On Thursday as soon as we got home from the airport Kyle raced to the back yard to show the pool guys how to clean our pool to get it opened (I'm glad I had the foresight to schedule the appointment for when Kyle was home. It seemed odd to me that he was showing the pool guys what to do, instead of the other way around).
Friday: More pool cleaning, yard work. Vaccuming, too. I find my husband particularly attractive when he vacuums.
We stole Cade out of school a couple hours early, for which we were expecting a much different response than we got:
"Mom, why did you get me out of school?"
"Because we are going to do something fun as a family since dad is home!"
{Bored slash grumpy face}
Thinking I must have pulled him out of some really fun activity I asked, "What were you doing just now in class?"
"Math."
"Well, you can go back to math if you want,"
Cade starts back to the school doors.
"Woah woah woah! I was just kidding. No more math for you today bud. You MUST take a break and have some fun with us!"
Cade reluctantly got in the van. Who is this kid and what did he do with my son Cade!?
Fortunately it didn't take long for Cade to forget about all the Math fun he was having at school and start having fun playing tag at Kangaroo Zoo (I am terribly out of shape. After running as fast as my legs would carry me and still not catching Cade, I decided it is time to start running again) After KZ, we mini-golfed at Trafalga. That was hilarious. Savvy never grew tired of hitting her ball in the hole. Even after 23 hits with her putter, she would shriek with delight every time it finally made it in. It was a hoot.
After feeding the kids dinner and putting them to bed, Kyle and I went out to dinner to LaJolla Groves. It was delicious. I think my favorite part of the evening took place when our waiter (who was sporting a fabulous mullet) began talking to Kyle about slicing his thumb with a knife. Kyle may be able to gut and skin an elk, but the thought of human blood makes him faint. Kyle went white at the table and the waiter kept going into graphic detail. I finally explained to him Kyle can't listen to that sort of thing. It was entertaining. After dinner we explored the new Provo Beach Resort to see what the big new building was all about, and then we looked at the time and it was 9:13. Past our bedtime. So we went home. We're getting so old.
Saturday: Kyle went with Cade to baseball practice where he got his first nosebleed. As in Cade got his first nosebleed. Now he hates baseball and doesn't ever want to do it again. Kyle thought telling Cade he had 30 or 40 nosebleeds from baseball was a good idea. Now Cade is dreading the summertime. Because of baseball.
After practice Kyle spent some time pitching and hitting in the front yard with Cade and Sav and then we all drove to watch Kyle play soccer (or rather, Kyle played soccer and I tried to watch while keeping track of Cade and Sav and feeding Ruby.) It was so gloriously sunny I got a little tan line on my legs from my shorts.
Later there was more yard, pool, and play with the kids (I snuck in a nap) time. Sunday we had Stake Conference. SO glad Kyle was home for that. So, so glad. I've done many a stake-conferences on my own before, but none with three kids. I'm outnumbered. I took a delicious afternoon nap (can naps be delicious, you ask? Try going a month without one and then take one. Delicious is most definitely the perfect word to describe such an experience)
We had a lovely dinner with Randy and Kristen and watched a couple of outstanding videos from their recent distribution center purchase. I highly recommend "Only a Stonecutter" and "The John Tanner Story" -- both inspiring and well-made. You'll re-think how you view your sacrifices of time and money to other causes. I feel mine are meager at most.
This morning we snuck in a trip to the temple and did sealings after getting Cade off to school. It was a great way to end our time together. While waiting to go into the sealing room, I recognized the smile of an older gentleman sitting with his wife on the bench next to ours. After racking my brain for several seconds, I whispered to Kyle "How do we know him? California? Virginia? Chicago? BYU? Orem?" Unable to pin them down, I asked where they were from and said they live in Spanish Fork. Nope. They just returned from serving in Chicago. Yep. Small, small world. They were mission presidents (is it just me or do you always want to call the mission president's wife the first lady?) of the mission where we lived out there. Now they are serving in the branch presidency of the MTC. I love how people just serve and serve and serve in the church and never tire of it. It's truly remarkable.
While Kyle packed up (the lightest I have ever seen him pack in my life. One carryon!) I took advantage of my last moment of errand running without having to hire a sitter. He really enjoyed feeding Ruby and tucking the girls in for their naps. It was so sweet to see him relish in perfunctory tasks that I so easily take for granted.
When we pulled up to the drop-off at the airport, Kyle began reminiscing about the time he dropped me off at the airport to go to Ecuador when we were engaged. I corrected him that I dropped him off at the airport in North Carolina so he could fly back to Idaho and then I flew to Ecuador the next day. It seems we've said goodbye to each other so many times it's hard to keep track...and it doesn't seem to get any easier. :(
When we got home Savannah was very adamant that we get started on our dessert for family home evening. She chose chocolate cake. That's my girl! Oblige her I did. We got started on the cake and then realized our sour cream was rotten. So we took a field trip to a few neighbors for sour cream and struck the jack pot at the lovely Pierson's. Have I ever mentioned how fantastic my neighbors are? You'd want to live here. Btw, the house next door to me is still for sale. Just saying.
At 5:30 I began to panic. Although the cake was in the oven, dinner needed to be made, eaten and cleaned up in 30 minutes. My phone miraculously rang with my sister Melody on the other line asking if we'd had dinner yet. I laughed. I hadn't a clue what we were going to MAKE for dinner, much less had a chance to eat it. Then she said she had tons of extra if we wanted to come and get it (she apologized for not dropping it off herself. She's so crazy!) What an angel! My children LOVED the meal and it really saved me. I suppose I made the right choice choosing cake over dinner after all. I love it when life works out like that. Sisters are the bomb.
{rebecca, melody, little liam and me on his blessing day}
Tonight for FHE we had a couple come over and share with us about their mission to the D.R. Congo. My children were mesmerized to say the least. They kept asking questions and the Moodys were so sweet to entertain their curious minds. To see the look on Savannah's face when they told her a lot of children there do not go to school was priceless. I want my children to recognize how blessed they are to live in this country and to be grateful for all they have. This was by far the most effecting teaching tool yet. I think I need to start looking around for more resources like this to add some excitement and variety to our family nights.
And, because I can, here are some of my favorite facial expressions of Ruby...
Kidding, kidding. Ruby doesn't have this much hair.
Cade and Ruby could be twins! Except Cade was born about 6 years before Ruby. And she decided to start crawling about 2 weeks earlier than he did. Other than that, they are pretty much the same.
See? Told you so.
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