Looking Back...

Alright, I interrupt the regularly scheduled updates of how intensely crazy life currently is (with a new stress about one of my kids thrown into the mix), to share these old photos we recently came across at my Mom's house.   My Mom has a new diagnosis that I'm not ready to talk about on here yet, but it's a doozy that requires a lot more testing and will severely affect her life in the future.  We are all still trying to process.    In the meantime, she's been trying to go through boxes and I thought it would be fun to share some of the treasures we came across.   

Here's a couple of me from when I was a baby...

I see glimpses of my kids in these....

And this one was with me and my Mom taken on the day before my younger brother was born. It was May 1974 in Germany and I was 13 months old....so basically still a baby myself!      

I love this sweet family photo from around 1977.  

This one was taken around 1979 or so in Oklahoma City, and includes my Uncle Mike (in back), Kristina, my cousin, Ashley, Pete, Nate, my cousin, Aaron, and me (in the front row).

This one is 1988 with me holding my brother, Tim.   My hair was clearly in fine form in the 1980's.  

These were taken around 1999...

Look at my sweet Littles, who are now almost 31 and 29!   

These pics are on display at my Mom's house...

Look at those cute little smiles...

I thought this old drawing of mine was cute and kind of funny.   I'm guessing that the teacher had written the writing prompt up on the chalkboard and I very obediently even added the blanks to show that I filled it in!   Haha!   And the fact that I was excited to "play around the house" for Spring Break is also kind of funny.   

Here is an old letter Cami had written to her Great- Grandma Hepworth.   She passed away in 2009, so it was sometime before then...

 My Mom has a very hard time parting with items like these, so taking pictures of them and sharing them here on the blog is a good way to preserve them for future posterity.   Perhaps I'll have to start posting these flashback posts more regularly again...


 

A New Alumnus in the Family!

Nearly 30 years ago, I graduated from BYU with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology.  I had finished all my coursework in December, but walked that April.  Spencer was one-year-old and I was very excited to be done with school.  I never even considered grad school at the time and basically only ever worked part-time until Glen graduated and we moved out East the following year. 

Look how young we all were!  

This past week, Emma graduated from BYU with a Bachelor's of Science in Public Health. 

I am proud of all my kids and their accomplishments, but I did feel an extra sense of pride with this graduation, as Emma was our first homeschool graduate, who never attended a minute of  public school past 7th grade. 

She is a hard worker and a dedicated student and we were thrilled to be there to celebrate this huge accomplishment with her. 

It was fun to run into lots of old friends around campus, but mostly we just enjoyed seeing Emma in her element.    She has given her heart to her time there in Provo and it's clear she is well-loved by many!  

Here she is with her former mission companion and current roommate, Riley, who also graduated.

Next up for Ems...a gap year, probably in Rhode Island with Cam and fam, and then grad school...maybe...if she decides it's right for her! 

It's kind of wild that we've got another kid done with their undergrad...and our first BYU grad! 

Way to go, Emma!   We love you!  

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PS  If you're interested, here's a post about Cami's graduation from the University of Texas.

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A Piece of My Heart

   My days in Alabama were slow and filled with dreamy newborn snuggles and entertaining toddler conversations that often left us giggling!  I didn't sleep great and my exercise was definitely lacking in intensity and regularity while I was there, but I wouldn't have traded those two weeks for anything.   I think it's safe to say that grandma-hood is right up my alley!    Sometimes I wonder if I'd feel differently if they didn't live across the country from us, but I don't think I would.   I really liked the parenting toddler/baby stage of life and I find that 18ish years later, that still rings true for me...and it's even better as a grandparent, because I don't have to be the rule enforcer! 

 So, here's a little glimpse of the rest of our time there in Alabama.  Glen arrived on Wednesday, as did Garrett's parents,  and they blessed little Oliver Glen on Friday morning. Friday morning may be an unusual day to bless a baby, but the life of a 2nd year medical resident is not super glamorous and Friday morning was the day Garrett had off, so that's when they did it! 

Glen, Garrett, Travis (Garrett's Dad), and Graham (Garrett's brother) were in the circle to bless him.   Amy (Garrett's Mom), Cami, Lucie, and I were there to watch.   I found Oliver's blessing outfit at a cute boutique here in Utah and everyone else was dressed on the casual side.   Oliver is a pretty easy-going baby, mostly just crying when he needs something.   It was a special day and we were glad to be a part of it!  

Some other highlights of our time there, included helping Lucie perfect her potty-training skills.   Honestly, she's doing awesome and mostly just needed a little help getting to the potty in a timely manner or helping empty the potty after she goes.  There were a few messes here and there, but,  after potty-training five kids, I'd definitely say that she fell on the easy-going side of things.  

Glen and I enjoyed taking Lucie on outings and listening to what crazy thing would come out of her mouth next.   She is VERY verbal for her age (2 years and 3 months) and she is a delightful conversationalist.  She randomly quotes parts of books, she breaks into song, she asks to see our nipples, she tells us what sounds animals make, she tries to get Alexa to play certain songs, and just, in general, makes sure there's never a dull moment.    Lucie is quite fond of her "Baby Brudder" and it was fun to see how she dotes on him.

One of my tasks most days while I was there was to get Lucie out of bed, so Cami could keep sleeping.  It was a task I looked forward to for a few reasons.  First to hear what she'd say first (often quoting parts of "Caps for Sale" and telling me that the monkeys had stolen her cap or to request that we make breakfast together), but also to see what crazy bedhead she'd awakened to that morning.   

Glen's favorite task was to be the official Oliver snuggler.   He'd always loved snuggling sleeping babies back in the day when our kids were babes, so it looked really natural and invoked a bit of nostalgia to see him with Oliver snuggled into his chest for hours.   The two of us also enjoyed getting Lucie out of the house for a bit each day (with a quick errand, a trip to the zoo, or short walks around the hallways or outside).   I love how Lucie likes bringing her special "Bear Friend" with her on outings a lot of the time.  

The beautiful blanket you see Oliver wrapped in below is one that Emma knitted for him. I have done a bit of crocheting in my time, but never learned how to knit, so that is definitely a skill she learned from her Grandma Sandy!  

Glen left for home on Monday and I had two more days before it was time for me to say goodbye as well.   It was honestly one of the hardest goodbyes we'd had.   After two weeks, I felt like my bond with Lucie was stronger than it had ever been and it was so hard when she started telling everyone she was coming home on the airplane with me (as she's done before). I love that girl.   I also really enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Cami and Garrett, and of course snuggle Oliver as well.   All in all, it was a delightful visit and I hope I was at least somewhat helpful to them along the way. 

Though, I know they were good and ready to have their own space back when I left, I still am really missing them and definitely feel like I'm suffering from withdrawal pains.  It didn't help that I was coming home to a to-do list about nine miles long and a very quiet house with Glen in Saint George.  I've decided that the only way to ease these pains is to get another trip on the books as soon as possible.  Google flights...here I come! 

 

In Gigi Heaven

NEWS FLASH:   I have arrived in Alabama, which I am now referring to as "Gigi heaven", because I get to spoil my TWO grandbabies!  Baby Oliver (3 weeks old) is sweet, snuggly, easy-going, and has already stolen my heart.  His little cry is the sweetest and I'm eating up every snuggle I can get with him!    Lucie (2-years and 3ish months old) is spunky, talkative, and may be the most fiercely independent toddler I've ever met and I've had a few pretty feisty ones myself.   Oh, and did I mention that she likes to test boundaries and pull hair when she's feeling overstimulated?   

In other words, it's a party over here, but I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else in the world right now. 

Reading books together is one of the ways Lucie and I connect and she currently is obsessed with "Bill and Pete" and "Caps for Sale," which were two of my kids' favorites back in the day!  It's so fun to see these fun books delight another generation and I have to laugh at how she giggles at the same parts my kids did.    We recently discovered, "Serious Goose," by Jimmy Kimmel and it has quickly a new favorite, especially since her nickname has always been "Goose".   

Some fun(ny) things Lucie has said or done since I've been here: 
--She LOVES her dinosaur dress, which she calls her "disonaur" dress and wears it every day it's clean
--She declared that she loves football (after seeing a BYU cup)
--She follows me into the bathroom every single time  I need to go...not to watch me...but to turn off the lights and use the flashlight on my phone for a minute.   
--She likes me to sing, "Blue Sky" and "Child of God" for her every night.  
--She sleeps with her "Bear Friend" and kitty cat stuffed animals every night

--She is a little smartie pants and learns things very quickly
--She patted my chest and asked me if she could see my nipples--clearly the curious toddler of a new breastfeeding mom.  Haha !  
--She has literally potty trained herself in 2 days flat.  One day she fought using the potty tooth and nail, the next she woke up and hasn't had an accident since....even while out running errands and during nap time.  She even happily peed outside when there wasn't a bathroom around.  

--She is the sweetest big sister to Oliver and her love for him is fierce, though she is still learning to be gentle with him.  
--She calls the baby wrap Cami uses, "a wrapper" and she asks us to wrap her baby dolls up and attach them to her.   
--She totally says things like, "That's unfortunate," and  "Goodness...gracious." 
--She loves to have some of my smoothie every day and somehow manages to make quite a mess of them.   Today she was dipping her lollipop (a reward for going #2 on the potty) into the smoothie and it made me giggle!  

Oliver doesn't do much yet other than sleep, eat, and fill diapers, but those newborn days are so darn short, it’s hard not to just sit and stare at how perfect he is!  And we’ve seen the first glimpses of his smile the last couple days, which is a newborn delight that never gets old! 

It's kind of a wild experience watching your own baby become a mother and  I am loving being here and getting a front row seat for a time, especially since I remember all too well how precious and fleeting these days with young kids are.   Blink and before you know it...they're all-knowing teenagers, and then blink again and they're scattered and living all over the country, so I'm trying to slow down and drink it up while I can.   

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Some Firsts...

I was reading through some old blogposts the other day and was reminded of the fact that I used to blog with an effort to be at least slightly creative...sometimes even with a bit of humor.   No more though.  I hate to say it, but I'm not sure my brain thinks that way anymore and I think those days might be gone for good.  I'm just happy to be blogging again and capturing little glimpses into the stories of our lives.    Long story short....this post is about as creative as I do these days. 

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Here's a look at a few FIRSTS in our family...

 

Ellie went skiing for the FIRST time with her friend Charity.   She ended up with a grand raccoon face because she didn't get the memo about applying sunscreen in cold weather.   It sounds like it was a hit, though,  and she'd definitely do it again.   She also recently started her FIRST ever job and is enjoying that challenge. 

All these pictures of Oliver are a FIRST, because he's our very FIRST grandson and we are a wee bit obsessed. 

I'm especially enamored with the pictures of Lucie and Oliver together.  Such big pieces of my heart right there and I cannot wait to meet him for the FIRST time soon!  

This FIRST side-by-side comparison of Lucie and Oliver wearing the same outfit was fascinating to see.  Lucie was definitely a little scrawnier and had way less hair, but the family resemblance is definitely there!  

I got my FIRST bouquet of flowers in the most Utah vase possible....a Stanley-like cup from SWIG.   The flowers are beautiful and the "vase" is actually far more useful than most vases and I imagine it will get a lot of reuse!    Definitely good thinking on Glen's part!  

I actually don't know if this was Emma's FIRST Galentine's party or not, but it was my FIRST time seeing pictures of one and they made me smile!   It looked like fun and now I want to plan a Galentine's party for next year! 

This was Denali's FIRST grooming appointment where she didn't come out looking totally ridiculous.  It's close to a shave, but not as bad as the last couple times!     We are committed to staying on top of her grooming better in the future, so here's hoping for better hair days ahead for her.  Taking care of  curly hair is no joke! 

I am pleased that, despite my extreme distraction level this past week (writing a talk and having a new grandbaby will do that to me), I am making our FIRST bit of a dent on decluttering our house and beginning the process of potentially selling our house.  It's all still pretty far down the road, but the decluttering needed to happen anyway and I was happy to donate several boxes of clothes and books to DI, 4 boxes of homeschooling books to a new library that's coming to our community, and also to give away a few items on the Buy Nothing group.  Progress is good.

  

On Sunday, I gave my FIRST talk in over 2 years.   There was a point in my life when I rather enjoyed the process of diving into a gospel topic and gathering and sharing my thoughts on it, but I felt VERY out of practice this time around and it was a bit more of a slog.    I did it though, and, while I wouldn't say I necessarily enjoyed it, I didn't hate how it went either.  I got a few texts, emails, and in-person comments after church...some asking for links to resources and quotes, so I guess it was okay at least.   Speaking of which, I received one of my favorite compliments ever after church on Sunday.   One of our Sunday School girls (from when we taught youth Sunday School when we first moved to the ward) came and tracked me down to tell me that she not only liked my talk, but that she really really missed us as her teachers and hoped that we could be her teacher again someday.  It made me very happy!   
 

Yay for lots of FIRSTS!   Have a great week!