one more-Gwen playing fight the giant

Greetings! Isaac, Xander, and Laurelin started swimming lessons this week. They're all enjoying it and making progress. On Wednesday something finally clicked for Isaac and all of a sudden he was actually swimming! By Friday he was swimming underwater with "froggie" arms and I practically had to pull him out of the pool so the next class could start. Four years of "Yes, you do have to get in the water" and now it's suddenly "Yes, you do really have to get out of the pool now" hee hee hee-that's a change that I'm quite happy with.

Wednesday was my 30th birthday. Rus's siblings and families, Max and MaryMegan and we all went up to South Fork Park in Provo Canyon. We had a potluck, played around in the trees and Rus, Jon and the kids had fun playing with practice swords (boffers) and playing their own version of "fight the giant". Thank you to everyone who came and who gave me such thoughtful gifts. When I was kid my mother had a jewelry/music box with a gold unicorn on it. I loved to sit and look through her music box; it held a kind of magic for me through all these years. She gave it to me for my birthday and I almost cried-thank you Mom!! I had no problem turing 30. I guess it bugs some people. I feel like I'm a better person now so I was fine with it. As long as you keep learning and becoming who you are supposed to be I think you improve with age.

Saturday Kerry and Mike came to babysit so Rus and I could go have a Midsummer's date (thanks guys!) We went up into Provo Canyon and had a picnic dinner. Then we tried to set up a tent in a beautiful clearing next to the stream. After we took the tent out of the bag we discovered that whoever used the tent last didn't put the poles back in the bag! We decided to improvise, and using a few bits of cord attached to the tent we tied it up to tree branches and found sticks for the stakes. The result was a cutely droopy tent that we loved. We both agreed we were glad there were no polls as doing it the other way had been more fun. We found a gorgeous spot in the stream where the rocks were covered in luxurious velvet green moss. We're going to go back and take fairy pictures with the wings that Sean and Kate got me for my birthday. There were the perfect flowers up there for making crowns. Delicate purple blossums, and long, flexible stems. So after we wove a crown, we put it on one the rocks in the stream. Eve and Laurelin; Melissa, Gwen, Isaac and Max

Kelly and bd cake; Rus and Jon boffering; Xander at the stream
The view from our picnic; beautiful stream; cute droopy tent

If it ain't Scottish, it's...well, you know...

Last Sunday I laid down on the couch for two minutes to rest. When I opened my eyes, I saw Gwen standing on a chair she had dragged over to the counter and yanking the spices out of the cupboard. I asked, "Gwen, what are you doing?" She replied, "Nothing owie, Mamma!"

She has been saying new words and phrases everyday. Xander commented, "Gwen's brain is like a two year old dictionary!"

Rus had Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday off; it was really nice to have some time all together. Thursday was Gwen's last swimming lesson, and since Rus was off he went with her to be "fishies". Friday afternoon/evening we went up to Provo Canyon for a picnic. The kids played in the dirt, we ate our picnic, found a little amphitheater and did funny "plays" for each other, and laid in the grass to discover what we could hear and see outside.

Saturday was the Scottish Festival and Highland Games that are held every year at Thanksgiving Point. As much as we would have liked to, we didn't stay all day. Rus was exhausted, and the younger kids just still can't handle staying all day (Isaac would have been perfectly happy to stay though...) The kids all brought their piggy bank money, and Isaac Xander and Gwen picked out plastic swords, and Laurelin picked out a sparkly fairy wand. Sean and Kate met us there, and we perused booths, then headed over to see Wicked Tinkers play. The kids danced a little bit, I danced the whole time (you know me...) and the kids let Rus get up and dance with me towards the end, which was lovely. We need to dance together more... Several people afterwards came up to us and commented we were just as entertaining as the music.... and I had a nice conversation with a lady who was from a town called Motherwell, just outside of Glasgow. There was a reenactment group with a kids activity called "Fight the Giant". There was a man (the giant) in armor with practice swords that the kids could fight. All the kids wanted to do it of course (Isaac did it twice, Laurelin however decided she didn't really want to it after she got in the ring with him), and we got it on film, so we're figuring out how to get that on here... We're putting up a clip from our other camera of the kids playing with their swords and pictures from the park.

Potty Taining!

Greetings! Our biggest and happiest news this week is that Gwen is now potty trained! Even more amazing is that she is the last one we have to potty train! We are officially out of the diaper stage of familyhood-woo hoo! It is actually pretty amazing to see the kids all getting older, not that they're old by any stretch of the imagination, but now that Gwen is done with diapers we're all done with the baby stage of life. Laurelin is starting school this August, and Xander will be 7 in a few weeks. Isaac will be a teenager in just over 4 years (aaahhh!!!). When Rus and I had our 10th anniversary in April we were talking about what life was like 10 years ago and what it will be like in another 10 years-Isaac will be nearly 19 and getting ready to go on his mission, Xander will be almost 17, Laurelin will be 15 and Gwennie will be 12. Ok, for the sake of all the grandparents reading this I'll stop now....

Let's see, other news...MaryMegan and I went to Thia's yearly June bellydance show. (She brings in workshop instructors every June and has a show.) It was fun to go with MaryMegan (Rus was going to go too but had to work until 9 that night so he couldn't) as we don't usually have much chance to hang out just the two of us.

Gwen had her first week of swimming lessons. I signed her and I up for a parent child class, and she loves it! As soon as we pull into the parking lot she points to the pool and says "Pool-IN!" She swims around and kicks her legs and does her arms and says "fishie! wee!" She loves to jump off the side of the pool and have me catch her; she's just a little waterbaby.

Isaac and Xander are going to a storytelling camp at the Orem library this week, and the week after this Isaac and Xander and Laurelin will have their swimming lessons. Then in July Laurelin and I are signed up to take a mother-daughter bellydance class, it should be fun. And my parents are coming out to visit in July as well. So there are our summer plans so far...

Have a happy week!

Laurelin's birthday party

Laurelin’s birthday party recap- All her cousins (in Utah anyway) came over as well as Ilana and Forrester. She had a Cinderella Ball theme. Kerry came over and did fancy princess hair and makeup on Laurelin and Gwen (and even Kelly!), Rus, Sean and Mike (in his debut/guest performance) performed the Paper Bag Princess puppet show. After Xander had played Herald and announced all the guests we put on Andre Rieu waltzes and had our Ball. We finished with a birthday cake of course, which Laurelin designed herself. All in all it was a pretty successful birthday party. Laurelin got gorgeous fairy wings from Sean and Kate, and after the kids went to bed, we (Rus and Kelly) couldn’t resist playing with them a bit, so we’ll put up some of those pics as well.

Isaac's first movie

Isaac made this stop motion movie with the kid-digital camera he got for Christmas.

We're baaaack!

After a few weeks' hiatus, perhaps we should make another post...

We spent a fun-filled but unfortunately brief time with family in California. It was great to spend some time with everyone that we were able to see...we just wish it could have been longer. We even got to meet our nephew/cousin, Prometheus, for the first time.

The kids display the candles they made in Columbia.

Gwen and Laurelin's picture from the Union Democrat as they watch the Roundup parade.