Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!!!! We had a great day. We got up and got ready for church. Reagan said "Mama, it is a special day - maybe you should make pancakes!" Yep Reagan - it is a special day :) So, we had pancakes.

We went to church and, as usual on Mother's Day, the primary children sang. I LOVE when they sing. They are so cute and they just belt it out with all they've got. Love it. Also, as usual, the ward gave the mothers boxes of chocolates. Yeah!!! The YM/YW handed them out. That was just a nice little treat. 

Since the primary theme for this year is families, each week in Primary, they spotlight one of the families in the ward. Well, this week was our week. Reagan filled out the little form and they brought us all up to the front of the Primary room and told all about us. Fun!

After church, Shannon came over and we had dinner. She is always so sweet to come and celebrate special days with us. We ate and then we relaxed in the yard and just enjoyed hanging out with each other. We also opened gifts - Reagan and Cole had made the most darling things at school and at church. They were so proud to give me their cards and their little gifts :)

Then, we headed down to Alpine to Steve's brother's house. His parents and some of his sibs and their families were there. Reagan and Cole LOVE to play with their cousins and had a great time at their house. We loved being able to see family and to play and enjoy being together.

I know I've posted about this before, but I love Mother's Day. I love that we can honor our mothers, our mothers in law, and the women who "mother" us and our families. Most of all, I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a mother. It is the best job I have ever had (and the hardest!). It is my absolute privilege to be Reagan and Cole's mother and to see them learn and grow and develop and become. They and Steve mean the world to me and I love being with them.

Reagan's Birthday Party

 Since we have Reagan's baptism this year, we decided she would have a smaller, simpler party than in years past. She decided she is "sort of an art girl" and so we opted to have her party at Color Me Mine and to invite only a handful of friends. If you've never been there, it is a really fun place. There are all sorts of ceramic pieces which you paint. Then, they fire them in a kiln and you pick them up a week later. Reagan and Cole have been before and have loved it.

So, with ten children, we booked the party room and each of them chose a ceramic piece and sat down to paint. The room had a tv and dvd player. Unfortunately, that was rather distracting to the children, especially Reagan. She kept watching the movie, rather than paying attention to her painting.

After the children painted, we sang Happy Birthday and ate cake. Then, we opened presents.

It turned out to be a great party and all the children had a good time. For me, it may have been the easiest party we've ever had for either of the children. Reagan enjoyed being with her friends and celebrating her birthday yet again :)

Blue Knights Spring Soccer

We just finished spring season in soccer. It was nice to be back outside but some of our games were pretty cold. Whatever the weather, Cole did great. He worked with his teammates and he has really improved in his footwork.

He has been really aggressive which is good. He doesn't sit and wait for the other team to make a move - he goes to try to get the ball back. He also would move to kick the ball even if it meant he would end up on the ground.

I had to laugh that, at one point, Cole even lost his shoe. It came off, but he didn't stop. He kept playing until the next time the ball went out of bounds and the game paused. Then, he ran back to get his shoe and put it back on and continued the game.

Steve was all about incentives for Cole. During one game, they were playing for several minutes right at the other team's goal. Our players just couldn't seem to close the deal and score. Steve was on the sidelines shouting out encouragement to Cole and he yelled "Five bucks if you score Cole!" Not a minute later, Cole scored. He was excited to have helped his team, but he was really excited to be getting five bucks! Seriously - he always tried to score as often as he could, even without a financial incentive :)

We are officially through with our first year of Blue Knights. Tryouts are next week. I remember so vividly sitting at last year's tryouts. They corresponded with a family party at our house for Kevin. Steve stayed at the house while I took Cole to tryouts. I was texting updates as to what was happening, trying to decipher what was going on and how he was doing. 

I feel great about what Cole has learned during this year. His teams may not have won every game, but his skills have improved and he - and we - have made some great friends. His coaches know him and his talents and I am excited to see the growth that he will have this year. Way to go Cole!!!!

Happy Birthday Reagan!!!!

How is it possible that our little baby girl is turning eight years old? It has gone by SO fast. Well, eight is great and we are feeling it in this house for sure!!!

For years, Reagan has been asking to get her ears pierced. We have put her off saying "we will talk about it when you turn 8". Yep, now it is here and she is as determined as ever. So, we agreed. She was brave but scared. The ladies offered to each do one ear at the same time so that there was only one "hurt". Yep - that sounds good to us. She cried for a while but soon was checking her ears in the mirror every hour or so. She kept thinking they were coming out :)

Earlier that day, we met with the photographer to take pics of Reagan in her baptism dress on Temple Square. The flowers and grounds were beautiful and Allison always does a great job of capturing our children's personalities in their pictures. After the pics, we met my parents to have lunch and to let Reagan choose a gift at Target. We had a good time catching up and shopping together. As usual, they let Cole (the non-birthday child) choose a gift as well. Cole couldn't decide between three Lego sets, so, Dad bought him all three .... against my objections! Cole was in heaven as was Reagan who selected this little two sided diary with Ever After High girls on it. Well, I guess that's what grandparents are for - spoiling kiddos.

The next day was Reagan's actual birthday. I made pancakes for breakfast for she and Cole. We opened presents and got ready for church. Reagan wanted to bear her testimony at church and Steve went up with her. She gave such a sweet testimony about her family always being there for her and being excited to be baptized. Steve got up and said "Reagan is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get." Everybody laughed but he was absolutely right. She can be emotional, analytical, frank, humorous, serious, spiritual and social. She literally cracks us up with the things she says.

After church, Shannon came up to be with us and to celebrate Reagan's birthday. We made brownies and hung out in the backyard. She is so sweet to always support Reagan and Cole and to be with them on their special days.

All in all, Reagan had a great day. She was smiling all day, showing everyone her new earrings and telling them about her upcoming baptism. We are so blessed to be her parents and to have her in our family. She is a joy and there has never been a dull moment while she has been around. I seriously can't believe that she is eight. It feels like we just had her - like she was just taking her first steps, like she was just starting school, etc. The time has gone so fast but it has been such a wonderful ride. Happy Birthday our little ...er big Reagan. We love you so much.

New Fun in the Backyard .... gulp

So, I'm at Cole's soccer practice one night when I receive the above and the below pics on my phone. I'm squinting to see what it is because it appears to be Reagan high in a tree. I'm thinking that there is no way she would be climbing a tree by herself. Then, it dawns on me - Steve is holding the camera. Yep, Steve and Reagan conspired to have her climb one of the highest trees in our yard. Uggh!!!!  I showed Cole on the drive home, hoping to get sympathy for my motherly instincts to protect my children, when all he says is "drive fast mom - I want to do that when we get home!!!".

Unfortunately, it was dark when we got home, but Cole was sure to get Steve to take him out the next day. He couldn't wait to get up into that tree.  

Cole was determined to get AT LEAST as high as Reagan had gone in the tree. All of it makes this mama hold her breath. I know they love it and I know Steve did it when he was a child. That doesn't make me feel any better. I'm still worried that they will fall out of the tree. And remember, this is no ordinary tree - it is a huge, tall quaky that rests in the steepest part of our yard. Great, right?

As you can imagine this is one of Reagan and Cole's new favorite things to do in the backyard. The other?????

A swing made out of a hose!!!!! No - seriously. Steve thought it would be fun to throw a hose over a branch and let them use it like a tarzan vine and swing back and forth. They LOVED it!!! They would climb on the rock and hold on to the hose and jump. Sometimes they would hit the ground ... hard. Other times they would swing one way and then come back and hit the rock. Still other times, it would work as they wished and they could swing back and forth. 

Then, they decided to pull each other with the other end of the hose so that they didn't have to rely on gravity. 

One of the problems with using a hose for a swing is that Reagan and Cole couldn't hold on well enough to stay high on the hose. They would inevitably slide down the hose until they hit the ground. Well, Steve solved that by tying a knot into the bottom of the hose. That way, Reagan and Cole had something to stand on to keep them high on the hose. 

Looks like this kind of fun isn't going away any time soon. Oh well, I guess I'd better just get used to it. Alrighty then - let's swing!

Happy Easter!!!

We had a great Easter!!!! We had just returned from Hawaii and were ready to be back home and get back into our schedule (although the time change was a bit hard to get over). We hadn't really made any Easter plans since we were just trying to get home and unpacked, etc. On the Saturday before Easter, Reagan and Cole - out of nowhere - asked "Are Grandma and Grandpa going to come and color eggs with us?" I hadn't even thought about coloring eggs. I told them I didn't think we were going to do that this year since Easter was the next day and since we hadn't made any plans with Steve's parents. Reagan and Cole were so sad and were reminding me how we do that EVERY year with Grandma and Grandpa. Just then, Steve's parents called to see if they could come over and bring some little Easter gifts for Reagan and Cole. Yeah!!!! We made an egg coloring date and I headed to the store for eggs and color tablets.


















I'm sad that these pics are blurry. I think that a button was moved on the camera when we were traveling and I didn't even check it before we took pics. Oh well - you can probably make out Reagan and Cole and Grandma and Grandpa with all our brightly colored eggs.
























That Saturday night, Cole asked if he could give some of his colored eggs to the Easter Bunny. I thought it was kind of him to do that but was surprised that he would even think of it. Reagan caught on and wanted to leave the Easter Bunny a note and some candy. Cole jumped on the note and candy thing and they both ended up coming up with a little gift for the Easter Bunny. Cole asked me where the Easter Bunny would come. I told him that usually he leaves their baskets in the living room, but that I really didn't know. Cole decided to leave a note in the living room, telling the Easter Bunny to look on the "odeman" (ottoman) for a "noat". Then, on the ottoman, he left a note saying to look in the fridge for eggs and tootsie rolls. Then, he left a bag in the fridge with his "best" colored eggs and some tootsie rolls.

Reagan, on the other hand, left a note in the living room saying that something from Reagan to the Easter Bunny was in the family room. There, she left a baggie with a pink necklace and a blue necklace in it with some tootsie rolls. Oh - and there was a note addressed to "Easter" (apparently his CLOSE friends call him" Easter"). The note thanked him for "every Easter you have given me and for this Easter." It also invited him to take the blue necklace if he was a boy and the pink necklace if he was a girl. Finally, at the end, it gave Cole credit for thinking up to leave treats for the Easter Bunny.

Well, the next morning, we were not disappointed. The eggs and tootsie rolls were gone from the fridge and the tootsie rolls from the family room were gone along with the blue necklace. All that remained was the pink necklace. Well, that solves that, right? Reagan and Cole had lots of candy in their baskets from the Easter Bunny and lots of clothes and toys and books from Mom and Dad. We had a great day at church and spent the rest of the day together as a family.

I think it is so cute that Reagan and Cole thought to leave thank you notes for the Easter Bunny. Thank you notes are important to Steve and me and I hope that we have helped Reagan and Cole realize how important it is to give thanks to those who are kind to us or give them gifts. Both sets of our parents keep saying "They don't have to write us thank you notes for every little thing." Oh yes they do!!! Their grandparents - and others - are so kind to them and they need to be grateful and recognize what others do for them. It may be sinking in 'cause this one was all them :)

 I was remembering that last Easter, we had our egg hunt at the hospital while hoping that Kevin would recover enough to head home. Wow - what a difference a year makes. Although there are Easter Bunnies, new clothes, candy and colored eggs, we are mindful of the reason for this holiday, of the sacrifice of our Savior and of the resurrection. I actually taught YW this Easter Sunday and showed a new video the church put out. It was entitled "Because of Him" and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all that is in our lives "Because of Him". We are happy, healthy and all together. We are learning and growing and we have the gospel in our lives. We are so very blessed and are grateful for all that we have been given. Yes, a lot has changed in a year and we look forward to all that the next year will bring. Happy Easter everyone!!!!!

A Gentleman

Cole came home from school one day recently and said "Mama, Molly forgot her cardigan at school today and she was really cold. So, I gave her my cardigan 'cause I thought you would want me to do that." I told him how proud I was of him and how kind that was to do. He said "Plus, boys are supposed to take care of girls, right?" You are RIGHT my friend!!!

What a little gentleman!! I am really so proud of him that he noticed she was cold and thought it was the right thing to give her his cardigan. What a good boy and what a little gentleman.

Way to go Cole!!!!!

O'ahu - Days 8 & 9

Our last day here :(  We've definitely had our fill of sun this trip, so, I mandated hats today. If they were swimming and actually going under the water, they didn't have to wear them. However, if they were just hanging in the hot tub or walking on the beach, they had to wear a hat. 

One bonus today was that Reagan met up with Steffan. He sat next to us on the plane ride over. He and Reagan played on the iPads, played games and talked for six hours. They became fast friends. His family was going to a wedding on the North Shore, but ended up staying at our hotel last night. So, Reagan and Steffan swam together and talked and had tons of fun. We tried to soak up every last bit of sun we could before heading inside to get showered and packed up. The hotel gave us an extra late checkout, so, we had a lot of time.

After we checked out, we still had a few hours until it was time to leave for the airport. Reagan and Cole chose Denny's for our last meal here (not sure that's what I would have chosen, but ....). We had pancakes and eggs. Then, we returned to the hotel and sat in the rocking chairs overlooking the koi pool. We could also see out over the swimming pool and to the ocean. After another hour or so, we caught a cab for the airport and headed home. 

Once again, Hawaii, you have given us a great trip. Time to be together, time to play in the sun and time to relax. I know that Steve says we are boring to keep coming back here, but I love it! Until next time ..... Alllloooooohhhaaaa!!!

O'ahu - Day 7

Reagan and Cole are slowly adjusting - they woke up after 6 this morning. So, we had a bit of a late start, but not too bad (I was still able to score the shady chairs right in the center of the pool - yeah!). After our work outs, we hit the pool and Cole and Steve got right into the football. Some others joined them until ... we closed the pool. Yep - Steve was running to catch the football and he stepped on something. He looked down and it was a glass that had been broken and was at the bottom of the pool. He cut his foot pretty good, but because the glass was broken and other pieces were at the bottom of the pool, they cleared the pool and closed it until the pool guys could come and vacuum it all out and ensure no more glass was there. It only took a couple of hours. Steve brought Subway breakfast for us, so, we ate and chatted. Plus, the hot tubs were still open, so Reagan and Cole played there. After a couple of hours, the pool was re-opened and we were back in business :)

After we had our fill of the pool, we came in and showered. Then, Steve and Reagan left for their Daddy/Daughter Date. Reagan had actually made a list (or an itinerary) for them to do on their date. They had "umbrella drinks" in the restaurant, took a walk on the beach, exchanged "gifts and notes" and went for ice cream. She cracks me up with trying to be in charge of the dates. Seriously, though, I'm so glad that we have kept up this tradition of the Daddy/Daughter Date and the Father/Son Fun. Reagan and Cole LOVE to have Daddy to themselves for a while and he loves to be their special companion for a few hours.

While Steve and Reagan were on their date, Cole asked if we could take a walk. Not surprisingly, our walk ended at McDonalds where Cole suggested we get a snack. His idea of a snack was a cheeseburger, fries and a mcflurry :)   We met up back at the room and watched more reruns of Full House. Reagan and Cole just laugh and laugh at what happens. Funny.

O'ahu - Day 6

After a day off yesterday, we were back at the pool bright and early this morning. We are getting up a bit later each day, but it is still well before 6 am, so, no problem getting our favorite chairs. However, our favorite chairs have now changed :)  The ones we had for those few days were great, but I'm now concerned that we may be getting a bit too much sun, so, we changed to chairs across the pool. The new ones still have a great view, but are in the shade more. Don't get me wrong - we slather Reagan and Cole (and us!) in sunscreen and have them wear swim shirts and cover up when they are on the chairs. However, they put their goggles on and off, which I think rubs off their sunscreen. Plus, they get in and out of the pool so much and they towel off so much that I think we are fighting a losing battle. Hence the shaded chairs.

Again, today, we were in the pool, on the slide, in the hot tub and on the beach. Cole and Steve had their daily dose of football int he pool with some other guys and we all enjoyed several hours at the pool. After we had enough, we cleaned up and headed out for a late lunch. Then, Steve went back to the hotel and Reagan, Cole and I did some shopping. They each get to buy a toy or stuffed animal or something as a memory of our trip. We were in this little shop and Cole found this stuffed cheetah. He wasn't totally sure it was what he wanted, but he was pretty sure. I took a pic of him with the cheetah just so we could remember. When it was time for dinner, we went to the club floor for a bite. Starwood Gold and Platinum members are invited for appetizers and drinks (sodas for us) and some local fare. Since we had such a late lunch, we didn't want to go out again. This was just right for us. They had some fish and rice and salads and nuts and veggies. Perfect! Plus, the view was breathtaking. This was on the 30th floor and - wow! You could see all the way up the beach to Diamondhead and beyond. It was gorgeous. Plus, Reagan and Cole met some friends from the pool there :)

After our little snack, Steve and Cole headed out for their "Father/Son Fun". This is another tradition that we so enjoy on our trips. Cole planned for them to go on a walk together on the beach. Then, they walked back through the stores and when they got to the store where Cole's cheetah was, he had decided to get it. Steve pointed out - and I hadn't even noticed - that the store's name was Coco Cove. CoCo is Cole's nickname in our family .... well, Cole Cole, but often it turns into CoCo. Perfect ! Cole was elated when he had his cheetah, but things got even better as they headed back to the hotel. They ran into Spiderman. Cole roughed him up a bit and then they went for ice cream in the hotel. They had just introduced a new flavor called "The Amazing Spiderman", so, Cole HAD to get it. Yep, a messy mouth, an ice cream cone and a cheetah - it just doesn't get any better than that :)

Reagan and I got some homework done while the boys were away and we had a nice time together. This day ended with the kids falling asleep as they watched reruns of Full House. Steve and I watched a movie and sacked out as well. Another day in paradise is in the books!

O'ahu - Day 5

Up a bit later this morning - maybe Reagan and Cole's bodies are starting to adjust to Hawaii time. It didn't matter though, because it is Sunday, so, no workout this morning. We got ready, had breakfast and headed to church. It was raining and windy. When we mentioned that to the driver of the taxi, he said "Of course, it's April." Steve then asked "When is the best time to come to Hawaii?" and the taxi driver answered "Any time but April." Huh. We've come in most other months, but we haven't before come during April. This is, by far, our most windy trip. Maybe it is just the weather patterns, but maybe it is a thing that we should avoid in the future. We'll see.

Church was good. I've mentioned before how Cole loves when the speakers get up and shout out "Allloha" to the congregation who shouts back "Alloha" to the speaker. Well, this particular day was a crazy church day. The organist did not show up, so, they asked if anyone played the organ. Another visitor from the mainland volunteered. Then, the program outlined a youth speaker, a brother from the ward and a high council speaker. The youth speaker took less than two minutes for his talk - really. The other two speakers didn't show - seriously! I guess one was sick and one got his schedule mixed up. (Yep - I'm using that one the next time I am asked to speak - Uh ' I got my schedule mixed up.) I felt so badly for the poor bishopric member who had to deal with this. He said "We are going to have a rest hymn now and I'm going to try to think of something inspirational to say." He actually did great. He talked about keeping our families (and our children) safe physically and spiritually. Then, the Bishop called a couple of ward members out of the audience to bear their testimonies. It was a good, but short, meeting.

After church, we headed back to the hotel. With the rain and wind, it wasn't a good day to be at the pool. We watched some tv, did some homework and relaxed in the room. Later, the sun came out, so, we took a walk - a long walk. We walked to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We had previously bought a two bedroom unit package and wanted to see the room (we could use it here or back on the Big Island). Somehow, they were unable to let us just see the room without us going on a tour - yeah - not going to happen. So, we just left. We had dinner at a little pizza place and then walked back along the beach to our hotel. I was glad that Reagan and Cole had a break from the sun today - we always try to be careful that they don't get too much sun, but here, it is hard to manage :)

O'ahu - Day 4

Yesterday's pool chair selection was awesome, so, at 5am this morning, I snagged the same four chairs! Like I said, perfect location, great views and easy access to our kiddos. Today we had our same routine - got up and worked out, showered and hit the pool. Reagan and Cole have been loving the slide this time as well. They have met some friends who are with a fairly big family from Australia. One is Reagan's age, one is Cole's age and they have cousins and friends with them. So, we've had lots of friends to play with. Cole and Steve played football in the pool again and were joined by some other fathers and sons :)

After we had enough sun, we headed inside to get showered and cleaned up. Then, we decided to take a walk down the beach. From our hotel, we could see these triangle shaped things going down into the water - almost like bleachers (or huge steps) that go right down into the water. I've asked several employees and no one knows what it is (go figure!), so, we will check it out. I'm thinking they are seats to watch a boat show or a sea animal show - I think the aquarium is right down there. We walked down past the aquarium and the zoo, through the park and all the way to these triangles. It was all gated off and locked, but the sign on the front said "War Memorial". ????? Not sure why there would be huge steps or seats and which war? Lots of questions that I'll have to google :)

Anyway, it was a pretty long walk and Reagan and Cole were tired, but we stopped to rest and to take pics and to play on the beach.

Had to include this great pic of the rainbow over Waikiki and Diamondhead. Cole said "I'll bet there's a leprechaun at the end of that rainbow, but since we had just taken a huge walk, we didn't bother going to see.