Slight Reprieve

Andy called me from work yesterday and asked if I had looked at the thermometer recently. Earlier in the day I had noticed that it wasn't as hot as normal - barely hitting 100 degrees by early afternoon. He said that if I looked I should see a 7 in the number. I thought we were celebrating the fact that we were down to 97 although I wondered how he was so confident in our exact reading here at home. I walked over to our clock that displays the temperature and discovered that it was a blissful 73 degrees!!!

I yelled for the boys to come and we all went outside to play. We opened the door into the backyard and the front window. We spent a good hour outside before the temps started to creep up again.

By the time Andy went on his evening run (around 8:30 at night) it was back up to 90 degrees. But we enjoyed our time in the 70's.

Then, when Andy woke up this morning he came back into our room to tell me the news - we were down to 67 degrees! He gets up at 5:00 AM which is about the coldest part of the night, but when I got up an hour later it was still at 67 and it took until close to 10:00 this morning before we broke 80 degrees and I had to close the house up again to keep the cool air in. I am hoping this is the light at the end of the tunnel. (Although the 8 day forcast is calling for overnight LOWS to be between 75-80 all week and still expect the highs to be 105-ish.)

Dinner Time

Tonight Ammon squeezed himself onto the dining room chair, but there really wasn't enough room for him. He yelled out to Andy and me who were in the kitchen, "Can anyone move my chair back?" I saw his predicament and quickly came over to help him. Once the chair was pulled away, he repositioned himself and then said, "Thanks. I knew I can always count on Mommy and Daddy."

Ammon's Plan

Rebecca told me about this phone conversation she had with Ammon yesterday. The conversation started with Rebecca asking him how he was.

Ammon: "I'm good." Then, as an afterthought, "I'm in Yuma."
Rebecca: "I'm in Utah."
Ammon: "It's really hot."
Rebecca: "How is it?"
Ammon: "I have a plan. I'm going to move to Yuma."
Rebecca: "I thought you were in Yuma?"
Ammon: "Oh."
And then with great amounts of discouragement in his voice he continued: "I made a bad plan."

Always the Unexpected

Earlier this morning I realized that I heard running water coming from in the bathroom. I listened for a moment to the contiunal sound and determined that there was no good reason for the water to be on this long. I went into the bathroom expecting to find Ammon in there obviously playing in the water.

What I found instead was my four year old with his face completely COVERED in blood!

It turned out to just be a bloody nose, but Ammon never ceases to amaze me as he somehow realized he was gushing blood and decided not to call Mom in a panic (which is what I think the SANE solution would have been) but instead quietly and independently wash away the blood all by himself. His version of washing the blood away really resulted in smearing it all over himself, but still, what child doesn't go get Mom when he suddenly finds himself bleeding?

Camera Problems and Weird Weather

It seems like I have things to write about except that for some reason I struggle to do it without the visual aid of pictures. We finally got my camera to "kind of" work, but now I can't find the charger for the battery and the batteries are dead. It takes a special battery and I don't have a replacement. So now I have pictures I want to get off my camera and I can't get to them. I have resorted to using the camera that Andy took to Artesia with him (a camera that I absoluately HATE) but we don't have the software to load the pictures onto my computer...

In the mean time I have been really bitter about the insane heat we are dealing with here. The other day our temperature gage showed 126 degrees. It was 10:00 at night before we dropped under 100. I knew this was the way it would be for the summer time, but come on! We are into September now!

Last night was fun, though. We had a sudden rain storm that dropped the 103 degrees to about 98 in less than 5 minutes. The rain poured down in true monsoon season form. It was fun and, most blissfully, we were actually able to go outside and enjoy it!

Fun Week

We have been so busy this week, but with lots of fun things.

On Sunday we had the missionaries over for dinner. They were late, but were totally excited when they got here because their appointment had been so fantastic. They had gotten home from church and had a message from a man who asked them to contact his brother. The brother was home and that is who the appointment was with. The man was eager to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and excited to accept the various commitments to read the Book of Mormon, pray to ask Heavenly Father if these things are true, and accept the opportunity to be baptized. One Elder said that as they were talking, he looked through his calendar to determine when the baptism should be. He considered several dates, but they didn't seem to be the right one. Finally he settled on a date and asked this man if he would be baptized on that specific day. The man eagerly accepted and with surprise in his voice asked, "But how did you know that that's my birthday?" How fun to know that Heavenly Father knows all and that the Holy Ghost can help us know His will.

Tim and Jen were supposed to visit on Monday but ended up not coming. We had a fun day as a family though.

On Tuesday Ammon started school. He LOVED it (of course). After school we loaded up in the car and headed to my Grandparents house in SanDiego. Grandpa showed Ammon his work room where he is currently making a gorgeous and detailed fire truck. Grandma made us a delicious meal. She had so much food for us that I felt like I was at a Thanksgiving day feast! After some fun political discussion we had a great game of Hand and Food. Grandma and Andy won in the final hand and I want a re-match!

On Wednesday we woke up and headed out to DisneyLand. We got there just as it was opening and went straight to California Adventure. There was a ride that opened there this past summer and Andy hadn't been on it yet. He was skeptical with the line being 25 minutes (too long for our taste) but once we were done he wanted to go immediately back. Toy Story Mania really is a fun one to ride. I had a blast watching Peter all day, who seems to much bigger even than last time we were at DisneyLand two months ago. He was able to walk his own way through a couple of lines and sat with Ammon instead of us on several of the rides. We had so much fun in California Adventure that we didn't even get into DisneyLand until almost 4:00 in the afternoon. One day was definitely not enough! There weren't many crowds so we tried to hit a lot of rides that aren't usually worth the lines to us. It was fun to mix it up and do some different things this time.

The drive home was hard because we were so exhausted. Around midnight we ended up pulling off for about 10 minutes so we could both sleep and then we headed back out for the final hour of our trip. Andy continued his sleep while I drove (I can't sleep in a moving car anyway) and then, when I thought it wasn't safe for me to be the only one awake I woke him back up and he talked me through the final stretch of our drive.

Yesterday Ammon woke up early and got himself dressed and ready for school. He was about an hour early, but so excited! He loves being back in school and I hope two days a week is enough for him because last year he did four. After school we had Malachi's birthday party which was a great time for the whole family. The boys had a blast (although I brought Ammon home a time or two when he wasn't behaving just right - it was nice to be just across the street). Malachi wanted to have an icecream cake so he got it, and then Crystal made cupcakes in the icecream cones. I thought that was really cute - icecream in the cake and cake in the icecream cone.

So that is our week so far. I will post pictures later.

"I Forgot to Not"

After seeing the surge of light, hearing the boom, and ascertaining that Ammon IS OK, Andy asked him, "Why did you do that!"

"I forgot to not" is the official explanation of why Ammon took a piece of metal from the ceiling fan (yes, should we ask him why he even has that? It was ON the ceiling fan!!!), wrapped it around the computer plug and inserted the whole thing into the wall.

At least it put a good healthy dose of fear in the boy. He refused to get anywhere near the outlet or the chain (now in three pieces) to take pictures. He has a small little blister on his finger and was happy to have ice on his hand until the discomfort of the cold outweighed the shock (literally) and pain of this latest adventure.

Coming Home

We had a great time in SLC - especially the first week where we kept a busy schedule with a fun field trip scheduled every day. It is devestating to me that I don't have pictures. We did get my camera to "sort of" work just in time for the trip home, and as I am looking at all the pictures I took in just those two days, I am just dying when I realize how many pictures I don't have from those three weeks. I know that I have sisters and sisters-in-law who took pictures, though, so hopefully some will magically show up in my e-mail...

Anyway, here we are on our trip home.

Andy drove up to SLC and drove home with us. We decided to spend the night in St. George so we could stop by some of the sites that Andy has never been to. We went to the St. George Tabernacle first. Every prophet in the church since Brigham Young has spoken from the pulpit there (although President Monson has not yet spoken there since becoming the prophet). Ammon got to sing into the microphone for us. He sang I Am a Child of God and Called to Serve.

After that, we went to the Brigham Young Winter house. Ammon has been there before, but it was another first for Andy. We enjoyed it, but Peter wanted more freedom than it allowed him.


The boys were happy to get to the condo. We had a blast swimming. Both boys love the water so much!


In the morning, Andy took the boys swimming again. We took our time getting out the door and headed to Vegas. Our first stop was at M&M World. Our directions were confusing, so it took us a few extra minutes to find it, but when we saw it, Ammon was elated! It was a fun way to kill an hour or so.



Our next stop was an amazing aquarium display in the lobby of a hotel. It was just one HUGE tank that was absolutely gorgeous with an array of sea creatures. I was surprised with how breathtaking it was.


Our last stop in Vegas was the M. Ethel Chocolate Factory. It was a self-guided tour with a free chocolate at the end. There was also a botanical garden to walk through. Ammon loved having me read all the signs naming the various plant life. The time in Vegas was a fun way to break up our drive.



We got home around 9:00 last night and the kids went straight to bed. We have never seen so many bugs and bug-GUTS as were on our car when we got home. It was completely gross!

Back in Yuma

Well, I am back from SLC and although my camera is still broken, I am able to take some pictures with it again, so between those two things, maybe I will actually get some updates on this blog...

I'll start with some pictures from the day we left on our vacation.

Our Day in Phoenix

Peter, Ammon and I are in Utah. We are enjoying our trip so far. Sadly, my camera broke the first day here, so I am not getting the zillions of pictures I was planning on. I am only hoping that between the various people we are hanging out with, pictures will come forth eventually.

Getting here was quite the adventure. Since moving to Yuma, we have not been able to drive out of town without having car problems. We sent it to the shop to make a replace the fuel filter, but that didn't solve the problem. So, the drive to Phoenix consisted of wrong directions, car problems, and, sadly, a chip in the windshield.

Once in Phoenix (or Tempe, rather) we made a spontaneous trip to Ikea. The trip wasn't with shopping in mind - it was simply a place to let the boys run and play. Ammon is old enough to go in the little day care place they have there and he loves it. Sadly, about 20 minutes into his 90 minutes of time there, we were paged. He had hit another child and was kicked out. So we ate and then headed to the mall, which was our original plan.

My sandals broke just a day or two before the trip, so Andy and I decided that we would shop for a new pair for me. Also, we just wanted to be in the air conditioned climate while we hung out as a family before our three week separation.

The mall was awesome! Everything was an outlet store and we found killer deals. The first store I went in was Bath and Body works where I was able to pick up one (that's all I needed) thing of shower gel for $3. Normally you have to buy in bulk to get that price! Andy took the boys to the bathroom while I made that stop so we met up in the Disney Store where we found a pair of pajamas for each of the boys for only $5. Seemed like a great deal to us. As I paid for the merchandise, Andy started to round up the boys and get them back into the stroller. That was when we noticed that Ammon was no longer in the store.

Did I mention that this mall is HUGE!? And that we had never been there before? And suddenly our four year old was GONE! Andy ran the mall like a mad man trying frantically to find Ammon. He wanted me to go in the opposite direction, but we both quickly decided that I should stay where Ammon last saw us, so I got the store employees to contact the mall security. 30+ minutes later I was told where to find the security guy who had Ammon with him. What a nightmare!

Once we recovered from the scare, we continued through the mall. We found the Oakley store. Andy was in heaven. Apparently August is the month that they clear out EVERYTHING to make room for the new years inventory. Works out well since August is the month that Andy's wallet is fat and happy with birthday money! Andy ended up with a couple new shirts and a pair of shorts. And I ended up with a nice new pair of sandals. It was fun.

We contined through the mall, ate smoothies and rode the merry-go-round and then it was time to head to the airport. But all of that will have to wait for another post...

Transformers

Ammon is SO into Tranformers right now. It's crazy. He is completly obsessed. So, Andy was nice enough to have a birthday and it turned into a Transformer Party!


Tim was going to come, but couldn't make it in the end, so we had cake and icecream with Crystal and her kids. It was fun and Ammon was thrilled to collect all the rings from the cake!

2 Favorite Things

Like most kids his age, Peter has recently discovered his love for the dishwasher. He knows how to open it, he can start it, and, of course, he loves to climb INTO it. He has another great love - staying naked after bathtime. Combine the two and this is what you get!

SanDiego Temple

On Tuesday we headed out to San Diego for the day. Andy agreed to spend the afternoon with the boys while I went to the temple. The plan was for them to go to the aquarium nearby while I attended a session, and then we would meet up again afterwards. We spent a few minutes wandering around before I went in. Then we split up - I went my way and they went theirs. Apparently the boys were so happy to just be playing outdoors that they never actually made it to the aquarium. They had a lot of fun, though, and I enjoyed my time inside.

Swimming

Although I have taken the boys swimming a handful of times in the past few months, I have not been able to get any pictures as of yet. It has just been hard to keep two children from drowning, much less get out a camera, keep it dry, and get cute pictures. Totally not worth it! But it's made me sad because I have missed some adorable shots! Ammon and Peter both love swimming.

Finally, the other day, it was just Ammon and me at a ward play group. Peter and Andy stayed home to sleep. Ammon had a blast. We had just been swimming a few nights earlier and realized that it was time for him to get a nice life jacket (since he literally almost drowned). So with his new gear, he had free roam of the pool. I seriously need to get him into swimming lessons. The kids here are like fish in the water. I was amazed! Anyway, Ammon had a great time swimming around including several jumps off the diving board. He has no fear in the pool (which, again, is why the life jacket)!

Peter Found Markers

SOOOO Much FUN!

Brian and Tiffany came to visit and we had an absolute blast with them here. They are such great friends and we always love to see them! Brian hadn't been in the door for more than a few minutes before he pulled out his "Cry Babies". They are a sour gum that he wanted to give Ammon. Of course Ammon was eager to accept the treat, but quickly discovered the misery of it and raced to the trash can to spit it out. Ammon no longer likes gum. Thanks Brian! ;-)

We HAD to play Hand and Foot while they were here. It is my favorite card game (well, other than hearts, of course) and it was Brian and Tiffany who originally taught us how to play. It was a close game, going into the final hand with only a 500 point spread. In the end, Brian and Tiffany won and I wish we had time for a re-match! Of course the Brian/Andy tradition continued and we were sure to have Rootbeer and Peanut Butter M&M's. They can't get together without those things!

We took the boys to the spray park and they enjoyed playing in the water. Brian went in his swimming suit too, but quickly found himself standing in a dry place with lots of sun. Despite the 115 degree weather we were in, Brian decided he was cold!

We had so much fun with Brian and Tiffany. Kyler is absolutely adorable!!! It was such a fun day and we were sad to see it end.

Peter had already gone to bed when the Smith's were heading out. I thought it would be fun to get a picture of the guys with their baby boys so I was disapointed that Peter was in bed. Of course Ammon was happy to be in the picture too, so here are Brian and Andy each with their first born son. ;-) They thought that was cool too.

Breakfast Time

This morning when I sat down to eat my oatmeal I sure wasn't expecting it to turn into this:

Peter had a great time turning the tables on me and enjoyed his turn putting the food in my mouth for a change!

Of course when Ammon saw what was going on he felt compelled to jump in on the action as well.

House Arrest

After a week of living on the beach in the San Clemente climate, coming back to the temperatures in Yuma has been hard! I really enjoyed the time outdoors and have struggled being back in the house 24-7. As a result, we have gone on a few walks and bike rides when the temps cool down to the low hundreds... Huh. Not exactly what I'm looking for - although just getting out of the house seems to be a big deal right now...

Mostly right now we are counting the days until I head to Utah with Ammon and Peter. We are trying to get our activities scheduled so we are able to fit in everything we want to do. Three weeks sounded like such a long time, but sometimes I look at the calendar and think it will go so fast!

In the mean time we have Brian and Tiffany visiting us from Utah tomorrow, and next week we are planning to go hang out with my cousin Scott and Katie, his wife. I am hoping that as long as we are headed to SanDiego I can sneak in a trip to the temple too. After that it will be time to get packing and then we will be Utah bound.

Peek-A-Boo

What child doesn't end up in the cupboard sooner or later? Today was Peter's day. I didn't necessarily know that's where he would end up. It started with him clearing a space out and bringing me all the canned and boxed items that normally go there. But that is pretty typical of him - he likes to bring us things whether it be toys, food or whatever. This time he took it a step further though, and once he had cleared a space he got into the cupboard. He was a little bit frustrated when he couldn't close the door so Andy helped him and they had a fun little game of Peek-A-Boo where Andy would close the door, Peter would pop it open and repeat.

Family Reunion

From DisneyLand we went straight to our family reunion in San Clemente. We had an absolutely AMAZING camp site right above the beach. It was a big group camp site so we had everyone together, which was lots of fun. Jeremiah (my brother-in-law) gets the credit for researching, finding and reserving such an amazing place. There is nothing like camping at the beach where the weather ranges from 65-75 highs and lows. It was amazing! We did have 4 nights of camping, which, in my opinion was about one night too many. But had the reunion ended a day earlier, it would have seemed too short, so - what do you do?

Ammon loved his time at the beach and of course we all had a great time with all the extended family. We started the reunions in 1990 when there were 6 adults and 16 grandchildren. We were sad to be missing a few people this year, but still had over 55 people who showed up for at least part of the reunion. Absolutely amazing to see how the family has changed in 18 years! I am so glad that my children get to be part of such a fun family. My favorite part was hanging out on the beach with Katie, Katy, Mandy, Paige and Stacy just having girl talk time. It was the best!

DisneyLand

We had so much fun at DisneyLand last week! It was surprisingly not busy. We spent two days running around with the cousins and riding the rides. It was amazing how much more was left undone! Hopefully we will get to go back again soon.

4th of July Festivities

Apparently even sparklers are illegal here. With Andy being gone at work and the community fireworks not scheduled to start until 9:00 PM, I confess I kind of bombed on making this a really great holiday for the family. My efforts included buying sugar cookies with American flags on them and having Andy and Ammon bake them together this afternoon. Other than that, my plan was to put the boys to bed like normal so they didn't know the difference.

But I have great neighbors, who I appreciate more than I can say, and they called just as the boys were headed to bed to invite us over to throw poppers. It was great to get out of the house for a few minutes, and Ammon had fun with Malachi - as always. Now I can go to bed without feeling like I completely let my kids down.

Thanks Crystal and Matthew! You guys are wonderful!

Up and Running

Yesterday was the first time we have been to Carver Park since Peter was a walker, and lately he has been more of a runner. Anyway, he LOVED this park!!! Ammon had a blast too. It was nice to get out and spend some time as a family.

First Time

Andy was at work and I had just sat down with Ammon and Peter for dinner. I noticed Peter sitting in his highchair with his hands clasped together. He was just chattering away. He was half looking at me through squinty eyes as he talked. It took me a moment, but I realized that he was praying! What a total surprise and shock. It was absolutely adorable!!! It was a perfect reminder that maybe I really am doing something right as a mom. It is amazing what these little kids pick up on.

The Music Truck

Big thanks to Amanda for reminding me of this since Andy and I had both forgotten. When we lived in Willow Cove Apartments in West Jordan, the Ice Cream truck was always driving through the complex. It was always very noticable but we didn't want to have the constant argument with our 2 year old about buying candy or icecream or whatever else was offered. Andy came up with a brilliant plan to teach Ammon that the truck was actually the Music Truck. Ammon loved the Music Truck and every time he heard it he would run out to the porch to watch it go by! It was a super fun thing for him. It got to be so routine that Andy and I stopped thinking anything of it, but Amanda saw it in action one day and reminded us of the cute and trusting nature of our little boy (and the lying, devious parents we were)! What a fun memory.