Houston for the Weekend

We went to Houston last weekend for Eli's baptism. My dear nephew was born only days before I watched the Twin Towers go down from my classroom, five months pregnant with Ben. I remember thinking, "What kind of world am I bringing this baby into?"

I digress...

After a disgustingly difficult Southwest flight, that did get us (and not our bags) into Houston 3 hours later than intended, we dealt with the rain and the mosquitos. My glasses kept fogging up as we went from the humidity to the air conditioning. Yuck. Eli's baptism and birthday party weren't until Saturday evening, so Aaron, Uncle Robbie, and Pawpaw took the kids (minus Audrey) on the boat and went fishing. It sprinkled the whole time - but no lightning. Alex caught two fish at one time! They also ended up catching some other sea life - a dog fish, an eel, and a stingray. (They threw them back, of course.)

The kids were excited to see all of the different animals.

The baptism was lovely, and went well. I was so proud to see my birthday buddy get dunked. :)

There were a few casualties of our trip. Nana and Pawpaw got a German Shepherd puppy early this summer - his name is Rocky. Rocky is going through a chewing phase. I was not warned about this prior to our trip, and despite our valiant efforts to keep doors shut - both Mickey and piggie lost part of an ear. Nana's careful suturing repaired most of the damage, but they will never be the same.

We got home quite easily on Monday morning, and are off to Phoenix for this next weekend to see Auntie Bekah and visit Grandma's house. I'm looking forward to sleeping in!

It's 12:02 am here in El Paso...

and that means, officially, it's my birthday. I am now 33 years old.

I have been given some wonderful gifts in my life.

I have two terrific parents that gave me life. My dad was on an aircraft carrier when I was born, and my mom had to deal with her mom when she gave birth to me. Every year, Nannie's card tells me how excited she was to be there and welcome her first granddaughter into the world. I'm glad that I came into the world to people who loved me then, and still love me now.

I have the pleasure to being titled "big sister" to five amazing people. They each have distinct personalities and traits, and have made both good and bad choices in their lives. AND they dealt with those choices, other challenges and obstacles, and ended up being responsible human beings. I am grateful that I have their examples. I am grateful to see their courage and strength. I am grateful that they have loved me - and I KNOW that they LOVE me - in spite of and because of my choices.

I am so blessed to be called "mom" by three of the most precious souls our Father in Heaven created.

I have the honor of standing beside the most tremendous man who calls me his wife. He is everything to me, and I often feel unworthy of his adoration.

I have wonderful family and friends.

...

In the past few days, I have thought about the significance of 33. Earlier this year, my sister-in-law died only a few weeks after reaching 33. Our Savior was 33 when he was crucified. I have wondered about my 33 years. Certainly, I have not had such an impact as the Savior of the World. But have I done my part? How much longer do I have to accomplish all that I want to? Holy cow, I am getting old. Where did all of those years go?

...

I start preschool tomorrow, so I'm headed to bed. Thanks for reading. It's nice to know that someone cares about what I think.
Happy Birthday to me. ☺

Finally - the Joy of Reading

For the past week and a half, Ben and I have been reading "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." He's seen both of the movies, so he's anticipating the events in the story. He and I are reading together: he follows along while I read longer sections, and in the conversations and shorter sections, he'll read. Roald Dahl has introduced him to several new words: tonight it was "cigar" and "pandemonium."
I am LOVING IT!
We are now on Chapter 12, and Charlie just found the Golden Ticket. The title to Chapter 11 is "The Family Begins to Starve." The descriptions of how poor and how little food the Bucket Family had were hard to read. And then, the exhilaration of Charlie seeing the flash of Gold in his candy bar was amazing! The imagery of 96 1/2 year old Grandpa Joe shooting out of the bed with a "Yippppeeeeeeeeee!" was so much fun!

.
And, above all, I'm so glad that I get to spend time with my son, and teach him one of life's most valuable lessons.
.

A well-written story is a treasure,

and the movie in your brain

is ALWAYS better

than the one on the screen.

The End of Summer - pictures from our August Adventures

Random letters to inanimate objects

Dear hair,
I miss your natural straightness. Even with Emily's help, you still seem hopeless. What can I do? Do you need new conditioner, or some other special treatment? Let me know how to help, I can't have you just lying there...
Thank you,
Sarah

Dear window air conditioner that we bought at Sam's,
You have been the greatest addition to our family since Audrey. Thank you for your service!
With love,
Sarah

Dear diet coke,
I miss you, but I'm surviving. I know we've been close for many years now, but it's time to go our separate ways. We may have the occasional hook-up at a restaurant - but my desire for you has waned. I'll still be your fan on Facebook.
Sincerely,
Sarah

Dear Dora the Explorer,
Thank you for entrancing another of my children and making it possible for me to accomplish my daily tasks. Please let your friends, especially Boots, know of his adoration from not only my sweet 20 month old, but from me too!
Forever grateful,
Sarah

Dear Farkle,
I hate you so much. Three two's only worth 200 points? Ludicrous. And getting a Farkle on the first throw is just plain mean.
*sticking my tongue out at you*
Sarah

Dear 5 vaccinations that got stuck in my 4 year old today,
Please don't keep my daughter up tonight. She needs to sleep and I need my sanity.
Hopefully,
Sarah

The end

What was that again?

nana, sissy, eli and jacob are here visiting us.

in 2007, robbie, sissy, eli, and jacob came to visit us in arizona. we all went camping in flagstaff and then went to the grand canyon. eli and benjamin became junior park rangers. we had a fantastic time.

now, in 2009, we took all 5 kids to carlsbad caverns. we learned about stalagmites and stalagtites. we were 750 feet below the earth. my hair curled all by itself in the humidity of the cave. audrey kicked off both of her crocs while hanging from the kid backpack aaron toted through the caves. we rescued the crocs. at the end of our adventure, eli, ben, jacob and alex all became junior park rangers.

we discussed where we should go in two more years.

"How about Yellowstone?" said aaron.

"How about Nauvoo?" said jessica.

"Naboo?" asks ben, eyebrows raised.

"no son, you can't really go to star wars planets. they are just pretend."

"i know, mom."

i think he was a little disappointed.

Getting Excited

I always get excited when I see school supplies being stocked in stores. 25 cent crayons send my heart racing. New backpacks, scissors, and brand new colored pencils call out to me. Once a teacher, always a teacher, I guess.

*Ben's school doesn't start until August 24th, so we still have a little time to play. We're headed to Phoenix on Sunday for a week - escaping the misery of humid afternoons in favor of mom's air conditioning. When we come back, it's back on the schooltime sleep schedule. Yeah!

*It's almost time for preschool to start! I have two classes this year: I'm teaching 5 three year olds (still room for one more), and 10 four year olds (with 1 on a waiting list!). I'm excited to meet the kids and have some fun! The first day of preschool is my birthday - which will make the first day a super celebration. I can't wait.

*Katee came to visit and we burned 50 cd's of the primary sacrament meeting program music. That's coming up soon, too!

*Due to an unexpected turn of events, Aaron is going to be spending some time on research, instead of maintaining the rigorous schedule he's been keeping. (Let's just say that the 80 hour work week seems like more of a suggestion...) We are hoping to make some additional home improvements. Nice. Ask and you shall receive.

*As soon as we get home from Phoenix, Aunt Sissy, Eli and Jacob are coming to visit. We are going to go to Carlsbad Caverns. I haven't been there before, and I'm really looking forward to it.

*September is going to be jam-packed full of adventures. Besides being back to schedules, school, and preschool, Heather and her family are coming to visit, we are going to Houston for Eli's baptism, Aaron is going to Phoenix for a 4 day conference, and my sister is coming home from Iraq!
It's going to be fantastic!