A weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

We were treated to a quick visit from Michael's parents last weekend. It was so great to have them.

 That night they accompanied us to our ward spaghetti dinner. Henry wasn't too sure about these two new people, but when Grandma scooped him up and put him on her lap, he didn't cry but just looked at her curiously.

 The next day, they watched the kiddos while Michael and I attended the temple. It was so nice to be together there (normally we go separately so the other can watch the kids). And it was made even better when I ran into my roommate, Karisa, in the temple! That's the best place to run into people.

After the temple, we hung out with Michael's brother, David, and his wife, Char, and their kids. They are leaving for New Delhi, India next month for two years as David is now working for the foreign service. It has been so fun having them in D.C. for the past year or so--we are so glad that D.C. is their stopping point between posts so we can see them more than we otherwise would.

 Elizabeth and Clara enjoying something on a phone. Isn't this such a universal image--one kid holding a device while another looks on?

Grown-up conversation is so nice.

I asked if I could take a picture of their family--how often do you get someone to take a picture of your whole family?--and told them this was their pre-India picture. When they come home from India, they'll have one more--Char is due this fall with number eight. They are amazing. I'm excited to get a post-India picture!


We got the cousins to line up on the grass. Henry wasn't having any of the lying down business.

 On the way home, we stopped to visit a friend from church in a nursing home and had some frozen custard. I had never had it before--very creamy and yummy.

The fun visit was capped off with watching an uplifting movie, "Angel in the House," my doing some "parenting venting" and receiving some much-needed encouragement/counsel from them, and then hearing Grandpa tell the kids stories from his childhood and some from ancestors. Clara also enjoyed learning some French from Grandpa.

Thanks so much for coming!

Quick trip to Richmond

Two weekends ago, Michael had a conference in Richmond for continuing education, so we decided to tag along since he had the hotel room anyway. Sharing a room with two queens and putting Henry in the bathroom in a pack and play was an adventure, but the kids handled it pretty well and I feel like they are getting better at traveling. And hopefully I am getting slightly more laid-back.

This is one of those times when the pictures just show the happy times (which it generally was) but don't show the challenges. Henry woke up that morning with a fever and a cold--this one of a couple of times he has spent about 24 hours breathing quickly, like his lungs are constricted and he can't get enough air. He showed no distress, however, was relatively happy, and slept and ate fine, and although the signs pointed to bronchiolitis or something, the next day he stopped breathing quickly and his cold resolved a couple of days later. Very weird and concerning, but fortunately we didn't have to stop in at an urgent care center.

While Michael was at his conference, I took the kids to the children's museum at the Short Pump mall. It was small but the right speed to not have to worry about chasing the kids all over the place.

Robbie loved these tubes that spat out big pom poms and scarves.

This giant "sand pit" was a lot of fun for Clara, who enjoyed the sensory aspect of the texture (small pieces of rubber). Clara made friends with a five-year-old girl and they hung out together for some of the time, which was fun.

When we left the museum, we were surprised to see a little train that people could get tickets to ride and ride around the outdoor mall for a few minutes. We ate a picnic lunch and then we were all thrilled to be able to ride the train.

 Happy guy!

We enjoyed it, too!

Michael skipped out on the last couple of hours and we drove to downtown Richmond and walked along the James River. It was a little breezy but the sun was out, which was nice.

We crossed the Belle Isle bridge, which was the longest bridge I've ever walked on. Beautiful on both sides (this was a panoramic shot with my cell phone--had fun with the settings).

Clara was wearing boots (not the best walking shoes) and I was a little concerned about how far we were walking and wanting to be back in time for dinner, swimming at the hotel, and bedtime. I tend to be pretty clock-mindful. It can be a good thing (and generally I'm grateful for my ability to estimate time), but it also can be a hindrance. Michael is very patient with me when I do this "I think we should turn around now because the kids are getting tired" thing. (Again, should I blog only about the happy?) We decided we didn't have time for hunting around downtown Richmond (even though there are so many good food places there) and ended up stopping at Sonic on our way home. The kids were thrilled with that and Michael and I climbed into the back of the van so we could all eat together. Yummy shake!

Swimming at the hotel pool was a highlight. It was Henry's first time in the pool--he wasn't too sure at first but then really enjoyed it.

The saddest part of this trip, however, is that one of my main reasons in accompanying Michael was so that I could see my friend, Joy, and her new baby boy, Pierce. Because Henry wasn't feeling well, Michael watched him at the hotel. We could only stay for a little bit and I didn't even get to take a picture! He is beautiful and she has recovered from her fourth baby amazingly. So glad that we live close.

Weekend trips like this one are fun adventures!

Why I blog

As I am now in my ninth (!) year of blogging, I have pondered over the years the power of a photograph to shape a memory. Do we remember the experience through what is captured in that picture, or does the picture just bring to mind the experience? Does the way that I blog about an event affect the way I recall that memory later? I don't know.

Why do we take so many pictures? There are lots of reasons. I think we want to capture that moment and fear it will be lost if we don't take a photograph of it. Fear of loss is very powerful. We want to remember, treasure it. There are less noble reasons, too. Sometimes I take pictures out of obligation. Sometimes I take a picture to show off (even while convincing myself that I'm not trying to show off). In the day of social media, it can be confusing navigating the why of posting a picture. And why blog instead of post everything on Facebook or Instagram? Why Instagram and not only Facebook? What about my personal journal? How personal is too personal to blog? These are questions I've asked myself as I've tried to figure out where and what I post.

I don't recall all the details, but I remember this one family photograph (see above) where we met somewhere random (as I recall) so that we could get a picture with all my siblings that were scattered around the South. It was cold, and I remember some family members not being too thrilled, ahem, with the experience. The photo was taken, and it turned out fine. But I don't just look at the photo thinking, "What a nice shot." I remember the experience behind it. And I think that's a good thing because that is real. That is life.

My life isn't just the photo with the bed made and the floor clear and the kids smiling. My life is also before and after and what is going on in my head while I take the picture and what my kids are doing and what my husband is doing and feeling. I blog because I want to share myself, as simultaneously vain and vulnerable as that sounds. I blog because I feel compelled to record my experiences and thoughts. I blog because I want to increase other people's faith in the gospel and in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I blog because I want my children and my posterity to know who I am and to, maybe, identify with me and not feel so alone. I blog when I feel alone because I have a great desire to connect with others, particularly my family members, who are scattered all over the world. Facebook is a platform to share, and Instagram catches glimpses, but I blog because I want to share more of the story. And I also like that a blog is optional--you don't have to read it unless you want to, so I feel like I'm not pushing myself on people.

It might sound crazy, but in my own small and insignificant way, I hope that my blog is a fulfillment of Malachi's promise (Malachi 4:5-6):

And the hearts of the Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Whether I blog about a fun vacation, a challenging experience as a mother, or a unique opportunity for my children, I hope that my posterity can see the the photographs and the descriptions in their appropriate context--as only a portion of the real life that we experience each day. It is the person I truly am becoming--not just the person I am while blogging or that I appear to be on social media--who will be judged at the last day. Our social media will not be our defense--it will be our choices, our words, our actions, our desires, our true selves that will be evidence to our Father in Heaven of our lives on earth. 

So, I keep blogging in the hopes that somehow this will make a difference. And if for no one else, at least for me.

Henry at ten months

Time seems to be accelerating a bit lately, and Henry is growing and learning a lot. He is pulling up and seems to be able to stand without support, even though he hasn't tried on his own. He is getting very good at reaching and pulling things out, and he finds great satisfaction in pulling spice bottle out of the pull-out pantry, making a break for the toilet when the bathroom door has been left open, and messing with anything within arm's length. He can say "dadadada" and "nananana" and he just learned a couple of days ago to say "mamamama" although he doesn't use the words in reference to anyone/thing in particular. He loves it when Robbie plays with him, and he loves his Daddy, too. This is nice because Henry has also reached the separation anxiety stage and gets very upset when I leave him with a sitter. Henry really enjoys eating and gets mad when I don't share what I'm eating with him. He likes pasta, fruit, some veggies, bread, cheese, cereal, and meat sometimes.

Driving the fire truck at the Dream Come True playground on a chilly Spring Break day.

 We stayed in a hotel last weekend in Richmond while Daddy attended a conference. Henry enjoyed the pool, although at first he wasn't so sure.

We also had fun riding on the train at the Short Pump mall during our visit.

Henry has been sick quite a bit lately with colds. A couple of weeks ago he had a high fever for several days, and then finally the fever broke and the next day he had a rash all over--roseola. Poor guy. On more than one occasion he has had a fever and a runny nose and breathed rapidly for a day or more with his tummy pulling in and out. It has been concerning, but then it goes away. He is healthy right now, which is so nice. We sure love his smiles and laughs and his grunts and "words."