kiddos- coach ashlee- medals

Kids these days

So, I haven't been blogging much lately. I'm blaming it on the weather. Most time and energy these days get spent keeping little people around here busy, comfy, and entertained while it is 110* outside. Cartoons are the constant temptation. But we are leaving the TV off most of the day. We go swimming, like, twice a day. Our two weeks of swim camp are done. We are spending this week prepping for our 4th of July trip to Utah with Cori's family. Did you know that 2/3 of Phoenix evacuate for this holiday? (And I'm pretty sure half of that crowd goes to Utah.) We are pretty excited.

Here is some news from the ninos regarding their summer so far:

• Grace did really well in her swim lessons. She was swimming solo across the pool after week one (a great relief to her mama). Last week we had a swim play date at our house. There were a lot of kids. It was a bit crazy. She was insistant that she didn't need her floaties. She swam for three hours all over the pool. I kept asking her to take a little break, or to take the kick board out. But she was off. She was also asleep in about 10 seconds flat that night.
• She has been going to movie club with her friend, Kolby. The nearby theater does a little summer program where for $7 a person, you can go to a pre-released movie every week for 10 weeks. You have to choose a day of the week, and the showings are in the morning. I didn't want to interrupt Eden's morning nap (those naps are sacred around here) so I wasn't going to sign us up. But Grace got invited to go along with her buddie's family. It has been a big highlight.
• Girlfriend is up with the sun. Well, not really. The sun is up before 5. Grace is usually up around 6:15. :( At least we will be in the groove when school starts again. She knows not to come knocking and helps herself to some library books or cartoons until we open our doors.
• Speaking of books, her current favorite is a book she received years ago from her Aunt Sara titled, The Girls' Book: How to be Good at Everything. It is above her reading level, but she pours over its pages, guessing at what they are saying. She has it nearby at all times and anytime there is something to be done, she knows just the place to find out how to do it.

• Grant also did really well at swim camp. The swim program they did teaches kids to swim face down and then flip over and float on their backs when they need a rest and a breath. The motion is not only life saving, but it is beneficial to learning strokes down the road. Anyway, once he learned how to get his body floating he gained a lot more confidence about venturing around floaty free. My little heart got squeezed to pieces watching him in the first few days of his lessons. He was sad but bravely fought back a lot of tears. I actually saw him force himself to smile- very uncharacteristic. He was just so glad that it was finally his turn to be in lessons for something!
• He had me sign a letter to a grandmother with the following salutation: "Love me, because I like you. Grant."
• He wants to wear his "basketball clothes" everyday. Bball clothes consist of his BYU basketball jersey, or his BYU basketball t-shirt and some adidas shorts. His little nerf basketball standard is hanging on the hallway closet door where it sees A LOT of action throughout the day.
• Grant wants us to send him to break dance school. We have been talking lots about Grace starting ballet in August. And we have been watching So You Think You Can Dance. The kids get up and dance with every song and ask lots of questions about the different styles. Grant has decided that he is a b-boy. Sadly, they don't offer that at the rec. center.
• He draws maps for every outing. His life is a pirate treasure hunt.

• Oh, she is so scrumptious. Despite my most diligent efforts, Grace and Grant have strong tan lines. Not Edes. She is still a creamy white marshmallow of a baby.
• She is moving around like a regular biped along couches and coffee tables.
• Eden has become a great compatriot to her brother and sister. She happily follows behind or around whatever they are doing. I'm lucky to have a good little mommy in Gracie. She keeps Eden out of a lot of trouble.
• But not out of all the trouble. Eden leaves cute heaps of destruction in her wake- a little cabinet emptied here, a little pile of toilet paper there. She is curious and active. This girl can move across a floor. And she knows what she is doing. She responds and looks at me every time I say her name except when she is doing something she shouldn't.

summer so far

Teething, poor child

In our swim suits almost all day, nearly every day

at the park, Grace learned the hard way that bare legs + plastic slides = bad idea

Decorating projects

We bought a suite of office shelves/desk/cabinets off craigslist, repainted the office and finally got it all set up. We also painted out our front room in a deeper color. AND, after 7 years of looking and talking about it, we finally ordered some bedroom furniture. I'm eyeing a back splash for the kitchen next.

Girls' camp

Our ladies on kp capers. It was so great to spend those days with them.

Smiles {and a few Grant tears} at swim lessons

It has been a bit demanding on the schedule (lessons are mon-fri for two weeks) but worth it. Grace is loving being floaty-free and Grant is spending more and more time without his as well.

Fun gatherings

a baby shower for a friend. Don't you love the chandelier? I didn't make it, but it looks easy enough- it is made of strung paper doilies. We kinda wanted to keep it there in our kitchen.

Summer reading

the kids are working their way through the library summer reading program

I have read only 1 book this YEAR (for shame!) thanks to our many diverting magazine subscriptions I'm trying to keep up on. Travel and Leisure, Food and Wine, NatGeo Travel, Time, Bon Appetit, Outdoor Photographer, and of course, the Friend and Ensign to name a few.

Summer hair cuts

Ripening tomatoes

The birds peck them to pieces the very second they are ripe though... :[

Swim suits and sun hats at the zoo

Grant's monkey face at the new orangutan exhibit

splash pad fun

love this blue-eyed girl!

Tiki torches and night-time swims

Indoor campouts

They slept in their little igloo for nearly two weeks before tiring of it.

first date soup

8 years ago today I went on the last first date of my life. Cori and I had shared maybe one conversation previous to our date. I knew next to nothing about him. We spent the evening with 3 other couples. He convinced his roomies to get dates too. He asked me to bring a few recipes from home, and I copied this one from out of one of my mom's cook books. We all drew courses of a meal out of a hat and went grocery shopping. Then we cooked. Then he showed me pictures like these. Then we ate. Then we went mini golfing. Then he took me home. I closed the door and pressed my back against it. I felt different. Being with him felt magical, comfortable, and crazy familiar. It was so unexpected.

The next day was Sunday. I made a couple of notes on the recipe card and gave it to Cori at Church. Cori was kind and reserved. I didn't know what to think. That Sunday, the Stake was realigning ward boundaries and there was a big meeting after Church. I happened to sit next to one of the roommates who had been on the date with us. He had a ridiculous smile on his face and asked me what I thought about the date. This was pretty much the rest of our conversation:

Me: Why? What did Cori say?

Thomas: No. What did you think?

Me: I had a great time.

Thomas: Would you go out with him again?

Me: Yes. Absolutely. What did he say?

Thomas: ridiculous grin

Me: What did he say?!?

Thomas: If I told you, he would kill me.

Me: Thomas...

Thomas: Without much of a fight proceeds to tell me about the 3 hour conversation they all had after the date that night. In great detail.

It was the start of something great. Cori and I saw or spoke to each other every day that summer but one until I went back to BYU. Cori kept the recipe card in his journal, and it lives with our other family favorites now. It is on the menu tonight! Hurry home, babe.

Blessings

We attended the groundbreaking ceremony (via video feed in our stake center) for the Phoenix Temple yesterday. Oh, happy day! I sat, completely contented, with my sweetheart and our babies and was overwhelmed with a happy feeling of being in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. A very congenial and peaceful agreement was reached between the Church and the surrounding neighborhood and the event was completely protest free! The two year build now begins... Can't wait for it to be finished. Other blessings on my list lately:

• No school! We have been on summer break for a week now and I'm loving it. It is truly fantastic getting up in the morning without having anywhere we need to be. I've been busy with some home decorating projects (we repainted our front room and finally got furniture for the office). And I've also been very busy playing with the children. We donned our swimming duds to hit the splash pads at the zoo, and have been in the pool almost everyday.
• A new calling for me I am with the young women again! At last! I am serving as the Mia Maid advisor. This has been a huge blessing for me. Teaching the gospel makes me so happy and is a big part of this calling. I taught a couple of Sundays ago, and it was like a dry patch of my heart had received a long deep water. We have a fun group of girls AND I am going to GIRLS CAMP for a couple of days (!!!!!!!). So. Very. Happy.
• City living After living for a while in small little towns that were 60-90 minutes away from moderately small cities and a good 2-4 hours away from a REAL city, it is pretty nice living where we do. Last night, Cori and I went out to dinner in Scottsdale with friends and we looked at furniture and hit a Trader Joe's on our way home simply because it was all along our route. That kind of outing would have been weeks in the making in previous hometowns. We are loving the warm nights under the palm trees. Plus the Dbacks are having a pretty smokin' season so far. Phoenix is great.
• Freedom We are so very mindful of the price of our liberty and grateful for brave men and women in the military past and present. Wish I could have put a flower on my Grandpa W*'s grave site last Monday.

If you call and we don't answer...