Summer Vacation to UT part 2

A sampling of our family reunion on my husband's side:

The accommodations were fantastic, and more than ample for 40 people. Thank you J and W!

 I enjoyed the rather rustic decor...

Everyone had a chance to do the money jar --catching up on the family birthday tradition.
I added this particular picture simply because I loved this table.

The food was definitely a highlight, and a family reunion
wouldn't be complete without 3 kinds of homemade ice cream.
Mmmm!

Al fresco for the kids.

The '09 babies came in all three flavors.
They were definitely comrades in crime, but oh so cute!
I also think they liked the dirt hill just as much as the swingset.

Kudos to uncle W for taking the the kids for a dip.
The hot-tub was a blast for the adults too,  after-hours of course,
but I didn't bother getting pictures of that (--aren't you so glad).

So much fun stuff to do... so little time.

Not pictured here is the basement with ping-pong and pool tables,

 a little kid-sized playroom, a big screen TV, and in addition to that, a huge Theater room 

complete with a projector with surround sound, and two rows of overstuffed couches and La-Z-boys.  

Yeah, did I mention how awesome this place was?

Still, even with all that, the kids couldn't resist a good book read by Grandma.
In this family, that's a classic kid magnet!

Bowling, yeah!

Notice my snazzy shoes I tried walking off with.  They caught me, of course.

"...Pinata-yata zing zing zing..."

A hike in the pouring rain to the other falls... but that's a story for another post.
(And yes, my husband is sporting a goatee, although this isn't the best picture of it.
He doesn't generally grow facial hair --or more accurately he hasn't been capable of it really--
but if it fills in, he's hoping it will make him look older for when he starts teaching again this fall.)

Yeah, it tuckered me out too.

Cousin baths are the greatest!

We'll be sure to remind them of this when they're older.
Maybe in front of their girlfriends.

Lots of good late-night adult time.  Getting to know each other better with Jeopardy,
80's trivial pursuit, and don't forget the annual family auction...

Our oh-so-talented auctioneer showing off his wares.

And The #1 part of family reunions:  

FAMILY!

(by definition really...)

The rest are just perks.

... and here's three really cute "perks," new to our family this year:

Man, I'm so glad I married into this family!

What a Guy!

I came home from shopping and running errands with the kids to find these on my table the other day. My husband had picked them while at work, and left them anonymously where I would find them (and yes, I didn't lock my door).  Aren't they beautiful?!  What a sweet guy.

(We won't mention the fact that the first person I suspected was my sister. --It just goes to show what a good arrangement he did, right?)

Progress

Not bad for a phone camera eh? Still, a new one is on its way. Yay!

Do you ever have those times when your life feels like you're walking up a 'down' escalator?  Or that for every two steps you take, you slide backwards one?

We went to the sand dunes for a small family outing.  It was fun, but man those last three yards to the top were about the end of me.  It was super steep, and with every step there was a mini avalanche that would bury my feet and shoes and I'd find myself standing just about where I started.  If I hadn't had the baby strapped to my front, I probably would have tried crawling on all fours.

Luckily, my wonderful husband (after already pretty much carrying the two boys to the top) was there to hold my hand and support me as we struggled together to the top. He didn't just cheer from above, or even just reach down and pull me up to join him.  He was right there next to me helping me, as he struggled to keep his footing as well, and together we made it.

Since our third child has joined us and I've been dealing with health issues, as well as possible post-baby emotional issues, life has felt like an uphill struggle.  Whether it's housework, or callings, or lifestyle changes, or keeping up with three kids ages four and under... my life often appears as an impossibly steep mountain that threatens to bury me with each step.
Luckily, I don't have to do it all by myself.
I've been so blessed to have a wonderful husband who isn't above helping me with what some may see as "my job."

He could come home from work and say, "Well, I've done my job, time to relax!" and scorn me for not doing my job very well because the house is messy or dinner's not ready right when he comes home.  Or he could see me floundering and piously think, "If we could only trade jobs for a day, I'd show her how it's done..." and maybe blitz the house for good measure to make it look clean (getting angry when it doesn't stay that way for very long) all the while acting like a martyr.

No, I am proud to say my husband is truly amazing. He is right there in the trenches with me.  He cleans, does laundry, gets up with the children and feeds them breakfast so I can sleep in, watches them so I can go grocery shopping alone, and he even reads them scriptures and puts them down at night.  (Sheesh, this is making me feel a little inadequate.  Just to be fair, I am usually feeding the baby at those times, and I'm the one getting up in the night with the kids).  He has even come to grips with his original misconceptions that once something is cleaned it will stay that way forever, and learned that 'my job' is an unending one.

I would feel really inadequate if I thought he did all those things better than I do, but he's so thoughtful and considerate of my feelings that he occasionally makes mistakes, like breaking dishes and setting stains and putting the kids in mismatched (if not each other's) clothes, just to make me feel better.  :)

Someday, I'll get back on top of things, and be able to help him be the amazing English professor that he dreams of being.  However, I'm so glad that he chooses to put his family first.  --and to all those students waiting for their unit one papers...  just be patient, he's a lot more lenient when he feels like he's neglected you, so no more whining.

Hey you.  Happy 6th anniversary.

A Good Man is Hard to Find

I know, this is one of those cheesy things that mommy bloggers do, and I hate to be so stereotypical... but this is my blog and I can do what I like with it. So there.

Here's the top ten things I love about my husband (as a father, since, it's Father's day, otherwise I couldn't keep it to ten.  I know --so cheesy.  Ha!).

From First-Time Dad...

10- He climbs up the million stairs over and over again to take the boys down the water slide at the pool so I don't have to in my pregnant state.

9- He's not afraid to take the kids to the store all by himself.

8- He involves the kids in cooking better than I do, and gets the kids to clean up in ways that are fun for them.

7- He encourages me to go on Girl's Weekends ...and they all survive just fine without me!

6- He changes diapers frequently --especially when I'm pregnant (and he doesn't ask how long the kid has been in it, even though I'm sure he suspects that I was just putting it off until he came home from work --which of course, I never do!--  ok almost never).

5- He is so creative in his play with the kids.  He loves showing them new things, making them laugh, and isn't against being silly or getting sweaty and tired to keep them happy.

4- He wakes up in the morning with them and feeds them breakfast on weekends to let me get a little extra sleep.

3- He doesn't mind entertaining our kids (plus whatever other kids are around) so that at family and social gatherings I can have a chance to visit with other adults.

2- He gets up super early (like 4:00 and 5:00am) to work on his homework and other things so that he can play with the kids and spend time with me when he comes home in the evenings.

1- He helps me sing the kids to sleep each night.

...To First Rate Dad

Over just 4 short years, what a wonderful father you have become. I Love You!