Monday, May 28, 2007

Recent happenings

We have had a lot going on lately and the batteries in my camera have been dead! Finally I bought some new rechargable batteries and since then have yet to remember to take the camera along with me.

I could have cried when the camera didn't work at the girls' dance recital. I'm still going to just have them dress up again so I can get their picture in their recital costumes. They did such a great job and keep asking me why they can't continue dancing through the summer. Nikki even taught her dance to her cousins this afternoon.

Last week Nikki's preschool had spirit week. Tuesday was pajama day, Wednesday was crazy hat day (Nikki wore a red cowgirl hat), and on Thursday they all played at the park. These are a couple of pictures Alli took that day.

Nikki and Lexi



Today was Memorial Day, and Mike and Sherrie invited us to come spend the day with them on their boat. It was so much fun. The girls loved riding in the tube, and we even convinced Nate to ride in it with me. He doesn't care for the water, so that was pretty big. I tried water skiing for the first time ever. I was so excited that I actually stood up! I never lasted long, but I was still happy that I could do it even a little bit. It was really hard to keep my balance once I got up. It will be fun to go and try again sometime. It was a perfect day to be out on the lake, and we all came home exhausted. A great day!

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Bedtime

The girls have had a hard time getting to sleep for the past couple of nights, maybe because it is still so light outside at bedtime. As frustrating as that is, Nikki has just cracked us up. One night this week, the girls were jumping around in their bed making all kinds of noise. As we were debating how long to let it go before interfering, they came out to tell on each other. Hannah said Nikki had put her feet on her side of the bed, and then Nikki said, "But Hannah ... Hannah ... well, Hannah almost hurt me."

Then last night after bedtime we heard Hannah have a really big sneeze. Next thing we know she comes darting out of her room running for some tissue in the bathroom. Then Nikki comes walking out trying to copy her, but it was a terrible fake. "Shoo. Shoo. I need to blow my nose." Nate and I couldn't help but laugh at her.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Mother's Day

Today was a wonderful Mother's Day. Nate was just amazing, and he didn't even act like it was a lot of work for him to do everything he did for me. I got breakfast in bed, and he helped the girls pick out their dresses and get ready for church. I only had to do their hair this morning. Then he did all the dishes all day long. He cooked supper and even invited JW & Alli over to eat with us. He made brownies from scratch for dessert and they were really good. I have to speak in church next Sunday, and I while I was working on my talk this afternoon he took care of whatever the girls needed so I wouldn't be interrupted. He was just sweet, and I think the part of it that meant the most to me was that he never made a big deal out of his service. It felt like he was really happy to do anything he could. I married a wonderful man.

Of course everyone thinks about their mother on Mother's Day. My mom was just the greatest person. It's hard to even find the words to describe how I feel about her. I really don't know anyone that I look up to more than Mom. A child doesn't really understand that their mother is a person with a life and dreams of her own outside of her position as mother. When Mom died, I think I was just beginning to grasp the fact that she was her own person, and I was just beginning to see that she could be my friend. Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, anyone who knew her longer than I did. I think that's why I love it so much to hear other people's memories because I feel like I can learn a little more about her. What words describe Mom? Service. Fun. Devotion. Strength. Integrity. Love. She was just everything I hope to become.

Haircut

Hannah has loved having long hair, so I was surprised today when she said she wanted a haircut. I jumped right on it, though, because it is always a mess even after I just finish brushing it.

This is almost a before shot. In the middle of cutting it, I realized what a drastic change this would be and wanted a picture of it.

Here's the after shot. It actually got cuter as she played around tonight and it fell into a good shape.
Tonight she came running through the kitchen swishing her hair around saying, "I love my hair! I love it! I just love my short hair!" I'm glad she likes it. I remember always being on the verge of tears when my mom cut my hair. Maybe I still have a few more years before we get there.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Bikers



My camera is running low on batteries, so I didn't get many pictures of Nikki's birthday party. I think Alli took a couple for me. The cousins came over and swam and had lots of fun. It's pouring rain outside right now, but it was perfect weather this morning. Nikki loved her new purple bike and Sherrie got her a Dora helmet. Alli got her a sleeping bag that came with a tent and a blow up chair and flash light. It is really cute, and she thinks they are great. A really fun day. It's hard to believe our baby is four years old!

Nikki's swimming pool cake



For me, the birthday cake is really the biggest part of the birthday party. I thought this was a really cute cake and should have been pretty easy to make, but nothing I do ever turns out simple. I ended up making two cakes. The first one broke when I was putting the top layer on, and then when I added the jello to the middle it pushed the sides of the cake out. I thought if I propped it up and refrigerated it then maybe it would harden enough to stay together. That's what the bananas and apples are for. It didn't work, though. I even stuck it with about half a box of toothpicks. The second time worked much better. Nikki loved it.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

A bad way to lose weight & my organ master class

My body found a really cruel way to be kind. I figure it was because I didn't exercise all week that yesterday my body took over its own weight-loss regimen (okay, maybe it was only because Nikki was sick the day before =}). I was so sick I couldn't stand up without having to make a run to the bathroom. What a day! Nikki and I were supposed to go spend the morning at Hannah's school for field day, but Nikki was so sweet to me even with having to stay home. Then our realtor called and said that someone wanted to come view our house. It about did me in, but I got the laundry folded and put a few things away. I had to call Nate to come home, and he was an angel. I really don't think I could have driven anywhere, but with the help of a great family I made it through. I had no idea a digestive tract could hold so much material! Okay, that's gross so I'll move on.

I was a little worried because today I was supposed to play in an organ master class in Raleigh and I really didn't want to bail out. This morning I was much better. I stuck with a couple of graham crackers for breakfast and everything was fine. The master class was really neat. There were 5 organ students who played a prepared piece for Dr. Jack Mitchener, an organ professor at The School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. Then he would give ideas on how to improve. He was trying to get me to put more accents in certain spots and be more musical, and all I could think was that I wished I was sitting at a piano. It would have been so much easier to follow his advice that way. The other students were all working on bachelor or doctorate degrees in organ, so my little piece was pretty simple compared to the rest of them. Actually, I think my piece was a nice break on the ears because the other students played these incredibly difficult, not very pretty pieces. Everyone was surprised that I had only been playing the organ for 4 months. It was a great experience.

Carolina On My Mind

My friend Kristen sent me this quiz about North Carolina. There were a few I wasn't sure about, but I ended up with 100%. Nate got a 79% which I thought was pretty good for a Utah boy. It was fun trivia.

Carolina quiz

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

After reading Kellee's most recent blog posts about Mom & Dad and Grandma & Granddaddy, I really feel so grateful to be a part of my family. However, before I even read what she wrote I was missing Mom this morning. Nikki is sick. She threw up all over the carpet right by the entryway in the living room -- that'll be a great selling point for our house. She can't even keep a couple of sips of water down. While she was throwing up, my heart just broke for her. I remembered how sweet Mom always was when I was sick. She would hold my hair for me and rub my back, and that was so comforting. I remember when I stayed home from school sick and Dad was trying to take care of me, I would always make him call Mom at work before I would eat any soup or drink any Sprite he tried to give me. I feel bad about that now. That really wasn't very nice, but sometimes you just need your mom. Sometimes I still do. I think she would just love our girls, and I would love to see her interact with them. It's interesting to think how different life would be if my parents were still here, but I know the Lord knows what is best for all of us. So, until I see them again, I will cherish the memories I have of them and try to live my life as close to the Lord as I can. I want my parents to be able to look at my life and be proud of me.