College? Really?

We just got back from a great trip up to Provo for five days. What a fantastic trip! Thanks Chris and Heidi (and dad)! We had a fabulous time.

I would like to highlight just one part of this wonderful trip we took, because it still has me giggling.

My sister-in-law, Heidi, makes this fabulous bread and taught me all of her secrets while I was up at her house. This bread is so yummy, fast, and easy that we went to the store at 9:30 on a Saturday night so I could procure the rare ingredients that go into baking this delectable bread (and dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, breadsticks,...).

While at Macey's picking up some of the ingredients, I was chatting with the young, male checker (is that the appropriate term?) while Heidi was shooting the breeze with the younger, male bagger(?)...all while the even younger male bagger from the next checkstand was doing a price check for us (he's on the high school track team and is apparently the fastest runner).
Keep in mind that Heidi and I are both happily married and these young men were all in the ballpark of about 16 years of age.

Here go the conversations(roughly):

Conversation 1:
Bagger: Who buys this much flour on a Saturday night?
Heidi: Oh, we need this to make bread.
Bagger: Who makes bread anymore? My grandma used to make bread.
Heidi: I love to make bread.
Bagger: Why are you buying applesauce? There's no applesauce in a bread recipe.
Heidi: There is in this bread recipe.

(How does this kid know what goes in a bread recipe?)

Conversation 2:
(This conversation took place while Heidi's phone was ringing because our husbands were ready to leave for their 10 o'clock movie)
Megan: We're only 2 minutes late and they're already calling us.
Checker: Who, your parents?
Megan: Our parents? No, our husbands. Why, do we look that young?
Checker: I thought you were in college.


Dear Young Man Checker,
Thanks for the vote of confidence. You made our day.

P.S. I graduated from college in 2000

Keepin' it real

Just in time for family pictures this weekend.

Breakfast

This is how my kids ate breakfast this morning. And I'm not one bit ashamed.

Too Cute

We went to the Washington Rec Center last night with our friends, the Mathews. Luke, being the angel he is, fell asleep in the bouncy swing. Thanks, Mary, for taking the picture (we didn't have our camera...and how could we miss a shot like this?)

Preschool

Firsts seem to come so quickly as children exit the toddler years. Today was Noah's first day of preschool. He hit the ground running. Literally. He couldn't get to his classroom fast enough. I love it.

Really, I love it.

Five hours a week of freedom. For about two seconds, I thought about putting him into two different preschools. Ephraim wasn't a fan.

And I know most parents think they have the smartest kid. I'm no different. Today, after preschool, I asked Noah if he also wanted to be on a soccer team with his friend, Hunter. Noah smiled and said "Yeah. And I'll bring my bat so I can hit the ball."

He's a genius.

Sharing Time

Noah is a Sunbeam this year in Primary. Ephraim and I are lucky enough to teach the Sunbeam class. But not Noah's class. He is in the other Sunbeam class. Which can be good and bad.

The Good: I love serving in Primary where I am able to watch Noah learn and grow from this wonderful program in our Church.

The Bad: I always want to get up and discipline my little angel during Sharing Time and have a hard time leaving it all up to his teacher (who is great, btw). Some Sundays Ephraim has to hold me down in my seat.


Sometimes Noah takes Sharing Time literally. We have been talking about temples this month in Primary. Last week the counselor in charge of Sharing Time was talking about ways we can prepare to go to the temple. She mentioned potty talk not being acceptable and how we should apologize if we use it. Noah "shared" that his dad uses potty talk at our house and apologizes afterwards. Which is funny, because Ephraim has the cleanest mouth I know.

Yesterday was my turn. The Primary President was talking about temple recommends. Noah informed the Primary that my temple recommend was expired...which was true. But after the laughter ceased, I replied..."And that's why I got it renewed."

I wonder what he's going to share next week.

Our Firstborn

My firstborn (in the wilderness, as Ephraim likes to add...well, he WAS born in Kentucky surrounded by lots of trees) has just turned four. Boy does time fly. Having children has changed our lives in so many ways. Gone are the days of last-minute movies at the theater, quiet, romantic dinners, and a clean house. Now we embrace Diego cartoons, cleaning up food from under the table, and lego injuries (have you ever stepped on one of those things?...ouch!). Eph and I were married for four years before we had kids and I can barely remember how easy we had it.

We no longer sleep in (Andy likes to run to our bedside at 6:30am shouting "It's the morning time...I want some chocolate milk"), we eat cheeseburgers at McDonalds instead of steak at Outback, and we find ourselves reading Llama Llama Red Pajama more frequently than the scriptures.

I remember fondly the day Eph and I welcomed this 9 lb 15 oz butterball into our lives.

I have loved watching him grow from a cherubic infant


To a fun and curious toddler


...and now into such a handsome, obedient little boy. I wouldn't have our lives any other way.

I don't put on birthday parties every year...so yesterday we grabbed a couple of neighborhood kids and took them to Jumpin' Jacks for a couple of hours. And then returned home for some cake and ice cream. Noah had the time of his life.

And thanks to Gma Nona and Gpa Randy for the Birthday Bikes. We now spend our days outside in 105 degree Southern Utah sunshine teaching our boys how to ride.


Happy Birthday Noah!...and bring on the next four years

I think we can handle it.