My Life With Four Guys

Little Utes

2012-02-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day from our Cute Utes!

This one's for you, G&G Marchant!

Saturday is a special day...

2012-02-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

...it's the day that we spend playing basketball!

Ty has been playing on a city rec league team since the beginning of January. It's especially fun because his friend, Isaac is on his team. Ty and Isaac's daddies are the coaches, too, which is pretty special.

Ty and his buddy, Isaac, who is moving to Arkansas next week. Oh we will miss him!

Matt has also been playing ball in the stake young men basketball league. So far, CF ward is undefeated!

And speaking of Matt and basketball, since he has been around he has taught our boys a thing or two about the NBA. It's not uncommon for Adam to come home from work and be greeted with, "Hi, Dad! I'm Lebron James!" Adam is less than thrilled about this since he and Matt tend to disagree on favorite NBA players/teams.

The boys look good in their ~~dresses~~ jerseys, don't you think?

But, really, what four-year-old do you know who knows about this many NBA players?

It leaves his daddy simultaneously proud and shaking his head.

Minivan Mom

2012-02-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

So, we bought a van.

We have been looking for one on and off for about a year. Last spring, we test drove a Nissan Quest, and I sort of fell in love. I determined that if I was going to get demoted from SUV to minivan (and yes, in my mind, that is a demotion), this was the one I wanted. After some serious thought, Adam and I decided last year to hold back, stick with what we had for a while, and wait a year or so until we really needed a minivan before making the purchase.

Fast forward to January 2012. Adam's car (which we bought the first year we were married) was having yet another mechanical problem. After getting a quote on how much it would be to fix it, we decided it wasn't worth dumping more money into. Adam didn't want to continue driving it with the problems it was having, though, because he was afraid it might just totally break down at any minute, and frankly he was probably right! We listed the car on craigslist, and in literally 30 seconds, the car was sold.

We were happy about that, but it also meant that we were a one car family--something that we have't been since 2007! So the hunt for a minivan began in earnest.

Then, lo and behold, within a day of each other, two Quests were posted online within our budget! We checked them both out, test drove them, and finally decided upon this one:

I am not crazy about the gold color, but the price was right and it is in almost pristine condition! And it has all the bells and whistles: leather interior, heated seats, dvd player, and a side door and trunk that open with the push of a button. What's more, Matt will no longer have to be smashed between the boys' car seats when we go somewhere with the whole family! And come June, when Baby Girl joins our family, we will still have ample space for everyone. That's one thing that I love most about this particular minivan as opposed to some others we have looked at--it is so, so roomy.
The boys are in love. Last time we bought a car, Ty looked like this:

So needless to say, it's a major novelty for them. Ty especially loves that he can open and close "his" door by pushing a button.
And me? I'm beginning to think maybe this isn't such a demotion after all.

My McKay

2012-02-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

I truly believe that McKay's very existence in my life is to serve a dual purpose. The first is to exasperate me and try my patient to the utmost limit. The second is to amuse me to no end! Seriously, the kid is funny. Today as the sacrament was being passed, McKay was looking at the Church History maps and photographs in Adam's scriptures. Except, he wasn't really looking at all the buildings of historical significance in the photos. In each picture, he was pointing with his little boy finger at the trees in the background, and whispering (very reverently I might add!), "Those trees! Those trees! Those truffula trees! All my life I've been searching for trees such as these!"
I was trying oh, so hard to focus and be reverent, but seriously. I was internally laughing my guts out!

When I picked my boy up from nursery, he greeted me with a, "What up, Mom?" Just the way he said it, in a low, I'm-so-cool voice, nearly sent me over the edge again.

I've been trying to do a better job at living in the moment, focusing on the little things that make me happy rather than wishing I was somewhere else, doing something else (or wishing it was the boys' bedtime!). Yesterday morning my boys were up at 6:45 AM, which is ridiculously early for them. One boy jumped in on each side of the bed, and I had the privilege of having McKay on my side. He lay so still, and the only sound he made was the smack-smack-smack as he sucked his thumb. We stayed that way for more than an hour, but I never fell back asleep. Instead, I relished the way he fit so perfectly in the crook of my arm, with his downy-soft hair rubbing against my cheek. It was heaven.

Why has Lord blessed me so abundantly, to allow this little man to be mine? He brings an unmeasurable amount of joy to my life on a daily basis. I'm quite sure that he will be the kid that makes Adam and I prematurely gray when he's a teenager, but oh, how grateful I am that I have him!

Day at the Museum

2012-01-31T16:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a free day at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and we had some friends invite us to tag along with them for the morning. Since we had never been there, and I have a hard time passing on anything free, we happily joined them. The boys had a blast! Though lots of the activities and exhibits were geared toward older children, there were plenty of things that fascinated the littles, too.

This man in the dino bones suit greeted us as we entered the museum. The boys thought he was awesome--until he turned his head toward McKay and opened his mouth! McKay hollered at him and very quickly backed away. He was quite leery of him the rest of the morning. Anytime he spotted the dino, even if he was nowhere in his vicinity, he demanded that I hold him.

There was a very cool Discovery Zone geared toward small children. This was a computerized paint table--painting with no mess! I could use one of those at home!

We also learned about outer space, animals, and dinosaurs. It was a great morning!

When we were tired and hungry, we busted out a packed lunch to eat with our friends, too.

Thanks Bird family for a fun morning, and for sharing your pictures with us, too (I forgot my camera). We loved it!

Just think...

2012-01-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

PINK!!!

Marchant baby #3 is a GIRL!! I didn't think it was possible for us to create girls, but apparently it is because we are having one! I will affirm the fact that if this baby had been a boy, I wouldn't have been disappointed at all, but I am over-the-moon-happy that it's a girl! I was so surprised and thrilled that I was actually crying during the ultrasound. Yeah--we are excited! Life is so, so good!

Weekend quotes by the Marchant brothers

2012-01-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

There were a few things said by my boys over the weekend that I just need to record. They can both be so silly sometimes!

When I came home from the gym Friday morning, my boys had just woken up. I went over to Ty, hugged him, and asked him how he was feeling.

Ty: (Dramatic sigh) "Pretty messed up."
Me: "Why are you feeling pretty messed up?"
Ty: "Mom, don't you know that when someone tells you they are feeling pretty messed up it means they are feeling pretty great?"
Me: "Oh, thanks for the heads up."

Later that day he came over to me, hugged me, and said, "Oh my sweet little darlin'. I love you." I had to crack up. I promise I don't call my children "sweet little darlin's, and I have no idea where he got that from. It was SO funny.

Yesterday getting McKay ready for church, he said, somewhat out of the blue, "Jesus is my very favorite guy." Love that.

And after I had picked him up from nursery and we were getting ready to head home, a man in our ward approached us and started talking to McKay. I said something about needing to go home and get him some lunch. McKay stopped me and said, "No, I already had lunch at nursery."
Me: "You probably had a snack, but I am sure they didn't feed you lunch at nursery."
McKay: "Yeah, they did. They really did."
Bro. Mortensen: (Laughing) "Did they give you a ham sandwich?"
McKay: "No they made us grilled cheese sandwiches."
Bro. Mortensen: (laughing harder) "Let me guess, with tomato soup, right?"
McKay: "Yep. Grilled cheese and soup. That's what I ate in nursery today."

We either have a compulsive liar or a really good storyteller on our hands. Let's hope it's the latter.

Life at 18 weeks

2012-01-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

It's official. I look pregnant. This morning as I was leaving the gym, the woman who works nearly every morning at the front desk asked me, "Hey, Meggin, are you pregnant?" After I responded affirmatively, she replied, "I was noticing as you were running this morning that you have a little bit of a tummy. And you work out way too hard to have a tummy. I figured you had to be pregnant." Uh, thanks, I think.
My sister always jokes with me that when I am pregnant I go for quite a while before I start to show, and then I just pop suddenly and look very pregnant. Well, folks, I have "popped." When I went in two weeks ago for my sixteen week appointment, I hadn't gained a pound. My doctor was a little worried and told me that I needed to "make sure I was eating enough." I went home and had a corn dog for lunch. :-) Whatever it is, the corn dog or the fact that I have been feeling well and not throwing up any more (hallelujah!), it is becoming increasingly apparent that I am housing a little person. I have been debating whether I ought to bust out the maternity clothes, but I am trying to hold off as long as possible on that one. My jeans still fit and I have a few non-maternity shirts that still look relatively ok-ish, so I will go with that as long as I can.
This little person has started moving around quite a bit in the last week and a half, too. That's my favorite part of being pregnant, at least up until the end when they are doing backflips at 3 AM.
Crazy that we will find out in just over two weeks the gender of this little bean! I'm still thinking it's a boy, but I still really, really don't care either way.

Our ever-growing family and our ever-busy lives

2012-01-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

What a whirlwind week and a half it has been! In addition to the baby who will be making its debut in just five months, we have added another family member. My youngest brother, Matt, has moved here from Utah and is now living with us. We are all excited to have him here, but it has been BUSY as we have prepared for his coming. The day after Christmas, we began the process of consolidating all of Ty and McKay's clothes and toys from their separate rooms into one bedroom to make space for Matt. This is of course in addition to trying to find space for all of the Christmas gifts from the day before, too. Let's just say it was a lot of work! Then we had to buy furniture for Matt, assemble the furniture, and arrange it in his room. By the end of the week, we had gotten everything done that we needed to, but we were seriously worn out. The boys are loving sharing a room and sleeping in bunk beds, though!

We had talked about hosting a New Year's Eve party, but ultimately, we were just too tired to think of doing that. Instead, the four of us just hung out at home, played a bunch of board games, and ate junk food. In the words of one of our favorite storybook characters, it was "perfectly perfect."

At the very late hour of 8:30 (which really is late for our kids!) we let Ty hit pots and pans on the front porch (McKay was long asleep at that point). He thought it was awesome!

Matt flew in from Utah on Monday morning. We had all the priests over that afternoon for lunch so Matt could start to get to know some of the guys before school started. The last couple of days have been spent getting him registered for school and seminary and buying those few last things that he needs. Today is the first day that I feel like I am hitting my stride at last. Everyone is getting into/back into their routines, and I am figuring out what our new "normal" looks like. It's definitely different, and in some ways challenging to be raising toddlers and a teenager at the same time. But we are happy and optimistic that this will be a good thing for everyone involved!

My year by the numbers

2011-12-31T11:30:00.000-08:00

First of all, I have to start off this post with a disclaimer that writing a post of this sort is kind of hard for me to do, mostly because I am afraid of what people will think of me. I don't want to appear egotistical or like a "show-off." But ultimately, I have to remember that I am writing this for myself and my own family, and this is kind of a big deal to me.

It's no secret that I enjoy running and that I faithfully log my miles on a daily basis. The Saturday before Thanksgiving, I tallied my miles and discovered that I had run exactly 700 for the year to date. I had exactly six weeks until the final day of the year (today), and I made a goal to run 100 more miles before the year ended. Well, yesterday I completed my goal and hit the 800 mile mark! And just for good measure, I ran three more miles this morning. :) So my grand total of miles run in 2011 is 803, and I feel pretty darn good about it! It's nearly 100 miles more than I did last year.

And speaking of last year, remember that cake that Adam bought me? Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised (but I was!) when he repeated the tradition last night:

He's so awesome.
I think I'm going into retirement for a little while. I might have another month or so left of running in me, but as I am starting to "show," I feel like running might become uncomfortable very soon. Elliptical machine here I come!

My second "number" accomplishment for the year is an idea I borrowed from my friend, Beth. She is an avid reader, and logs the number of pages she reads each year. I decided since I read quite a bit, too, it might be fun to try that, as well! So my grand total of pages read in 2011 is 11,993. That is strictly leisure reading; it doesn't include any gospel study (Ensign, scriptures, etc.). And just for fun, here is the list of books I read this year:

Book Title	Author	Date Finished	# Pages
Les Miserables	Victor Hugo	1/4/11	311
Outliers	Malcolm Gladwell	1/20/11	299
The Tipping Point	Malcolm Gladwell	1/25/11	259
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café	Fanny Flagg	2/5/11	403
Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters	Sully Suellenburger	2/13/11	340
Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!	Fanny Flagg	2/21/11	467
Inconceivable	Carolyn & Sean Savage	2/25/11	296
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet	Jamie Ford	3/5/11	290
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn	Mark Twain	3/12/11	220
Peace Like a River	Leif Enger	4/16/11	311
Ask Me Why I Hurt	Randy Christensen	4/30/11	265
Unbroken	Laura Hillenbrand	5/15/11	473
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks	Rebecca Skloot	6/4/11	369
Sarah's Key	Tatiana de Rosnay	6/9/11	316
The Virgin of Small Plains	Nancy Pickard	6/24/11	335
Midway to Heaven	Dean Hughes	7/9/11	225
Before the Dawn	Dean Hughes	7/15/11	297
Candle in the Darkness	Lynn Austin	7/23/11	431
Heaven is for Real	Todd Burpo	8/6/11	163
Journal of the Trail	Stewart Glazier	8/13/11	189
Please Look After Mom	Kyung-Sook Shin	8/16/11	237
Elizabeth Street	Laurie Fabiano	8/19/11	386
Boys Adrift	Leonard Sax	8/25/11	267
The Secret Life of Bees	Sue Monk Kidd	8/27/11	302
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson	Mark Twain	9/2/11	337
The Wind in the Willows	Kenneth Grahame	9/7/11	171
Caleb's Crossing	Geraldine Brooks	9/15/11	306
Gift from the Sea	Anne Morrow Lindbergh	9/16/11	134
Adrenaline	Jeff Abbott	9/20/11	400
Debunking 9/11 Myths	David Dunbar	10/15//11	107
The Forgotten Garden	Kate Morton	10/21/11	552
The Wednesday Wars	Gary D. Schmidt	10/31/11	264
Into Thin Air	Jon Krakauer	11/5/11	333
The Candy Shop War	Brandon Mull	11/12/11	404
Cheaper by the Dozen	Frank Gilbreth, Jr.	11/20/11	180
The Hunger Games	Suzanne Collins	11/23/11	374
Catching Fire	Suzanne Collins	11/27/11	391
Mockingjay	Suzanne Collins	11/29/11	398

Like how I didn't read anything at all this month? It's been busy. And truth be told, whenever I get free time lately, I am using it to sleep!
So, there you have it! My year in numbers. When I told a friend that I was doing this, she laughed and said, "So, you are recording both how active you are and how much time you sit around reading?" Yep, pretty much. But running and reading are two of my greatest hobbies. In fact, I worked simultaneously at Seagull Book and Foot Locker while I was in college--pretty much the perfect jobs for me.
Again, this is strictly for my benefit. I am not trying to compare myself to anyone else or be a braggadocio. It's just fun at the end of the year to look back and recognize that I did some pretty great things for myself--beyond the hundreds of meals I have prepared, the endless loads of laundry I have done, and the thousands of stories I have read to my boys. Not that those things aren't great, too!

Traditions

2011-12-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

And cue the Fiddler on the Roof music. Anyone else think of that song every single time they hear the word "tradition?" Just me? Ok then.

This was our fifth Christmas in Colorado, but the first that we have actually spent in Colorado (meaning the first time we haven't traveled to Utah over the holiday). We spent all of last weekend playing and playing. Adam had Friday off of work, and we took advantage of the fresh snowfall to take the boys out sledding. They loved it. Way more than I expected them to. Like for instance, when Ty totally wiped out and got a face full of snow, he came up laughing hysterically. Most kids would have been bawling, I think. Shoot, I probably would have been bawling if it happened to me. I actually thought McKay might be sort of wimpy about the cold, too (remember that he is my son!), but he did great! After watching Adam go down on his stomach on the sled, Mac said he wanted to do the same thing "by myself!" We were at a pretty steep hill, so we told him he had to be at least four years old before we would let him go alone. He yelled, "I am four! I'm big! I can do it!" So, we relented and let him give it a go. He rode face-first down that hill like an old champ, and shouted, "See?" when he reached the bottom. Little stinker.

Don't let those grumpy little faces fool you. They LOVED it!

After a glorious afternoon of napping and hanging out at home, my uncle, aunt, and two cousins drove down from Broomfield to spend the evening with us. We had a really, really nice visit with them. The boys were pleased as punch that they had a fresh "crew" to travel to outer space in their "rocket ship" with them. I was pleased, too. Those boys have dragged me all over the solar system in the last couple weeks! :) (Yes, Grandma, that spaceship is the box that you sent their Christmas presents in. Next year just skip the presents and send the box!!)

On Saturday morning, we kept our tradition of going swimming on Christmas Eve alive. No photos of that, though. Nothing like getting into a swimming suit to emphasize your ever-expanding mid-section. Yikes.
After McKay's (ok, and mine, too) nap, we headed to downtown Parker to do another of our Christmas Eve traditions: a carriage ride. It was a long wait in the cold, but somehow it's always worth it once it's your turn to get on the carriage. Then we warmed up with a delicious dinner at Texas Roadhouse. That's something we have never done on Christmas Eve before--but it might become a new tradition. Yumm-o!

Christmas morning was lovely. There is something about waking up in your own home on Christmas morning that's kind of awesome. We missed our families like CRAZY, but at the same time, it was really nice to just have a calm, relaxed morning without worrying about driving back and forth between grandparents' homes, etc. And with all the gifts from Santa, Mom and Dad, and both sets of grandparents all in one place, the boys had quite the time getting through the pile. Here they are showing off just how happy they are: :)

And this is right before church, all dressed up in their adorable Christmas clothes from G&G Marchant. I can't believe how big my babies are getting!

I LOVED that Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, and it was the first time all year long that I was grateful that our Sacrament Meeting started at 2 PM! It was so sweet to be able to be able to worship in church on Christmas--it really helped me to focus and remember what it's actually about--our Savior, Jesus Christ.
After church, we invited three other families over to our home for Christmas dinner. Everyone pitched in big time, and it was a most glorious feast! We had honey-baked turkey, ham, potatoes and sweet potatoes, stuffing, rolls, veggie and fruit trays, jello, bruschetta, green bean casserole, and pies for desert--and it was all prepared to perfection!

And here's a shot of the whole group, sans Adam who was taking the photo.

Since this was our first Christmas that we have stayed in Colorado, the having-friends-over-for-Christmas-dinner was a new tradition for us, but it's one we would like to continue in the future if we decide to stay put again! Anyone else in? ;)
It was a wonderful Christmas. It was definitely different than anything we have done before, but we totally loved it.

Christmas Serenade

2011-12-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

My boys want to share a few of their favorite songs from their Christmas repertoire with you. Enjoy!

My favorite part of this song is at 1:42: "It's not weared, it's wore!" He's totally my son.

Just to Clarify

2011-12-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

So, the number one response I have had when people find out I'm pregnant is, "Maybe you will get your girl this time around!" And that would be nice, I guess. But I'm not at all planning on it. And I really won't be disappointed at all if I find out we've got another Marchant boy heading our way. It's funny, actually. When I was pregnant with Ty, both Adam and I really wanted to have a boy. I thought McKay was a girl, but I was secretly really hoping for a boy the second time around, too--a brother close in age to Ty so that they could be best buddies and so we could re-use all those boy clothes. (And really--that has worked out perfectly!) This is my first pregnancy that I honest and truly don't have a preference on gender, although Ty is convinced that he needs a sister. We will find out the gender sometime next month.
The second question that I find myself getting asked repeatedly is, "How are you feeling?" Well, thanks for asking! But unfortunately, it's been a pretty rough go. I have found that it is paralleling my first pregnancy quite a bit, although I may be a tiny bit less sick than I was with Ty. For several weeks I was throwing up daily, sometimes multiple times a day, and I had a daily afternoon nap date with my couch! The past 2-3 weeks have gotten better. I will feel absolutely fine for five or six days in a row, and then I will have a really awfully sick day. But the good news is that those awful days are getting fewer and further between. I think I'm pulling out of it! Hooray for the second trimester!
I have also been asked quite a bit if I am still running, and the answer is yes. And yes, Rosemary, I have the approval from my doctor to do so! I have slowed down dramatically, though, in order to keep my heart rate at that magic number of 140 bpm. I find myself getting frustrated nearly every morning at the gym because of how long it takes me to get the miles in. But I am still very determined to hit the 800 mile mark this year, regardless of how long it takes me each morning!
Someone even asked me if I was excited to be having another baby. A fair question, really, for anyone who has heard me talk about how much I dislike being pregnant and even those first few weeks/months with a newborn. But the answer is YES! Sure, there are things I am nervous about and truthfully, not really looking forward to. But the timing was right and I have had a strong witness that this child needs to come to our family at this time. And to have another June baby--heaven! I have always said that that is the perfect time to have a baby. I am THRILLED!

Oh, baby!

2011-12-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's true. Marchant baby #3 is due June 12, 2012, my second baby to be due on June 12, and incidentally, Ty's fifth birthday. I am 14 weeks along. Truthfully, I'm a bit nervous to make the jump from two kids to three. But we are all very, very excited!

Christmastime is Here

2011-12-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday night, we had the fun opportunity to go to the Wildlife Experience and watch the Polar Express on the Extreme Screen. Some of our good friends from our previous ward rented it out for the evening, so it was a free night at the movies! In addition, Santa was there, so the boys got to sit with him and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Ty said he'd like roller skates (where did that come from?) and McKay asked for a Mater with a bomb inside. Not sure if Santa is going to be able to deliver on either of those wishes, but I'm sure he'll try. ;)

On Monday, we had an awesome family in our ward drop by unexpectedly. They caroled at our doorstep, and then gave each of our boys an advent calendar with little chocolates for them to eat each day. We LOVE this family--they have two boys, too, but they are something like 13 and 10. Their boys are always so, so kind to our kids at church, and they have given our boys all sorts of hand-me-down clothes and toys--so nice!!

We are definitely getting into the holiday spirit around here. If only I could find the time to write that darn Christmas letter...

Big Boy Bed

2011-12-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

My baby's not much of a baby anymore. Besides being practically potty-trained, he made the switcheroo from the crib to big boy bed today. McKay is more than a year older than Ty was when he started sleeping in a regular bed, but since McKay has never tried to climb out of the crib or anything, we saw no reason to make the switch yet. Next month, though, the boys are going to start sharing a room and sleeping in bunk beds, so we wanted to get McKay adjusted to sleeping in his own bed before moving him in with Ty.

"Thumbs up for being a big boy!"

Progress...

2011-12-05T12:17:00.000-08:00

McKay had his first accident-free morning today. Woohoo!! He is doing remarkably well. Here's his potty chart again, 72 hours since I last posted it:

He has made some serious strides in three days, and considering he has only been at this potty training thing for a grand total of four days, I am feeling pretty good about his progress!
I still hate potty training, though! It's not so much about cleaning up the mess, I just hate being in lockdown mode, feeling totally stir-crazy because I can't leave the house (not that I really even want to in this yucky 10 degree weather). It's also the constant stress of wondering, "Where is he right now? Is he going to ruin something if he has an accident right now? How long has it been since he last went?" Because at this point, I am still the one initiating the trips to the bathroom. He definitely still has a way to go before he will be fully trained.
I'm feeling good though. And I won't post a picture, because I don't think it's appropriate to put a picture of my boy in his undies on the blog, but there is nothing cuter than a 2-year-old in tiny boxer-briefs. :)

Here we go again...

2011-12-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

After potty training Ty, I have since avowed that it is the most unpleasant part of parenthood. Ty was actually pretty easy to potty train, too! I have been somewhat concerned about taking this step with McKay, not because I didn't think he could do it, but I wasn't sure if he would do it. He is the type of kid that wants to do things on his own timetable.

But yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and begin the process. As of last night, he had had four accidents (luckily only the wet ones!) and had actually gone on the potty once. Now, that may not sound all that successful, but I was actually feeling quite encouraged. I am almost positive Ty never actually made it in the toilet at all on his first day, so the fact that McKay did had me feeling pretty good! As of naptime today, he had gone four times on the potty and had just two accidents. I think he's getting it! I'm proud of him for doing so well, so quickly. Hopefully we just keep going up from here!

Thankful for a great trip (and to be home again!)

2011-11-30T16:11:00.000-08:00

We just returned home today after an extended (9 day) trip to Utah. It was a lovely trip, and I am kicking myself now that I took so few photos while we were there. I didn't get a single one of anyone on the Marchant side. Dang it.

This one was taken on our first or second day there. My cousin, Shane; brother, Matt; and Ty played baseball and football outside for literally hours. As in, about 4. On one of my excursions outside to see what they were up to, I found them like this. They were calling themselves the Rhino Brotherhood. Weirdos. :)

We had our big Thanksgiving meal at my parent's house. There were something like 30 people there. It was eclectic mix of family: my own siblings (except Josh and his family), my Dad's mom, one of his brothers and his family (including married children), both of my mom's parents, several of my mom's sisters and there children, and even some of my sister's in-laws. There were lots of family units represented, but it was a grand party!

We did a lot of just hanging out. We spent a fair amount of time on board games, Biggest Loser, and books. I read the Hunger Games trilogy. My guys got in their fair share of Dr. Suess with Matt.

And, though I don't have a picture of it, I need to insert an unprecedented occurrence that happened at Adam's parent's house. Every other Sunday night, my in-laws invite all their children and grandchildren over for Sunday dinner. With 25 people to feed (excluding us, since we obviously don't get to make it all that often!), it's a big deal. My mother-in-law does not do anything halfway, so it's always an enormous feast with copious amounts of food. Well, a few of us somehow convinced Rosemary that we should just have "Cereal Sunday," mainly so she wouldn't have to go through all the work of feeding all of us again right after Thanksgiving. It took some intense persuasion, but she finally relented. The idea was that each family would bring a couple boxes of cereal, and Rosemary would get a break. It was a grand idea, really. Until it backfired. She supplemented our cereal with an enormous fruit platter, bagels, cream of wheat, pancakes, and both orange and cinnamon rolls. So much for no work for Rosemary. :)

Yesterday (was it really just yesterday?!) the boys and I were able to meet up with a former college roommate of mine and her kids. We went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving point. The boys had a blast, and so did I, because I was able to catch up with my good friend while the kids played themselves out!

And last night my mom was attending a night class and my dad was teaching a night class, so we were left to our own devices for dinner. Matt and Ty had a hot dog roast in the fire pit in my parent's backyard.

Notice how Matt plays so prominently in the majority of the pictures I took? My boys adore him, that's why.

It was a really great trip, more so because we won't be there for Christmas, so we made the time count. I'm already kind of missing it, but I am ready to be back into the schedule and routines of our lives here. Next up? Potty training. I'm going to start tackling that one with McKay in the next couple of days. Wish me luck--I have a feeling I might need it!

A Dinner Conversation

2011-11-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

Ty: "Mom you are Lightning McQueen and I am the bad Professor Z. Watch out! I'm going to blow you up!"

Me: "Oh, no, please don't blow me up Professor Z!"

Ty then commences to blow huge breaths of air at me. After a minute, "Ha! I just blew you up!"

I love how literal kids are!

Talent Show

2011-11-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

The youth in our ward had a talent show for mutual last night, organized by the Beehive class. It was so entertaining! Somehow, Adam convinced me to sing a duet with him. I have to admit, I am pretty self-conscious about singing in public, not because I have never done it before, but because I really don't enjoy doing it. I feel like I have a great choir voice--I can hold my part and blend in in a crowd--but I don't think my voice is solo quality at all. So, this was kind of going out on a limb for me. Here we are, a la Tim and Faith, singing, It's Your Love.

Besides that little mess-up at the beginning, we felt decently good about the rest. And apparently the Beehives liked it, too--we came home with a second place ribbon. First place went to the YW leaders performing a hilarious skit--there was just no competing with that!

Sorry for posting this without permission, ladies! You knew we were recording it!

StacKING

2011-11-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

You know, as in the stacking king. That was my totally lame attempt at being clever. Fail.

But, really, McKay has been stacking everything lately. He says he's "building towers." And I think it's cute.

Today's tower was constructed out of books in Ty's room.

Ty took this picture.

That was the entire shelf of books, and had there been more, he undoubtedly would have tried to add them on. But still, that's a pretty tall tower for a two-year-old to construct singlehandedly. Can you tell how proud of himself he is?

Snow Surprise

2011-11-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night, I was on my way up to bed when I glanced out the sidelight window by our front door and was startled to see a large form on my front yard. Initially, I thought it was human, and I had that heart-in-your-throat reaction for a moment. But when I pulled back the curtain and really looked, I found this friend:

So obviously the work of young men from the ward. The following morning at our volleyball game, I singled a couple of them out and thanked them for the "friend" they left us. They denied it, but their huge grins told me I had nailed them. If this is as much trouble as they will cause on a Friday night, I think they're doing pretty well. :)

Another Awesome McKay Quote

2011-11-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

I spent this morning at the stake center coaching three volleyball games. Adam brought the boys to watch for a little while, too. Between games, Adam was hitting with some of the kids in our ward out on the court. McKay came to me and asked if he could go out on the court and play, too. I told him that if he went on the court while the big kids were playing he was apt to get leveled. His response:

"But I am a volleyball player, Mom. I NEED to play."

My shoulder-less boy

2011-11-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

All bundled up in his heavy winter coat for the first time this year, McKay says with great concern in his voice, "I don't have any shoulders!"

Me: "Yes, you do, sweetheart, they are just hiding inside your big coat."

McKay then sticks his hand down the neck of his coat, feels one of his shoulders, and says, "Oh yeah! That's good, huh Mom?"

I sure do love that little boy!

Halloween Festivities

2011-11-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

This post is apt to be huge, considering I am lumping all of our Halloween festivities into a single post. Consider yourself forewarned.

Last Monday night, we participated in the annual Kaiser Family Pumpkin Carving Contest. This is something my family has done for probably five or six years running now. And there is certainly a good incentive to participate--a $20 cash prize! We always email pictures of our carved pumpkins to my family, and they email us theirs, so we can all see each other's and cast votes. This year McKay wanted a Tow Mater pumpkin:

And of course Ty chose to do McQueen:

By the end of the night Ty was a mess. That tends to happen when he stays up late!

But in the end I guess it was worth it because Ty was the winner this year! He was thrilled when his cash prize arrived:

And just in time, too. He bought the new Cars 2 DVD with his winnings. Appropriate, I suppose, considering his jack-o-lantern. ;)

On Thursday we went to a special Music Makers, where all the songs were Halloween-themed and the kids got to trick-or-treat to each Mommy! The boys loved it, but I didn't get any pictures.

Friday we invited our entire Sunbeam class to a party at our house. Sometimes I think I must be a little crazy. Nine 3- and 4-year olds. Yikes! I was grateful a couple of the moms stayed and helped out--it could have been pretty wild all by myself!
We played pin the head on the skeleton:

And a fun game called Grab the Ghost:

Then we did the pumpkin beanbag toss.

And we finished off by decorating cookies.

I would say it was a success!

On Saturday we had our ward party. There was dinner, carnival-style games, and a trunk or treat. And I just have to add this in here: one of the games was a shooting range where the kids could shoot monsters with nerf guns. Ty had the best score of the entire night, of any age kid! He shot down all six monsters in just four shots. Apparently he was acting well his part of Woody!
Here are the boys checking out their loot after the party:

On Monday Ty had a party at preschool. Daddy was able to get off work early so the two of them could go together. It worked out perfectly that way--McKay and Mom got a good nap in to prepare for a late night of trick-or-treating!

After a dinner of mummy dogs (which the boys LOVED!!), we went trick-or-treating around the block. The weather was perfect, and it was a lot of fun, although Ty commented at the end of the night, "Wow, trick-or-treating really wore me down tonight." Love him!

YEE-HAW!!

The boys finished the night with hot chocolate in pumpkin cups that G&G Marchant sent in their Halloween package.

It was a LOT of Halloween this year. My friend Beth cleverly coined the term "Halloweekend" to describe all the time we spent celebrating--and it's certainly a fitting word. I am pretty Halloweened out, I would say. But we spent this chilly, snowy morning getting all our Halloween decorations down and Thanksgiving up. Crazy that Thanksgiving is just three weeks away!

Unadulterated Autumnal Bliss

2011-10-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as leaf jumping.

2011-10-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we participated in a group date with several of the priests and laurels in our ward. Adam had mentioned to the priests that we would be willing to host something like this if they were interested. The YM planned the entire evening, with no help whatsoever from Adam.

We began the night with some beach volleyball, which, in my mind, was the perfect activity--an extra volleyball practice! Did I ever mention that I got called to be the YM/YW volleyball coach in addition to my primary calling? Well, I did. But I tried to back off on the coaching on Saturday. After all, we were on a date, and it was just for fun. And it was really fun!

When it was too dark to see the ball properly, we headed to our house for some graham cracker haunted house-making. The guys had gathered all sorts of candies, cookies, and icings to decorate with, so the possibilities were nearly limitless! I loved the amount of creativity exploding in my dining room! We have some pretty talented young people in our ward!

Here's the group as we were just getting started:

And here are the finished products. Brilliant!

Here's Adam showing off our combined masterpiece--complete with pumpkin patch, graveyard, and some spooky Halloween characters.

A close up of our ghost (and if you look closely you can see a noosed gummy bear. Yep, I was feeling a little gruesome right then).

And this was my proudest creation of the evening, little Franky. And all this time you thought I wasn't creative!

We had a super fun time! It was a little weird to think that we have been on group dates with some of these kids' parents, but that's the awesome thing about our position in life right now. We can be friends with the middle-age couples and their kids!

Flat Acres Farm

2011-10-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago Ty came to me while I was sitting at the computer and asked, "Mom, will you post me up?" "Do you want me to play basketball with you?" I responded, thinking that was what he was referring to. "No, Mom, I want you to post me up some new pictures of me," he said in a frustrated tone. "These Hawaii pictures have been on here for a long time."

It's true. I haven't had much of a desire to blog since posting the Hawaii pictures, mostly because it seems like nothing in regular life has been blog-worthy after all of that! But, I think I am finally ready to move on.

So yesterday we took a family excursion to Flat Acres Farm. There wasn't quite as much to do as there was last year, but the boys (and Adam and I!) still had a really great time.

There was the hay bale maze

Which was a little tricky!

The snake tunnel

And of course the corn maze! In the middle of the corn maze was this cool hay jump!

McKay was thrilled to make it out of the maze (notice how he is clutching the map, he was giving us "directions" the whole time!)

There were tubs of corn to play in

And a tractor-pulled hay ride

There were some fun photo-op spots

And a giant game of Jenga

Which McKay knocked over. Surprised?

And at the end of our visit, each of the boys got to choose a little pumpkin.

Then when we got home, there was a Halloween package from G&G Marchant (yep, the same ones who just sent us on a trip to Hawaii. Because that certainly wasn't enough!!). The boys got Halloween crafts, toys, balloons, and their very own candy jars filled with treats. It was heaven for them!

We are definitely getting into the Halloween spirit around here. Such a fun time of year!

Marchant Family Pictures: Sunset Beach, O'ahu, 2011

2011-10-10T12:42:00.001-07:00

These pictures make me happy.

Saturday: Wrapping it Up

2011-10-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning Adam was up early to watch one last sunrise over the ocean with his mom. I joined him not too much longer after the sun rose for a beautiful stroll on the beach together.

Then I headed inside to do this little lady's hair for the day:

I had been wanting to do her hair all week long, but we were so busy, it didn't happen until the last day. It was so fun, and she looked so beautiful!
We got our last Hawaii breakfast at McDonald's. :)

And then we headed back to the house to get everything packed up and cleaned up by 11:00 AM. The kids got their last games of ping-pong in, too. ( I so wish I had taken more pictures like this, by the way. Just hanging out at the house together. That was a great part of the vacation!)

After leaving the house, we went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

And we got Dole Whips. Yumm-o.

We ultimately decided not to take the tour of the gardens, because it was really expensive and we didn't think either we or our children would enjoy it that much. So instead, we bought more souvenirs at the gift shop and watched a pineapple demonstration:

This lady taught us how to select a ripe pineapple based on color, smell, softness, etc. Pretty interesting.

Doug and Heather were so kind as to let us hang out at their house and watch the U of U football game during the afternoon. Then we headed down to the vicinity of the airport and had dinner with the whole family at Ruby Tuesday.

Next, it was off to the airport.

This is probably about half of all our luggage. Heather requested a photo of the luggage, and this is about as much as we could get together at once during the bustle of trying to get 29 people through the airport.

Last came the painful goodbye as we bid farewell to Hawaii and our wonderful Marchant family who were all catching a different flight home to Utah. We took a red-eye to Denver and arrived home Sunday morning.

This was truly the trip of a lifetime. At the beginning of the vacation, Rosemary said, "I hope you don't all hate each other by the time this is over." But I can honestly say, at least for me, that the absolute opposite happened. I have a deeper love and appreciation for Adam's parents and the rest of the Marchant family. We made memories that we will treasure forever. We feel blessed beyond measure to belong to such a wonderful family and to have had these amazing experiences together!

Friday: Parasailing and Laie Temple

2011-10-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Friday morning Greg and Susan watched our kids so we could go parasailing with Adam's youngest brother, Bryan.

Adam going up!

Diamond Head as seen from the boat

Honolulu, HI

Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous at all before going up, and as it turns out, there was absolutely nothing to be nervous about, anyway. Parasailing was much less of a thrill ride than I expected it would be. It was sort of like being on a playground swing, just several hundred feet in the air. It was really calm up there, though, not fast or crazy like I expected it would be. But the view, as expected, was phenomenal. I'm really glad we went; it's something I can check off my life to-do list, but I probably wouldn't pay to do it again.

Later that afternoon, we saw a beautiful rainbow over the ocean. Again, photos can just never do it justice.

Friday night Doug and Heather, along with two girls who are students at BYU-H, came to the house and babysat all sixteen kids so all the adults could attend a temple session together. Talk about a great way to end a trip to Hawaii. Wow. It was pretty special to be in the temple with Adam's parents, all of his brothers, and all of their spouses. Adam and I don't go to the temple too often together at home--we take turns so we don't have to get a babysitter for the kids. So it was great to have that time together, particularly in the Celestial Room where we were able to discuss specific spiritual promptings we had received.
I also absolutely loved sitting together with my mother-in-law and my four sisters-in-law, all dressed in white. I am so grateful for them and the women and mothers that they are. One of the things I miss the very most about living in Utah is the time after Sunday night dinner at G&G Marchant's home, sitting in the living room and chatting with all the Marchant women. I love Adam's brothers--they are collectively among the best men I have ever known--and they are all matched by amazing women. It was a wonderful privilege to be with them in the temple. It was the pinnacle of a most memorable week.

I had hoped to get a picture of all of us together at the temple, but it didn't happen. :( We were in a hurry on our way in (getting out of a house filled with our collective 16 children on time is much easier said than done!), and after our session some of us stayed for a sealing session, while others went home. So we didn't get a photo. But, regardless, I will always remember what a special night we had.

Thursday: Hanauma Bay and Diamond Head

2011-10-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

We spent Thursday morning at Hanauma Bay, which is known as a world-class snorkeling site. Something that I learned on this trip is that I LOVE snorkeling, which was a little surprising to me considering I don't love to swim. I seriously wish we lived close enough to a place where I could go all the time; it would definitely become a favorite hobby of mine if that were the case. It also made me think it might be worthwhile to get scuba certified. If I love snorkeling this much, I think scuba diving would be absolutely thrilling for me.

Anyway, Hanauma Bay was lovely. It was a perfect place for us, really, because there were practically no waves at all, which made it an ideal beach for the kids. They played on boogie boards and had fun together while the adults and some of the older kids took turns snorkeling.

The dark spots in the water are coral reef, and it was absolutely teeming with all sorts of tropical fish.

Sean had a waterproof case that you could put your camera in to take underwater photos, and he was kind enough to let me borrow it. So I snapped all these photos on one of my excursions out to the corral. It was nearly impossible to see what you were photographing through the case, but I felt fortunate that I got so many decent shots, anyway.

That iridescent-rainbow fish on the right was (in person) the most beautiful type of fish I saw all day

And Greg took these two:

"Erik's Turtle"

"Emma's Shark"

I didn't see any turtles or sharks, (I did see an eel!), but I was happy that my niece and nephew did!

After becoming excessively sunburned, hungry, and exhausted, we took off.

It took McKay all of about 10 seconds to zonk in his carseat.

Even though we were tired, we didn't feel like we could go all the way to Hawaii and not hike Diamond Head. It's very close to Hanauma Bay, so we decided to check it out before heading home. We left the sleeping McKay in the air-conditioned car with Susan (who also had sleeping children), and Adam, Ty, Greg, Bryan, and I made the hike.

Right at the end, there was a ridiculously steep staircase leading to the summit.

This is how Bry felt about it:

But it was well worth it. The view from the top was breath-taking.

Honolulu

It was a fabulous day. It was utterly exhausting, and I went to bed way early that night, but we made some awesome memories at Hanauma Bay and Diamond Head.

Wednesday: Pearl Harbor and Swap Meet

2011-10-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday we drove down to the south end of O'ahu to visit Pearl Harbor. The scenery on the way down was to die for. These were taken out the window of our Jeep:

So much beautiful green. And as a sidenote, because it is so green, we expected to encounter more rain. The weather while we were there was perfect, though. It rained some overnight, but I don't think we got any rain at all during the day.
We were the first of the family to arrive, so we procured tickets for everyone ("29 tickets? Are you serious?!") and walked around some while we waited for our tour to begin.

My guys in front of the USS Bowfin Submarine

The anchor from the USS Arizona

View from the Visitor's Center, The USS Missouri and the USS Arizona Memorial. The treaty to end WWII was signed on board the USS Missouri, so these two boats are symbolic of the beginning and the ending of WWII.

There were a couple of really nice museums that we were able to visit before we began our tour. Unfortunately, we didn't get to enjoy them all that much because McKay was being a stinker.

Then we took a ferry out to the USS Arizona Memorial. It was a very somber place.

The memorial was built directly over and perpendicular to the USS Arizona, so you could look over the deck and see parts of the submerged ship.
There were a few pieces of the ship that protruded from the water, too.

And a memorial wall to honor the soldiers that died there.

The USS Missouri, as seen from the memorial

Survivors of the crew of the USS Arizona are given the option of being interred in the ship with their shipmates.

Bryan and all the grandkids, or as Adam put it, "All the single Marchants"

Visiting Pearl Harbor was pretty special, but I don't think I would ever choose to return there with toddlers! It's not a particularly kid-friendly place. Add to that that McKay had a major meltdown at the memorial, and it wasn't necessarily my finest Hawaii moment!
After we were done visiting Pear Harbor, some of us headed over to Aloha Stadium to check out the Swap Meet that is held there. Bless his heart, Adam took both our kids and Greg and Susan's two youngest kids home by himself, so G&S could hike and I could shop. Four kids four and under is a lot for anyone to handle, but don't feel too bad for him. All four of them fell asleep in the car, and the two youngest stayed asleep after transferring them to their beds. Thank goodness; I was a little worried about him!
The Swap Meet was HUGE!! There were bazaar-type booths circling the entire perimeter of Aloha Stadium. It was a great place to get very inexpensive souvenirs. 7 T-shirts for $20? Yes, please! A couple of my sisters-in law and I went a little crazy!

Angie, Me, & Michelle at the Swap Meet

See those cute purses in the background? Michelle tried to convince me to get one, and I am still kicking myself that I didn't.

Tuesday: Turtle Beach and Waimea Bay

2011-10-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was one of my very most favorite days of the entire trip. We started the morning off at Turtle Beach, aptly named for the numerous Green Sea Turtles that like to hang out there. I was dying to swim with turtles in Hawaii, and this excursion did not disappoint. Besides the presence of the turtles, though, the beach was absolutely pristine, and not crowded at all.

It was Doug's day off of work at BYU-H, so he and Heather and their cute twinners joined us, and we took turns snorkeling. I had gone snorkeling with Heather on Saturday, but the snorkeling at Turtle Beach was so much better. Adam and I went out first, and it wasn't long before I looked down and saw a giant turtle just a few feet under me. I surfaced, whispered to Adam, "Turtle! Right under me!" and we both went down again. He was literally just an arms length away, and we just hung out and admired him for a few minutes. He was beautiful. Then, he surfaced, right next to Adam. It was so awesome! I wished so bad right then that I had an underwater camera. I didn't though, so you'll just have to trust me that it was incredible.
Later up on the beach, we saw a whole bunch of turtles in the water eating lunch. Every time a big wave came ashore, we could see eight or nine turtles inside it.

Bryan takes a break from snorkeling

Doug and Heather's cute twins

After we had gotten our fill of turtles for the morning and had some lunch on the beach, we drove about 10 minutes down the coast to a town called Hale'iwa. There's a shave ice place there named Motsomoto's that we were told was an absolute must-do while we were in O'ahu. Oh. My. Goodness. So, they start with ice cream in the bottom, then the shave ice, and finish it with sweetened condensed milk poured over the top. It was divine. I could have eaten nothing but that the entire time we were there and been completely happy about it. The boys loved it, too. In fact, the rest of the trip, Ty asked about a dozen times a day if we could get another shave ice. It was really that good.

Our last stop before heading back to the house was Waimea Bay, to do some cliff jumping. While I wasn't terribly interested in that, it was on Adam's Hawaii bucket list.

Once we got there and I watched Adam and Doug jump, I got to thinking. How often do you get to go to Hawaii, anyway? And how often do you get the chance to jump off a massive rock into the Pacific Ocean? I decided to give it a go. It took me a long time to actually make the jump once I was up there, though. It may not look all that high from the ground, but from the top it sure seemed like a long way down!

Do you like that it took me like 5 minutes to jump, and it took Adam all of about 2 seconds? Or that I totally screamed on the way down? I did it though, and I earned the title of the only female Marchant to make the jump (although I have a feeling that if Susan was there, she might have joined me!).

After we all jumped, we saw this sign:

Oopsie.

I spent the afternoon chilling at the house (blogging) while McKay napped. Ty and Adam, along with some other members of the family, took a little hike.

Stopping for a drink

Wow. What a day. One of my best ever.

Monday: Polynesian Cultural Center

2011-10-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Monday we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), the single thing that I had been most excited about doing during our visit to Hawaii since I found out we were going last December.

Neither Adam and I had any idea how vast the PCC was. Upon entering, we were provided with a map of the center. Adam's response: "It's like Mormon Disneyland!" I knew that there were villages representing each of the major Pacific Islands, but I just didn't expect it to be so huge! The first village we entered was Samoa, where we were greeted by this guy:

Each of the villages also had shows and demonstrations that they did throughout the day, too. In Samoa, we learned how to make fire, how to husk and crack a coconut, and how to extract the coconut meat and milk.

This guy was hilarious! His demonstration was SO entertaining!

After cracking a coconut in two, our Samoan friend called Adam up on stage to drink the coconut water with him.

Ty got a try of it, too!

We then watched another Samoan man shimmy up a coconut tree!

After we were done at the Samoan Village, we watched a canoe pageant where each of the islands was again represented through dance.

We got to try coconut bread in the Tahitian Village, and we got the recipe to take home. I will be trying it out soon!

We spent the better part of the rest of the day in the Fiji Village, where they had lots of fun activities for kids.

Here's a little clip of the boys learning a dance from Fiji. Ty was totally inhibited, but McKay did his best to channel his inner islander! :)

After a whole day of checking out the villages, we were treated to a Hawaii Luau feast! We gorged ourselves on Kalua pig, pineapple, fish, taro bread (it was purple, which was a little trippy, but SO good!), and all sorts of other Hawaiian delicacies. Yumm-o!

Luau Entertainment

Then after dinner, we were privileged to watch the night show, Ha: The Breath of Life. It was incredibly well done. We had second row seats so we got an up-close view of the awesome performance. McKay zonked after a long day with no nap, but even he couldn't sleep through the incredible fire dance at the end of the show. It was brilliant!

Our family post-performance with the show's main character

We loved our day at the PCC. There were a couple of things that surprised me, though. First, as I mentioned, was how huge it was. Second, though the PCC is owned by the Church, I never saw the Church's logo there or heard the name of the Church mentioned even once. Yes, it was stated several times how the majority of the performers and workers there were students at BYU-H, and this was supporting their education, so I guess you could make the connection if you knew to. I was just surprised that the Church's name wasn't more prevalent there.
This was a definite highlight of the trip for us. So glad we were able to visit the PCC.

Sunday: Church and Laie Temple Grounds

2011-10-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

We're back, and I'm seriously behind. It's going to take me some days to blog about all our Hawaii adventures. Bear with me.

The great debate the day before we left for Hawaii was whether or not to pack church shoes for the boys. We were trying to pack lightly (we only checked ONE suitcase between the four of us) and I thought it would be cute for the boys to wear flip-flops to church while we were there, since that is the only time we would ever allow them to do that. In the end, I won that debate, because I was the one doing the packing!

So, here are my boys before church, wearing ties and flip-flops. I'm kind of obsessed with this picture. Island culture, baby.

And one of the family:

After church we drove over to the Laie Temple and walked around the grounds. Oh, so beautiful. I've seen other temples that are as picturesque, but never grounds that were so gorgeous.

Here's the entire group, all 29 of us!

And another of our fam:

At the top of the temple are four gorgeous friezes. In the waiting room, there are miniature duplicates of them. A temple worker explained to us that each of the four standard works are represented in the friezes. They were awesome.

The Marchant men (pretty handsome group, huh?)

And Dwight with the Marchant ladies

It was a nice, relaxing Sunday in Hawaii. We went to Sunset Beach on Sunday night and took family photographs, but those deserve a post in and of themselves.

After we returned from taking pictures, the majority of the grandkids decided to jump in the jetted tub in the master bathroom. The thing was mammoth--three shower heads and who knows how many jets. It was nothing to put 10 kids in there.

Then Sunday night we did a family fireside. We began by having the grandkids sing a couple songs from this year's primary program. This picture is dark, but it's all I have.

Then each of the Marchant sons and their wives took a few minutes to express gratitude to Dwight and Rosemary for the vacation and for being so great! It was a really special part of the trip!

Saturday: The Backyard Beach

2011-09-28T02:10:00.000-07:00

We were up really early on Saturday monring. Like 3:15 AM early. Which, technically, was 7:15 Colorado time, but I figured with a long day of travel and a late night the night before, the kids would sleep in a bit. Ah, well. After listening to McKay sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and I'm Trying to be Like Jesus until about 6AM, we were up for the day. The good news at least was that we were able to watch the sunrise over the ocean. It required all of about 10 steps into the backyard to have a perfect view. In a word: breathtaking. The photos will just never do it justice.

The back side of our beach house

We spent the better part of the day Saturday playing on the beach in the backyard. I had my first ever snorkeling experience with my cousin-in-law, Heather. I seriously loved it. I just wish I had an underwater camera. Just trust me that it was awesome. Until Heather got stung by a jellyfish on her hand. Though she said it hurt like crazy, she was a total trooper and kept right on snorkeling!

My Little Surfer Dude

Seriously, this kid LOVES the ocean

He's was a regular Tarzan on the rope swing, too.

He learned it from his Uncle Sean.

Or maybe his mother?

Yep, Ty was loving his life!

Meanwhile, McKay spent a lot of time doing this:

He actually was enjoying the water until a big wave knocked him over. Then he was done.

My father-in-law rented a kayak for the week, so Saturday afternoon was also spent taking turns rowing out in the ocean.

Did I mention that Ty had a really great day?!

Uncle Spencer also helped some of the kids construct a huge sandcastle,

Which evolved into a volcano. And no volcano would be complete without some diet coke and mentos, right?

We didn't think so, either.

The guys rounded out Saturday night doing some guy stuff. 6 brothers in 1 house = plenty of ping pong and arm wrestling.

There was much debate in the family about what the caption for this photo should be. In order to remain in my brother-in-law's good graces, I will not mention who won this particular arm wrestle. Happy, Greg?

It was a red-letter day. Absolutely perfect. Almost, anyway. I forgot to mention that Ty consumed approximately 40 vitamins on Saturday morning. He asked me around 9AM if it was lunchtime yet, so I knew he was hungry, but was distracted doing something else and didn't get him a snack. A few minutes later, he said to me, "I ate many, many vitamins." Upon inspection, I found that he ate the entire bag of gummy vitamins that I had brought (2 vitamins a day per boy x 10 day supply). There was a bit of panic on my part, but after Adam called a Kaiser RN and Michelle called a local pharmacy (who in turn called poison control), we were assured he would be fine. Thank goodness there was no iron or flouride in those particular vitamins! It didn't seem to bother him a bit. Thank goodness.

ALOOOH-HA!

2011-09-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

Aloha from beautiful Hawaii! As I am typing this, I am gazing out at the crystal blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, just 40' away out the back door. It is incredible! The last four days have been among the most amazing of our entire lives. It will take me a very long time to get it all recorded, so I decided to start now, while McKay is napping and Adam and Ty are hiking. Yep, life is good!

These next several posts are going to be extremely photo-heavy, and for that I make no apologies. As this may likely become the only scrapbook we ever have for this vactation, I am going to load it down with the pictures!
Our vacation began with a 7-hour direct flight from Denver to Honolulu. The rest of the Marchants flew from SLC to Denver, and then all 29 (yes, you read that correctly) of us flew on the same flight to Hawaii. I have to say, the flight was far better than I anticipated it would be. There were a few rough patches, to be sure, but the kids did remarkably well for how lengthy the ride was.
In true Rosemary fashion, my awesome mother-in-law didn't go halfway on anything, and gave each family their own bright color of T-shirts to wear while we were traveling. Kind of fun.

Lei Greeting at Honolulu Airport

The Whole Group

As it turns out, the colored T-shirts were a life saver. We lost one of the Marchant brothers and his family after leaving the airport. He didn't have a cell phone on him and he didn't have the address of the place we were staying. The only information that he had was that we were planning on stopping at a Costco on the way to the beach house to pick up groceries. So he used his GPS to locate Costcos in the area, and he found us at the third one he stopped at, thanks to our bright shirts. Good thinking, Rosemary!

Arriving at our home in Paradise!

After a long day of traveling, the boys fell asleep in the car on the way to the rental house. We brought them in and changed them into pajamas, and through the entire process, they did not crack open an eye.

Adam's cousin, Doug and his family, are on Oah'u this semester doing an internship at BYU-H. We were happily SHOCKED to find out that they live literally two doors down from the house we are renting. According to Google maps, it takes 24 seconds to travel to his house from ours. Um, awesome! What are the chances of that?! We met up with them briefly on Friday night after all our kids were asleep. Doug's cute wife, Heather, hand-made us all plumeria leis. They were gorgeous and smelled like heaven!

Try to Remember

2011-09-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

Try to remember the kind of September

When life was slow and oh, so mellow.

Try to remember the kind of September

(Photo Courtesy of Beth G.)

When grass was green and grain was yellow.

Try to remember the kind of September

When you were a tender and callow fellow,

(Photo Courtesy of Beth G.)

Try to remember and if you remember, then follow.

Lessons Learned from "Hair CUTastrophe"

2011-09-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

General Advice: If in your marriage, one spouse is a Utah fan, and the other spouse is a BYU fan, it is highly recommended for the former to specifically prohibit a haircut performed by the latter on the day of the Utah-BYU game :).

Just imagine what my head might have looked like had the haircut occurred after the game :). Go Utes!!

I told Meggin on Saturday that someday this would become a laughing matter, but that Saturday would not be that day. We're all good now. Love ya Meg! Here's to many more haircuts.

Hair CUTastrophe

2011-09-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

At Adam's request, I gave all my guys a hair cut on Saturday night. None of them really needed it too badly, but Adam thought it would be nice to have a fresh cut before the big trip this week. But, alas, disaster struck in the Marchant home. As I was just beginning Adam's cut, the guard fell off the clippers and I shaved a full-on bald spot in his head! It was in a highly conspicuous place, too--direct center and about 2-3 inches back from his forehead. I was dying! Um, did I mention that we are having family portraits taken on the beach in Hawaii this weekend?! Hair cut suspended, he spent some time in front of the mirror determining if he could do a comb-over to cover the spot. Then I tried to see if an alternate hairstyle might be an effective method to use as cover-up this week. It was a hopeless cause. In the end, Adam just asked me to cut it really short, so I did. It certainly looks better now that it's shorter, but it's still pretty bad. Can I just say how really awful I feel about this?! Notice how this happened two days ago, and I am just now writing about it? It was traumatic for both of us. The good news (if there is any good news in this situation) is that at 6'4", Adam is taller than most. Looking up at him (as from my perspective), the bald spot is not too noticeable. It's only when he sits down or bends over that it becomes obvious. I have a feeling Adam may think twice before asking his Sweeny Todd-of-a-wife to cut his hair before a major event again. Sorry, Ad.

Fort Marchant

2011-09-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

This morning before he left for his church meetings, Adam helped the boys construct a "fort" in our living room. Ty then took it upon himself to stock it with enough books and games to keep us entertained all morning long.

Yep, my back was pretty stiff after sitting on the hardwood floor all morning, but there is something magical about being in a fort. My older brother was a fort-building whiz when we were kids. I hope my boys remember these times with as much fondness as I remember them from my own childhood.

Puddle Jumping

2011-09-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Our ward dutch oven cook-off activity was cut short tonight by a downpour. Gratefully, my family was all finishing up when the rain started, so I didn't have to come home and make dinner. Unfortunately, I was planning on hanging out and letting the kids run around and play up until bedtime. On the sodden drive home, I asked, "Now what?" I wasn't entirely thrilled about the prospect of my wet children clamoring around our immaculate home (I cleaned ALL DAY LONG!). So when we pulled up at home, we all slipped our shoes off and ran out to the street to find some awesome puddles!

(Please ignore the fact that I look like a crazy pregnant lady in this picture. I can truthfully deny being pregnant, but I may less convincingly claim sanity.)

The boys' reactions? McKay was not entirely sure why we were running up and down the gutter, kicking water everywhere. Ty, on the other hand, thought it was a riot, and I agreed with him! And in other good news, it kept us entertained long enough that after haircuts and showers, it was time for bed!

Spiritually Fed

2011-09-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

We had our stake conference this weekend. Wow. I seriously feel the same at the end of this weekend as I do at the end of a General Conference weekend. Our local leaders are so inspired. I feel so blessed to be a part of the Parker Stake!
One thing that was extra special about this weekend was that I was able to sing in the stake choir. I would probably have never volunteered to do this on my own, but with a gentle nudge from Adam, I found myself a a member of the choir. Hey, if he was willing to bite the bullet and wrangle both kids alone during conference while I sat in the choir seats and actually got to listen, who was I to argue? Besides, I had two good friends also joining the stake choir, so we were able to carpool together and even go out for ice cream after the adult session last night. A win/win situation!
It's been years since I have sung in a choir, though. Because we have small children, it is difficult/impossible for both Adam and I to sing in the ward choir. Since he is so musically talented and enjoys it so much, it seems like a no-brainer for him to be our family's choir representative.
All that being said, I loved, loved, loved being part of the stake choir. I feel that music is one of the things that invites the Spirit the most readily into my life, and I certainly felt the Spirit strongly at each of our rehearsals. It was a blessing to attend. As we sang Mack Wilburg's arrangement of "I believe in Christ" today, I was amazed at how palpable the Spirit was. It was very difficult to get through. I was literally shaking. It was incredible to be a very tiny part of something so intensely powerful.
I am so grateful for this weekend. I feel refreshed and ready to take on the world again. I feel more in love with Adam, more happy to be a mother, and more ready to open my mouth and share the gospel. I am thankful for the very specific spiritual impressions I have received. I love stake conference!

Food Storage Extravaganza

2011-09-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, our awesome neighbor, Melodee, dropped off a 5-gallon bucket full of apples from her yard. The next day, our neighbor, Sheila, came by with a bunch of peaches leftover from a basketball fundraiser her daughter did. In addition, strawberries were 97 cents a pound last week at Sprouts. In short, we were in produce up to our ears (which is really not a bad problem to have)! Though we had never done it before, Adam and I decided we should bottle it.

So, Monday was strawberry freezer jam day with my friend, Kim.

Wednesday Adam and I made and bottled regular, cinnamon, and strawberry applesauce.

Thursday I bottled peaches, and Adam made an amazing peach cobbler.

And for good measure, we made and bottled salsa on Saturday.

Here is a small sampling of our labors:

It feels good to have put up so much food storage for free/very cheap. What's more, we had a great time doing it! It was really fun for Adam and I to have a little project to work on together.

Happy Harvest!

2011-09-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

We pulled the first of the veggies from our garden today! So far we've just gotten a handful of tomatoes and peppers, and one giant zucchini. But considering we didn't put the garden in until the second week of July, we are pretty happy! We've come a long way since then. We've got dozens more green tomatoes that we are still waiting on, as well as our carrots and cucumbers. Hopefully everything keeps growing so well! Zucchini bread, anyone?

Lying Low.

2011-09-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

I went to the doc early this week with an earache that I thought might possibly be an ear infection (although I wasn't even sure if adults could get ear infections--I for one haven't had one in the last 20 or 25 years!). It turns out I was right--it was an ear infection, and I had a sinus infection, too. Yuck. So my boys had to put up with a cranky, low-energy mommy this week who didn't want to leave the house more than was necessary. As a result, we found all sorts of ways to amuse ourselves at home.

I had a doctor and a firefighter come to my rescue.

This was Ty one night (Wednesday?) after we asked him to get his jammies on. He put them on over his clothes.

This picture is totally blurry, but also totally Ty. He thought he was beyond funny when he came back downstairs dressed like that. Incidentally, I thought he was pretty funny, too.

Yesterday the boys were playing in the backyard while I was working in the kitchen. I glanced out the window to see McKay riding Ty toboggan-style down the slide. Pretty hilarious, actually.

Sure do love these two.

In the last day or so we have been venturing out again. Last night the boys attended a friend's birthday party, and I went to a going-away party at the Cheesecake Factory for my friend, Jenn, who is moving to Indiana next week. (Sniff.) This morning we hit up the park, and McKay somehow acquired a handful of splinters while we were there. Even still, it was well worth the trip. They SO needed that run-around-outside time. And I'm all about being outside while the weather is so beautiful. I can sense that cooler weather might be making its unwelcome appearance again sometime soon.

Perspective

2011-08-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

I woke up grumpy this morning. I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that between a young men's activity, a ym training meeting, home teaching, and playing tennis and basketball, Adam was gone every single night this week. (The only exception was Monday night, our family night.) I woke up around 7:30 AM. Alone. Adam had left before 7 to help one of his priests with his Eagle Scout project, and will be gone a good chunk of the day, leaving me on my own with the household chores and the 2-year-old tantrums that inevitably will be. I was contemplating the fact that, tomorrow, Sunday, a so-called "family day" he will be gone from 10-6 at various church meetings and responsibilities.
So yes, at 7:30 this morning, you might say I was feeling disillusioned, perhaps even a tiny bit bitter. I'm not trying to suggest that Adam is a slacker in his husband/fathering duties, in fact, he's an all-star. It's just that he has lots of responsibilities as a young men's president, and I find myself alone, and yes, even lonely, more than I would choose.
So where was I? Ah, yes, waking up alone this morning. Well, a few minutes later, Ty came into our bedroom and sweetly asked, "Can I snuggle you, Mom?" Oh, how grateful I was this morning that I have a snuggler!! And then as he was lying next to me with his arms wrapped around me, he beautifully, tenderly said these exact words: "Mom, you are one of my favorite things in my whole life."
Sigh. I attest that the Lord sends sweet, tender mercies to us when we need them the most. This morning that tender mercy took the form of my four-year-old son. He made me stop and realize that my life is really not that bad!
Is life busy? Yes. Is Adam gone a lot doing church business? Yes. But...

1.) I have a husband.
2.) Said husband is a stalwart man who serves incredibly faithfully in whatever capacity he is asked to.
3.) My sons have a wonderful example to look to of a righteous priesthood holder.
4.) I know Adam is a profoundly powerful force in the lives of the young men in our ward. I have seen countless examples of that firsthand, and have also heard many stories from others about the impact he has had, particularly with some of the youth who have struggled. In many cases, he has been exactly what a particular young man has needed.

So, basically, I'm a little selfish. And I think that's ok to an extent. I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with wishing I had more time with my husband, as long as it doesn't become crippling or debilitating when that doesn't happen. But, ultimately, I also recognize that if I were to sum up my life is a single word it would be blessed. Thanks, Ty, for reminding me.

Earthquake!?!

2011-08-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Last night I was lying in bed, just drifting off to sleep when I felt the bed shake. Adam was downstairs working, so my eyes immediately flew open. "Was that an earthquake?!" I thought to myself. Then I reminded myself that I live in Colorado, which doesn't happen to be a particularly seismologically active place. My next thought was, "Oh my gosh, someone is under my bed!" For the next several moments I toyed with the idea of getting up and turning on the light to check, but after telling myself that it was incredibly improbable that someone was under there, I dismissed that idea, too. Then I wondered if perhaps it was me that shook the bed--that as I was dozing off, maybe I jerked or twitched enough that it moved the bed. I can't believe that I am admitting this in a public forum, but I spent the next several minutes intentionally twitching to see how much it made the bed move. After a few moments of this, I wasn't completely convinced that I had created the movement, but I reminded myself that it was very late (Adam and I had been discussing a fascinating book that we have both been reading) and 6AM was coming soon, so I decided I needed to let my overactive imagination rest so the rest of me, could, too.

And that was the end of that. Or so I thought...

Against the odds, I did manage to drag myself out of bed at 6 this morning to go run. On my way to the gym, I heard on the radio that last night Colorado had experienced its largest earthquake in over 40 years. I immediately wondered if it could have possibly been around quarter 'til midnight, at the time when I felt my bed shake. The radio announcer didn't elaborate where the epicenter was, or what time it had occurred, so I determined to find out when I got home.

Sure enough, on the Denver Post website, it said the magnitude-5.3 quake had happened at 11:46 PM, down by the Colorado/New Mexico border. It mentioned that people in Colorado Springs had reportedly felt a tremor. And I can add that some 55 miles north of the Springs in a little town called Parker, I felt it, too! Adam said he didn't notice anything, and I probably wouldn't have, either, if I hadn't been lying in bed on the verge of sleep when it happened.

What's even stranger about this is the fact that a magnitude-5.8 earthquake also occurred last night in Virginia, only about 150 miles from where my brother and his family live (yes, I used google maps to check this out). Two earthquakes in two places where they almost never happen. Pretty interesting.

I'm just glad nobody was under my bed.

HA!

2011-08-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

I have been planning to do a Funny-Things-That-My-Kids-Say post for quite a long time now. I have been gathering and mentally storing awesome Ty and McKay quotes. But, tragically, after putting off and putting off writing them down, I have forgotten about 80% of the material I wanted to include. It's a real shame. So, though this is a very shortened list, I decided I should write it before I forgot it. Here goes:

Today after preschool, I was asking Ty about what he did, learned, etc. After listing off several items, I asked if he had played in the toy kitchen area today. He looked at me quizzically and asked, "Do you mean the dramatic play area?" I was like, "Um, yeah, I guess. " He responded, "Yes, mom I played in the dramatic play area." Ok. Good to know.

A week or so ago, I impulsively bought a box of fortune cookies at the grocery store to serve after an Asian-style dinner. Both boys were completely intrigued that there was a "message" inside their cookies! After dinner, Ty broke his open and asked Adam to read him what it said. As far as I can remember, his fortune was, "You will be fortunate at everything you put your hand to." Ty gasped, "Ooooh!" He ran to the sink where I was washing dishes, and exclaimed, "Mom! My message told me I will be fortunate if I can put my hands together!" Fortunate indeed.

This last one I have been holding onto for a while. On Father's Day, the boys chose out a Lightning McQueen card to give to their dad with his present. After he had opened and read it, Ty posted it on the fridge. The next morning as soon as Adam left for work, Ty went to the fridge, reached up with both hands, pulled the card down, and clutched it to his chest, quietly murmuring, "It's all mine." I looked at him, and said, "Wait a minute, buddy, that was actually for dad, remember?" His response? "Well, Dad's not here, is he?"

And if you want to hear something else that is funny, you just need to listen to McKay sing. He doesn't say his l's well yet, so his (very sincere) version of I will Follow God's Plan begins, "My wife is a gift. My wife has a plan..."

Sure do love my guys!

Backyard Adventures

2011-08-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ahh, life is good when you are four.

Encore Performance

2011-08-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

I posted a video back in June of McKay singing one of his favorite primary songs. The overwhelming response was now sweet it was. On Friday, I tried to get him to sing some more primary songs on camera, but his personality shone through just a bit more this time. :)

What can I say? He's my little goofball.

Salad by McKay

2011-08-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made a chicken salad for dinner--a typical, simple Friday night meal for our family. As I was preparing it, McKay was standing on a chair next to the counter, watching my every move and "helping." (This is also typical. He does this every. single. night.) I turned my back for a fraction of a second, and when I spun back around I was met with this sight:

Here's the close up:

Yes, that is what it appears to be. McKay dumped an entire bottle of bacon bits over the top of his salad. When Adam came home from work just a couple minutes later, he was greeted with, "Hey, Dad! I don't like tomatoes. I just really like bacon bits." We never doubted that for a minute, son. And now the secret is out. Now you understand what we mean when we say salad is McKay's favorite food. What 2-year-old wouldn't like a salad like that?!

First Day of Preschool

2011-08-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Sigh. It's true. I have really mixed feelings about this one. These three hour afternoons while Ty is gone and McKay is sleeping? Yes, please. And yet, I already miss my little boy. When did he get old enough to be in preschool, anyway?

Ready to Go!

Brothers and Best Buds

Ty and his friend, Josh. Josh and Ty are in the same Sunbeam class at church. There are actually 5 kids total from their Sunbeam class going to preschool here, but some are in other classes.

When Ty woke up this morning, he ran into our room and blurted, "I'm going to school today!" He had a huge grin on his face, and has been so excited all morning! When we got to the school, he ran inside without even a backward glance at McKay and I. It's hard to be too sad about having him gone when he is so happy about it!

Day 4: Home

2011-08-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Friday night was freezing. Literally. When we woke up Saturday morning, it was only about 30 degrees, and there was frost on our tents. It was really hard to pull myself out of my sleeping bag that morning, and then try to motivate my girls to do the same!

Once we finally pulled ourselves together, we were privileged to hear from our stake presidency and area authority seventy, Elder Hillier. Then we got loaded up for the 8 1/2 hour bus ride home.

Marchant Family Ladies!

Our family (sans Julius--he had to leave on Friday night)

After several days of walking and having very little sleep, we were all exhausted!

I am so grateful that Adam and I were able to have this experience. My favorite part was being with our awesome youth. I really love them. It was wonderful to have so many opportunities to testify of truths, and to have them respond so well. It was special to walk on such hallowed ground. The Spirit was strong, and I loved just being able to listen and ponder. I will still attest that I am not a camper, but if we were asked to go again, I think both of us would do it in a heartbeat. It was a real privilege to be a part of trek.

Day 3: Rocky Ridge

2011-08-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

Friday consisted of basically nothing but walking. We did 14 miles on our third day. There were a couple of things that really impressed me about our kids that day. First was that they really wanted to push and pull our handcart. Neither Adam nor I had much of a turn to pull because the kids wanted to do it. That was awesome. The second thing that was neat was that the kids sang almost the entire 14 miles we were on the trail. By the third day, we had already earned our reputation as "the singing family," but I figured with such a long hike that day the singing would subside somewhat. Not so. One of our boys had brought a hymn book, and they rested it on the front rail of the handcart and sang hymn after hymn. They got through the book twice. On top of that, I didn't hear a single complaint from any of the kids. It was incredible to see them demonstrate such spiritual maturity.

Singing their way up the hill!

Right before we reached Rocky Ridge, the boys and girls were separated. Sister Williams, our stake YW president, spoke to the girls and Brother Frakes, the stake YM president, spoke to the boys. It was my favorite part of the whole week. The girls had to pull the handcarts up a really mean hill alone, while the boys silently lined the trail with their hats on their hearts. It was so awesome to be with those strong young women as we labored up the hill, and to watch those boys, many of whom had tears in their eyes and streaming down their faces. When I saw Adam, I felt as much love for him as I ever have before. It was one of those moments that I was able to feel how much he loves me. It was incredibly special. The Spirit was so powerful. It was an unforgettable moment for me--something I will truly remember forever.

Our family at the summit of Rocky Ridge

Rocky Ridge is owned by the government, and we had to have permits to hike it. Our of the BLM's conditions was that the handcarts could not go off the trail at any point. There were a couple of pretty nasty mud bogs along the trail, and though most of us could walk around them, the carts had to go straight through. Several young men valiantly pulled the carts through. These are some of my very favorite pictures from all of trek!

When we finally reached our campsite that evening, the stake leaders had music playing and they were all lining the trail cheering for us. Adam and I both had a feeling similar to that of finishing a long race--a huge sense of accomplishment. It was special to be able to catch a tiny glimpse of what it must have felt like for the pioneers to arrive in the Salt Lake Valley.

Adam and Bishop Bashaw, our Company Captain

Later that evening, the young men and women got letters from home via the "pony express." That was another special moment for many of the youth.

We spent the evening on Friday with our wards. We had a testimony meeting, and Adam and I were both able to speak to the youth in our ward and sing a duet for them. We loved that, too! In fact, at the very end of the day after Adam and I were alone, we prayed and talked about some sacred things that had happened to us that day, and Adam whispered, "This has been one of the best days of my life." Believe it or not, I felt the same way! It was a beautiful, wonderful day.

Day 2: Sixth Crossing

2011-07-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

On our second day in Wyoming, we hiked the area that is known as Sixth Crossing--the rescue site for the Willie Handcart Company. We had a lot of fun with the kids that day!

Backwards YMCA!

Mud bog--YUCK!

As we crossed the Sweetwater River for the first time (3 crossings total), the stake presidency and bishops were in the river singing hymns. Brother and Sister Cox said that in life, these men have "already crossed the river," and they are there to help us across. It was so awesome. They also asked that we think about the Willie Company crossing at this spot with 18 inches of snow on the ground and ice chunks floating in the river. It was definitely a top 3 trek experience for me.

Later that evening after we set up camp and had dinner, the stake put on "Fort Bridger Night." There were all sorts of pioneer games to play. It was a blast!

Adam initiated some Indian leg wrestling

And we had a stick-pull tournament

Then we played my personal favorite game, "Club the Bunny.'' I think I will be making a homemade version of this game to play at home--seriously so fun!

Bishop Bell did a little impromptu wrestling with some of the boys.

There were sack races (and falls! Sorry Kylie!),

Stilts,

Tug-O'-War,

And all sorts of other fun games, thanks to this little lady! (The daughter of the man who sealed Adam and I in the temple, actually!)

At the end of the day, Adam and I agreed that while the spiritual moments of the trek were simply awesome, it was really great just to be able to have FUN with the kids, too.

Day One: Martin's Cove

2011-07-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

This past week, Adam and I had the incredible experience to participate as a Ma and Pa in our stake youth trek. I will admit that I was quite reluctant to go, as I pretty much loathe camping and being dirty. But I have to say, it was a real privilege to be there. It was a wonderful, life-changing experience. I was planning on just doing one post and letting the pictures pretty much speak for themselves, but I realized that even after condensing my photo selection, I still have far too many for a single post. So I will break it down by day, instead.

The Bus Ride

Martin's Cove

I had been to Martin's Cove before, but this was the first time for Adam. One of the missionaries that spoke to us there referred to Marin's Cove as the "Wyoming Temple." I liked that. It certainly had a sacred, reverent spirit there similar to the temple. It was really neat to be able to be there with Adam.

Little Pioneer Children

2011-07-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Pioneer Day! Maybe we don't get a parade and a day off work tomorrow like we would if we were in Utah, but we have been celebrating Colorado style. Already this morning I had one of our ward's young women contact me and convince me to wear my trek pioneer dress to church this afternoon (although I have to say, I am regretting that commitment already!).

Yesterday, our ward had a pioneer primary activity. The kids were told they could dress like a pioneer if they wanted, although very few actually did. I left the choice up to Ty, and he jumped all over it! Luckily it's not too tough to concoct a pioneer outfit for a little boy!

Though McKay is not technically primary age yet, he got to tag along since Adam was at scout camp. And both boys had a really good time! They got to make some pioneer crafts, they ground wheat and made butter, and played pioneer games. McKay faced off in the stick pull against his buddy, Ayden.

Yep, I think Ayden took him that time!

Then the boys got to participate in a 3-legged race. McKay lasted approximately 2.5 seconds before he was screaming to be untied!

Ty and one of his best buddies, Braden, also ran in the race. They were pretty excited about it!

Let's be honest though, those two little minis really didn't have a chance against their much older and bigger competitors.

Sure enough, just after the race began, they were both on the grass! (But as you can see from the looks on their faces, they obviously didn't mind too much!)

And each time they stumbled, they got back up and tried again. That's really what it's all about anyway, right?

In just three days, Adam and I will be with approximately 500 youth and other leaders in Wyoming as we re-trace the steps of our pioneer ancestors. I am grateful for the chance to spend the week following pioneer day in honor of them!

CF Picnic

2011-07-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

Today was our annual neighborhood picnic. It was actually our first time attending, since last year it was held on a Sunday, and the year before that we hadn't closed on our house yet. So, we were totally BLOWN AWAY by how incredibly awesome it was! It was run through the HOA, so though we pay our monthly dues of course, we didn't have to pay anything to attend today. The lunch was catered by a local barbecue place, and it was so yummy! In addition, there was a seemingly endless supply of snow cones, cotton candy, ice cream, and popsicles. And though the treats were a hit, the activities were far more impressive.

Riding the train!

McKay and Ty, followed by their friends, Braden and Chase

Both boys said later that the train rides were their favorite part of the whole day!

But the pony rides were sure fun, too!

Ty and McKay at the hugging, er, petting zoo.

Bounce house fun!

All tired out, but thrilled with their prizes!

The boys had a blast riding the train and ponies, petting all the animals at the petting zoo, playing all the carnival-type games, and playing in the bounce houses. My favorite part was enjoying time with my family and so many friends from our ward (a very high percentage of which was in attendance today). Gotta love those HOA dollars hard at work!

Lovin' the Landscape

2011-07-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that while my parents were here my dad helped us out quite a lot in the yard. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a "before" picture, but anyone who has been to our house in the last two years is probably familiar with the rocky hole that used to be adjacent to our front porch. This is the best "before" picture I have, taken two years ago right after we bought the house.

And here's the "after":

I'm really quite thrilled with the way it turned out. I dreamed it, and my dad and Adam made it happen. I love it when it works out like that!

As part of the design, I really wanted to add LED landscape lights in the flower beds and along the front walkway. It didn't take too much to convince Adam, and I really think it was completely worth the extra cost. I love the way they look.

My family ended up staying one more day than they had planned, so that last day my dad also helped us put a raised bed garden in the backyard. Unfortunately, the weather was not particularly conducive to outdoor work that day. It rained through the late afternoon/evening, so when it finally stopped my dad got to work! By that time, it was dark, and the work site was a mud pit. My dad, not having a spare pair of shoes, worked barefoot until the late hours of the night!

This picture is so classic. My dad, no shoes on, hard at work, and my mom in the background holding a flashlight to help him see. My parents are the BEST!

And here's the finished product:

We planted tomatoes, peppers, and several herbs in one side, and we put seed in the other side (carrots, beets, cucumbers). We are not entirely hopeful that the seeds will actually come to fruition, being that we planted them so late, but it was worth a try. And if not this summer, then we will definitely be back at it next year! It will be so nice to finally have a place to plant our own veggies! There is nothing so wonderful as a fresh tomato straight from the garden. Can't wait!

Soccer Boy

2011-07-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

We signed Ty up to play on a rec league soccer team this summer with a friend of his from church. He has really enjoyed it!

And I might be a teeny bit biased, but I think he's just about the cutest little soccer player I've ever seen!

For Grandma M

2011-07-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

Since the boys and I weren't able to go to Utah for Grandpa's retirement party, Grandma sent a little something home for each of the boys to let them know she was thinking of them. Ty's "prize," as he called it, was a train kit. He loved gluing, painting, and stickering his locomotive. We took some pictures for you, Grandma, so you can see what a great job he did!

Thanks for thinking of them! McKay has been "reading" the Mickey book almost nonstop, too!

A Whirlwind Week

2011-07-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

We are seven days into July, and I have yet to post anything this month! As we expected, our summer has been super busy. Last week Adam flew to Utah for a day to surprise his dad at his retirement party! It sounded like he had a lot of fun with his family, and even got his annual pie-in-the-face from his brother, Spencer! That's always a good time!!

(I borrowed the pictures from my sister-in-law, Michelle, since I wasn't there to take any of my own!)

The day he got back into town, my parents and brother, Matt, also drove to Colorado from Utah. We were able to spend a fun day with them before Adam and I left the next day to make a quick trip down to Durango. Adam's good friend, Reed, got married there, so we went down for the wedding. It was a long drive (6 hours each way) just to spend a single night there, but it was sort of fun to do a road trip with just the two of us again. And the entire time we were at the wedding we were so grateful that we didn't have to corral our children. Thanks for taking good care of our boys, Grammie and Tooge!

We returned home just in time for church on Sunday (Adam and I both had classes to teach). Then, on Monday, we were able to enjoy a fun Fourth with my family! My dad's family had a reunion up in Boulder all weekend long. Since we had been in Durango, we only got to catch the family Fourth of July breakfast in Boulder on Monday morning.

This is my dad (far right) with his Mom and two brothers. It has been a lot of years since they have all been together!

While we were at the breakfast, my dad's cousin set up this awesome water toy in the backyard. The kids (of all sizes!) had a lot of fun with that!

On Tuesday we headed down to Colorado Springs to visit the Air Force Academy. I've been down there lots of times, but I am always impressed by how beautiful that campus is.

In addition to all of that, while my parents were in town, my mom sewed me a pioneer dress for trek and my dad did a bunch of landscaping for us. He helped us build a retaining wall for flower beds in our front yard, and built a raised box garden in the back. Those aren't filled with dirt or plants yet, so I will post pictures when it's completely finished. But it looks AWESOME!! My dad is a seriously hard worker!
We have been all over the state of Colorado in the last week, and we have kept busy with lots of projects. We have really loved having my family in town, but now I am feeling like I need a LONG nap!

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

2011-06-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Top 8 reasons summer is my favorite season (I was going to do 5, but I just really love summer!):

8. Traveling and having visitors. It's so fun to be able to spend time with friends and family!
7. No snow/ice = I'm not afraid to drive.
6: Cheap, fresh produce: I'm a sucker for fresh produce, especially fruit. It's just about my favorite thing in the world to eat, and my family seems to feel the same way! Watermelon, strawberries, and peaches are particular favorites of mine. And in the summer, you can get it for next to nothing, which means we eat a LOT of it. Yum.
5: Plaid shorts on my boys. Enough said.
4: The days are so long. True, it's harder to get the kids to go to bed on time, but I love that it stays light for so long. And the fact that I can wake up at 5:30 AM to go work out and it's already light out? Love that. It makes it a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning!
3: The sunshine makes me feel happy. And I love the warmth!
2: I feel more relaxed. I'm not sure what it is, but I am not nearly as uptight about keeping the house clean and keeping everyone on schedule in the summer. It's kind of nice.
1: There is so much to do! While I am constantly searching for indoor activities to keep the boys (and myself) busy in the winter, staying occupied during the summer seems so effortless! Between going on walks and bike rides, playing at the many parks in Parker, frequenting the neighborhood pool, or just playing backyard baseball, it seems our days are full and we never get bored!

Hooray for summer! We are loving our lives around here!

This Guy's a Rock Star!!

2011-06-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today Adam completed his first ever triathlon--the Lake to Lake Triathlon in Loveland. It was an Olympic distance tri (1 mile swim, 30 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). He was awesome!

We spent the night last night in Loveland, which was a complete disaster, honestly. McKay really struggles with sleeping anyplace other than his own bed. He didn't fall asleep until after 11, and then woke up when Adam got up at 5 AM. He was a real challenge for me today!

But when all was said and done, it was a good experience for Adam, and the boys even got to cross the finish line with him. Ty loved that! Since we had to park quite a distance from the race finish, Ty ran nearly a mile of the race today, and he was bound and determined he was going to cross the finish line with his dad. In fact, he told me that I couldn't run today because in his words, "This is mine and Daddy's race."

Here he is modeling Daddy's wetsuit

And this is directly after Adam's finish

The big finish:

Adam is now officially a triathlete! I am so proud of him! He rocked it today!

Six Years

2011-06-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

Six years ago, on a beautiful Friday morning much like today, I entered the Salt Lake Temple and was sealed to the most amazing man I have ever met.

In the last six years, we have:

Both graduated from BYU--me with a Bachelors and Adam a Masters Degree
Lived in four different apartments
Owned one home
Lived in two states
Owned four cars
Traveled all over the place together (Florida 2xs, California 3xs, Washington DC, Omaha, Cozumel, Oregon, and soon to be Hawaii!)
Endured one major surgery
Survived two pregnancies
Are parenting two wonderful boys
And have had more fun together than many people do in an entire lifetime!

As the years have passed, I have realized more than I ever could have on the day I married him how uniquely amazing Adam is. Happy sixth anniversary to my best friend! I reaffirm that marrying you was the most important and BEST decision I ever made!

We're Ba-ack!

2011-06-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Despite the initial difficulties in getting to Utah, once we arrived, we had a great trip! We were able to celebrate Ty's birthday with both sets of grandparents. The boy was in heaven!

And McKay was, ya know, McKay

He apparently thought he needed to clean himself up after birthday cake at Grammie and Tooge's house, because he jumped into the tub fully dressed and started the water for himself!

One of the boys' very favorite activities we did while in Utah was going to BYU campus to feed the ducks at the duck pond.

We were leaving right at noon, and the bell tower started playing. The boys were mesmerized.

And then began doing what Ty called, "The lunchtime dance!"

It was awesome.

Thankfully, the drive home (just the boys and me--Adam flew back earlier) was almost perfect. The boys were angels, and we had no car troubles. Whew!

Now we are home, and we are waiting for our car to get fixed. Hopefully it won't be too many more days!

Happy Fourth Birthday to Ty Guy!

2011-06-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

A Rather Large Hiccup

2011-06-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

We left Colorado yesterday morning to make the trek to Utah so I could run the Utah Valley Half Marathon again with my mom today. We were feeling good, enjoying our drive through the mountains when our car started making the most awful noises imaginable--like the engine was going to fall out on the road. Yes, this was our good car, not our clunker college car. We pulled off at the Georgetown exit (about an hour and a half into our journey), and found a mechanic. He was entirely unhelpful; wouldn't even look at the car. By that time the car wouldn't even turn on. We had to get towed a couple more miles up the canyon to a different mechanic, only to have him tell us that the problem was with our transmission and we wouldn't be back on the road that day. I was trying so hard to be stoic, but my heart had dropped to my shoes. Besides the obvious financial shock of having our transmission go out (not a cheap fix!) it was becoming increasingly clear that I was going to miss my race. I signed up for this race in October, and I have run over 400 miles in training over the past 5 months in preparation for this. I thought of all that work, now seemingly for naught. Our little family piled into the tow truck (which I have to admit, the boys were thrilled about), and $350 and an hour and a half later, we were back in Parker where we started. I was devastated.

Luckily for me, I have a husband and a father who were both very determined to get me to Provo in time for the race to start. Driving our second car wasn't really an option; we probably would have ended up with both cars in the shop if we attempted that. But Dad and Adam called airlines and rental car companies, trying to figure out a solution for me. Finally, by 12:30 PM, 5 hours after we left the house for the first time, we were back on the road, this time in a rental car. So the trip that should have taken 9 hours took us 14 instead--but we made it!!

I hardly slept at all last night. McKay, overly exhausted, was having a difficult time sleeping and ended up in bed with us. He moaned and cried, thrashed and kicked all night. Then I was up again at 3:30 this morning with my mom to catch a bus that would shuttle us to the start line.

The race started well for me. I ran a quick pace down the canyon--I was on track to finish far faster than my time from last year. Just after mile 9, though, my body just quit on me. It was probably a combination of a 14-hour car ride, no sleep, and terrible nutrition the day before the race. My mind was telling my body to keep going, but my body had just had enough. I had to walk. The hardest, most emotional part of the race for me was watching the 2-hour pacer run by. I knew I had to finish ahead of him if I wanted to beat my time from last year. I also knew if he passed me, I would never be able to catch him again. And yet, I simply couldn't keep the pace.

My mom caught up to me just before mile 11, and we finished it out together at a slow jog. We came in at 2 hours and 8 minutes, 8 minutes slower than my time from last year, and a full 10 minutes slower than my goal time.

Am I disappointed? Yes. Definitely. It's frustrating to spend so much time training and working toward a goal only to have my body fail on race day. And yet, under the circumstances, I still feel I did the absolute best I could. Shortly after my race was over, I puked--I definitely pushed myself to the limit!

Now I am alternating between thoughts of running another half this summer (REDEMPTION!!), or taking a long, long break from racing. I'll have to keep you posted on that.

Mom and Me, Mile 12

Post-race

It's always a joy to see my boys at the finish line!

My sister was a volunteer at the race again this year

And here's my mom and me finishing it out:

The Music Man

2011-06-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

As often as McKay favors us with his sweet singing of primary songs, he also entertains us with his made-up silly songs. (A Kaiser House Idol champion in the making? I think so.) Here are some of our favorite "Made by McKay" songs as of late:

"Happy Birthday to Nobody" (He actually sings Happy Birthday to every inanimate object imaginable, but Ty particularly enjoyed the Nobody version.)
"Give Said the Popsicle" (Give Said the Little Stream)
"The Ditzy Ditzy Mommy" (The Itsy Bitsy Spider)
"Clean Up Snowman Medley" (The Clean-Up Song & Once There Was a Snowman.)

The list grows daily. He sure is a precocious little thing.

He Loves to See the Temple

2011-06-08T12:18:00.001-07:00

A couple days ago, I heard McKay singing the same song over and over and entered Ty's room to find this:

Not actually an uncommon sight at our house. He does this daily.

And I really don't mind a bit. I LOVE that my boys enjoying books so much. But on this day, the song that he was singing on automatic repeat was I Love to See the Temple. He had found a book about temples somewhere in that mess, and his way of "reading" it was to sing one of his favorite primary songs. Oh, so cute! The miracle was that after I made my presence known and asked him to sing it for the camera, he actually did it. Generally speaking, as soon as he sees the camera he turns into a major goof and sings in a funny voice. But not this time. Here is a little glimpse of the sweet side of my McKay.

As priceless as this video is to me now, I can just imagine how I am going to melt watching it 20 years down the road. I adore this kid!

KA-CHOW!!

2011-06-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday party for Ty at the park today, Cars themed, of course. All of his very favorite friends showed up for the fun!

We had cake,

And Ty opened presents from his friends.

He was obviously overjoyed by the "All Things McQueen" theme! There was only one present that didn't have something to do with Cars. Do his friends know him well, or what?! (And the present that wasn't Cars related was a basketball hoop--which he was thrilled about, too!)

He had to try out the car launcher right away!

A group shot of all the boys!

I was grateful that our morning went so well--nothing essential got left at home and there were no major injuries at the park (yes, I specifically prayed for that last night!). And most importantly, Ty and his friends seemed to have a really fun time! Happy (almost) fourth birthday to Ty Guy!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2011-06-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

That's exactly what we did last Saturday night while Spence and Michelle were in town. And surprisingly enough, we caught a great game--a rare win for the Rockies! As fun as it was, I told Adam I am not willing to take the boys again until they are about 12 and 10. Between McKay crawling all over everyone and Ty asking every three seconds whether we could go home yet, it was a little more eventful than I would have preferred. :)

Bolder Boulder

2011-05-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

Another Memorial Day weekend, another super fun time. Adam's brother, Spencer, and his wife, Michelle, flew to Denver to visit for the long weekend. We went to a Rockies game together (pictures to come), installed a ceiling fan, and the pinnacle of the weekend: we all ran the Bolder Boulder! We drove up to Broomfield last night and spent the evening with my uncle, aunt, and cousins so that we didn't have to get up as early to run today. My Uncle Kirk was kind enough to stay with Ty and McKay in the CU stadium while the rest of us ran.

Bolder Boulder is seriously my favorite race ever! I felt like it was a lot more wild last year, but it was still pretty much sensory overload today. Between the live bands, belly dancers, cowbells, and slip n' slides, it's pretty crazy!

My cousins, Chelsea and Shane, are so awesome!! They ran 6.2 miles dressed as Batman and Robin!

My boys and me right after I finished. I actually ran exactly ten seconds slower this year than I did last year, which I was a little disappointed about. Not sure if that's due to the slight course change (which made it more uphill), the colder weather, or the fact that I'm just slower now. :) My official time was 57 minutes and 28 seconds.

And this is Adam finishing his first ever 10K!!! (He's in the red with his arms raised just crossing the finish line.) Before today, he had never run more than 4 miles at a time. Today he ran 6.2 without stopping once! What's more, he felt good at the end of the race and actually said he had fun (this from a man who just doesn't love running)! I was so happy for him!

Here's Spence and Michelle crossing the line in front of the Teletubbies!

It was a little chilly with the wind, so the boys snuggled up with Shane. They LOVE him, by the way.

A group of National Guard soldiers ran into the stadium carrying the American flag. I actually got a little emotional watching them. They stopped before the finish line and did push-ups...

...and then finished the race. It was so cool.

Me and my awesome husband!

Team Marchant!

And a shot of the seven of us who all ran today.

Funny story. We woke the boys up at the last minute this morning and brought their clothes so they could get dressed after we got there (trying to let them sleep as long as possible). Somehow, Ty's shoes got left at Kirk and Kendra's house. Since McKay was riding in a stroller and Ty had to walk, Kirk and Adam put McKay's shoes on Ty and had McKay go in socks. So this is a picture of McKay after walking around in spilled granola in the stadium, and Ty with shoes on that were 3 ½ sizes too small!

The Marchant family post-race

After the race, we came back to Parker and had a barbecue with Spence and Michelle, and our awesome friends, Chris and Nicole. It was a seriously fun day! We loved having Spence and Michelle here, and SO appreciated Kirk and Kendra feeding and housing us all, too!

Ty's Talk

2011-05-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

I nearly forgot to mention an important milestone in the life of our little Sunbeam! Ty gave his first-ever talk in primary on Sunday, May 15. He talked about Joseph Smith's first vision and the restoration of the gospel. I was afraid he might shy away from the microphone or get embarrassed and giggly like so many of the little ones do. I shouldn't have worried. He stood up tall with a big grin on his face and gave his talk loud and clear. My mommy heart was so proud of him!

Ty on Sunday, May 15

Later, an older woman who used to live across the street from Adam in Salt Lake when he was a little guy, approached Adam and dubbed Ty "One of the cutest little boys in the whole primary." I couldn't agree more. I sure do love my little sunbeam!