Christmas e-Letter 2009

The Young’s have gone GREEN!

Well, for the purposes of our Christmas Letter this year, the Young’s have gone GREEN! We hope you enjoy our e-letter!





SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST

• Seraya’s starts FIRST grade and looses her FIRST TOOTH!
  
• Kaija starts preschool, gymnastics at the Little Gym, and becomes a SOCCER princess.
  
• Liam meets the Real BUZZ Lightyear, then dresses up like him for Halloween!
  
• Enoch snowboards and BREAKS his wrist then takes a BREAK whitewater rafting and camping with his brothers.
  
• Kerri attends a Ladies' Shooting class and BULLSEYE!

We’ve been busy this year, that’s right, B - U - S - Y! What have we been up to?
Enoch started out the year with a snowboarding trip and BROKE his wrist. Soft cast, then hard cast and several Dr visits later, he got it off just in time to enjoy the next season of outdoor activities. He took a BREAK and went whitewater rafting down the Wenatchee River with some buddies. Then met up with his brothers at Lake Williams for another BREAK...a week of camping/fishing. We appreciate all he does, boy, did he deserve that!

Kerri and a friend attended a Ladies' shooting class this year. She was really nervous a first then when it was time to FIRE she remembered that she has a pretty good eye! Watch out! Bullseye!

In April we just couldn’t resist, we took another trip to Disneyland! This time we went with our friends, the Weeks! What a magical place, it gets us every time! The girls dressed up like princesses and lived their own little fairytales as they met the real princesses they read about daily! Liam was star struck when he met “Ba-Dow!”, his way of saying “Lightning McQueen”. He also met Buzz Lightyear, his HERO.



Seraya had several FIRST’s this year. Her FIRST day of FIRST grade, her FIRST lost tooth and her FIRST time to get glasses. She loves reading and is a very detailed artist. She loves when mom comes to her school to teach art once a month!



Kaija started her first year of preschool this year. She loves doing gymnastics at The Little Gym and playing Soccer. She is a compassionate soul and loves to help whomever in the family is not feeling well. She has mastered writing her name and even adds an “artsy” curly swirl on her “j”.



Liam is a mover and a shaker. Leave him alone for a moment and he’s on top of the counter ready to jump off! He loves playing outside and wrestling with his dad. He has learned recently to tell on his sisters “Rar-rar” and “Ka-kak” as he calls them.

We enjoyed several camping trips this year. One of our favorites was a week at Steamboat Rock. Kerri’s brothers brought their boats and we played in the water and sand, played games, visited Coulee Dam and saw the laser show.

What a year! I wonder if it’s possible, but I hope we have an even BETTER, FUNNER, more MAGICAL one next year! Bring on 2010!

At the close of 2009

We hope this year has been good to you! We’ve heard the doom of the economy and hope that all our friends and loved ones are safe and secure. Please know we think of you often.

Please be our “FRIENDS”! Enoch and I are both on facebook, we love it as a way to stay in touch with many of you. So, please if you haven’t bit the facebook bullet yet, dig in...we’ll be your friends :)



Throughout the year and especially at this time of year we are thankful for the BABE born in Bethlehem so long ago. We are trying to teach our children to be giving, loving and forgiving as Jesus is. This year they each took a bag full of presents to the local foodbank for needy families. We’ve enjoyed listening to their prayers asking God to bless others, especially with jobs, food and PRESENTS! The other day, sweet Kaija said, “ Please bless the kids who get our toys that they will be fed…”

On that note, Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Love the Youngs!
Enoch, Kerri, Seraya (6), Kaija (4) and Liam (2)

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My Superhero, My Dad

There was a time in my life when my dad was a chainsaw wielding axeman with a beard of nails and fists of steel. He was my rock, my Paul Bunyan superhero. He could build a whole house, he could tell the most amazing stories and he could fix anything! He was the strongest man on earth and nothing could break him.

Yet this out-sized superman was the same one who would put me in his lap and let me "drive" his pickup truck down the dusty road to our house. His heart was not so strong that it wouldn't break when, as a young boy, I sobbed my eyes out as he left for a Scout meeting without me. I watched him drive away, perched in our upstairs window only to see him return a few minutes later. As I quickly dried my tears and ran to him and asked what he had forgotten, my world was instantly repaired when he said so simply, "You!".

As I grew, I challenged his authority, but never did I forget that this was the man who could thump me if he needed to, but never did. As I worked by his side each summer, striving to be as fast and strong as he was, I began to understand the lengths a man should go to keep his family fed and safe.

It was his folksy, practical fireside wisdom that has sustained me in difficult moments and guided this boy through the labyrinth of life. His love of nature and the outdoors was distilled and refined and passed down a generation, so that the awe of a well-formed creation would not be lost.

Suddenly, I find myself with a little chrysalis, a tiny man-in-the-making, who looks to his dad like I did so long ago, with wondering eyes, awestruck by his dad's sheer awesomeness. I wonder how to measure up to those who have left their legacy before me. How will I wield my axe and use my super strength and laser vision? I can but hope to pass on a little of what came to me by way of the generations of supermen before me: my great-grandfather the pioneer, my grandfather the orchardist, the rough (but tender) chainsaw man who is MY DAD.

Here's hoping all fathers can live up to their potential.

I love you, Dad!

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Kaija, Our Little Live Wire

Sunday afternoons are some of the most peaceful times around the Young house. After lunch, EVERYONE takes a nap. It's just accepted that it will be quiet. Sometimes, we get a few minutes, and on those special days, we get a couple hours.

Well, we may need to learn to enjoy those longer naps days a little less, it seems. My little Kaija, after having such a good sleep during the midday, does not appear to be ready for sleep when bedtime rolls around.

I had to work, and so after putting the children to bed, spent the evening toiling away on my laptop, while Kerri spent her evening sewing upstairs (she's so crafty). I kept hearing my Kaija talking her mama's ear off, and it was obvious she would not be ready for bed anytime soon. I could hear her yammering about her brother and sister and about the things she likes.

She really should have been in bed, but as the middle child, she so often gets a short shrift when it comes to time with her parents. So we are somewhat indulgent in the rare moments when she stays up to talk. Finally, around midnight, Kerri decides to go to bed. She sent our little princess off to the sack, or so she thought.

I suddenly hear the pitter-patter of little feet. Soon, up bobs the smiling face of my three-year old girl. She asks what I'm doing. "Working.", I say. She notices my empty glass of water and asks, "Did you drink all your water?" and then "Can I get you some more?" I am amused at her serving nature, and respond in the affirmative. I nearly rolled off my chair laughing when she calls from the kitchen "Do you want big ice cubes or little ones?" (Referring to our crushed ice option on the refridgerator). What service!

I determined that she had probably been sent to bed by her mother, saw my light on and came down, so this was her way of having a reason to stay awake, but it was oh so hilarious to see her notice a need and take care of her dear old dad. What a sweet little angel.

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Christmas Letter 2008

Season’s Greeting one and all!

As a special holiday treat we’re giving you a glimpse at the NUMBERS in our lives! If you spent the past 12 months with the Young Crew it would look something like this:

1 Family, 3 Kids, One 4 bedroom House with lots o’ LOVE!

2190 diaper changes! Thank you, Liam! And, thank you, Kaija for mastering potty training this year! What a big girl, we are so proud of you! We are waiting for this number to hit ZERO in the future. If you already know what that feels like then good for you, we’ll let you know when we can use a spare hand!

1095 meals for a family of 5 (5475 meals if you want to get technical), you can only imagine how many dishes this produces. And, with at least 365 dishwasher loads, we grow more and more thankful for this lovely machine each day!

12523 miles on 1 new mini-van, PEARL, as we call her. 1 tear-filled good bye to the Lexus SUV Kerri loved. This new, smooth ride is loaded with goodies and can comfortably seat 7. Equipped with 1 Navigation system (a must-have for Kerri’s real estate business), 1 DVD player and 4 wireless headsets!

2284 dollars spent for 8 days with MICKEY! Our first trip to Walt Disneyland was the last bit of April and early May. We have decided it REALLY IS the “Happiest Place on Earth”! We loved everything about it, including meeting the princesses, riding Dumbo and the tea cups, seeing the parades and just riding rides until we wore ourselves out! We were especially grateful for our “limo on wheels” our tandem double stroller that we figured out how to get 3 wiped-out kids on.

1 boy with 6 teeth turning 1! Liam had the BIG first birthday this year! We just can’t keep up with this tornado! He climbs everything, pushes barstools to get on counter tops and everything. Of course his adventures come with a price, he falls and trips and that doesn’t stop him. We joke that he needs to wear a helmet! Look what a BOY did to us!

2190 miles to Utah round trip to visit family and friends. We had to break in the mini-van somehow. Can you say ROAD-TRIP? July was a beautiful month for it. Enoch and I geared ourselves up for this event and prepared for the worst but we were pleasantly surprised with how well the kids did. Gotta love those troopers. We LOVED seeing family and several of Kerri’s friends from college and Estonia.

1 loop on the 2 wheeled handcart trekking around the field at Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch in Utah where Grandma and Grandpa Young were serving and leading Pioneer Treks. We saw at least 7 species of birds and 273 prairie dogs.

4 camping trips in our pop-up tent trailer. One of our favorites was to Sequim where were visited Olympic Game Farm , an open air park housing bears, elk, buffalo, etc. 1 enormous buffalo tongue to the van window and that was plenty for us. The kids will never forget it either!

65 days of Kindergarten. 1 BIG, yellow bus took Seraya off to school for her first day of kindergarten! She is loving school and doing very well. Her teacher claims “Seraya has a flair for the dramatic” and we couldn’t agree with her more! Her teacher said she is also very friendly and helpful to her classmates…we are so proud!

10 years of Marital BLISS for Enoch and Kerri! We celebrated with 3 nights in VEGAS! We had fun seeing, “Mamma Mia” live, and riding the roller coaster on top of New York, New York in the blazing 105 degree heat, and of course, drifting in the lazy river at our hotel pool.

8.5 hours in the van got us to Hood River, Oregon for Thanksgiving. Hello traffic, it should have taken 3.5! We were thankful to get there after all and had a fabulous time with family.

One 6 foot snowman was made on the first day of snow. The kids were up at the crack of dawn yelling that they wanted to play in the snow! I think we were done with the snowman and all the snowballs anyone could handle by 10 am. Then it was hot chocolate by the fire and mama’s home-made French toast on the griddle. Ahhhhhh, what says Happy Holidays better than that?

From our home to yours: wishes for a Merry Christmas and 365 days of fun in 2009!

Love,
The Youngs
Enoch, Kerri, Seraya (5), Kaija (3) and Liam (17 mo)

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TWO chocolates will make you FLAT!

Seraya was so excited about school today because it was an "early release day" and for the am kindergartners it meant actually staying an hour longer, packing lunch, and coming home on the bus with all the big kids. Seraya was thrilled to take her lunch to school so we carefully packed all of her favorite things in her lunchbox this morning (half a sandwich, grapes and mini-cheese its). Before she put it in her backpack I managed to sneak two tiny chocolates in there thinking that would put a smile on her face when she opened her lunchbox at school.

She has been home for a while so I just asked her, "Seraya, did you find something special in your lunch box?" She gave me a monster grin and said, "TWO CHOCOLATES! ...did you put those in there?" I told her I did and she said, "Well, the boy next to me at lunch said 'if you eat TWO chocolates you'll get FLAT!' …but, I ate them anyway” Seraya said putting one arm in front of her and one arm in back, “…and see... I didn't get FLAT!"

Oh my gosh, the things kids say!

By the way, that chump was probably trying to get her to give him one of the chocolates - TWO will make you FLAT, but ONE won't! Ha! That's my girl, never mind what the chum next door says, eat the chocolate anyways! And, I'm THRILLED that she doesn't even associate the word FAT with her body. In our house that's the real F-word!

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That big yellow bus took my baby away...to school!

This morning was a special day for my little Seraya, she has been looking forward to this for YEARS it seems. Her first day of Kindergarten! For me, the first day I've let my baby go somewhere without me (or someone I know). I feel so vulnerable knowing that someone else is caring for her now, someone else is also teaching her. I only hope that there will be a loving teacher or helper there the first time she raises her hand and doesn't get picked, or when she doesn't get to be the "line leader", or when she drops her sandwich, or can't find her class, or and of the many things running through my head right now.

It's silly to feel this way, I know. Seraya is feeling free as a bird! She carefully picked out her outfit last night and laid it out on the floor in her room, underwear, shoes, socks and all. We talked about doing this since she has am kindergarten and she did such a great job remembering. I'm really proud of her! Enoch gave her a little blessing at prayer time last night and I said a little prayer with her today before the left. She gave me the biggest hug and told me I'm the best mommy in the world. I made her one of her favorite things for breakfast, an egg, which she gobbled up. She brushed her teeth and got her backpack on and we were off!

Enoch and I piled the kids in the van and went to the bus stop. I was a little nervous for her when I saw the other "big kids" that would be riding the bus. One of the older girls asked who Seraya's teacher is and she said she's the best. Whew!

So, the bus driver, Ms. Jones, checked in each of the kindergartners as they got on the bus. Seraya was so anxious that she was one of the first ones on and she took a seat right on the front row just behind the bus driver. She looked out the window with a HUGE BYE-BYE grin and waved and blew kisses to her dad and I. I went back to the van as the bus pulled away and teared up. I tried to think about how excited she was to have the freedom she's been craving, but I' can't help but be sad that my baby is growing up. I am so proud of her. She knew nothing of the stealth action Enoch and I had planned to see her get OFF the bus as well.

Yesterday at orientation, the teacher said that we were welcome to come to school to see our child get off the bus and take pictures. Enoch jumped out of his skin at the thought! He loves taking pictures of momentous occasions such as this. So, after the bus pulled away we went across the street to the school and Enoch got some video of Seraya getting off the bus. "What's he doing here?" Enoch heard Seraya say in a giggle to a friend. We saw her line up by her teacher who was holding a dolphin sign high on a stick. From the looks of it she was already chatting it up with the girl in line next to her!

We watched her follow her teacher in line to her classroom and then Enoch and I walked back to the van with two children in tow instead of three and it felt so strange. Life just changed for us and now we have a daughter in school. We were choked up at the thought of it. I'm excited for all that she will learn and discover! When we pulled back into the driveway at our house Enoch jumped out to get in his car to drive to work and Kaija piped up, "I really miss Seraya".

Now I just have to remember to be at the bus stop at 12:05 to pick her up!

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Who is that Handsome BOY?!?!

We took in a cute shaggy boy to KidsCuts and we took home a handsome young man! Today Liam got his first haircut. He sat on a Pooh/Tigger toy and that entertained him for about one minute. Then he noticed himself in the mirror and that entertained him for one more minute. The rest of the time he went through two lollipops and whatever other type of distraction mom and dad could come up with to divert his attention and get him to be still. The gal cutting his hair was a complete moron and took forever. While she was nice and agreeable enough I don't think she spoke a lick of English because she didn't cut the hair the way we explained. Thank goodness there was another stylist on hand who came by with the clippers to even things out and blend the haircut to save the day in the end. What a handsome little boy!

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A Geologist and a Hiker

We went on another family camping excursion this weekend to southern Washington area with our friends Ryan and Raelene Weeks and their family. While the weather was marginal, the company was excellent and the fun was diverse!
We went to a camping club/resort in the Mayfield Lake area with our trailer. They seemed extremely well-suited for weekenders like us, with pull-through sites, multiple swimming pools, basketball, tennis, mini-golf and a plethora of other things to keep us and our little ones occupied.

No campfire sites were provided and only elevated fires were allowed. On our first night, we couldn't rent one of the fireplace-on-wheels they offered, so we improvised by putting my dutch oven pan up on rocks to cook our hobo dinners (which are a real hit with my girls) and we then started a small fire on the coals. In subsequent days, we were able to secure one of the aforementioned fireplaces and enjoyed flames galore (which normally meant Enoch nodding off in front of the fire while everyone else enjoyed meaningful conversation). Love of fire is something I share with my son. We put Liam near the fire in his stroller and he was absolutely mesmerized by the hypnotic flickering and sputtering that slowly reduced itself to ashes. He kept reaching for the flame as if it were some new toy to be played with. Fortunately, he was well out of reach of any flames.

On Sunday, we decided it would be fun to go see Mt. St. Helens as we were in the area. It took some convincing to the women that packing the kids for a long road trip (more than hour) up the mountain would be fun. We finally did and off we went! I'm convinced that half the adventure in these type of trips is seeing the countryside and small towns as you pass through. There is an idyllic peace about these tiny communities in the shadow of the volcano.

At one point, on the way up, I turned to Seraya and asked what a volcano is. She explained that it is a "mountain that blows up and lava comes out." I was dang proud of her, because I swear we've never talked about volcanoes before (which means she probably picked it up from some cartoon)!

When we finally reached the Johnston Ridge Observation area, the clouds had descended and began dribbling rain all over us. We had lunch in the back of our vans and headed up to see the mountain. The weather prevented us from seeing much beyond the foot of the volcano and the volcanic plains below it. We did get to see a neat documentary about the eruption in 1980 (which scared the living daylights out of my daughter, Kaija).

We walked outside and I decided to take my girls on a little hike up the Johnston Ridge (Ryan had taken his two older boys and headed up already). As we climbed the paved trail out of the ravine wear the visitor's center was, the wind and weather came on us full force. My girls were motivated and Seraya in particular was soldiering on well in front of us. Shortly, I could see that Kaija was in distress and we needed to turn back. I had another proud daddy moment when it took some serious persuasion to get Seraya to turn back from the hike. She wanted to keep going to the end! I can't wait to get this girl on a real hike!

Kaija, ever our little geologist, loved looking at the volcanic rocks exhibit at the observation center. She kept turning them over and over to examine them. She was particularly smitten with the pumice and was even able to correctly identify it at camp later when she found a little piece at the mini-golf course. She held it up and wanted us to see the"bolcano rock". She, of course, also retrieved various other "specimens" for us to examine!

I am always amazed at the progress and learning that my babies make. I can't believe I'm sending Seraya to school this year. Pretty soon, she'll be telling me things that even I don't know!

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The Beauty of a Car Camp

I've decided there isn't much more life can offer than the glow of the dying embers of a campfire in its last throes. I love camping. I don't know what it is, whether its the escape from the humdrum and boiling life down to its necessities, or playing make-believe of times when life was simpler, but camping just relaxes me.

In recent years, I have not been able to spend nearly as much time as I would have wanted traipsing through the alpine highlands with a backpack full of freeze-dried food. I've come to a new and interesting phase in life where I can finally share these excursions with a coterie of the people who matter the most to me: my little family.

So, I moved from proving and testing my masculinity through grating tests of endurance in the backcountry to s'mores and ghost stories in a tent trailer. At one point in my life, I looked with great disdain on "car camping" and thought little of those who would not "earn" their place to sleep by wearing out the soles of their feet to get there. Now, with my children all asleep and worn out in their Bratz and princess sleeping bags, I have finally gained a love for the beauty of a car camp!

We've made our way to Sequim, WA to camp. We used our spot here at the KOA Kampground as a base camp to visit Sequim and Port Angeles and enjoy the simplicity of small town living. While just in this KOA, there is plenty to do with swimming, mini-golfing and relaxing, we ventured out and made our way to the Dungeness Wildlife Reserve to have a picnic. After a short walk down the easy trail, it started to drizzle. We stopped just short of the descent to the beach on Dungeness Spit at an observation point that was sheltered from the rain by trees. We had our trail lunch and waited out the gentle rain eating bagels and cheese and playing pirates.

When the rain quit, we made our way to the beach to play in the sand and enjoy the surf pounding in. There truly is nothing as beautiful as watching your kids enjoy the sand on a beach in the Pacific Northwest!

On the way back to the KOA, we decided to visit the Olympic Game Farm, which was quite the adventure. The kids loved having animals like yaks, buffalo and elk come right up to the car. They did not know what to think about those particularly pushy animals who put their snouts right through our open windows. At one point, there were simultaneously elk at my window, Kerri's window AND the back window of our van...each pushing their heads as far as they could into the car, trying to get some bread from us! It freaked the kids out a little, particularly Kaija! These were HUGE elk, whose LEGS were nearly as tall as our van!

Probably the funniest part was when Kerri allowed a big buffalo to get close enough to her window before giving him bread that he stuck his TONGUE through the crack in our window where she was! Who knew that buffaloes has such long tongues!?! I let an elk get close enough that I put bread right IN his mouth! Of course he wanted more and I had to roll the window up and almost got his lip in it! :)

The kids really loved the bears too. Each of the bears staked out their own little section of the paddock to sit by the roadside and beg for bread. Several of them even had little tricks that made them crowd favorites. One could actually request more food by waving at you! Another would sit back and "smile" at you. It made them seem so cute and cuddly. It's hard to believe they are really such dangerous creatures and the only thing between them and us was a short four foot fence and a few strands of electrified wire!

After this it was back to camp for a dinner of bratwurst and roasted marshmellows! Then, the girls actually put themselves to bed! This is a phenomena the we only see when camping. It is either really fun to them to sleep in the bags, or camping really tuckers them out. Either way, the net result was an evening where Kerri and I could peacefully gather our thoughts by the campfire without wondering which kid is going to trip and fall into it!

What a day!

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Liam's FIRST Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Liam...what a BIG BOY!
Well, we have this tradition to give our babies their first taste of REAL dairy on their first birthday.

Uhhhheeemmm, now that I think of it, I think Liam has had a taste or two of the forbidden substance courtesy of my dad, Grandpa Cook. For some reason he thinks babies are deprived and feels the need to give them tastes of all sorts of goodies including caramel, frosting, soda, etc. So I'm sure this is not Liams real first taste of ice cream, but it is the first cone he got all to himeslf and he knew just what to do with it!

There are some things in life where a lesson on "how to" is just not required. Eating an ice cream cone is one of them!

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Road Trip!

We did it, we broke down...every bit of COOLNESS Enoch and I had in our bones disappeared. We got a MINIVAN! The kids were so excited about it, I wasn't. Seraya was overheard "bragging" to the neighbor girl (who, by the way, has a Porsche, Escalade, Hummer, and Mercedes SUV) "Oh yeah, well, know what, we're getting a mini-van with sliding doors!"

I didn't have quite the enthusiasm, I loved my Lexus SUV and wanted to keep it, but it just didn't do the job with three little ones in car seats. I surrendered and now I love the ultimate "soccer mom" rig. With the push of a button the doors and hatch slide open and I can yell "get in and put your buckles on" and just like that the magic happens.

Anyhow, we thought there would be no better way to break the new van in than with a road trip to UTAH! What a trip it was!
Enoch and I spent days thinking about the best "plan of attack" for the road trip. How do we get three little kids to Utah with as little pain (for them and us) as possible? Do we leave in the morning while the kids are still sleeping? Or head out after work and stop somewhere on the way for a night? We decided on the latter and it was perfect! The kids were so entertained with their activity bags that I made them...they didn't even ask for a movie (or to get out of the car) until our last hour of the trip. Even little Liam was a trooper. I must say Enoch and I must have been expecting the worst because we kept on looking at each other...are they still alive? Should we stop? We just cranked up the tunes on the ipod and kept on cruisin'!

Our first point of interest was Woodruff, Utah. Never heard of it? I'm not surprised! What's there, you ask? Grandpa Arnold and Grandma Syd serving a mission! They are taking groups on Pioneer Treks where they load up handcarts and the whole bit. The girls were so excited to see grandma and grandpa! Liam was fascinated with grandpas stylin hat and the girls loved exploring and riding in the handcart.

Seraya wandered off through the fields picking all sorts of flowers and grandma Syd helped her make some pressed flower art projects. Kaija was loving playing with and collecting rocks. One of the best parts for the girls was sleeping in the bunk beds at the guest cabin called "Pappy's". At one point I went in there and they had their sleeping bags draped from the top bunk down, turning the bottom bunk into a secret play fort. I love their imaginations!

We also went into town (Evanston, WY) and met a mission friend of mine (Nate Conrad and his family), then went to a Relay for Life walk in support of finding a cure for cancer. We walked some laps and decorated a luminary in memory of Enoch's mom. That was so special!

Enoch loved spending some time with his dad, the rugged surroundings fit them both so well. Two peas in a pod, I'm beginning to realize more and more each day! Riding in the old truck around the property was especially nostalgic for Enoch and the girls loved the bouncy ride with grandpa, too.

Next point of interest was Dave and Amber's house. We celebrated Savannah's birthday with a pizza party at the park. The next day we went to the Seven Peaks Water Park and the kids loved it! I went down a ride on a tube holding Kaija and we went through a really dark tunnel and I kept on making whoooweee noises trying to convince her it was fun. Towards the end I tried to hold her up so she wouldn't go under the water...it didn't work, we BOTH went under. She didn't want to go on that ride again. The girls were so brave about going on the kiddie slides and couldn't get enough of it. We had a picnic there at the water park and went to the BYU Creamery afterwards for ice-cream! Yumm-o!

During our UTAH adventure we also took at trip to Temple Square where we met up with my awesome mission companion, Jane. I love her so much and haven't seen her for so long. Our kids became friends instantly and didn't want to leave. We had fun walking the Temple grounds. Kaija found a deep affection for a mini statue of Joseph Smith. She held his hand and pretended to dance with him. Probably a little irreverent, I know, but it was so darn cute. She said, "look mama, just my size".

I really enjoyed spending time with Jane, we had a few laughs about mission things and we caught up on about 8 years of stuff. I hope we see each other before the next 8 years comes and goes!

Jane and crew joined us for a meal at Rodisio, a Brazilian Grill Restaurant. We had been there once before and it was SO GOOD! Enoch has bee looking forward to returning ever since. They skewer meat and slow roast it and bring every kind of meat you can imagine by and slice some off on your plate. The tastes, and especially the guarana drink take Enoch back to his mission in Brazil years ago. The girls loved eating olives and quail eggs (they were tiny and cute) and little samples off dads plate. I'm still not a meat fan so it was salad bar for me, I enjoyed the variety of flavors.

We drove back through Draper where I was able to meet with two other friends I love, Aimee and Holly. I called Aimee to see if we could hook up for a visit and she said that she had just ran into my other friend at the store and got her number. It was such a blessing to be able to go to Aimee and Bruce's beautiful house and meet their babes and then have Holly come over, I got a double dose of friends. I felt so refreshed after talking with them about fun memories of college and catching up on all the kiddos and stuff. I think Heavenly Father just wanted to remind me that friendships like this don't fade and somehow you can just pick up where you left off and it's like the time never lapsed. Yay! That was so fun!

Another point of interest was a visit to "Aunt Em's". That's Emily, Enoch's sister. We got to meet her new husband, Brent and see their new home, and a special treat was that Kiley (Em's daughter) was there visiting for the summer so the girls were happy to play with their cousin. Emily cooked us a wonderful dinner and it was so fun to catch up and talk about their baby due in December, I believe.

What a trip! Even the ride home was fun. We reunited with family and friends and loved ones. We are sorry we don't get to Utah for a visit more often, but maybe with the new minivan, we'll be taking more road trips like this one!

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Graduation Day, Graduation Day, Graduation Day is FINALLY here!

Words from the song Seraya has been practicing to sing at Graduation to the tune of “Dina won’t you blow, Dina won't you blow, Diana won't you blow your Ho-r-n!"

My Seraya is an official preschool graduate! See, she has a graduation cap and diploma to prove it!

For the special occasion I thought it would be fun for her to pick out a new dress so I took her to the store and she got to pick out whatever dress she wanted. This is a special treat from the usual mom buys her something on sale and she better like it scenario. She said, “Mama, I’m going to pick the most beautifulest dress ever.”

All I can say is that girl knows what she likes. I must have shown her at least 30 dresses, how about this one, or this one…..no, no, no. She found a white and purple dress and her face lit up, “Oh, mama…I love this dress!” We narrowed it down to five dresses to try on and each one was a nope until she put this same purple one on and then it was “Oh, mama, I love the sleeves”, she twirled around the it was sold! On the way back out to the car she said, “Mom, I can’t believe I found my best dress ever!”

I’m glad she felt really special going to her graduation. She sat up front with her teacher and special friends, some of who she has been in school with for 2 years. They sang their “Graduation Day” song and then Seraya’s class sang “I’m Gonna Praise Him”. They did a fabulous job. We are so proud of Seraya! She has grown and has learned so much over the past two years of preschool.

Afterward, we gave Seraya some beautiful hot pink baby roses (her favorite color) that her daddy picked out for her. She took a picture with Ms.Corinne and got her Diploma and a gift of a Children’s Bible. Kaija was waiting so patiently hoping that she would get one too, and she was so sad to find out that only Seraya was graduating., afterall she has gone to preschool almost every day this year to drop Seraya off and pick her up and that should count for something!

We all went out to dinner afterwards and happened to meet one of Seraya’s classmates, Bryan, and his family there. We all ate together and celebrated the accomplishments of out little ones. They SO enjoyed being the center of attention… "Drink it all in, Seraya”, I said, and she giggled.

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My Have Poop

You SO don't want to be a mom of three kids four and under! I have one baby screaming from the high chair because I had to quit feeding him his rice-cereal mid-bite to rescue my other two daughters from floods of water. They tipped over my vase of Mother's Day tulips, which are now swimming on the hardwood floors. I didn't even know the vase could hold so much water, but I just kept hearing it drip and splash and drip and splash and with each drip I scurried faster and faster to try and find a towel...somewhere, anywhere....a towel, any towel.
So now, the wet is dried up and kids need to be changed because their pants (that they were ready to walk out the door in) are now ready for nothing.

I take a deep breath and calmly sit down to resume feeding the baby and I notice Kaija is missing. "Kaija!" I yell, "Come down and finish breakfast." Just then a completely naked Kaija peers around the corner, "My have poop" she says. "Where????" I say..."All over" she says.... Oh, and she meant it!

Freeze! Hands up! Don't move! I'm sure it sounded like I was about to arrest her, but I just needed to stop the mess while I ran for the wipes. With wipes in hand, I say lean over and spread em'! After she was cleaned up (the the droplets on the floor). Armed with wipes and a plastic bag, ready to face anything at this point I say, "Show mama where the poop is"... "Ok mama, come on!" At the bottom for the stairs I step over the diaper that was shed. Thisi s going to get worse before it gets better I say to myself. Seraya says I wanna see too! And I say, "I'll tell you ALL about it, you stay there and finish breakfast."

Kaija takes me up the stairs, my eyes are peeled looking for any clue as to where the mess may linger. Then she points into her room and there, I see the two logs I've been searching for. Oh my gosh, everyone stand back, "Seraya (who had followed us up the stairs so as to not miss it) get me more wipes, quick!" As I'm reaching with wipes to pick up the mess, Kaija says, "Mama, you still love me?" and with smile on face and poop in hand I say, "Yes Kaija, Mama loves you!" "Kank you, Mama", Kaija says with a smile melting my heart! And off they go like a couple of kids to play as I deal with the sanitizing and anti-bacterializing, un-fun stuff!

Meanwhile, Liam is still howling from his high chair, wondering why all of a sudden, mid morsel, his stream of food ceased and all his family has deserted!

Ha! If you like the sounds of my life, maybe you so DO want to be the mom of three kids four and under.

Time 8:38am, are we ready for bed yet? No, it's time to go to work!

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Holy Princesses!!

We had a royal day of princessing at Disneyland today, it's called a Magical Morning and with our tickets we could get into the park an hour before everyone else and enjoy an essentially empty park. What that meant was getting to the park at 7am dressed in royal princess attire with hair carefully done and crowns carefully placed by mama.



Mickey mouse was there to greet us when we entered the park and no matter how many times the kids saw Mickey, their faces lit up each time. AAaahhhh, the Magic! We were able to get a family photo without crowds and it was so special.

Then off we raced to Fantasy land to ride Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and Dumbo the flying elephant. Then we went on the storybook ride where you ride a boat and see little miniature lands where the storybook characters live. Seraya loved it so much she wanted to go on it again. Since there were no lines, it was as she wished!

We also went to the Royal Princess Walk where the girls met Jasmine, Mulan and Princess Minnie. The girls were in awe!


At the royal coronation, they girls were able to dance with the princesses. The whole room, adults and children alike, let out an audible gasp when Cinderella entered the room. The girls took an oath to be kind and princess-like at all times, then they were deemed princesses themselves. (We'll see how long that oath holds up!)

Afterwards I asked one of the ladies standing by if she knew if Cinderella would be on the Pricess walk later that day. She took one look at Kaija dressed in her princess gown and said, "I can guarantee you can meet Cinderella if you come back here at 10:55 am." So we got a royal invitation, a part of the year of a million dreams celebration, for a private reception with princess Cinderella for just our family! We told the girls they got a invitation, but they didn't know who it was from. When they were able to see Cinderella at her royal reception place all by themselves, they were star struck. I could see the sparkle in their eyes and it was enough to make any parent get choked up with Magic! Cinderella told Seraya she looked like her friend Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and she told Kaija, "You look like me when I was little!"

After the Cinderella encounter, it was story time with the princesses and royal craft time. By then the girls were wiped out! It was only about 11:30 am, but they were ready for lunch! We were amazed at how much we had already accomplished by that time of day with no lines around. Starting at 7am really payed off and who would have guessed they'd still be going strong at 11pm!

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Disney Magic

Today started early. It was so early, that I wasn't even sure if yesterday ever ended. I woke up to the alarm clark at 4:30am. After that, it was rush, rush, rush to the airport. Our friend Jennie went with us to drive our new van home. I had already checked in online, so I could skip straight to the bag check-in. We knew we were close to the weight limit, but had no idea how close it really was. Packing for five people for a week takes a lot more than you would think. We have baby food, diapers and every other essential item you could possibly need for a baby, a toddler and a pre-schooler.


Airport security was the usual mess with all our crap. We had to give up some unopened drinks, but came through otherwise unscathed. We got to the gate just in time to board last and rolled right on, stowed our things and sat down. The girls were so excited for the adventure that the air crackled with electricity. Kerri took Liam and Seraya and sat on once side of the aisle, while myself and Kaija sat on the other. Though, I was worried that Kaija would suffer the most during the flight. She has a fear riding in the elevator that causes every elevator ride to be a white-knuckle affair. Amazingly, she was upbeat and exciting and willing to put all fears aside in pursuit of the ultimate goal of a Disneyland arrival!

The flight was relatively uneventful. At some point Kerri looked at me and said with fright in her voice, "This is longer than Sacrament Meeting." This refers to the fact that the flight is longer than the one hour church meetings we attend each week. We have that down, but not we not sure how it would go during a longer time frame. The girls were excellent as we moved from one activity to another and switching places periodically to keep them busy.

An easy landing and de-planing led to an easy baggage retrieval. Kerri waited while I took Seraya to get our rental car. I had purposely reserved a smaller can than I needed, knowing that an upgrade would likely occur. Sure enough, after I stood in the line for 15 minutes trying to keep Seraya occupied, they upgraded us to a larger car WITH GPS! We were lucky we were upgraded because we BARELY fit our bags into the trunk.

When we arrived at our hotel at noon, the staff informed us that we could not check in until 4pm. So we decided that we would head off to Disneyland with our bags locked in the trunk of our car. The girls were tired as we headed over, and alternatively screamed and cried as they bickered about who was touching who.

Once we closed in on the park, however, it was a different story. They calmed down and looked forward to the joys to be imparted from the mind of Walt Disney. By the time we arrived in Main Street USA, however both Kaija and Liam were out cold, sleeping in positions that I could never imagine. We took in the beauty of Disneyland, and decided to sit near the carousel and have a bit of lunch.

After that it was off to the Dumbo and the teacup and the Alice in Wonderland. Seraya was in HEAVEN. She found Alice in Wonderland a little scary at first, but fun overall. At this point, Kaija finally woke up and rode the Mad Hatter's teacup ride herself. She was a little shaky at first, but quickly warmed to it.

We then decided to look towards Toontown for something that Kaija could enjoy. On the way there, we found that the Disney Railroad would create just that diversion. It was a lot of fun, and gave us a chance to rest too. After making a round on the slow-moving train, we exited and headed into Toontown.

This place was MADE for my girls! Immediately upon entering, we encountered one of Kaija's favorite Disney characters: Goofy. She wanted to meet him but was a little star-struck. We finally coaxed her to meet and greet Goofy, but she would not be near him by herself. Typical Kaija antics, to be sure. She was satisfied to take a picture in my arms and wave.

We went to meet Mickey after that and had a similar experience. The kids loved seeing Mickey's house and all his crazy things. When it came to actually meeting him, they both got a little shy, but we did get a picture!

Later, (after paying $15 for four ice cream bars) we took a ride on Gadget's Go Coaster, the little kidde roller coaster in Toontown. I sat out with Liam while Kerri took the girls on the ride. I was a little leery that it would be scary for Kaija. It turned out that she came off wanting more, more, more! (Well, after giving her crazy "I'm scared out of my mind, but loving it laugh"!)

Using the baby switch off option offered for some rides, I went back directly to the front of the line with her for one more round with her and she loved it again! This gave me hope that my sometimes 'fraidy cat girl was actually ready for some of the bigger rides!

We made our way slowly back to Adventureland and went on the Jungle Cruise. Almost immediately, Kaija was startled by the appearance of an alligator, right next to her in the river! Both she and Seraya jumped. After that, Kaija could hardly focus on the rest of the ride as she kept looking over her shoulder waiting for the next alligator. She didn't have to wait long, because the piranhas made us all jump! Seraya proudly says of the trip, "I didn't even get wet!"

The last and most momentous event of the night was the Parade of Dreams, back in Main Street UsA. After finally pushing our way into a spot at the curb. The girls waited, but did not know what to expect. The parade was truly magical! It was like a walking cartoon, every character that they had known and loved were there! Cinderella, Snow White, Simba, Ariel...every new float brought new excitement and wonder! I looked at Kerri, who was getting a little choked up, realizing how special this was to our girls. Kaija was especially funny, waving at every character maniacally! This was by far the best event of the day for them.

We packed everyone onto our double stroller and headed back to the hotel to check in. On the way, we met our friends, the Grangers, who were on their way out for dinner. We planned to get together the next day for even MORE Disneyland. When we finally located our room, Kerri secretly went and layed out new princess night gowns for the girls on their bed. When I arrived with the girls, they were so jumping with excitement to see what the princesses had left them!

What a great and magical day!

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My baby is growing up!

My little Liam is growing up right before my eyes. He's almost 9 months old. I couldn't resist taking a picture of my little cherub before church today because I think he suddenly looks so grown up in his white shirt and tie.
He is scooting all over the place in his walker. He loves the freedom of following his sisters all over the place. He zooms to the back door to watch them through the glass door, down the hall to the front door, zooms to the bathroom to follow them and occasionally we hear a yelp, "Ouch, Liam keeps running over my toes!". If the sisters are feeling particularly mean, they dock his scooter up on the carpet which has a fairly thick pile and he can't move.
He has been getting up on his haunches lately and it's only a matter of time before he is completely mobile without the walker. Watch out mama!

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Seraya's First Talk

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He is COMING!

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