They say time flies when you are having fun. It also flies when you are busy and stressed out of your mind. I have had more than one person ask why I haven’t written a family update lately. I will explain why, in the forthcoming update. I have had too much going on. Excuses, excuses I know. I know when people start to email me about emailing them, it has been too long.
In March we went to Disneyland, with my parents, Aunt JJ and Uncle Harold. Right before this my father got cellulitis in his foot and had a very difficult time walking. Unfortunately Disneyland involves a lot of walking. So my dad was in a wheelchair. And we all took turns pushing him. Disneyland was really fun. Elijah liked every ride that involved a slow moving boat. (Except Pirates was CLOSED!) Ally fell in love with “It’s a Small World After All” because it involved her two most favorite things (discounting shoes of course) DOLLS and MUSIC. She tried to sing with the dolls exactly how they were singing. She ended up looking like a living marionette, because the dolls lips don’t move, they just bob up and down. Elijah got to meet JoJo and see Playhouse Disney live!!! He was completely enchanted. He thought Star Tours was too scary and when Mommy and Daddy went on Tower of Terror he apparently screamed the whole time and terrorized everyone in the near vicinity in his attempts to save us from the scariest thing he had ever seen. Let’s just say, WE had a good time, but no one outside the ride did. One of the most “interesting” events was that every child in my Uncle Craig’s family had rotavirus while we were their and the trick was to keep own kids from getting it so they could enjoy Disneyland. Miraculously, we were successful.
During March and into April, we had visits from Matt’s siblings, Jon and Karyn. When Karyn was here, we actually didn’t do much shopping. Karyn spent most of her time either in the beauty salon with Heather getting various treatments done or with her friends, helping out with a wedding. It was fun getting to talk to her and spending some time with her. Jon came on a suicidal all-night drive and stayed up while he and his friends went to General Conference. The highlight (at least for me) was watching Jon appear on the Evening News while he was talking to a crazy protester on Temple Square.
Elijah turned 4 and he had a Bob the Builder party. I let the kids hammer nails and created a bean bag toss. They got construction hats and sack lunches. It was really fun. His big present was going to the Wiggles concert and he had a good time. (Those concerts are really fun. I recommend them to anyone with children.) Those Wiggles know how to put on a concert.
I will stick in my family’s news here, in the most random place possible. My family has been having excitement right and left. My sister Kerstin is having a baby girl in November. We are all very excited. Christian had a baby girl named Lyric Karoline and she is beautiful. In fact, she looks more like me than my daughter! My sister Heather is getting married September 28th to Darren Tintle in the Manti Temple. This should be very exciting/exhausting. I already can’t waiting until it is over. But luckily he is a good guy and they love each other.
Matt finished his second year of grad school. He worked very hard and we didn’t see him much. He is getting an internship in Taylorsville for next year. One more year, then we can live a real life. Yeah! Matt was also made first counselor in Sunday school. We’re not quite sure what this means or what one does, but at least he has a calling again.
During the summer we decided to remodel my old room downstairs. Basically I was tired of the stenciled kitties. In our “spare time,” we have been working on that room. It should be very pretty when it is finished.
The major project we have been working on since January is getting ready for the Rutherford Reunion. We decided to make a video with the pictures and we had a really good time doing it, but it sucked all of our extra time away and now that it is over we are able to catch up on other projects. Although the good news is that this time we will get two full years and we already have a plan. It should be really funny. Now the hard part…getting the pictures from everyone.
My kids had fun at the family reunion. They were able to see all their cousins and Elijah has two new best friends, Aaron and Josh and now I am constantly being asked to drive back to Oregon and go see them (yeah right.) While we were in the Northwest, we went to Seattle and went to Pike’s Market and the Pacific Science Center with Matt’s sister Heidi and her husband Ryan. It was really fun, but the only thing I would say is they need to move, move now! (they live bad neighborhood) We also visited Matt’s sister’s Christina and Liz and were able to check out their houses and see them both pregnant. Elijah loved Liz’s and Heidi’s dogs named Piper and Pepper (yes, that was confusing) and he loved Christina’s backyard. But most of all he liked their toys. We are probably going to end up with a marble run sometime soon.
Ally has developed into a true toddler. In a sudden, dramatic turn from her previous normal personality, she stopped eating everything in front of her and has taken to screaming at odd moments. She is still really girly and loves the shoe aisle and I am already fielding off requests for clothes, jewelry, shoes and candy. She loves her doll also and her pretty gems (purchased by the bag at Disneyland.) She is giggly and sweet, but also still my sound effect machine. She is talking moderately well. She has taken to calling her blanket a “kiki” or a “cookie,” it seems to rotate. Either way, when she wants it, you had better give it to her. She also has been excelling at giving kisses. If you say, “kiss,” she immediately puckers up her lips and gives you a smacker.
Elijah has been maturing the last few months. He is entering the four stage, which is one of my favorite stages. He is understanding the world around him and applying it in all kinds of situations. I was able to attend his preschool graduation (even though he is going back next year, but whatever) and it was really cute. Elijah had his own line and he said it nearly coherently. They even got to wear little caps and gowns and “walk” to receive a diploma. Boy, these moments do happen faster than you think they will!
One funny story, it has been very hot here. If I sit in certain rooms in the house I will drip sweat without moving a muscle. Another thing you need to know is that there are two heaters in the house, one for the top two levels, another for the bottom two levels. Now, the other day I was sitting in my room (because there is an AC in there) basically avoiding all other rooms unless absolutely necessary. Well, my sister walks in and says, “WHY IS IT SO HOT IN HERE!!!” Hmmm, hot? I think. Probably the sun, but I go upstairs and check and it was a temperature rivaling the surface of the sun. She wasn’t kidding. It had to be 120 degrees, plus humidity on the top two levels. I immediately check the heater, and yes, it was turned on, to the tippy top. Everyone cast eyes at Elijah, but he denies having anything to do with it. Well two days later, the house is back to normal!
This week we went as a family to hike to Timpanogos Cave. Ally was in a backpack and Elijah had to hike because there were no strollers allowed. They did very well. Elijah was tired, but Ally gets the prize for whining. She didn’t like being stuck in the backpack all the time, but with cliffs and a steep incline, there was no way she was going to get out on the trail. I haven’t been into the cave since I was a child and it was fun seeing it again. But the hike was much harder than I remember it being. Last time I wasn’t carrying all the water though.
Well, I think I need to end it here. Any further and I will need to publish it with a cover.
