Row, row, row your boat

Mom's trip 2013

My friend Jill organizes a mom's trip every other year. This is the first I've been able to attend due to pregnancy or small children. SUPER excited for a get away. I was the only one from Utah, so I'm headed to Vegas alone. I think others were concerned about me driving alone (husbands, moms, mom in-laws), but I was actually looking forward to it. It sounded nice to me. However I did find myself checking the rear view mirror a couple times to check on children..... only to discover none!

So, here we go Becca! Just me and you- smile for the picture.

got about 45 minutes out of town (to Nephi) and had to pull over for a nap. It's like crazy packing, crazy children, crazy getting everyone situated for my departure and then 45 minutes in silence just kinda put me to sleep. I pulled over and took a 30 min nap. Then I purchased me my first very own mountain dew......

put my kindle on speaker and concentrated on my book as I made my way to St George

where I stopped and enjoyed myself some dinner and shopping at TJ Maxx 

Got there late and met up with everyone for gross dessert in the stinky casino hotel.

Looks like I'm trying to sneak in a picture someone is taking of Jaime, when really I'm the one taking it.

18 girls. I didn't know all of them, but turned out to be a fun group. 

Something happens when you get with friends and ur far away from your kids. You feel 19 again. 

The bottom of Hoover Dam. Ready to set sail

Jaime, my ship mate

I think I look so cool with my shirt around my neck and my pants hanging low don't you?

off we go

There's the fallen pants again

and again. 

 We'd row for a bit 

then stop along the way to swim in hot pots

hike in waterfalls

snack

cliff jump

Do yoga

see her on her head?

We went about 6 miles the first day then pulled over to camp

It was definitely rocky land and definitely hot. 

We ate dinner and played cards and then it started to rain. Luckily it was just a sprinkle for a bit, cuz not everyone had tents. I was surprised I actually got some sleep.

Day 2: Jaime, getting in a little early morning sunshine 

Jill, Jaime and me

We just had to go 4 miles to the end where they pick us up. 

It was a little more lax and we had time for floating

We were a bit early when we got to the end and so we just tied all the canoe's together and hung out and watched Jill be silly.

It was a great trip even if I did have peanut butter for every meal.

It's nice to get away, it makes coming home so fun. Couldn't wait to see Mike and my little ones. Can't wait for 2015

Thanks Jill

a couple new tricks

He learned to stand on his bike as it's moving. 

Look close.

He's also learned to put a towel out his pants when playing football. 

Must be something he's noticed on a real football player

Ivan- What's he up to?

You guys were beginning to think I didn't love Ivan as much as Jack and Maybell weren't you. Yeah there have been a few more pix posted recently with those 2 and not Ivan. 

I do need to update a bit here and I tend to get a little wordy. So I feel it necessary to make a side note that I do this for my kids to have some day and not because I think people like to get on and read 100 pages about "what Ivan is like"  :)

Surprise! He still eats and sleeps anything sports. I think his favorite is football. I love to watch him and his little friends out in the back yard playing a football game, organizing plays, running the ball from one end of the yard to the other and tackling. He can also spend hours passing the ball back and forth with Mike.

He'll also spend hours at the hoop, up to bat or kicking the soccer ball. He's definitely a natural.

He graduated from preschool. 

We loved Ms Kristi's. She lives in our neighborhood so we could ride bikes to and from school as often as possible. It was one of my favorite things to do this past year. 

 Jack really enjoyed the ceremony and was a great support to his older brother

We try not to use the word, "shy" around here so instead, Ivan is very cautious,  observant, aware, self conscious. It takes him a while. It was nice to see growth over the year and nice for those last couple of weeks to finally be able to drop him off and have him go in by himself ;) 

His little friend Rome. 

He invited Ivan to his bday party this year and as I was getting his coat on he said, "k jack, come on, lets go." I looked at him and said, "oh honey, Jacks not going" and he said, "oh, ok, I guess it's just you and me then mom." I smiled so sweetly and said, "oh honey, I'm not going either. It's just you my love." He wasn't sure he wanted to go anymore. On the way over I told him about how lots of people are nervous in a new situation, but that he could do hard things and would have a great time. So the sweet little thing sat in his car seat and said things out loud to himself like, "yeah,  I can do this. I'm a lil nervous, but I know I can do it. This is kinda hard, but I can do it."

And he did!

He finished his first year of soccer. Oh man did he love it! He loved having an official uniform. He loved marching around in cleats, he loved playing in "real games" and turns out I loved it too. I didn't know I'd be such a soccer mom. It was lots of fun. He played so good. He listens very well and does just as the coach tells him. He did tend to follow Micah around the field,  but that lessened by the end of the season. And not that anyone is counting at that age, but he did make his fair share of goals and they did seem to whoop every ones butt! 

Next year Charlie is going to play. 

The boys getting their new cleats together for next year

I love my little Ivan.

 He is a very emotional kid. This makes him so sweet and can also make him so hard. He loves to snuggle. Normally you can't reason with kids, but Ivan has this side to him where you can explain things and reason with him and he gets it. Those poor first kids are like the experiment and we hope we haven't harmed him too bad during our experimenting. He's a good kid. He is so sweet with Maybell.  Laying in bed with him one night he said, "mom lets put a sign on Maybells door that says no bad guys aloud." He talks so cute to her and takes good care of her. 

He's still very particular about his clothes, but that has shifted gears.  He's less worried about how they feel on him and more worried about if it fits the activity or who he can match.

Like all kids, he loves to play. 

For the most part he and Jack do well together. I'll admit I do get awfully tired of the antagonizing each other, but when Ivan's sweet side kicks in he really loves his brother

He and Jack are total opposites and I hope they can learn from each other.