Birthday Boy!

This year for Peter's birthday we went to St. George to visit his sister, and Zion National Park for a family vacation. The day after we came home, Peter had his friend B-day party.
ZION: Zion was a lot of fun. We were really blessed and got one of the very last camping sites in the park. There was no alternative plan if this didn't work out, so we were very grateful! We had an awesome campsite. There was an apricot tree on it, so we helped ourselves to lots! Apparently, so did the deer. They were walking through our campsite all the time, helping themselves to the tasty fruit as well.

Elsie Flora always owns up to her name. She's picking flowers where ever she goes.

We went on a 'hike' to The Narrows. Hike is in quotes because it's more of a crawl when you are taking 3 small children with you. Elsie loved to walk on every rock she could find, and Peter found every foreigner to talk to and befriend. All along the walk, people were calling out to show Peter something. We walked to the opening of The Narrows and found a good beach spot for the children to play in for a while. They had a lot of fun, and wore themselves out. Hiking the mile back to the buses carrying a zonked out 2 year old was more strength training than I had bargained for. On the walk we found a rattle snake. The kids were pretty enthralled.

Here's that great beach spot we found. Peter practiced skipping rocks and Elsie threw them. They played on the big rock that Mike's leaning against as well. I about had a heart attack at one point. Peter was on the rock and then fell backwards suddenly into the water. I ran to the back of the rock, expecting the worst, and there was Peter on his feet grinning. He has more of an adventurous soul than I can handle sometimes.



AUNT LORI'S: We were excited to go to Aunt Lori's and all take a clean shower. Lori was so nice to provide us with a great bathroom, towels, and even her washer and drier. Thanks! After we got all cleaned up, we donned on our swimming suits and took a dip in her hot tub and pool. We were having a lot of fun, especially since cousins had arrived by then. Peter was taking notes as he watched his dare-devil cousins do flips into the pool. Without a word, suddenly, Peter took a flip into the pool with his arm floaties on, missing hitting his head by millimeters. Whew. We were all relieved to avoid such a catastrophe. It wasn't but 5 minutes later, however, another flip was tried, only to not be so lucky. His head hit the tile, and there went the fun. Thank goodness for all of Aunt Lori's expertise and training. She took a good look at the crack in his head and thought she could superglue it shut, no problem. Mike, always one to document a battle wound, took a picture.

Once the trauma was taken care of and Peter had a little nap in my arms, we decided to celebrate his birthday! We began with presents. Mom and Dad got him an Ant Farm and his Aunt Sam gave him a really cool puzzle that has a car that drives all over it. He loved it.

That evening he helped me decorate his cake and blew out his candles. It was Dad's idea that he cut his own piece of cake (yikes?). Then we lit some fireworks. It was a really full day!


My sister always writes something about her children on their birthday, and I thought I might copy her because I love reading about my nephews. Peter is great. He is quick to befriend anyone, he tries to be obedient, he's a hard worker, and he loves his family and is eager to help and serve them. Peter is an inquisitive learner, and loves to fix things with super glue. His presence will be missed in our home as he starts Kindergarten this year.
Here are some of his favorites:
Color: green (for this month)
Book: Basketball Pig (for the week)
Friends: His cousins, Jordynn and Hunter, and neighbor Eli
Hobbies: playing on the Wii at anybody else's home, and riding his bike
Food: pizza
Sport: Soccer and Swimming
What he wants to be when he grows up: An Astronaut or an inventor
Interesting Tid bit: He is really excited to visit Yellowstone some day.

FRIEND B-DAY PARTY: The day after we came home, we had Peter's B-day party. I think I got about 4 hours of sleep that night, working on that party. Thankfully, I had a sister-in-law that came over and helped me decorate and do the last minute stuff. Plus, she stayed and helped with the party. I could not have done it without her - Thanks Amy!!! That morning I bought ice cream, made the birthday cake, set everything up, and decorated (with help). Whew.
However, when the party began, we had sooo much fun.
Peter wanted a Jungle Birthday Party, and last minute decided he wanted Diego apart of it too. So, as all the kids arrived we played games: throwing bean bags into a monkey's mouth, and flamingo and elephant games. Here they are, all lined up.

Then we got a call from Diego, saying he needed our help to rescue some animals! We all put on our Diego badges and got to work! First, we had to kill the evil tiger and lion by "spilling their guts!" They happened to be pinatas. I was kind of bummed because my pictures didn't turn out, and I had put soooo much work into making those pinatas, and now I don't even have a picture to show for it. But, the kids had a lot of fun! Then we had to run from Swiper who was throwing water balloons and cross a pretend river taking turns using a tube. We finally made it to the "jungle". This was under our deck. We had decorated it with mosquito netting, animal shaped beach balls, and lots of streamers. It looked so cool, but due to the hectic morning, we failed to get a picture. Under the deck there were lots of string coming out from the door to the house. Each kid had to grab a string and follow it to a lost animal that they needed to bring back to the jungle. I had so much fun with the kids, and when we were all done, one little boy exclaimed, "Can we do that again?" Oh I wish we could have! I think it was exactly what Peter had in mind. Then we ate cake and ice cream, and opened presents. The cake was an alligator cake, but again, I failed to take a good picture. Here's the best we got:

Peter got some presents he was really excited about. All of them were very thoughtful, and I was touched. This game has been a hit with all of my kids, and we've played it often!

Happy 5th Birthday bud!!!

Summer Days

What would Summer be without parades, yard exploration, camping, and reunions? Here is what we were up to for the month of June.

BUG DETECTIVES: Peter decided to hunt for bugs one afternoon, but wore some netting around his head to protect him from any bees. It wasn't too long before Elsie joined in. It was pretty cute watching them explore the neighborhood with magnifying glass in hand.





PARADE: What would summer be without a parade? Our town has one of the smallest annual parades ever, but it never lacks candy! Peter had the opportunity to decorate his bike and ride in the parade with other Primary children. He loved the decorating and the bike ride. That boy never passes up a spotlight. Meanwhile, Elsie, Mom, Dad, and Kimball watched along the sides and gathered extra candy for him. Elsie decided she was a big fan of parades after she filled her bag full of tootsie rolls and salt water taffy.


RAGNAR RELAY: There are many of these Ragnar Relay races throughout the country, and we happen to live close to where one takes place. It is a running race composed of 12 people that trade off running legs as the team travels through a mountain range. It happens to be about 200 miles of grueling road, full of steep inclines and declines. The teams start on a Friday and run all through the night until they cross the finish line sometime Saturday. It is sponsored by ICON, the business that builds Nordic Tracks. A friend of ours that works there, had been working hard at putting together a "virtual" team to run the relay. This means a team that would run the whole relay on a treadmill that was hooked up to a GPS so it would follow the exact terrain. I was impressed by the whole idea. The week of the race, some people from the virtual team fell through and ICON was scrapping to find a couple extra people to run for their team. So this friend of ours thought of Mike and I and called to see if we'd be interested. We said sure. It was a lot of fun, and our team got the most sleep out of any other, so it was well worth it. Under any other condition, I think I would have pass it up. I love my sleep. ICON hooked us up with lots of running outfits to wear as we ran, which was a great bonus! Running on a treadmill is quite a bit easier, so Mike and I were able to do just fine. We ended up running an extra leg for other people on the team who's knees gave out on them. It was a spontaneous adventure, which is something we rarely get any of. For that reason alone, it was worth it (plus I've got some great running clothes now)!
Here is us at the "finish" line. Our team crossed it carrying a treadmill.


These gondolas were great fun for the kids. We went up and down several times just to entertain them.


CHESTERFIELD: Mike's family had a reunion in this small ghost town. Mike and I traveled there and camped out the night before. The kids had a blast camping. Peter said he wanted to live in the tent. Mike even took him fishing in a little pond with maybe 3 fish in the whole thing. He didn't catch anything, but Peter sure loves to fish! Chesterfield was a lot of fun for the kids - there was room to run, mice to catch, outhouses to try, and food to eat. Mike and I had fun as well. It's always fun being with family and getting to know your family history better.
Below, Peter is talking to another Peter. He bonded instantly to his older cousin. You guessed it - it's a family name.


We had a picnic there, and Mike's Mom brought olives. I'm afraid Elsie helped herself to the majority of them. She sure had fun!


In one of the areas of the historic ghost town, they had a lot of old farm equipment. Mike's dad had a lot of fun seeing the old equipment he grew up using. We enjoyed listening to him explain how everything worked and watch him as he reminisced of his days as a young boy. They also had an area where the kids could make their own rope. Peter thought this was sooooo cool!


I don't know what was more exciting for Peter than using this outhouse!

Catching up - Spring

Wow, it's been 3 months and SOO much has happend. For documenting sake, I am going clear back to April for some highlights. Sorry if this bores anyone.
EASTER: Okay, so I had to put a plug in for decorating eggs with little ones. It was the most nerve racking experience as Mike and I watched quick little fingers and hands moving eggs from one container to the next, with eggs and dye splashing, cracking, and sloshing. We both held our breath and tried to remain as calm as humanly possible. Elsie was especially funny to watch. She really had a blast, and Mike and I are just glad to have a table that still looks like wood.



SOCCER: This was Peter's first year to participate in soccer. He had so much fun and we found out he is a competitive little guy. Peter is small for his age, but he has never seen that as a deterrent, only as opportunity to squeeze through tight places. I could tell when he would get serious about playing because he'd get the "eye of the tiger" look that every parent on the soccer team learned to recognize. When he got that look, we knew he meant business. It was so fun to watch a bunch of 4, 5, and 6 year olds run around in a herd, chasing after a ball. Some players were all about scoring a goal, while others were mostly excited about their uniform. Whatever the motive, the kids were cute! My favorite was when one little boy was playing 'defender' and got so caught up in playing in the net of the goal, that when the ball came his way, his head was stuck in the net and he couldn't get to the ball. They all had their moments. Peter even spent his hard earned money on new cleats. He said they made him run really fast. I was just so proud of him for working hard and sticking with it. Good neighbor family friends came to his last game and took some great pictures.

Do you see him going after the girl almost twice his size? That's my boy! Notice the action shot down below and imagine how fast those cleats are making him run.


CAMP FIRES: So, the snow had mostly melted from the canyons and it was a nice, warm spring day, so Mike and I decided to take the kids up the canyon for a nice dinner of roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. The kids had a blast. We finally had to tell Elsie no more dogs when she reached for her third. We diverted her with some marshmallows instead.


Peter loved helping Dad build the fire. We had a great time and whetted our appetites for a great summer ahead.


SISTER RETREAT!: In April all my sisters and my mom(she's like a sister, right?) escaped our families and met-up in Salt Lake to do some shopping for the weekend! It was a lot of fun, but I don't think it was quite long enough. We had all gotten a little inheritance money from our Grandma who passed away about a year ago. She was a lady for sure and loved jewlery. So, we all decided to get a little "bling" in memory of our Grandma. We all got a ring except Becky. She's the most practical and went for a watch instead. It was a lot of fun to go shopping and actually have some money to spend. We had a blast going from store to store, eating out, checking the church sites out, and bringing up old memories together. My mom went to Spain about a month previous and brought us back all scarves. So here we are in our new fashionable scarves.

Yummmmmm! Here are our slices of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. The best food I have tasted in a long, long time! Michelle's smile here represents all of our faces.

We had a fun time perusing temple square together. This was one of the places we had to stop to take a picture.

By the end of the week, we all had some beautiful jewelry to wear! Trust me, this was hard work to find the right piece for everybody! We all had a great time. Thanks Grandma!


ANOTHER BROKEN ARM: Well, almost exactly one year later, Elsie did it again. This time its the other arm. She was trying to climb into a back-pack carrier I had just taken Kimball out of that was on the table. It was quite a fall. Poor girl. We couldn't decide if it was broken or not, but I decided to take her in the next day to make sure. It was a brake all right. They call it a 'buckle fracture' where her two top bones by her wrist compressed rather than broke. I guess this is fairly common among young kids with softer bones.
This is right after she got it put on. Look how nice and clean it is!

The day it was time to take it off, we realized no one had signed it. We all did our token signatures and then took a picture.


When Elsie got her cast off, I was surprised at how little training the doctor had. I don't think he'd taken too many casts off of little arms. It was an awful experience. He only made one cut down the cast, he pried it open and told Elsie to pull her arm out. Well, she tried, but to no avail. She pulled her arm just enough for her skin to raise up into the crack of the cast. The cast started cutting into her arm. Now Mama was helping. I took a hold of that cast and pried it open as much as I could to try to help my little baby. She was whimpering, I was prying, while the doctor was doing who knows what trying to "help". Finally, he gave up and helped me with the prying. When we were both prying as hard as we could I yelled to Elsie, "Now pull!" Elsie quickly responded and pulled her arm free, all scraped up and cut. A couple months later, she still has a little scar from the traumatic event. Hopefully that will be our last cast, at least for a long while.

Three Kids

You may have noticed the picture of our family on this blog lacks our family in its entirety. I am fully aware of this and have thought about getting around to update that for several months now. You may have also noticed that it's been a while since I have posted a blog. I have also noticed this. What you probably don't know is there's a pile of clothes too small for Kimball to wear laying in my bedroom, a mess of several undone projects lying around in our computer/craft room, books with bookmarks that haven't moved in months, and kids' toys scattered in every nook and cranny of my home. There is a kink I have been facing for half a year now, called three kids. Since Kimball's edition, I have entered a whole new realm of stress, multitasking, and involuntary selflessness.
I really enjoy the sweet moments of mothering: when my 4-year-old hands me weeds that have flowered and tells me he loves me all the way up to heaven and back, or when Elsie grabs my head and shoves it on her pillow, telling me to lay down with her "one more minute", and Kimball's laughs are always contagious. These moments are indeed precious, and well treasured.
However, there are plenty other moments of nose picking, diaper changing, spit-up cleaning, bum wiping, baby feeding, food warming, shoe tying, child dressing, teeth brushing, spill cleaning, fight stopping, tantrum throwing, disciplining, chore enforcing, and follow-throughing, that are mundane, tedious and/or hair pulling. They seem to never end, and still I must find time for cooking and cleaning and keeping up on regular household chores.
When I finally have a chance to breathe, I can do something constructive as a mother with my children and get some book reading, board game playing, ball throwing, chasing, hide-and-seeking, tickling, story-telling, crafting, teaching, giggling, and holding, hugging, and kissing. Motherhood definitely has it's rewards in sweet moments, but on a daily basis I frequently remind myself, "Rachel, you've always liked a challenge!" and then I dig my heels in, take a deep breath, and try to persevere without yelling, screaming, crying, throwing (an object, not my children), or quitting.
So, the piles may keep growing, blog posts may continue lagging, and books and projects will continue waiting, because I am searching for footing. As Kimball turns 6 months next week, I have noticed things are getting easier, and I feel like my tip toes are beginning to touch the ground after these 6 months of treading. It's exciting as I see things beginning to balance out and my life take on new meaning as it is shifting and adjusting as life is changing. What could be next?

A Better Sunday

Well, so far we're off on a better foot this Sunday than last. Here is a little overview of last weeks Sunday:
Reverence? It is something we teach in Family Home Evening over and over again, but there are weeks where the fruits of our labor are in serious drought! That was last Sunday. It all started during sacrament meeting when they were passing the sacrament. Worthy priesthood holders take the trays of bread and water to each pew and those who are worthy and willing to partake of the sacrament and renew there covenants, partake of the bread and water. This is the most important part of our Sabbath day worship. Well, a gentleman came to our pew with a tray of bread and Peter couldn't turn the opportunity down to strike up some conversation. "Did you know I'm a fast runner?" he asks. Not getting much of a response, he continues, "I AM!" Okay, I note to myself, we need to work on that.
Not 10 minutes later, after the sacrament thankfully, Mike pulls out an old small package of Sweetheart candy for Peter and Elsie to share. This does nothing but tick Elsie off. She yells out amongst the quiet, "I don't SHARE!", followed by a fit. So, it was out to the foyer for her.
As we split up into blocks, Peter and I went off to Primary and Elsie to Nursery. Apparently, during singing time in Nursery, Elsie got excited about her bellie-button and decided to lift up her dress to show everyone. This started a bit of a domino effect as other little girls thought that was a good idea as well. Ooops. Meanwhile, Peter is in Primary getting ready for Closing Exercises. We had just finished singing a reverent song and everyone was quiet and ready to start when we all hear being belted out, "YO HO, YO HO, A PIRATES LIFE FOR ME!" Yes, Peter was singing a solo. Sigh.
Church came to an end and later on in the day we decide to go visit a neighbor. Peter hopped onto his bike and we had a great visit. On our way home, Peter went on ahead and buzzed down the hill headed home. Only moments later we heard screams coming from the bottom of the hill. Mike handed Kimball off to me and went bolting down to our child's cries. Apparently, he had fallen and done a head plant in a pile of gravel from the wonderful chip 'n sealed roads. His forehead took the brunt of the fall, and he had cut himself pretty deep. From the sources of the kids around, they told me, "You should have seen it, there was blood everywhere!" Mike later vouched the same. I'm soooo glad Mike was there to save the day, and not me. We took him to the Insta Care where the doctor (who happend to be a lady!) deadened it with a patch (no needle thank goodness) and put in four stitches. As she was stitching him up she commented, "Oh, I see some muscle here." Ug. My stomach churned. Peter was sooo brave. He held very still and had incredible trust in his parents and care-givers.
However, by the end of the day we were all worn out. Mike took some pictures of Peter's head. I thought it was a bit morbid, but I promised I'd post them. I think it's a guy thing.:)
While the topical medicine was deadening the wound, it took about a half hour. The Insta Care was great because they brought in Bolt on a portable DVD player and had Peter completely in a trance.

here's the wound. It's not too big, but very disgusting.

It looks so much better today. We got the stitches out Friday and it is healing up so quickly. I am really relieved.

"This is What It's All About"

My family and I went to a funeral last Friday of Albert Miyasaki. He was my neighbor growing up and had a daughter my age. They lived next door to my family for 17 years. Our families were very close friends. I broke a number of their household items: chandelier, glass screen door, glasses.....you name it. Needless to say, they put up with a lot from me and I think a lot of the family. So, when "Good-ole-Al" died at age 58, it was hard to take in. My family and I drove the 2.5 hours to the funeral and my Aunt Anita (Thanks a ton!) watched Peter and Elsie for us while Mike, Kimball, and I went with my parents to the funeral. It was a tender service. My dad spoke and did a wonderful job as he talked about Albert's eagerness to serve and his sincere love and care he had for the individual. The phrase that stuck with me the most from the service is what I've titled this post.
Their son spoke at the funeral and told a story of when he was a troubled teenager and during one especially hard evening his dad, Albert, took him for a drive where they ended up at the temple grounds in Mesa. It was then he told his son as he pointed to the temple, "This is what it's all about."
I've thought about that phrase, and I must agree. Temples are a sacred place of worship for worthy LDS members. It is here where we make sacred covenants and we are sealed to our spouses and family for time and all eternity. Mike and I were married in the temple and so we will be together forever. When we die, nothing else much matters, but the way in which we have lived our life and the people that will be with us. The temple is what it's all about. I hope to always remember those words of wisdom and live my life as a testimony to that belief.

This weekend

This weekend my sisters came up and visited me! We had a fun time together, as is always the case. One night we had ice cream cones. It was Eden's (my niece) first cone and after a couple licks off the top, decided a big bit in the cone would taste good. We all laughed as we watched Eden and Elsie make a mess of themselves. They are the same age and they have sooooo much fun together!


Today at church during Primary, they were teaching the resurrection. Because of the death of Finners, Peter's fish, we have covered this topic countless times. One time Peter found a dead butterfly on the headlights of our car and told me he wanted to watch it be resurrected, so he sat still and stared at it for a while. He finally gave up and asked me to hold it until it was resurrected instead. Anyhow, I think we've got it cleared up now. So, at church, the question was asked, "What does it mean to be resurrected?"
Peter raised his hand and blurted out, "It means to rise with living breath!" (He is quoting a song they had just been singing).
The teacher said, "Yes, you're right," and then looking over at me added, "your mom is teaching you well!"
Don't worry, Peter set her straight as he replied with a pointing finger, "No, she didn't teach me. I just knew that already!" With that he folded his arms, and smirked in satisfaction for several minutes. It was too cute. As the teacher was wrapping her lesson up, she asked one more question.
"So, why do we want to be resurrected?"
Peter pragmatically blurted out (again), "Because it's no fun being DEAD!"
Now it was everybody else's turn in the primary to smirk, trying to hold in our giggles. Point well taken, Peter.