Hawaii Wrap-up

The last of my vacation posts, here are a few final memories:

My family was incredibly patient and loving with my children. They, being the only ones, could have easily been what slowed everyone down or gotten awfully annoying, but the love their grandparents and aunts and uncles displayed was enormous to me.

Cooper was a very happy and pleasant little boy all week, thrilled at the discovery of every bug, lizard, bird or goat he saw out on the golf course. He had plenty of loud moments, singing for the whole house to hear, "I love you soooo much," repeated over and over for about 20 minutes. I would have pulled my hair out had I been home, but the little guy had an audience that kept it coming.

Seneca was also a delight.



She was happy to be held constantly, mostly by grandpa, who fell in love all over this week.



She was content to sleep with dad at dinner



This is how Seneca spent her first beach days



I couldn't have asked for a better vacation. Time to reconnect with my family, allow my children to be loved and have a bit of quiet time for myself- really, what more could a girl want?

A Day in Oahu

My parents were ever so generous and offered to keep Cooper and Seneca for the day while the rest of us flew to Oahu to do a little sight-seeing. We got to see some wonderful things and enjoy a child-free day and my children got some quality time with grandma and grandpa. After playing cars, swimming and kite-flying, they were exhausted by the time we got home- all of them!

Denten, Katelyn, Wade, Lindsay, Ben and I began our day at Pearl Harbor, which I'm so glad we took the time to see. While watching Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett is compelling, hearing and seeing first hand the tragedy that occured in that bay 66 years ago was incredibly sobering.

We started at the Air Museum and had a quick reminder of the machines they were using during the time and then moved onto the USS Missouri, a huge battleship where the treaty that ended the war was signed.



While this ship wasn't ever engaged in battle during the war, it was amazing to tour through it and imagine the other ships that were hit and sank with hundreds of men trapped inside.





Next we visited the USS Arizona, the recipient of a Japanese bomb that caused the ship to virtually explode and sink, trapping the entire crew inside. The memorial is built over the ship, which has been left resting on the bottom of the bay.



Looking at the memorial wall of over 300 names and seeing the wreckage below was amazing to me. I tried to imagine what it would have been like to be there that day, with hundreds of planes flying overhead and people scrambling to defend themselves. Denten pointed out while we were there that this was the only battle fought during a world war that was fought in our own country. Fortunately, it's the only battle site we claim.



Next we moved onto a much lighter activity, checking out Waikiki Beach. The idea was to spend a couple hours there, but the place was a madhouse! There was a surfing competition going on, which was fun, but the beach and ocean were packed with people! We could barely find a spot where the six of us could lay our towels and eat lunch!





We went for a swim and enjoyed the rolling waves and then spent a few minutes drying off before moving on- a super place for people watching, not so much for relaxing!



The last destination of the day was Diamondhead State Park. Diamondhead is a volcanic crater that we drove into and then we were able to hike to the highest point outside along the coastline. The hike itself was only about 2 miles and rose a few hundred feet, but the view from the top was incredible. First, the out-of-shape prengnant lady had to get up about 4 flights of what I termed, "the stairs of death."



It was totally worth it when I saw the view of the ocean and Honoulu.









It was a full and wonderful day spent with my husband and siblings. The times we are all together are rare and I appreciate them very much. Thanks to mom and dad for giving your day to my children- it was a good one.

A Few Vacation Adventures

Denten, Wade and Ben spent a day marlin fishing and after catching their bait and doing a lot of waiting, the big moment came. Denten feels fortunate he was in the hot seat when the action happened (sorry Wade and Bonj!).

This Blue Marlin weighed close to 300 pounds and was 8-9 feet long... for a guy who likes to fish, just imagine the adreneline...



Reeling him in



The fishermen



Next, a more unfortunate adventure, but memorable just the same. This is Cooper and Dad in the Emergency Room the day after Cooper's face had an unwelcome intense collision with a cement bench.



He'd had a fever for two days and just to be safe we wanted to be sure everything was ok. It turned out his face and head were fine, but he had contracted strep throat! Who knew, he had been so completely pleasant the entire trip!

I wish I could have captured just how terrific his eye looked the night after the smash, it was pretty impressive just how many shades of black and purple were present, but because he couldn't see his own eye, he was just mildly concerned about the tiny scrape on his knee



We wrapped up the week with a visit to a traditional Luau, complete with a roasted pig pulled out of the ground in front of us and all the trimmings. It was pretty good food and lovely entertainment if you're a kid who loves a show (cooper) or a guy who likes a lot of shaking with very limited clothing (ben). The rest of us enjoyed the evening as well!

Hawaii Beach Days

My personal favorite vacation past time, I'm very glad to learn that Cooper enjoys spending the day near the ocean as much as I do.





Coop and Dad taking a swim



Denten, Katelyn, Wade

Preschool, sleeping, selling...

Before I begin on this multitude of vacation photos, just wanted to recap the week since we've been home. Cooper keeps saying that he'd like to go back to Hawaii, and I keep agreeing. Luckily for both of us, preschool began this week and it's been a lovely diversion for both of us. He's attending a home-taught preschool run by a friend of ours and so far it's been great. She's very organized and while Cooper is the youngest in his class of five, he seems to be keeping up and catching on with his friends. It was a little strange to drop him off and drive away, although I do that plenty of times when he's playing with a friend. I guess it's the sentiment in me that felt like he was a big boy now- or so he keeps telling me. So I have two mornings a week Cooper-free, which is good for both of us right now. I have had to remember my patience since we've been home and his little independent streak has had to be tamed. Really, who is the mother around here? Sometimes it's a tough reminder...

That aside, it must be documented that the Latter-day Prophet song has been mastered and name any one of them and he'll point to their picture. I'm not quite sure why I love this so much, but it makes me think he's a smart little kid. He's also reciting stories to us and it's so fun to see how much his little brain retains. A bit scary as I really need to watch what I say, but they really are like little sponges. I need to be careful that I'm giving him enough of the right kind of stimulation each day.

Seneca is still beautiful and squishy. Her grandpa is going through withdrawals without her, but she's taking the separation pretty well. Although we're to the point at night where I might have to be tough again... She has been sleeping through the night for quite a while now, but lately when she gets out of her little wrap job, she wakes herself up and has a hard time settling back down without either being wrapped back up or using her pacifier, neither of which I'm too keen on getting up four times a night to remedy. She's three months old... I'm kind of ready to just let her cry and see if it lasts all night. This may have to wait until next week however when Denten is out of town- he doesn't mind that she cries it out as much as it keeps him awake... I know it's going to have to happen eventually, so when it does, I count on all of you for support!

Our business finally has a final closing date- yeah, I've said that before, I know, but this time it's really happening, next Friday. I've got a week to get final things wrapped up, which isn't much considering I've been trying to "wrap up" for a month now! I really hope we're past all the unexpected hitches and delays, for our whole famiy's sake. Denten and I both need this to be over, I think we're close. He's been a very good sport, negotiating my sometimes not-so-reasonable demands and not budging on the price.

Oh, I'm sure there's more, but considering the enormous vacation recap that still needs to happen, I'll be done for now. I am recommitting to posting a little more often to share daily happenings, thoughts and feelings and also to avoid monsters like this one! So, so long for now.

Back to Reality

I'm home. And I'm trying to be happy about it. I'm usually the kind of person who loves a week of vacation and then am ready to get back to my own space and routine, but I was not ready this time. I could have had this vacation go on and on. It was fabulous, really. Not a darn thing to complain about. Bits and pieces of my report will come later, I'm sure. I just wanted to document that I'm alive and back in Phoenix doing my best to resume normal life with my two littles who are suffering from attention withdrawals after being cuddled, kissed, held and played with constantly for a week.

I can say I feel a bit rejuvinated and able to face this last week of business stuff. Although reality is tough... I ate like a queen with a full and healthy meal three times a day without having to think about it. It was delightful and delicious. My kitchen is awfully depressing... there is no fresh fish here, no chef to cook it for me, no shrimp of any variety... I know, life is so so tough. So we'll make do with stir fry tonight and after I sort through our million and two pictures, I'll post a terrific review of paradise. A huge thanks to mom and dad who made the week possible and so wonderful. I needed it, and I surely enjoyed it.

Did Someone Say Hawaii??

 

After weeks of talking on the phone to Grandma and his aunties about playing on the beach in Hawaii, the day to take the suitcase out of the closet finally arrived! Cooper ran for the suitcase after each phone call saying it was time to go only to be disappointed that the airplane isn't leaving for two more weeks, one more week, 4 more days...

Finally, after much anticipation, he was able to retrieve his little red suitcase. As I was finishing laundry, he proceeded to pack himself, emptying the entire contents of his bedroom dresser onto the floor and into the suitcase. I can't tell if it's the beach he's so excited about or simply the packing! Anyway, it's finally time to go and we are all very ready for a vacation.

Now, if I can get a lease signed, keys delivered, baby announcements mailed, clothes clean, folded and in the appropriate bag, remember swimming suits, sunscreen, towels, camera... get sheets on the beds, dinner thrown together, children bathed and to bed and this house in some kind of order, then perhaps we'll head to the airport in the morning. Why is the process of leaving to relax for a week so exhausting? I'll be back in 10 days, and don't be offended when I say that I hope I don't miss any of you while I'm away. Catch up soon!

Learning Curve

Family Home Evening this week included learning the Latter-day Prophet song, so we pulled out our pictures and laid them all out while we sang. Tuesday brought a lot of time in the car, so we played the song over and over. Today the music came back inside and the pictures found a semi-permanant place on the wall. I think the song has been on repeat for about 20 minutes and I'm sure I'll hear it tonight in my sleep. The fun part is that Cooper can point out about 6 prophets correctly and chimes in with the last word in each phrase in the song. He's pulled out his instruments and is dancing to the music... whatever makes this fun, right??



Although I'm waiting until we return from vacation to tackle potty-training full-time, when he asks to go, I don't argue! And I'm not above incentives... he knew he could have a new piece to his train whenever he chose to go to the potty. He got it in his head that today was the day and sat and sat until it happened. On his own accord. I suggested a few times that he get up and we could try again later, but he said, "not yet, mom." Finally I heard joyous cries from the bathroom, "mom, I did it!" Really? "Look mom, I wet!!" Hugs, high-fives and praise all around! Tiny personal successes are super! and so are hours of entertainment brought on by a new train car.



The last encounter with Cooper was truly an encounter and I'm so sorry I don't have a good photo. Last night I was kneeling at the foot of his bed waiting for him to turn of his bedroom light and come pray. Well he came, exhubrantly. Instead of simply kneeling down (that would be much too easy) he had to jump up first and land on his knees. The trouble came when he jumped up and his forehead collided with my face. Hard. There was an enormously loud crack in my head and I wondered if my face was still in tact. Yes, it was that bad. I immediately teared up and tried to see if there was blood and if his face was throbbing as bad as mine was. No, he was fine and wondering what in the world was wrong with me. We finished going to bed and on the way out of his room I felt an enormous lump forming under my eye. I could not see clearly and was just grateful that my cheekbone still felt in one piece. It was ugly, my friends, and such a silly reason for a black eye! I was puffy and black and blue. I've got a little residue today, but aside from being a little sore, it's fine. Ridiculous. Denten just looked at me and said, "you were praying?" well, trying to! Oh well, I'll just be grateful that if my child is going to contribute to bruising, he didn't do it on purpose!

I'd also love to share the latest success in the pool, but I need some assistance in posting a video... would you mind sharing the easiest way to do this? Any tips will be appreciated!

Lastly, my dear brother and his dog were in an accident yesterday and we are so lucky they are ok. They totally had angels with them. You can check out pics of the wreckage on Lindsay's site (sidebar) and be amazed that the worst of it was stitches for Ben. We are mourning the loss of Levi (the vehicle) but glad that's all we have to part with.

The latest goings on...

I've been (kindly) informed that I've been quite absent from the blogospere for a while, so I suppose it's time for an update. I've been busy, but it doesn't seem as though much is worthy of report.

The one thing getting me through each day, however is that we are a week away from closing on our business. Can you hear the Hallelujah chorus going off in my head? We found a buyer, he's terrific and he's excited to get moving on this, but not nearly as excited as I am to be out of it! There will be some transition time the next while, but the bulk of the responsibility will be turned over by the end of the month- that, my friends, will be something to celebrate!
---Editor's note: this piece of unwelcome news just in... they want to push the closing date until the end of the month and have my current duties continue through September. I am NOT PLEASED. No, not one bit.---

In Cooper news, he has come from pansy to super-hero in a matter of months when it comes to his confidence in the swimming pool. I know, I shouldn't call him a pansy- perhaps a scaredy-cat? I can say that, I was one too. Still am sometimes. Anyway, at the beginning of the summer the kid would scream like crazy if you tried to take him off of his safety zone, aka the steps. Forget about going under the water. He's slowly made progress this summer, and enjoyed being in the water more, but it was still like pulling teeth getting him to try new things. However, last week we had some friends come swimming and something completely clicked with him. He decided he wanted to be like Ethan (I love Ethan) and do it "all by himself." He was referring to jumping in the pool. I assumed position to catch and he said, "no, mom, you don't catch me, I do it myself." Ha, I thought. Sure, go ahead. He really did! He jumped in, fearlessly, came up for a breath and then turned and swam to the wall! WHAT?! Granted when I say swim, I mean paddle and kick for dear life, but the fact that he was doing it willingly was amazing to me. Great amounts of praise were prompty showered upon him and he's been a little dare devil ever since. It makes me happy inside that he's overcome this fear he had, but also nervous that he thinks he can do anything on his own, because the swimming skills are not quite up to life-saving standards yet. Nonetheless, it was a major milestone around here.

Seneca is in full smile and coo mode. It sounds ridiculous to say how much joy that adds to our home, but she is completely delightful. When she looks right at me and smiles and tells me all about everything, it's priceless. She's awfully close to rolling over, we've got to be careful where we put her these days. She's healthy, happy and pretty darn perfect. Just let me enjoy it, I know it won't last forever. We had a hearing today for temporary custody through the state and things are going slowly but surely to get her adoption finalized. It's slated for mid-Novemeber, which seems like a long time from now, but it will come soon enough. She was super in court- and Coop wasn't so bad either considering we'd waited an hour before going in to see the judge. Luckily he was a patient guy who understood how cool swivel chairs are to a little person.

Denten is consumed with too many business endeavors that keep him busy and occupied, but he's also managed to squeeze in a trip to southern Utah, go camping with the scouts, sell our third vehicle and get the sprinklers functioning properly again. He has also served as my personal legal counsel this week, which is another two very huge reasons I'm so ready to be done with property management, but so grateful I'm married to such an intimidating guy! hee hee! Sometimes I feel like the only time we really see each other is when we both collapse on the couch or in bed at the end of the day and by then we're too exhausted to even speak in complete sentences. I keep telling myself that things will change soon... just let me believe that one too.

As for me, my tummy is poking out- already! I don't really like that- I've got quite a while to go before I should look pregnant, don't I?? I'm 14 weeks and I'm attributing the growth to the fact that the poor skin and muscles surrounding my baby are permanantly altered after already having a little person grow in there and therefore have way more give this time than the last. Don't like that either. At all. But it's better emotionally for me to think that than it's what I'm eating...
Anyway, that was quite a long update for not having much to say, huh?! I'll end with a few photos of my darlings. There Em, are you satisfied?

New Orleans Spicy Cajun Shrimp

New Orleans Spicy Cajun Shrimp – Nordstrom Family Cookbook

Creole Seasoning
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion

Cajun Shrimp Butter
¾ pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce


2 pounds large shrimp in the shell, deveined

To make the Creole Seasoning, in a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, cayenne, thyme, oregano, paprika, and the granulated garlic and onion. Mix well and store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

To make the Cajun Shrimp Butter, in a food processor (I use my mixer) fitted with the metal blade, combine the butter, Creole Seasoning, garlic, pepper, paprika, granulated onion, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce. Process until thoroughly blended. Set aside.

To cook the shrimp, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Arrange the shrimp in a 9 x 13 baking dish and cover with the Cajun Shrimp Butter. (I use the smallest cookie scoop and just put little half scoops of butter all over – it is too hard to spread the butter around.)

Bake the shrimp, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir the shrimp around and continue baking until the shrimp turn uniformly pink and the translucence is gone from the thickest part of the bodies, about 2 minutes longer.

Transfer the shrimp and all the butter sauce to a warmed serving dish. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

*The recipe is perfect for 6 if you serve French Bread and salad with it. I use peeled, deveined shrimp and it works great. I also used half the butter for 1.5 pounds of shrimp because I was out of butter – works fine!  You will have enough of the Creole Seasoning for at least 2 recipes – I still have some left after making it twice.

Thoughts on Faith

As given in a talk in the Vineyard Ward, Sunday, July 28.

A brief intro to our family...
The unique way that each of our children have come into our lives has been in the forefront of my mind these past few weeks as I have thought about the topic we were asked to speak on today, which is Strengthening Faith in our Homes and Families.

I believe that the combination of prayer and having great faith is a simple concept to state and a very difficult one to master. The BD states that,

“to have faith is to have confidence in something or someone. The Lord has revealed himself and his perfect character, possessing in their fullness all the attributes of love, knowledge, justice, mercy, unchangeableness, power, and every other needful thing, so as to enable the mind of man to place confidence in him without reservation.”

It is incredibly easy here on earth to doubt, to fear and to lose confidence, however, if it is Jesus Christ that our faith is in, there is no reason to doubt or fear, and what better person in whom to put our confidence?

Growing up in the church and being taught that faith is the first principle of the gospel, I was very familiar with the concept, not so much with how to put it into action. I was of the mindset that having faith and believing were synonymous. It wasn’t until I really needed to exercise the principle in my own life that I learned that faith is a principle of action and of power. Referring to the BD again,

“Faith isn’t sitting and hoping, faith is doing. Faith is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the things hoped for.”

When faced with a challenge, it is appropriate to consult with the Lord and ask for his counsel and help, but not expecting him to solve the problem. He is eager to answer our prayers and bless us, but only if we are doing all we can. We can’t sit and wait for him to send a magic fix, we can work and study and press forward knowing that if we give it our very best effort, he will compensate and make up the difference.

One thing that is vital to remember here is that Heavenly Father has a greater plan for us. For each of us. When we are asking for something and exercising our faith, we must keep in mind that first, we have to be doing all we can, and second, this particular blessing will be granted when the time is right. We can not see the future and do not understand why sometimes, even though our desire may be a righteous one, it is not coming to pass.
Perhaps we haven’t found the perfect one to marry, been able to get into school or obtain a job to support our family, we don't understand why a sickness or an accident hurt or took someone we love..
The answers will come in time and while your prayers may not be answered in the manner or time frame you expect, have confidence that Heavenly Father is in control and that your desires are not unknown.


This kind of strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Obedience is the “action” component of faith. It is by obedience that we are moved to action. Let me demonstrate how obedience increases our faith.
In order to strengthen faith in our homes and our families, it is necessary to be obedient in regard to the repetitive things we have been commanded do in our homes: hold regular FHE, pray together, study our scriptures, and attend our church meetings.… it is these activities that will determine how we act when faced with difficulty in our lives. When we are faced with a significant challenge, we have two choices when it comes to how we will react. We can choose to stand stronger and allow it to help us grow, or to become bitter and cynical and turn our backs on the Lord, questioning why me, or why now.

Example: when I was a junior in high school, my mother became very sick with a bacterial form of meningitis, called meningicaucus. Incredibly rare, at the time Utah had seen 8 cases, the outcome only being favorable for one. This posed an incredible challenge to our family, especially to my father, who, with 4 dependent children, a large business to run and significant church responsibilities, spent eight weeks wondering if his eternal companion was going to wake up and if so, what the quality of life would be afterwards. It was a time that would have been very easy to question why us, why now? We were living the commandments, we were serving the Lord and yet this heavy burden was given to us anyway. The way our family reacted to this particular event was determined by what our family was doing before this occurred. We had been building a foundation of faith in our home. We had been studying the gospel together and had developed a confidence in our Savior and understood his role in our lives. It would have been so easy for my dad to become bitter and frustrated with the situation, and yet each of us came out of the storm a little stronger and closer to both each other and to our father in heaven.

By being obedient, we were able to weather that storm. We continued to do the things we were supposed to be doing, unto obedience. Faith leads to obedience and obedience provides perspective and understanding. This is how we show HF that we have faith, he says show me your faith by being obedient, and I’ll give you the perspective, understanding, empathy, or whatever you’re seeking. We will all come to a crossroads at some point in our lives, and if we are being obedient now to the commandments of God, and going forward with faith, the choice will be clear as to how we can react when the storm hits. Having personally weathered several small storms, I can testify that Heavenly Father know us, he loves us and he wants us to be successful and happy. If we do all we can to be obedient and live with faith, his plan for us will unfold and it will be the right one.

I believe these principles to be true and I believe that if we teach them in our homes, that when our children are faced with difficulty, they will be able to handle them with grace and confidence and with the assurance that our Father in Heaven loves them and will bless them according to their obedience and their faith.