More Laughter

We got to hang out a little longer today and eat some of the old traditional food...cheese things, taco dip, soup...it was yummy and we got to celebrate Nicole's birthday next week. It was hard saying good-bye. I love them so. Plus, I got to laugh hard at their funny comments and witty remarks. I feel bad it was such a long trip home for them. The fog made their flights get cancelled so they rented a car and drove to SF to then continue traveling home.

I had an interesting conversation with Nicole about our grandma. Nicole remembers her so well since she was 12 when she died. I soaked in every word and every memory she shared. I can't wait to meet our Amatchi in heaven.

Welcome Cousins!

It's been years since we've been all together. The Irissarry cousins flew in from California and Nevada today, we took some family pictures, laughed a lot, and caught up on each others' lives. The highlight for me was eating dinner with just the adults at the Jacksonville Inn. I love this family. They hold a special place in my heart and the best part is that I got I laugh a lot.

Clean House

The house is sparkly clean in anticipation of our visitors. I don't like that I have to have some major event to get a good scrub in on my bathrooms. I'd better enjoy it now, because I have hours before its all gone and gross again.

My Mountain Man

I just love this bearded mountain man of mine. He is the kind of husband you never ever have to bug or nag, always noticing what needs to be done and doing it because he wants to. Recently, he's been proactive about helping with our elementary school's needs. A teacher came to him with a concern and he has used his people skills to push the district along to create a plan to improve our math instruction, technology spending, and disappointing test scores. He doesn't discuss the problem in a million different ways; he thinks of solutions and aims. I love his clear and efficient get-it-all-done in a kind and positive way style, just like any true mountain man.

Merry Melodies

I've got a lot of songs stuck in my head today...

Mary can play two hymns now! It's so exciting. She can play the simplified versions of Joseph Smith's First Prayer and We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet. Sarah had a brilliant idea to have the children play prelude music before primary opening exercises on Sunday. Mary is very excited to participate. She needs to have three memorized. We're so close.

Nicole is a little obsessed with the Frozen music since her play date with Elise yesterday where they acted out the entire frozen song "Want to Build a Snowman" word for word with matching actions. We went last night to the theaters to see it again for family night. And tonight Noah and I finished up his snowman for his school sharing project. We built a cousin for Olaf named Oley, with Mickey ears who went to visit Olaf at Disneyland with us. We kept playing the "In Summer" song on the kindle while we decorated it.

What "I wanna ride my bike" really means...

Cameron has it figured out....he puts on his shoes, and if I'm in the room he'll ask me if he can go out and ride his bike on the porch. I usually see him go once or twice back and forth before he disappears. If he doesn't see me in the room he'll just leave the back door open without a word. Where does he escape to? Almost always to the same place...Grandma's door step. Luckily my mom knows I never just send him, and he escapes without asking so she calls me on the phone to let me know he's there, saving me from a heart attack on several occasions. Today she didn't hear his knock but she did hear the water gushing from the outdoor faucet he turned on by her door. I tell him every time not to go to Grandma's with out asking. It happened two more times today without a word before I got smart and locked the back door.

Why you should live next door to your brother

Most Sundays one or two neighbor cousins come over to play and hang out. I love it because we don't see them a lot during the school week. All the neighbor cousins trickled in throughout today...some for a quick hello (Emma), some to help Grandma with dinner (Rachel), and some to play dead man walking with the kids (Nina). We are lucky.