Tyler and his father keep working on the back laundry room. It's hard to not feel like it's an eternal project. Hurry up already!- so says the one who knows practically nothing about construction. Sigh. Gotta focus on the positive. It will get done, right?
General Conference knocked our socks off. Oh wait. It always does that! 3 cheers for modern-day revelation! We spent what we could at the Canova's. Mommy worked the weekend but technology allowed her to listen to quite a bit of it while slaving away on anaerobe cultures. Ladies night during the Priesthood Session was a treat (literally and figuratively), as always. Thankfully our men didn't get translated during the meeting. I want that laundry room done!
Derek just completed Spring soccer with Murray Rec. He frequently got distracted watching his yellow cleats run fast, or by running and shaking his head. Good thing the only objective at this age is to have fun and release energy! Preschool graduation was just the other day and Mommy and Grandma Waddell watched proudly as Derek participated, shyly, and recited his assigned poem with his best buddy Ean Mills. Mommy had a hard time not crying. How do children grow up so fast? What a sap she is!
Benjamin is already learning letters, colors, shapes, and the like. With an older brother and Leap Frog videos on Netflix, he's becoming a whiz (should I admit to putting the 2 munchkins in front of an "educational" film while I run around the circle? Guess I just did). He loves to play trains, jump on couch cushions, growl like animals, put his boots on, read books, and make Derek laugh. His speech abilities continue to amaze us all- even the pediatrician at his 2 yr check up mid-April. He's the size of a 3 yr. old and pushes that weight around when wresting with Derek. It's pretty entertaining.
End of April Mindy and Tyler left for Ireland. Magical land indeed!!! There's no ample space here to tell all the tales that need be told. Here is the Readers' Digest version... We walked around Dublin, saw castles, an old jail, Brazilians (yes, more than once Mindy caught someone speaking Brazilian portuguese on the street or buses of Dublin), ate at a pub established before 1200 AD, and missed our children. We rented our car and set off to explore the small island country. Soon thereafter we re-found each other, almost blew over in NE coastal winds, caught a glimpse of Scotland driving up the coast (or at least we think that's what that far-away land strip was), and lived in each marvelous moment. We crossed a sketchy fishermans' rope bridge, explored Giant's Causeway, saw an old city wall (still standing!), and stayed a night in a luxurious castle. We felt kinda funny parking our cheap rental car not far from a Maserati. Ha ha!! We enjoyed a hawk walk at Ireland's oldest falconry school (oh my amazing!!), saw the romantic Cliffs of Moher, almost got lost looking for a bed and breakfast, ate the MOST delectable corn beef and cabbage, went to church at a small branch where the Gospel Principles teacher looked like a Jewish rabbi- peppered beard and all- and saw parts of the exotic Killarney National Park. Bed and breakfasts, pub food, snacks in the car, European techno on the radio, listening to the car GPS say, "Recalculating," spotting random abbey and castle ruins everywhere all became daily experiences. By the end, after MUCH effort and foiled attempts, Tyler successfully purchased an Irish soccer scarf. The simple things bring joy, right? We also witnessed myriads of tender mercies from the Lord as we wandered around the land of leprachauns. We came home ready for someone to send us our children and start looking for jobs to stay permanently. But, alas, returning to Utah was the wisest option. Ireland does dual citizenship, for future reference.......
We came home to our childrens' happy and open arms. We adjusted to "real" life and are doing our best to take the relaxed attitudes we had while on holiday and put them into Utah life. The boys had a great time with Aunt LaNan, Grandma Waddell, and Grandma and Grandpa Canova. We were able to let go and have such a marvelous time because our children were so well cared for.
The day after arriving home, we hurried and planted our seed starters, since Mother's Day was 3 days away. Well, a cold spell came and killed them all! A trip to nursery later for starter plants along with re-planting green bean and squash seeds, our garden is on track. Well, we think so. Guess we'll find out a few months from now.
May 17 Mindy ran the Ogden Marathon. Again. But, no medical tent this go around due to perfect weather. She ran with a friend (Steph Slater) who struggled around mile 8. Ugh! How could she leave a friend to eak out another 18 miles alone? Instead they had fun counting blessings, enjoying the scenic views, walking sometimes, and Steph still got a best time! How happy they both are that long training runs are over (they're husbands are almost equally thrilled)! Tyler, Derek, and Benjamin were there to support the 2 crazies. It was a fun day for all- naptime included.
As we head in to summer we're anticipating hikes, campouts, fishing, swimming, and lots of warm weather fun. Oh, did I mention watermelon popsicles? They're VERY important. Head first we go!
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