Summer solstice has already past and it's hard to believe how fast time flies. June brought watermelon popsicles, swim lessons, hot runs, and a frequently-fired up grill. Our A/C went out at one point and we naively thought we could get away without it. While that might be true (people all over the world suffer in higher temps with less), we soon realized we like to be comfortable. Thankfully Dad Canova knows a guy and we got it fixed for a small fee. It pays to have a father-in-law like Jim Canova in more ways than one! :)
Derek had 4 weeks of swim lessons and my how far he's come! He can swim across Miss Lorie's pool, go off the diving board and swim to the side without assistance, and his confidence level in the water has sky-rocketed. The other day Tyler was slower than I anticipated to wash Derek and get him out of the tub. By the time he'd arrived, Derek was sitting in an empty tub. We informed him he'd have to shower. A look of sheer terror came over little Derek. NO! I informed him it would be like a fountain at the swimming pool, but that did not seem to appease him. We washed him and turned the shower on. Lo and behold it was not remotely scary! Derek started laughing and let us know he'd want to shower tomorrow too. When eating popsicles, he likes to eat them outside, in the sun. Ben and I just sit in the shade on the front steps. Kinda fun.
Benjamin is discovering he likes playing with Daddy's legos as much as Derek. The 2 of them will sit for hours on end creating things like boat-planes. It's quite fun to observe. Ben's picky eating streak has returned. Tyler forced a piece of brussel sprout in his mouth last night so he could eat other things. All-of-a-sudden his pants are getting too short. He likes playing in the swimming pool, but procedes with great caution. He's still the king of silly faces and serious crusties. That kid can scowl!
Tyler is still at prison. He's been playing softball with his cousin Jesse and friends. He's really enjoyed it. He's really good at playing Thomas the Train with Derek and Benjamin. Mindy came home from work one day to find all 3 boys playing trains with Tyler narrating the whole scenario- Sir Topham Hat and all the trains' names to boot! He is a great father, though he doesn't always see it that way.
Mindy ran the AF Canyon Half Marathon on the longest day of the year (what a way to celebrate- watching the sun rise in the mountains!). She also ran the Riverton City 10K on July 4. Despite it being her slowest 10K in 3 years, she still won her age group. Again. The joys of a small, local race! Boo-yeah! She's looking forward to beginning teaching piano lessons come August.
We went on a family camping trip beginning of June up Big Cottonwood Canyon. We had fun. Derek and Benjamin sure had a great time making each other laugh when they should have been falling asleep. Sigh. We'll have to go again soon.
We enjoyed Waddell cousins at Bear Lake and at Grandma Waddell's. We also had fun with Mindy's Stevens cousins at the Lehi Pool. We're looking forward to lots of Canova family time in about a month with Justin's wedding and Rachel coming home from her mission.
God is good and therefore so is life.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Stamped Passports and Another Marathon Later...
So we thought we were gonna be all gung-ho and do seed starters for our garden this year. The beginning of April we dutifully went to Home Depot to buy the little pete moss thingies. Derek and Benjamin had a blast "helping" Daddy plant the seeds and then put them in the windowsill to germinate. We all got excited as we watched our seedlings grow. To be continued...
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!
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!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Thank Goodnes for Tulips!
In like a lamb and out like a lion, indeed! It's the penultimate day of March and we walked out of church to snow falling from the sky. I ran in shorts just yesterday. What the...?!
The macacos in this house are in a constant state of crazy. We wouldn't want it any other way. Regardless of what's in Benjamin's diaper, if asked if it contains poop, he quickly retorts,"Just gas!" Derek is always narrating some Thomas the Train story, even during the Sacrament at church.
The 411 with Derek
Derek continues to LOVE preschool. We had fun with Valentine's Day. He got Planes Valentines and we sent them to cousins, grandparents, and friend. We also made hearts to put on the kitchen window. When Mommy went to pick him up from his preschool Valentine's party he was crying, hiding behind Mr. Avery. ??? Mommy went and asked what was wrong. Apparently about 20-30 minutes before the end of preschool, they'd been playing the"Quiet Game." Derek let out a crazy, loud yell and Mr Avery said, "Oops! You lose." Well, that did it. Derek totally fell apart and had been inconsolable since. He wouldn't eat his Valentine's cookie, nothin'. Mommy tried not to laugh as this was recounted to her. Perhaps we make things a bit too competitive at our house...?
St. Patrick's Day was extra fun for him since his favorite color is green. Oh boy! Not too long ago Tyler and I found the bathroom floor wet. When we inquired Derek if it was urine, her responded, "It just came spilling out!" :) He is a joy to grocery shop with, 1-on-1 that is. He has a love for the peanut butter grinder at WinCo and always like to push the button. He brought a spider in the house, inside his curled up hand, the other day. Mom totally over-reacted when she screamed for him to take it outside!
One day when Mommy was having a hard morning, Derek woke up and snuggled in bed with her while she read scriptures. She asked if he wanted her to read to him. He said he did. After finishing a chapter, Derek requested she keep going since there were clearly lots of pages to go. Mommy explained the concept of chapters and reading a little bit every day. He then sat and thumbed through the pages.
Benjaminator
This. Kid. Last week after a 16 mile run, Mommy made pancakes and he wanted to "help." After the batter was made and the griddle was heating up, Mom stepped away. She returned to find Ben using a tablespoon to plop batter on the griddle. What a helper! He was SO proud of himself! He's learning how to put his boots on, open some doors, and respond to the Master Negotiator, his brother, Derek. They're frequently battling over Dusty Crophopper and Lightning McQueen. Sigh. Mommy does her best to stay out of the line fire.
His camouflage galoshes are the best, as is his Captain American beanie. He makes the best face, especially the squinting of the eyes as he folds his arms for prayer. When we go to parks, he likes running up and down hills. Playing in the dirt, going down slides, chasing Derek while big brother rides his bike,and running from whomever is about to change his diaper are his latest favorite activities. He called a plane a helicopter the other day. He refused to be corrected!
The Clan
We all went to Arizona the beginning of March. Oh glorious weather! However, come June-September I'll steer clear of that Hades! Derek and his cousin Laura played and fought like siblings. Benjamin ordered Curtist around, telling him to "Vai!" when he didn't want to play, but cling to Daddy. The boys played outside A LOT, loved Aunt Autum's pool and big box of cars. The time away from home was needed for us all. Mindy had a great half marathon and Tyler was happy to be away from the prison.
We did our 1st marshmallow roast of the season using our way under-used fireplace in the backyard. That was WAY too much fun! It's nice that both boys are old enough to know the fire is not to be messed with.
We're always learning to be better- Tyler to let work stay at work, Mindy to not yell at the children, Derek to not manipulate his brother, and Benjamin to eat what's given him and not throw tantrums. Well, perhaps the tantrums part is extra slow in coming.
3 cheers for the warmer weather to come!
The macacos in this house are in a constant state of crazy. We wouldn't want it any other way. Regardless of what's in Benjamin's diaper, if asked if it contains poop, he quickly retorts,"Just gas!" Derek is always narrating some Thomas the Train story, even during the Sacrament at church.
The 411 with Derek
Derek continues to LOVE preschool. We had fun with Valentine's Day. He got Planes Valentines and we sent them to cousins, grandparents, and friend. We also made hearts to put on the kitchen window. When Mommy went to pick him up from his preschool Valentine's party he was crying, hiding behind Mr. Avery. ??? Mommy went and asked what was wrong. Apparently about 20-30 minutes before the end of preschool, they'd been playing the"Quiet Game." Derek let out a crazy, loud yell and Mr Avery said, "Oops! You lose." Well, that did it. Derek totally fell apart and had been inconsolable since. He wouldn't eat his Valentine's cookie, nothin'. Mommy tried not to laugh as this was recounted to her. Perhaps we make things a bit too competitive at our house...?
St. Patrick's Day was extra fun for him since his favorite color is green. Oh boy! Not too long ago Tyler and I found the bathroom floor wet. When we inquired Derek if it was urine, her responded, "It just came spilling out!" :) He is a joy to grocery shop with, 1-on-1 that is. He has a love for the peanut butter grinder at WinCo and always like to push the button. He brought a spider in the house, inside his curled up hand, the other day. Mom totally over-reacted when she screamed for him to take it outside!
One day when Mommy was having a hard morning, Derek woke up and snuggled in bed with her while she read scriptures. She asked if he wanted her to read to him. He said he did. After finishing a chapter, Derek requested she keep going since there were clearly lots of pages to go. Mommy explained the concept of chapters and reading a little bit every day. He then sat and thumbed through the pages.
Benjaminator
This. Kid. Last week after a 16 mile run, Mommy made pancakes and he wanted to "help." After the batter was made and the griddle was heating up, Mom stepped away. She returned to find Ben using a tablespoon to plop batter on the griddle. What a helper! He was SO proud of himself! He's learning how to put his boots on, open some doors, and respond to the Master Negotiator, his brother, Derek. They're frequently battling over Dusty Crophopper and Lightning McQueen. Sigh. Mommy does her best to stay out of the line fire.
His camouflage galoshes are the best, as is his Captain American beanie. He makes the best face, especially the squinting of the eyes as he folds his arms for prayer. When we go to parks, he likes running up and down hills. Playing in the dirt, going down slides, chasing Derek while big brother rides his bike,and running from whomever is about to change his diaper are his latest favorite activities. He called a plane a helicopter the other day. He refused to be corrected!
The Clan
We all went to Arizona the beginning of March. Oh glorious weather! However, come June-September I'll steer clear of that Hades! Derek and his cousin Laura played and fought like siblings. Benjamin ordered Curtist around, telling him to "Vai!" when he didn't want to play, but cling to Daddy. The boys played outside A LOT, loved Aunt Autum's pool and big box of cars. The time away from home was needed for us all. Mindy had a great half marathon and Tyler was happy to be away from the prison.
We did our 1st marshmallow roast of the season using our way under-used fireplace in the backyard. That was WAY too much fun! It's nice that both boys are old enough to know the fire is not to be messed with.
We're always learning to be better- Tyler to let work stay at work, Mindy to not yell at the children, Derek to not manipulate his brother, and Benjamin to eat what's given him and not throw tantrums. Well, perhaps the tantrums part is extra slow in coming.
3 cheers for the warmer weather to come!
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