keep just barely missing us. We enjoyed a great thunderstorm and down poor, but haven't had anything too serious......yet.
My cousin Kylee and her husband Brody also came out to sell for two months. Kylee drove out here with me to see her husband for ten days and then will fly back to Utah for work. It's been fun having a couple to rotate dinner with and just talk and visit with in the evenings.

Kylee is like an aunt to my girls. She adores them and they adore her. I will miss having someone so willing to play with them so I can run errands, or in this case, go and knock doors with Ryan. I'm so glad I went and am so proud of Ryan for the daunting task he faces each day.
The weather here is bi-polar. One day it will be freezing and storming it's guts out, then 12 hours later there is not a cloud in the sky and we spend the day pool side. The photo of Lydia expresses so well...Ahhhhh this is the life.

I was so pleased that Lydia was entertaining herself and being so quiet, until I discovered it was because she was playing with my jewelery. I was crushed when I realized she broke my most favorite necklace that I got in Thailand. I was upset until this little scene unfolded and Emma gave her such sweet comfort. My necklace may be broken forever, but at least I got this tender moment in exchange.

Closing up

I know I am not an army wife, I don't even know how they do it. But for us, and our daily routine, having Ryan gone for a month has not been fun to say the least. I am so thankful for this chance we have had to really see just how much we need each other. It has also been a great chance for me to see who my friends are. I have to give a special shout out to the Stowers, the Malmbergs, my sister Sara, my parents and especially my neighbors the Litchfields. I know I couldn't have held it together without them. They pumped bike tires, tended the girls, played with the girls, fixed lawn maintenance, and even brought good-bye gifts for all of us. I am so thankful for my friends and family and to have had this chance to see just how much I need all of them.

Sunday we went to Logan for my nephew Caleb's birthday. The kids had a blast playing together and I know Emma will miss them so much this summer.

To celebrate Emma's pre-school graduation she and I went and got glitter toes down and colored extensions in our hair. I NEVER in a million years would have guessed that me and my daughter would both have short hair, but here we are, and it's actually kind of nice.

Before my dad left for Trinidad he and my mom came out and took us to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then we ate at Farr's Fresh. Both of my girl ADORE my dad, but he and Emma have an extra special little bond that just completely melts my heart.

Today was Emma's pre-school graduation. Her teacher really went above and beyond all year long with her curriculum and program. Emma really grew and learned so much and I am glad I feel confident she is ready for pre-school. My mom had spent the night with us and joined us for the graduation and the rest of our fun day. It means so much to me to have supportive parents and sometimes I get overwhelmed with just how lucky I am to be their daughter.


So now I have my cousin Kylee with me and we are preparing to drive the 18 hours out to visit Ryan. We are all so excited to see him, but I don't think we are half as excited as he is to see us. It's been a long month and we're looking forward to our summer adventure as a family.

A Time To Keep

Mother's Day was a very simple day, but I got to spend it with my girls who made me a mother, and my own mother who taught me everything I know. My mom is the EPITOME of who I am trying to be. She is always looking for the silver lining and she genuinely loves to serve others. What I admire most about her is that she doesn't need or take the spotlight. She has always made such great efforts to build strong family traditions and memories, and she receives very little of the credit. I also greatly admire my mom for constantly over coming her fears. Photographed below is my mom holding a cat, which may seem ordinary for some, but it was a big step for my mom, and it truly does inspire me to push past my little hang ups as well. My mom is my best friend, and I respect her and continue to need her wisdom and influence in my life now more than ever.

I have been consumed the last week with getting 32 scrapbooks ready for Emma's pre-school class. I have seen every Mathew McConaughey movie there is and been getting to bed around 2 a.m. every night. I couldn't be more glad that this is over and I learned a valuable lesson that doing "trades" isn't always worth the money you save.

We spent a couple nights with my parents up in Paradise and had Addi come and join us for a few days. She and Emma play so good together and they get along better than Emma does with even her own cousins. It's so much easier for me to let her have a friend. Who knew 3 kids would be easier than 2!

So....yeah....my hair is gone. This turned out to be QUITE a bit shorter than I had envisioned, but in the end I am happy with it. I have had the same hair style for the last 15 years, so this is a welcome change.

We had one last little photo shoot before leaving for the summer. Lydia was being a pill so I didn't get any photos with she and I, but what can ya do? A Time To Keep is a favorite book of my family. I tried to recreate a similar picnic for the girls that they had in the book, and although it was a lot of work, we still had a great time.

I know, right? My precious phone! Plus, the screen is glass, so although this phone is still functioning, I have little glass shards on my fingers every time I use it. No worries, a replacement is on the way, but until then I am a horrible communicator.

So today was actually a pretty fantastic day, but I didn't have my camera. I enjoyed lunch up at Eats of Eden with my mom and the girls. Then we had fun playing on the Liberty property with the girls. We also stopped by a little boutique and bought ourselves new matching summer purses. Later that evening we went to the Marriott hotel in Ogden where my parents were spending the night (just for the fun of it) and we joined them for swimming and hot tubbing, the girls were in heaven! A very fun week filled with great family activities. I think I will miss my parents more than anything while we are away this summer.

Star of the show

Sunday we enjoyed a nice quiet day. Our neighbors the Litchfields (who are the best neighbors ever) took Emma with them to church and then kept her for a few hours so Lydia and I could enjoy some down time while we're both recovering from being sick. Then my sister Sara had us out for dinner that night. This was a very pleasant and easy day.
They're baaaack! It's that time of year again to get out the spider traps. Bleh!

My dad was out of town so the girls and I enjoyed a quick trip to Paradise to spend the night with my mom.

We enjoyed attending an over the top birthday party for our little friend Sailor Wimmer.

Emma's dance recital was just as cute as could be and I made her whole week when I told her she was the star of the show.

I have a rebellious nature, it's true. I get it from my mom. It usually builds and builds until I have to satisfy it. So I got my release from snipping some cherry blossom branches and giving a couple bouquets away and then keeping one for myself.

I loved joining my sister Sara (in the middle) and some of her/our friends for her birthday celebration at an all you can eat Sushi. We had to roll ourselves out of there but it was worth every bite!

Look-a-like

Friday I attended a great temple session with my parents and two of my sisters.

My parents finally caved and bought a mouser cat. We have all fallen for her. (sadly, two weeks later this same little Kitty met her fate with a wild animal and she is alive no more. She had a good run though)

We spent Easter up at my parents house and the girls were delighted with the Easter baskets that the bunny left for them.

We had a progressive dinner with my family and two of my aunts. One of the stops was to have sandwiches and salads in my aunt's kindergarten class room. We all loved seeing her little chicks and eating at the Kindergarten tables.

All right, the next four days I didn't take ONE single photo. So the four following photos aren't significant of anything, but they are there for the sake of amusement.

Below: Ryan Bundy as Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live)

Lindsey as Veronica (Archie comics)

Emma as Shirley Temple

Lydia as Boo (Monster's Inc)

Thursday night and Friday night Brittney and Sailor came and spent two nights with us. It was SO nice having an adult to talk to and the girls loved having a friend sleep over. We wore them out with a full day of playing and running errands.

We have all been missing Ryan like crazy, but Emma has had an exceptionally hard adjustment.