Enjoy.

This is my life.  I am desperate.  Desperate to keep on top of my personal hygiene and my sanity.  As I walked into the door of my parents’ house, my mom said, “Oh!  I’m so glad to see you!  I’m so glad you brought your babies!  I have missed them!”

Yeah, okay.  You can have them for the next hour while I find some mental clarity in the shower.  Please, remember that Hannah is around.  She is so easy, taking care of her is like watching grass grow.  Dallin is what we call “high maintenance” so if he screams a lot, or the whole time, just know it’s something he does.  He likes to be heard.  You know, HE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO FORGET ABOUT HIM.

Mmmm . . . It’s always nice to know your kids are in good hands.  It kind of makes you want to take your time while getting ready . . .

Okay, back to reality.  I had a girls night out with some of my best friends from high school.  A couple of the girls I hadn’t seen in almost 10 years.  We all think we look the same (although we ALL know we were skinnier and younger looking 10 years ago) and picked right up where we left off all those years ago.

Anne Wilson Copeland (who now lives in Texas) Katie Trent Renslow (who lives in Colorado) Me (who lives like a gypsy with no place to call home) Katie Corrigan Broadbent (who lives in Utah) and Ashley Huish Tobler (who just moved back to Utah after living in Nevada)  I would also like to point out that Ashley’s baby is four days younger than Dallin.  (And no, Dallin was not invited on my mommy night out.)

We had such a fantastic time.  I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.  It was so fun to see my friends after so many years.  We ended up talking entirely too long and could have gone on all night if we didn’t have little people to get home to.

Thanks for the great night out.  It was the shot in the arm I desperatly needed.

This is why we go to “THE POINT!” every Tuesday.  The first time we went to Thanksgiving Point, we ran into four good friends that we hadn’t seen in a few years.  This week, I ran into my good friend Melissa (who I nick-named “Mel-messa” because she is an organizational mess.  But that isn’t the point here . . .) who I hadn’t seen in almost seven years!  She and I were in the Days of ‘47 Royalty together 12 years ago (oh my, did I just write that? YIKES!  We’re getting old!) and we spent the entire summer of ‘96 together.  We did many crazy things, (she tried to set me up with her her future husband who is now an Ophthalmologist because she thought he was a great guy and “didn’t want to waste him”) like almost driving off the freeway (yes, I was driving, and if my mom reads this, then this will be new information to her) and traveling back East together visiting Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

She is as beautiful and tiny as ever, just as I remembered her.  She was also just as organized . . . she pulled out a grocery receipt to write down my email.  (Hey, I’m not saying I wouldn’t do the same, I just happened to have my address book with me.)

Let me tell you something, AM I EVER GLAD I DECIDED TO SHOWER AND PUT ON MAKE-UP that day.  Not that she would have cared, but it is nice to look decent when you see old friends.

It’s kind of like saying, “Hey, I’m a mom, AND I have personal hygiene.  That makes me successful, right?”

Two of my sisters, Rachelle and Ang, planned a family reunion up at Bear Lake which is on the Utah/Idaho state line.  Originally, David and I hadn’t planned to attend, but our schedules were worked around and we were able to go.  This only posed a tiny problem . . .

See, my very organized sister Rachelle, rented a Lake House that would accommodate all the families that planned to attend the reunion.  And since David and I kind of decided to attend at the last minute . . . well . . . let’s just say that we were one bedroom shy of perfect accommodations.

My mom rented another condo down the street for my family to stay in so we would have a nice place to sleep.  On the afternoon of our arrival, she checked in to the condo for us and brought back the key.  With a very stressed out look on her face, she proceeded to tell me about the condo.  The unfinished furniture . . . uncomfortable chairs, tiny room, nasty wall paper, etc.  Knowing full well that I might have a gasping-for-air moment the second I stepped foot into the condo, she was positive we couldn’t stay there.  (I totally agreed.  If she thought it was bad, then so would I.  The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.)

In an effort to accommodate us, she asked my bachelor twin if he would give up his room and take the condo instead.  He graciously agreed. I owe him BIG time for that.

(this is my twin, Brian, making his very late grand arrival to the lake)

Poor Brian, the bed was so terrible and nasty, he slept on the couch, which was also nasty.  David mentioned how the place must have really been sub-par if a single guy wouldn’t sleep on the bed.  But then I had to remind him that this was Brian we were talking about.  You see, Brian isn’t just any old bachelor.  This is a guy who is more persnickety than I am.  He lives in Provo’s version of high-rise downtown condos, drives a black BMW, and his condo looks like a model home.  He even took the time to change all the lights in his condo to soft lighting.  It’s the artist in him.  It’s things like this that make the chicks dig him.

Aside from the sleeping arrangement drama, we had a wonderful time at the reunion.  I have 22 nieces and nephews, so the house was certainly busy with activity.  Hannah LOVED every second of it.  She mostly loves kids (of all ages) and all of her cousins were vying for her attention.

This is the Bear Lake in Idaho.  The silhouettes in the picture are my sister’s-in-law and some nieces and nephews.

This is my sister Rachelle playing with Hannah.  Hannah LOVES Rachelle and Rachelle LOVES Hannah. She tells me all the time that she needs a “Hannah Fix.”  I’m sure glad she played with Hannah in the mud because heaven knows I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

This is Hannah with her cousin Becky (who is now 18) and Ammon.

Rachelle and Brent brought their sail boat.  I didn’t sail, but David said it was awesome.

This is my brother Ben.  This is one of his classic looks.  You may not be able to tell here, but he is actually having a great time.  He brought up a boat for our enjoyment.  David went water-skiing, and said it was awesome, but kind of like skiing on the ocean.

This of course is Hannah.  She thinks she is the same size as all the big kids.  She tried really, really, hard to boogie board, but her only success was looking cute while trying.

We had a great time and we wish we could do things like this more often as a family.  Our time in Utah is running short, and it was so nice to squeeze in some family vacation time.

Thanks Rachelle and Ang for organizing this, and working out all the details for all 32 of us.

Thank you mom for understanding my standards and making other sleeping arrangements.

Thank you Brian for taking the bullet.  I owe you.  If I made you a cake, would that make it up to you?

This is the view from her house in Windwardside.

Mmmm . . . seeing this makes me really miss Saba.

David overheard what I was saying and he piped up and said, “Um . . . I don’t think that’s his problem.  You know, the part about you loving him.”

I have since given birth to Dallin, and I am now POSITIVE that the “wipe warmer” is one of the best inventions since the computer.  Both of our lives are much quieter, and relaxing since purchasing this lovely item.  I have also purchased other essential items that I didn’t need with Hannah such as: The Pee-Pee-T.P. (you know, so you don’t get sprayed in the face with pee), a bouncer seat, and Gripe Water.

I have been enlightened.  Every baby gimmick out there is of use to someone, so I will not gasp and judge anymore when I hear of some lame invention that everyone has to have.

I would also like to say I’m sorry to all moms out there that I gave crusty looks too (you know, in my head) when they said their kids go to bed at 8:00 P.M.  People who aren’t parents don’t understand that KIDS NEED TO GO TO BED.  EARLY.  In fact, the earlier, the better.

I put Hannah to bed at 6:30 every night.  Religiously.  Go ahead and gasp, or give me a crusty (please, do this in your head) because I totally deserve it.  How could I be so inconsiderate of kids’ bedtimes before I had one of my own?

See, I’m not the only sassy one in this relationship.

I want this house.  Not this exact house, but you know, the plans to this house.

And on a random note:

This is the entrance to the Cirque Lodge.  You know, the rehab center where celebs like Lindsay Lohan, Kristen Dunst, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Eva Mendes shelled out $30,000 a month to fix their lives.  It is conveniently located in a neighborhood, on the same street as the house I love, which is right next to my parents house.

This is the actual building.  It used to be “Osmond Studios” when I was growing up, and the movie Dumb and Dumber was filmed here.  I remember seeing the carpeted vans parked outside.  I can’t help but take a walk down memory lane as I drive around my parents neighborhood.  It has been nice to be back, even if it is for a short while.

You are now one month old. I have enjoyed your company so much more outside of my belly than inside.  You are a BIG BOY, and that reason alone is probably the primary factor why I enjoy your company so much now.  You came out a whopping 9 pounds 12 ounces at 38 weeks.  I can only imagine how big you would have been (and how uncomfortable and miserable I would have been) if we allowed you to bake an additional two weeks.  At your two week check-up you grew two inches (so you were 22 inches long) and were back to your birth weight.  You are an excellent nurser, and I am happy to report that I have had no problems nursing you.  Thank goodness for that.

We don’t know much about your personality yet, but we do know that you like to eat, sleep, poop, and cry.  You are quite the pooping machine, and your first night in the hospital you pooped 11 times.  Yes, count that again, 11 times.  Your dad was 100% on poop duty (since I had my abdomen sliced open to get you out, I wasn’t really in any position to help you since I couldn’t even help myself) and boy did you let him know what to expect for the next few weeks!  The good news is that all of your piping works properly.  It works VERY WELL.

You do enjoy sleeping anywhere, anytime.

Dallin and mommy sleeping . . .

Dallin and Grandpa Lesher sleeping . . .

Dallin and Grandma Gloria

Dallin and Daddy

Dallin and Grandpa Probst

You have a talent at blowing bubbles when you sleep.  We think it’s darling, and we just know you have some hidden talents up your sleeve.

Your big sister Hannah LOVES you to pieces.  She ALWAYS wants to hold you, kiss you, or play with you.  She is so good to you.  She is still working on being gentle with you, but you couldn’t ask for a better older sister.  She is thrilled to have a baby brother. We are equally excited that she accepts you and hasn’t asked us to return you to the hospital.

We can’t wait to see what you discover and learn and who you become in the next few months.

We love you so much.  We’re so glad you finally made your debut!

Love,

Mommy

Let me clarify the term “early” when it comes to my family with two small kids.  Leaving the house before 1:00 in the afternoon is considered early.  I’m not kidding.  You would think that our early alarm clocks (well, Dallin is an alarm clock that goes off religiously throughout the night and especially the early morning) would get our butts out of bed and moving, but let’s face it, we’re slow moving parents.

So, now you can imagine the turbo speed our lives were thrown into when we decided to be at Thanksgiving Point when it opened at 10:00 A.M.  Hannah was COMPLETELY WOUND UP and WIRED yelling “THE POINT! LET’S GO TO THE POINT!”  As if she even knew what “The Point” was . . .

I rushed around the house, packing everything we needed, or might need, for a toddler and a newborn for several hours.  You know, thinks like the washer, dryer and kitchen sink to name a few.  By the time we got into the car, WE WERE ALL WIRED.

Dallin was screaming his guts out, and Hannah was yelling “THE POINT!”  I was rolling around in the front seat while I tried to shave my legs (with an electric razor of course) in the six inches of allotted space between my knees and the dashboard, while David took a deep breath and turned up the classical music in the car to drown out the crying.

Why do we go anywhere?

As we pulled out of the driveway, Hannah stopped yelling “THE POINT!” and started sympathy crying because Dallin was crying so hard.  WE ALL WANTED TO CRY.  David reached his hand into the backseat and stuck his finger in Dallin’s mouth (the binkie was lost in the car seat, and Hannah couldn’t reach it) and asked me to shift.

Remember how I was shaving my legs?  Since I am the MASTER OF MULTI-TASKING . . . I shifted with my left hand (not awkward or anything) and shaved with my right hand.  In between “shift commands” from David (Second gear now!  No!  That’s fourth!  I need SECOND GEAR!  Whatever.  Do I look like a left handed shifter?) all I could think about was getting the two day nasty leg hair growth off my legs in the 20 minute car ride.  What if someone saw me with HAIRY LEGS?  I could possibly be confused as a tree hugger, and honestly, that’s not exactly the image I shoot for.

David’s patience was completely taxed (maybe it was because he only had three hours of sleep the night before because HE HAD TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT AND READ THE LAST TWILIGHT BOOK.  Maybe that’s why.  I mean, I’m not trying to point fingers here and say, Hey, you chose to be tired and ornery.  I’m just not one to to point out the obvious to my spouse.) and he looked at me and said, “WHY ARE WE GOING ANYWHERE WITH SCREAMING KIDS?”

Obviously, because I said so.  And everyone knows that moms call the shots. 

Thank heavens, 20 minutes was enough time to shave and I arrived with silky soft legs.  (Not that anyone besides me noticed)  And Dallin FINALLY stopped crying.  Which meant that Hannah stopped her sympathy crying.  Really, I think we should have a moment of silence to recognize the moment of silence.

We decided to attend the gardens (we’ll do the museum and the petting zoo anther week, if I can convince David the kids won’t cry all the way there) and they were beautiful.  It was totally worth the crazy crying, rushing around, and frustration to get there.

I took entirely too many photos, but I couldn’t stop. It was like Saba, everywhere I looked, there was something else to take a picture of!  This post is a little heavy on the pictures, but the gardens were so beautiful.  Check them out:

Hannah, the little follower.  Always one step behind.

The Roman gardens

Our cute little Hannah Bear, checking out the fish below in the water.

The lily pond.  It reminded me of the park on Saba.

Hannah ran, and ran.  She covered three times as much ground as we did.

Emily, Hannah, Dallin (yes, he actually was there although this picture is the only evidence) and David

Hannah and Grandma Gloria

Hannah and Grandpa Dennis

Hannah in the secret garden . . .

The entrance to the secret garden

Hannah acting as gate keeper at the entrance

The Italian gardens

For such a crazy start to our day, it ended up being so calm and serene.  Dallin slept the entire day (yeah, I knew he and I were going to have a party staying up all night after all that sleep) and Hannah loved exploring as much as we enjoyed walking and looking.  We will certainly go back.