Red Belt

Congratulations, David!

Next?

Black belt!

There is a lot of work to do, but David is up for the challenge.

Happy Birthday, David!

Tomorrow is David's birthday. He turns 10. We celebrated on Saturday because I won't be around on his actual birthday. (I am currently on my way to Dallas for the next phase of my Montessori training. I was hoping to make it all the way to Texas today, but Tennessee was all Genesis 7 and I had to stop at an Econo Lodge in the middle of nowhere lest I be swept away. But there's WiFi!)

We told David we would do whatever he wanted Saturday evening to celebrate his birthday. He chose to have a quiet, relaxing evening at home together as a family. It was wonderful!! (Why don't we do that more often??)

Greg decorated the dining room with birthday pictures from every year. There were 10! How can that be?! We all talked about the pictures and discussed what a cutie-patootie that kid is.      

Not surprisingly, David was eager to open his presents. He loved all of the gifts he got! He was so happy. (I need to get some pictures of what Mary gave him--she drew him a collection of adorable, thoughtful pictures that he loved.)

He had NO IDEA what Greg and I were getting him. It was a total 100% surprise! (It's not hard to surprise your kids when they think you are lame.) Go here to see his reaction (and what we gave him, if you're curious).

While we're looking at videos, here is a video of Sara during the birthday celebration doing her version of a cartwheel and showing off her jumping skills. You know you want to to watch it!

Mary and David quickly settled in with David's new joy while Greg grilled some burgers.

We ate burgers and watermelon and talked and enjoyed being together. David planned the best birthday celebration! Soon it was time for cake, David's first den leader (the beloved and missed Julie Morra) introduced the boys to Thunder Cake. David loved it, and he insisted on Thunder Cake for his birthday (pureed tomatoes included). I was busy finishing projects for my Montessori training and helping Mary with dress rehearsal. So the birthday execution fell to Greg this year, including baking the cake. It was a hit! (Greg did a great job with everything. I married such a good man.)

We sang happy birthday. (Sara was so excited. She, of course, tried to blow out the candles herself. And was fascinated by the smoke.)

Let me pause to say what a good big brother David is. To both of his sisters. He is a blessing in their lives. I am so grateful to have such great kids.

After the yummy cake, we played games. We played Apples to Apples, put Sara to bed, and then we played Settlers of Catan. (I can't believe David and Mary are old enough to play Settlers! We're in a totally new phase of life with them. It's great!) It was such a great evening. David loves our family and is sensitive to our family's needs. I love that what he wanted more than anything was to hang out with his family. I think he knew we needed it.

David is a good, good kid. He has a strong moral compass and is naturally kind. He is smart and thoughtful. He is mature in many ways. He knows a lot of things, and he is actively, busily figuring the world out. I love that he is growing up--it's good to see him develop and progress and become more comfortable with himself--but lucky for me he still loves hugs and cuddles!

I love that kid.

Happy birthday, David!

Happy Anniversary in Kirtland

Saturday was our anniversary. Thirteen years! We celebrated by throwing all of our kids in the car Friday after school and driving up north so we could visit Kirtland. Because nothing says romance like a family road trip to Ohio Mormon historic sties!

(This brings to mind another anniversary celebration. The one that was a pilgrimage to the scary temple.)

Here are a million pictures of our anniversary celebration . . . 

Road trip stop at Cracker Barrel. You can only eat Wendy's so many times.

First stop Saturday morning was the Kirtland Temple.

We scored with our tour guide, Dave. He grew up right around the corner from the temple--in fact, he used to live in Emma and Joseph's house before his dad built their family a house on the street over.

He told us stories about swinging from the bell rope as a child, hiding his toys in the pulley-system cabinets, attending large Sunday School meetings in the temple, watching older boys scaling the outside of the temple (which used to be possible), marrying his wife there in 1968 in the second to last marriage ever performed there, and hearing gossip that John D. Rockefeller had tried to buy one of the windows.

It was fun to hear about the lively role the temple has played in the community throughout the decades. Once the community asked if they could use it as a roller skating rink! (Their request was politely denied.) These days the temple serves as a gathering place for the community, with special multi-denominational Easter meetings and an annual sing-a-long from Emma Smith's hymnbook, They also use the temple as a place for local government and community organization to gather. They even have a prayer pep rally for the high school football team each year! For the last four years they've gone to the state championship, so it must be working. :)

Our tour guide was also so sincere when he talked about the miraculous things that have happened in the temple. We could sense his faith. And also the respect he has for Kirtland and the temple. We could feel how the temple is a sacred, holy space and also a dynamic space that has served the needs of the immediate community.

(It's refreshing to visit a Mormon historic site that is not owned and run by the LDS Church. The Kirtland Temple is owned by Community of Christ, formerly the RLDS Church.)

Okay, back to my million pictures . . .

. . . and watch for cameos of Meow-Meow, Sara's cat (whose original owner was my brother Daniel until she was sent to me during Greg's very first deployment to keep me company) . . .

Me and my superhero on our anniversary . . . I seriously do feel like I married a superhero . . .

Love this girl. She is smart, talented, fun, mature, helpful, and the list goes on and on. How could she be my daughter?!! She's just too amazing . . .

Sara was a good little traveler . . .

Family pictures!!

Sara didn't make it all the way through the tour of the Whitney store. I took her out. (She's not the only little girl I've hung out with on the porch of the Newel K. Whitney store.)

There's only so long a person can march around a porch carrying a cat. Sara and I decided to pass the time taking selfies . . .

Eventually the crew returned and we headed over to the saw mill and the ashery . . .

Love this kid. He is very smart, knows lots of things, and is genuinely truly nice. He has such a good heart. (What more could you want than for your kid to be a good, good person?)

Oh Sara. How my heart bursts . . .

Okay, so LDS historic sites can be a little . . . Shiny? Cheesy? Overly-earnest? But nothing beats the missionaries who work at them! I love missionaries! We loved Sister Hardy, who gave us our tour. And Mary especially connected with her. Look at the way Mary looks up to her . . .

Our final stop was the John Johnson farm. Greg and I love the John Johnson farm. I think David and Mary really liked it too . . .

Sara was kind of neutral . . .

As a finale, I wanted a picture of my three babies at the Johnson home, even though we were pretty tuckered out by then--especially Sara. But we managed . . .

Tah-duh!

Geez, I love these kids. I am so stinkin' lucky.

We had a great weekend. It was a lovely little trip. David and Mary had a good time, and they will remember their experiences. And Sara was so much fun (for real!).

Happy anniversary to our family!