Tuesday, June 14, 2011

And so we bid a sad and fond Farewell...



The cabin I grew up with has been sold, to a very lucky family. Ever since I can remember "the cabin" has always brewed up excitement inside of me. Whether it be for "Swiss Days" or the 24th of July, my birthday party sleep overs, my GROWN UP birthday parties, a quiet getaway, or just a weekend.... it was always there.
Not to my surprise, the cabin sold quickly and we took the opportunity to go up and snap some shots to hold the image of one of my favorite spots, in my mind, forever. It makes me sad to think that though Jack knows his way around the cabin as well as I do, eventually these memories will fade and he won't recall the many trips he's had there. But luckily, I've done a pretty good job of documenting them. There was a good two weeks where Jack and I lived at the cabin while he was a baby. It was bliss; the quiet, the peace, the immobility of Jack... those were indeed wonderful times.
Lisa:

I remember building huts upstairs with all the foam mattresses.

I remember the smell of the basement when you go to turn the hot water on.

I remember the fun hike to the water tower. Sam and Molly can remember those.. lots of laughs.

I remember the Video Update, where dad would take us to pick out movies.

I remember the Homestead, when they allowed people that weren't guests to swim in their pool.

I remember Timp Freeze, and grasshopper shakes.

I remember the many bowls of trail mix that mom never failed to put together.

I remember all the rodents.... all the many, many rodents.

I remember losing Buddha, and spending hours trying to find him.

I remember Scooter's instincts that switched right on when he'd get there.

I remember the smell of pancakes and bacon, every Memorial Day morning.

I remember waking up to the sun BLAZING through the east windows.

I remember being afraid to go in the basement.

I remember wondering how we fit the whole Durham family up there on Pioneer Day.

What great memories. To those who added to them, keep them and cherish them. Goodbye, dear, old cabin.

Carter:

I remember driving up Provo canyon, passing bridal veil falls, the dam, the reservoir.

I remember the fish hatchery with Grandma.

I remember the fireworks at Charleston.

I remember buying baseball cards at the Homestead.

I remember WORSHIPING the Memorial Day and Labor Day trips with our family.

I remember picking out a spot upstairs to sleep, and setting up shop for the weekend.

I remember playing blackjack with Dad. "You've got the disease."

I remember shooting his pellet gun off the balcony.

I remember peeking down the stairs after we'd gone to bed, and watching the movies Mom and Dad would watch.

I remember giving the organ a token play.

I remember looking through the old books, photos, and journals, and being proud of my family.

Laura:

I remember helping make dinners in the small kitchen and making brownies in the cupcake holder (brupcakes)

I remember the nails that protruded out of the giant front porch.

I remember feeding the ducks at the lake I can't remember the name of.

I remember prepping for Memorial Day brunch at the Homestead by not eating anything all morning.

I remember playing hours of ping pong.

I remember scanning the aisles of videos at Video Update and the image of the front cover of "Fire Starter" that I always skipped.

I remember we all had to guess what movie was playing at the local theatre.

I remember stopping for the slow kids at play.

I remember us all guessing the arrival time each time we drove out there.

I remember waiting in the long hot line for the BBQ at Swiss Days.

I remember turning on the heaters in the morning and parking right next to them.

I also remember peeking downstairs and watching the movie.

I remember rearranging the furniture that one time.

I remembered to double flush.






*Blog title credit goes to Miss Locke.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Kah-rah-tay

Jack has completed his semester of Karate at The Little Gym. His final day was today, providing him the opportunity to show off all of his moves, tricks and death defiances..

Here, he is doing his Kata-Sonata, his flip off of the beam, and his bar skills. Then they get to jump across a big inflated trampoline whilst doing kicks and punches.

Jack got his Medal, and felt very calm and poised...

Here is is with Mr. Clay, the Karate Master (jack is kind of the teachers pet..) and with me, being Spiderman.. and with Grandpa, lookin tough.

GOOD JOB JACK! Namaste.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Our Little Entrepreneur


Lately Jack has gotten very creative with his alone time. He finds great ways to keep himself busy, but most of the things he comes up with inevitably need other participants. The most recent, and current, is his stand of toys that are broken or have missing parts that are for sale. He's written the price of them on the box ($1007) and the "manners" which are to not cry or eat pizza on the ceiling.

After setting everything up, Jack was seeking out potential customers everywhere. The store, school, the missionaries, and the people coming to view our home. No takers.

Today, while I was on my computer Jack came in and said "Mom, you can go to 'jacksbox.com' to see all the stuff you want to buy."

Apparently, he's already reserved a domain for his new company. I took a picture. The shirt he is wearing is a complete coincidence.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Fill the Ark...

One year ago today, it was 10:00pm, Jack was still up so we could take Josh to the airport for his business trip to New York when we saw a light in our back yard. A police officer had a worried look on his face and told me they were having "water problems." He suggested I remove anything important from our basement. Just then a fast gush of water came from under the fence and headed for our home. I grabbed Josh and ran downstairs to start taking things up from the basement. By the time he got our tv off the wall and upstairs, water was halfway up the window-well. After our second trip upstairs, we heard a CRASH and discovered the window had broken to the pressure. The water was freezing, brown, smelly and there was broken glass all over as we trudged through water to save everything.
























































Today, after a warm up, we keep a close eye on the river..

Friday, May 27, 2011

Thirty, Eighteen, Twenty-Five.. whatever.


I turned 30 on May 20th. I've had lots of great jokes- like Josh getting me "Over the Hill" balloons, lots of "Happy Birthday Granny" or "Have a great day, saggy mama.."

Super fun comments indicating that though 30 sounds old, it really isn't. Which I completely agree, and to tell the truth, I've felt 30 since I was 17. Many people have asked "so does it feel different to be 30" and I just think to myself.... not really.

In high school I was ITCHING to get out. I felt like I was around a bunch of crazy kids making stupid choices and causing unnecessary problems. Then college was nice, better; people actually following rules and making better decisions. When I met Josh and knew in my heart I was going to marry him I thought "wait, I'm only 22.." but again, FELT much older. So it seemed alright. Then that led to Jack. Childbirth, parenting. That was probably the time I felt my age the most, but fought through it to become a mature, role-model for my son.

Thirty isn't bad. Age doesn't matter. Things change, yes... eyes grow "feet" and legs grow "cottage cheese" but I honestly feel that the best is yet to come. I'm still learning and I have a lot of time to become a wonderful person.

Here's to THIRTY! Cheers.

Special thanks those truly thoughtful gifts.. you know who ya'll are.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Lucky Number Seven


















MAN, am I glad the weather on May 19, 2004 was better than it is in 2011.
Seven years ago I married the man I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

I really do love him.

No mushy stuff, no lists of why, and no stories about our courtship. This one's short an simple. I love him.

Happy Anniversary, Dear. Here's to lucky number seven.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

The Moments that have Improved Motherhood.


Big brother's don't have to be human.









Even the messiest messes can be cute. Most messes Jack makes are result of curiosity or creativity. I embrace his passion for art, his desire to draw stars all over the walls, his need to put stickers on everything to make them "look better" and his wonderful ability to recreate something he has seen on paper.



Christmas can be just as much fun as it was when I was little. Being able to see the excitement and feel like a kid again is one of my FAVORITE parts of being a Mother. I love showing Jack all the things I used to do as a kid, build huts, draw hopscotches with chalk, make banana splits, and sleep in the bath tub..




Jack has always been a great impersonator. I love being able to watch first hand as he tries to be "like mom" or be "like dad."
Terribly adorable.






I love the feeling of being a "proud parent" and when my little boy makes me proud, I feel most like a Mother.






Sometimes I am the Mother of two.. but it is wonderful to have someone that can be the kid that Jack needs to play with. This happens a lot, which means my motherly duties are many, but it is more than worth it for my two boys.




I'm the luckiest Mother in the world to have such a great road tripper. Jack will go on 6-7 hour car rides and it will almost be as fun as the trip itself. When I was young I was stuck in between my brother and sister in the backseat for hours and hours. I probably put up more of a stink than I should have. But it makes me all the more grateful to have a boy that loves to road trip to Vegas. Many, many times.






My motherhood was raw during these times, times when I would sit by and let people poke my boy with needles, inject tubes in between his ribs, and send him off with strangers dressed in scrubs to open him up and put him on bypass. No Mother should have to give that kiss goodbye, but those moments helped make me the greatest Mother I could possibly be.



All Mother's learn the lesson that unapproved haircuts are inevitable. It usually happens more than once, making you feel like you've messed up twice. But really- it's ok. Especially when you have a boy :)




I learned early on that sleeping by my mom made me feel safer. Although I like my sleep, my space and my quiet, I'll help provide Jack that same feeling of safety and comfort whenever I can. Some of the best moments of Motherhood are watching my baby sleep, safe and sound in his bed.




The greatest lesson of all- it's ok to have my 5 year old son be my best friend. We spend all day, and sometimes all night together, we tell each other everything and we share in each other's sorrows and silliness. Whatever will I do when he doesn't need me as much?

I'll savour these Mother's Day's and enjoy every moment.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Mystery Lifeguard

While in San Diego, Jack and I spent a whole day at the pool while Josh dealt with the car issues. Around lunch time they had life entertainment and a friendly man with dreds came out with his steel drums to play the plinky, plunky music that makes you feel relaxed somehow.

To my surprise, I recognized one of the songs and was humming right along... it took me awhile to figure out what it was till I started singing aloud.

"Mys-ter-y Lifeguard....they call me Mys-ter-y Lifeguard...."

I said "JACK! Do you hear this song? And he (as though it was no big deal) said "Yeah it's Backyardigans."

I was so confused to how the nice rastafarian man knew the Backyardigans song. Usually- they write their own music. On occasion they use other tunes. So came home and investigated to find out that "Mystery Lifeguard" is written to the tune of "Guantanamera" which is written by a Spanish gentleman. It would have been super awesome if the guy was a huge Backyardigan's fan, like I am- (I have other songs downloaded) but at least this was an educational experience.

I still love it. But now I know why I can't download it.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Birthday Boy


Today is Joshua's 35th birthday. He's learned so many new things this past year and we are really proud of him. This will be a big year for him and we are very excited for him and very proud of him. We love you Josh, Happy Birthday. Keep growing up to be the BIG boy that you are!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Where did you go? Why were you there?

To sum up the trip we just took takes too long... so I bundled pictures together to represent the most notable events. Being that this trip was spontaneous and unplanned, the day to day activities were chosen on a whim, and the amounts of time spent at each place were unknown.

First, we took off early for Las Vegas, deciding two nights were better than one. My dear friend Kim and her husband Nate live in Henderson. A place I would seriously consider moving to. Seriously. They have two daughters and a baby boy on the way. Jack and Ireland (their 4 year old) get along beautifully. She plays hard, so it's nice to not have to remind Jack to "be soft" when he is around her. They played at the park, we took them to the Shark Reef/Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, and bought them some Red Mango. It's a love affair that will grow on till they learn about cooties.
The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay is always fun, we see different creatures, pet sting ray and I love photographing jelly fish. Something for everyone.
We learned in Vegas traffic that the overheating problem our car had didn't disappear with the winter months in Utah, it was just hibernating. We learned quickly to identify the needs of the Sentra and turn the heat on full blast when the car was idling in traffic or at stop lights, and to keep an extra bottle of coolant in the trunk. (Which didn't open.) So on the drive to Los Angeles we paid close attention to the temperature. "Good thing we had those belts replaced at Jiffy Lube before we left.." we both said to each other. Having booked our Hotel at the Angelo the night before, I was excited to be so close to the Getty. Jack and I have been there before, although this time around was a bit more difficult; Jack not being entertained only by new places as easily,but needing 'games' and 'kid things' to keep him happy.
Being that we had only one night booked at the hotel, it was relief when our old, reliable friend Cole invited us to stay at his house in Sherman Oaks. He and his fiance' Jill have a great place and the cherry on top, was Miles, their labradoodle. Though cautious at first, he and Jack developed quite a relationship and before we had even sat down were playing fetch and and doing tricks. We drove to Malibu to hit the beach but it was pretty breezy. But this part of the trip was delightful thanks to farmer's markets, bakeries, good friends, and canines.
The drive to San Diego was great, no overheating like in the horrible traffic in LA, and the temperature was perfect for windows-down driving, and Jack slept a large part of the time. We booked ourselves at the Bahia, the hotel next to the routine hotel Dana that we typically stay at. It was beautiful. The weather was warm and we couldn't wait to get in the pool. The next morning after a large breakfast.. Josh noticed a belt hanging from underneath the car. Nice work Jiffy Lube. So the rest of Josh's day was spent at the Jiffy in Mission Bay, where they found damaged and missing parts from what we were told was repaired by the Salt Lake Jiffy crew. They ended up sending Josh over to a mechanic to fix it. (Why not get the overheating issue taken care of as well... yes?) That will take an extra day. So we book another night at the Bahia and extend our stay to fix the 11 year old Sentra. So many hours and many dollars later, it emerged from a garage with a new lease on life and a desire to be driven hard.
So back to Vegas we went, tired and worn from the long haul with the car. We saw Rio, and took Jack to the splash park. We decided with no hesitation to stay an extra night in Vegas. Kim was pleased, so we could take some baby-mama photos of her. I was pleased cause it was snowing in Salt Lake. Jack was pleased because he thought he lived there. Josh was pleased- because he can essentially work from anywhere, but there were contacts in Vegas. We took the kids to the "Natural Museum of History", got Kim's photo shoot done, and the last night we got to stay at "The Orleans Hotel and Casino" free of charge. Not too shabby.

The only real loss on the trip was a load of laundry that may have been sabotaged by a senseless stranger, a toy from McDonald's, and Peedie, our fish that died while we were gone. Oh well.