Tutorials: Button clips and Embellished flip-flops

As a follow-up to my post on Christina's Project Runway party, here are tutorials if you're interested in any of the crafts we did....

Besides her Michael Miller Etsy fabric store, my sister, Julie, offers a perfect fabric covered button clippy tutorial (among others) on her sewing blog.  We only made the button clippies at Christina's party, but I plan on making more bobby pins.  Save your fabric scraps for this project...a little strip of material can make a dozen or more buttons!  One of Christina's friends asked how to put the clippy in her hair correctly, and my only suggestion was to start sliding the clippy in and then lift hair at the end of the clippy, so that when you close the clippy you can cover the metal with your hair and only the button will show.... 

For the flip-flops...the sky is the limit for how you decorate them.  I've seen them decorated with buttons, fir, flowers, fabric, etc.  In the interest of time, I grabbed stick on jewels at Michael's that were in the flip-flop decor craft section (yes, there is such a thing!).   While you're there you'll probably get more ideas for dazzling up your pair of flip flops.  I've read that craft glue is recommended because hot glue will dry too quickly and embellishments won't stay on.  We bypassed the glue drying time by using the stick-ons.  I told the girls to glue them on at home if they fall off (and they probably will).  Michael's and Jo'Ann's both had the flip-flops with the clear straps.

Flip flop embellishing ideas (links):
Flip flops from iMommies

Flip flops from Family Fun

YoYo flip flops from Making it Fun

Flip flops by Martha Stewart

The Healing Power of Oreos

When there is an argument between any of our children, everything stops (for them) and they are sent to privately talk through things.  Fun does not resume for either of them until they have worked through their issue(s).  Sometimes this can take a while because one person is more willing to talk than another.  This was the case today with Christina and Thomas.

An argument erupted between Christina and Thomas while they played Mario Cart and Thomas lost his temper.  Game Cube was turned off and Thomas was really upset.  I sent them to work things out and Thomas clearly did not want to talk, so Christina had to wait...and wait...and wait.  Next thing I knew they both came up to me and said they had talked things out.  I took them both to my room and sat down to talk with them since this kind of thing has been happening a little too often with these two, and I thought we aught to talk about preventing such reoccurances.

We had a prayer.  I was touched that Thomas prayed that we would have the Spirit during our talk.  Thomas started to recount the argument.  He recalled how he flipped out and went off to be by himself and cool down.  He said, "When Christina first came to me to talk, I didn't feel like talking.  When she came back the second time, I still didn't want to talk, but then she came back with Oreos, and I listened to her."

How brilliant is that?  I mean, really!  I've always essentially commanded and expected attention in situations like this where I've needed to talk things out.  I've never thought of extending a physical olive branch...something as simple as an Oreo cookie...to show my underlying love, and to break down some of the hurt and anger.  Thank you, Christina.  I'm going to remember this lesson forever.

Have you heard of The Submarines?

To celebrate our recent 14th anniversary, Wayne and I went on a hot date.  We started off at Not Your Average Joe's on Rte. 9 in Westborough.  Our waitress was great.  Food (between the two of us): Steak tips, salmon, coconut crusted shrimp, asparagus, & green beans...all delish.  Afterward, we killed some time in Boston walking around the Christian Science headquarters which is known for its architecture.

 We walked through the Prudential Ctr. shopping tunnel and ended up at our destination: The Berklee Performance Center, an intimate concert hall with just a 1220 capacity.

We were thrilled to see The Submarines open for Aimee Mann.  Aimee Mann is very talented and has some nice songs.  It was fun hearing Aimee play "Red Vines," "Save Me," "Freeway," "That's Just What You Are," and the blast from the past from when she was with 'Til Tuesday..."Voices Carry."  (She led up to "Voices Carry" by saying she hardly ever plays it "because, well, it's kind of stupid," and the audience had a good laugh.)  If she cleaned up her language her show would have been much better (in my opinion).  She took requests, telling the audience they could write down a song and bring it up to the stage.  About 20 people did so, and Aimee obliged, for the most part.  It was a spontaneous, casual twist to the concert.  I thought the shout outs were hilarious--"You look great, Aimee!"  "We love you!" "Welcome home, Aimee!" (she attended Berklee)

The Submarines were just plain fun & purely enjoyable entertainment.  The Submarines are a husband and wife band and they bring along a drummer on tour.  Blake Hazard is the great-grand-daughter of F. Scott Fitzgerald.  She came on stage with a wolf hat "to calm her nerves" and she certainly broke the ice.  We all had a good laugh.  Although they obviously were a little nervous, The Submarine's talent and positive energy really shined through...we thoroughly enjoyed the show!  We bought both of their CD's, t's, pins, and Wayne was the first to put his name on the email list.   The Submarines will be at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan on July 29th at 7pm.   I called my Manhattan brother from the concert to tell him about it in case he's looking for something fun to do.  Our favorite songs are: "Swimming Pool" and "You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie."  Favorite lyric (from the latter song): "Love can free us from all excess from our deepest debt, 'cause when our hearts are full we need much less."  I also love..."Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light and we try." (also from You, Me and the Bourgeoisie)

Highlight.....We met John and Blake (ok, several times;).  First, Wayne met Blake during intermission.  She was in the lobby and they spoke for a few minutes.  When Wayne told me he met her I bolted for the lobby to see if I could meet her to tell her how much I enjoyed her performance.  Sure enough she was still there.  I quickly gave her my praise, and then back at our seats I kicked myself for not snapping a picture with her.  After the concert, The Submarines were in the lobby greeting folks on their way out.  Their CD's were selling like hot cakes.  We met John (Wayne said, "Hey, John..."- cracked me up), and he and Blake were kind enough to let us snap a photo with them...SO nice.

  

When I saw Blake signing CD's, I asked Wayne to bug them one more time and have her sign one of our CD's, which she kindly did.

Pretty fun, huh?

Thanks for the memorable date, Wayne!  I'm thankful for every day of the last 14+ years.  You are my love.

How to throw a Project Runway party for your pre-teen girl

Christina has become friends with my friend's niece who is visiting until just next Tues., so we threw together a birthday bash for Christina so that her new friend, Meg could be included.  SO glad we did...sometimes a time crunch increases creative adrenaline.  We did a lot, but this theme can be kicked up another notch or two or ten, or it can be successfully pulled off in a much more simple way.  In our case, we came up with the theme: Project Runway on Tuesday and pulled this off 3 days later.  We planned for 3 hours of girly crafts & silliness, and had to call parents to ask for another hour of play time (could have gone on even longer).....the girls had a BLAST!

Prep:

I enlisted the help of all of my girls to draw as many fashion sketches as possible using Christina's sketch kit.  We taped these to the wall like a design studio.

I brought a garment rack up from the play room and collected clothes to hang on display, like you would see back stage at a fashion show.

Decide on a project or projects to be incorporated into the culminating catwalk.  We did three: painted t-shirts, decorated flip flops, and made hair accessories.  Later this week I'll post tutorials.  The shirts were still drying by the time we did the runway, and the girls wanted to wear these pink plastic heels instead of flip-flops for the runway, so the only craft that made it to the runway was the clippies.  Once you figure out what crafts you'll do, gather ALL the supplies and tools needed for the crafts and organize them in your decor, again going for the design studio look.

The birthday girl shrine:)....I brought Christina's bulletin board into the party decor and collected various pics of her to have on display, and added her name blocks as well to personalize things a bit.

Gather more fun dresses- I normally do NOT have pink velvety curtains in my DR and FR, but I borrowed Grace and Caroline's panels for the party...gotta play up the theme!  I hung more sequiny, fur trimmed, sparkly clothes from the curtain rods, again going for the studio look.

Food-  I thought 3 peas would be funny, but inappropriate...Christina opted for pizza for dinner and individual mini cakes (tins found at Michael's) and ice-cream for dessert.

Music- Christina and Wayne collaborated making a party appropriate playlist.  Songs included:

"Respect" - Aretha Franklin

"Birthday"

"Can't Buy me Love"

"Twist and Shout"- Beatles

"We Got the Beat"- Go-Go's

"Swimming Pool" - Submarines

"SOS"

"Burnin' Up"- Jonas Brothers

"Leave it all to Me"- Miranda Cosgrove (from iCarly)

Party favor bags- We found 1.99 fun looking tote bags at Christmas Tree Shop and used them to store runway supplies, take home gifts (lip gloss, bracelet & necklace), and crafts (flip-flops & finished clippies).

Now for the party low-down....

Guests arrive and sign birthday poster.

Paint t-shirts- hang them to dry

Eat pizza

Decorate flip-flops

Make hair accessories

Runway: The girls sat down on the runway, opened their bags and were instructed to put everything on in their bags for their first walk down the catwalk.  We cranked up the music and photographed them strutting down the runway.

Cake and ice cream- We opened presents while eating

Adios!

It was super hard narrowing down pictures for the slideshow, but here's a glimpse at Christina's Project Runway party....

PS...this could be tailored for teaching Activity Days or Young Women at church by making it modesty-related or making the most of basics (make several different looks out of one dress or a white shirt and khakis, etc.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NINA!

While Wesley grew...

My sister-in-law prompted me to look through some old emails from when I was pregnant with Wesley.  I laughed out loud at these gems....

I found this note about a dream I had the week after Wesley was born....

"Last week I had a dream that I was at Panera trying to order a salad.  It took FOREVER.  While I waited, Wayne ordered $300 worth of food.  I got so tired waiting for my order that I laid down on the pick up counter and fell asleep."

I recorded the following on Feb. 24, 2007, so I was just over 2 months away from delivering Wes....

Wayne went night skiing last night. He rolled in at 6am and went to bed. He's going to be one sore papa. He said it was below zero at the summit and single digits at the base.

Caroline "helped" me in the kitchen this morning. We whipped up some sausage/egg/cheddar McMuffins. The kids and I gathered at the table to dig in and Grace gave the blessing..."Dear Heavenly Father, Please help daddy to wake up today, and please bless the food..."

Speaking of Caroline and Grace...
Yesterday I kind of over did it and was barely able to walk by late afternoon. I put on a Tivo'ed Disney Channel movie and told the kids I was taking a quick shower. My shower turned into a "spa" bath (I'm so huge I crowd the tub, so I'm sure a real spa is quite different:)) in an effort to relax my achy muscles. Caroline found me and then Grace came in and my relaxation time involved these conversations:

Caroline: Mom, are you in here?
Me: Yes, Caroline.
Caroline: What are you doing?
Me: I'm taking a bath.
Caroline: Why?
Me: I'm trying to relax.
Caroline: I want to take a bath.
Me: No, Caroline. But you can take a bath later with Grace, o.k?
Caroline: OK....I need to go pee-pee.
Me: Go ahead. I grabbed the Dora cushy tushy toilet seat thing and plopped it on the toilet for Caroline (I can reach the toilet from the bath).
Caroline: Why do you have a towel?
Me: It's my bath pillow.
Caroline: Oh. Bye.

No more than 2 minutes later...
Grace: Mom, What are you doing?
Me: Taking a bath.
Grace: (smelling the scented bath salts) I want to get in.
Me: No, not right now, but you can take a bath with some of my bath salts later on.
Grace: (feeling the water) I want a bath.
Me: Later Grace.
Grace: (Noticing my big belly, and raising her voice so he could hear) Hi Jr! Mommy is taking a bath for you! Are you having fun?
Me: Grace, please don't yell, I'm trying to relax. Why don't you go out and let me finish my bath before the water gets cold.
Grace: Why do you have a towel?
Me: It's like a pillow for my neck.
Grace: Oh.
Grace then began to wash the kids' toothbrushes while singing her rendition of Frere Jacques that included lyrics of monkeys and bananas. I decided any relaxation I was going to get had already happened, so I got out and plopped on my bed with the kids to watch the rest of the Disney movie...Zenon, the Zequel.

Then last night I had a dream that I was driving behind a truck loaded with little pigs. The truck had a cab roof, but the window in the way back was open and the pigs were falling out and splatting on the road in front of me. I was swerving to miss the pigs. All the while a man in the car behind us had a shot gun and was trying to shoot the pigs, so I was ducking my head to avoid being shot.

Serenity NOW!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This photo was taken when my big sis, Sherry (her daughter, Kathryn is on her lap) came to help me get through each day about 2 weeks before Wesley was born.  So much for modesty--none of my maternity shirts would cover my big 'ol belly! 

Needless to say I was as big as some women get carrying multiples, so there wasn't a lot of R&R those last couple months.  I just rolled with it (hahaha) and am very thankful to have Wesley here safe and sound.

Seabrook Beach, NH

My quick review of Seabrook Beach, NH...

Short walk to beach from parking.  We were able to park on the street (you'll get ticketed if you park a little on the sidewalk even though the curb looks like a ramp...New Englander's will know what I mean).  Parking at the gas station across the street from the beach entrance is only $5.  There is beach traffic, but coming home was much lighter than getting there.  No showers,  concessions, and I didn't see a public restroom. Nice crowd...very family friendly.  At the shoreline, the water is only mid-calf high at most for quite a ways out, and the waves are small, so really it's perfect for young children, boogie boarding, etc.

~~~~~~~

Our friends the Balmforths introduced us to Seabrook Beach yesterday.  Our family had a great time playing in the sand, building sandcastles, collecting seashells, boogie boarding, skimboarding, digging, playing football, and just hanging out in the salty air and COLD Atlantic Ocean!  It was fun to find another east coast beach that works for our family.  Thanks B's!  We had a blast!

The Camaro has arrived

Earlier this year I had a premonition that Wayne would get his '68 Camaro soon. I laughed it off..."Fat chance," I thought. Well, one of the outcomes of our UT trip, was that it was clear that the Camaro had to come to our house NOW. Thank you, Kevin for helping us with the initial move to Happy Valley. I'm sure thank you is in order for all of Wayne's siblings who had a hand in sustaining the Camaro's life & for all who stored it from time to time..."Thank you!". Things came together smoothly for transport from Provo to SLC, and then on to Boston. This morning it arrived. It was hilarious to see the kids' reaction.

Christina- I like that crystal thing hanging from the mirror (a prism from the 80's & the only pretty, feminine thing adorning the car- anyone know where it came from?)

Thomas- I'll be sure to have a coin with me whenever I ride in the car, Dad. Wayne: Why? Thomas- For the seatbelt. (I don't know what this means). Wayne: We'll get that fixed, son.

Grace- (in song) We have a broken car! We have a broken car!

Caroline- Wow! It looks like a race car!

Needless to say, this is a big project, but funny thing..."as is" the Camaro is worth more than our other cars combined. It will be fun to see the Camaro evolve into one sweet ride over then next decade. I was sure to snap these initial photos because I have no doubt with Wayne's handiwork (& Mike's help:)), we'll be looking at quite a different Camaro before too long.

For Wayne's family: When you come visit, it's yours to toot around in.

Fun finds

Found: One white window.   I found this salvaged antique window at a tent sale at The Purple Rose in Northborough, MA. What a fun boutique! I found the ladder I'm using for my nightstand on the left there as well, but back to the window....I love the diamond pane. Ever since my first visit to the Kirtland Temple in OH, I've had a thing for unique window panes. When I spied this particular window, I knew it would be fun to hang over my bed. I cleaned the window up today and voila, it goes with our casual style.  The owner of the Purple Rose said she kept a window just like this for herself. At Christmas time she hangs a wreath in front of it....I think I'll do the same.  Something I'm keeping my eyes out for now: an old door....check out picture #4 of the main slideshow.

Found: Aqua mason jars. These antique jars are so cool! The lids are glass.  My sis, Tal & I spied them at a yard sale along with a stack of glass plates.  This was the day after we painted the kitchen green and I knew right where to put the jars.   To fill them or not to fill them....I haven't decided.  What would you do?  The wire shopping bag holds my Aunt Mary's recipe book, a few other mini recipe books, and kitchen appliance manuals.  The shelf is a bargain from IKEA, and the wall organizer is from Pottery Barn.

Found: Barnwood table from craigslist & old red bench from a now closed shop in Somerville, MA.  What to do with my blank wall?  Child's art?  

Today's harvest & 2 family favorite recipes

Thomas' friend, Ben, did a fabulous job of tending our little garden while we were off criss-crossing the USA.  We came home and our tomatoes were growing so well.  The tomatoes are still green, but there are growing in abundance.  Note to self: put the tomato cages up when you plant.  I recruited all of my little helpers today to help me get the cages around our tomatoes so they can grow tall and thrive.  Together we got the job done.

While Thomas was helping me set up a tomato cage we related it to the gospel.

mom: What's the purpose of the tomato cage?

Thomas: To help the tomatoes grow tall and strong.

mom: How can we relate the cage to the gospel?  What about the gospel helps us grow tall and strong and be the best we can be?

Thomas:  The scriptures, the prophet, teachers, prayer, repentance....

mom: Each of those things could be like a piece of the cage, all of which help us be our best, meaning who God created us to be.

Thomas: Yeah.

Caroline helped me clean our first crop: scallions.
 
They look yummy and smell so good.  My first thought was potato salad, but my waistline wouldn't appreciate that.  Diet can start tomorrow, right?  I asked Caroline what we should use the green onions for and she said, "Onion salad."  I asked her what's in onion salad, and she said, "Onions, carrots & celery."  Of course!

Wayne's steak tip marinade for his Camp Joseph meat/veggie kabobs sound like a great, healthy option for our scallions...maybe with some potato salad on the side:)

Wayne's Camp Joseph Beef Kabob Merinade:

1/2 Cup olive oil, 1/3 Cup Soy sauce, 4 scallions, washed and cut in 1/2, 2 large garlic cloves, minced, 1/4 Cup lime juice, 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 3 Tbsp. brown sugar.  Put all ingredients in blender and puree.  Pour into a large Freezer Zip-loc bag along with about 3 pounds cubed serloin tips.  Merinade for several hours.  Grill with veggies of choice.

Grandma Ellsworth's Potato Salad:

Note:  After tasting several sisters' renditions of this salad, I realize that my pouring pickle juice liberally from the jar makes for a rather pickley, less creamy potato salad.  I had no idea you could ease up and make this salad creamy.  So, just an option to remember.  I think my mom liked pickles too, because I never had a creamy version of this salad until I tasted my sister-in-laws' versions.  I was fascinated:)  You know, the more I talk about this salad, the better it sounds!

Another Note: I come from a family of 12.  This recipe served all of us easily.

Dressing:

1 Cup mayo

1 Cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped green onions

6-8 chopped pickles

salt and pickle juice to taste (like I said, I'm liberal at this point, but the salad will be creamier if you're not as pickle crazy as I am)

Mix together and chill in refrigerator.

Salad:

9-12 boiled potatoes (I use 12 if they are small/med. red potatoes & less if they are larger potatoes), chopped

8 hard boiled egg, chopped

Let potatoes and eggs cool a bit.  Add dressing.  Mix.  Chill.  Serve.

Wesley and Des contemplate life thus far

Family Gathering in VA- baby blessings

It's amazing that two beautiful little babies could prompt such a sweet gathering.

Saturday, July 5 through Sunday, July 6

We pulled ourselves together, and drove down to Dan and Julee's in VA.  We stopped at a roadside BBQ smoker joint and had a different kind of pulled pork.  Wayne's stands up to it, but this was a different kind of delicious....had a great zing-a-ling.

We forgot the girls' bathing suits, so when we were in UT I ran to Wal-Mart to pick up one for each girl.  They only had something that looked like a tankini in Grace's size, but it ended up more bikini-ish.  Grace wasn't pleased, so on our way to VA, we stopped at Target and found a cute one-piece.  I only include this because I love that our girls choose modesty at a young age.  We teach them to not think twice about or judge what another person wears, but to pay attention to how they feel and be true.

We got to Dan and Julee's and started out with hours of pool fun while Dan, Wayne, and Joe (Julee's dad) worked at the grill.  What a spread!  Julee's baked beans were to die for.  Dan's ribs and the Brower chicken was to die for.  Mari's gazpacho was to die for- I love the way she makes it- chunky/salsa-like.  It all was SOOO yummy, and we were all deliriously full by evening.

Dan set the lawn on fire with his fireworks display.  What a hoot!  The kids had a ball with the sparklers and then we scooted off to our hotel for a good night's rest.

Sunday, July 6 ~ JOY

We met back at Dan and Julee's for the blessings of Ceseley Jane and Desmond James....both beautiful, sweet babies.   Ceseley is a strong string bean with a smile that brightens up a room, and Des is a peaceful, chunky cherub.  The blessings were beautiful and fitting.  I caught a look of pure joy on my dad's face as he observed two of his sons exercising their priesthood respectfully and honorably.

Afterward I asked if he was in awe watching his family grow and progress like this, and he acknowledged it was so.  While we were at Adam and Mari's my brother, Ben & his wife, Amanda welcomed their 3rd son, baby William, and this a.m., grandbaby #27 on our side of the family was born, Claire Kimberly.  Including the grandbabies from Ilene's children I believe there are 51.  So, the posterity grows and I'm sure as time passes it will always be joyous to witness and know beautiful occasions such as baby blessings, successes, progression (including repentance), covenants made and kept, prayer, FHE, and love shared.  I could see the look of "cherishing the moment" on my dad's face following Ceseley's and Des' blessings.  I think I'm doing a bit more cherishing of each and every good thing as well.  All are in a sense miracles and evidence of God's existence.

Following the blessings, we once again enjoyed an amazing buffet.  The banana bars were a hit.  Check out the link.  The blog is one of my favorites.   After brunch, the cameras were busy, and after a little Wii time, it was time to go.  I'm feeling the after effects of an intense game of Wii tennis with Wayne.  I can't get my rematch soon enough:)

Aside from I-91 being closed in CT for a few miles due to an accident and our drive taking 2 hours longer because of that and a couple other slow spots, the drive from VA, through MD, DE, NJ, PA, NY, CT and to our MA home was not bad.  How's that for a positive spin on a brutal drive?  We were all glad to get in our own beds and sink our heads into our pillows.  We are so very thankful for our safe travels and the many cherished memories made.  The Minivan that Could passed 200,000 miles heading east somewhere in Iowa.  We're hoping for another 50K.  

And that's how our family traveled through 17 states

(+ Wash. DC) in 12 days in the summer of 2008.

The End.

July 4th in DC!

Well, if we were going to miss July 4th in Boston, celebrating in DC was the next best thing, right?

We spent the morning at Mount Vernon (George's house per Aunt Mari:)).  It was warm and humid, but we had a lovely time.  As we arrived there was a reenactment of sorts going on on the front lawn.  The musket fire was LOUD, and the kids were past impressed after a few shots were fired.  Thomas pointed out the minutemen on the left and the continental soldiers.  Some soldiers picked a girl out of the crowd and pretended to find a paper declaring her loyalty to England, and they declared her a traitor.  She was a good sport!  

Mari, Des, and gpa stood in the long line to tour George's house while gma Ilene found shade, and Wayne, the kids and I walked through the beautiful gardens, through the farm, where the soldiers' tents and liberty bell replica were displayed (men acting as soldiers actually slept in the tents the previous night), and George Washington's original and current resting place.  They had a wreath ceremony at his resting place.  It was nice to pay respects on July 4th.

Speaking of George Washington....  We spotted a man who appeared to be dressed as George Washington.  I hurried the kids along to meet him and suggested to Thomas that he ask him if he was in fact George.  When I prompted Thomas, he came up with his own question for George...

Thomas: Is it true that you insulted Artemus Ward in public?

George:  General Ward?

Thomas: Yes.

George: Well, I didn't insult him, but rather we engaged in a lively public debate.  It is a good thing to be able to discuss differences of opinion, is it not?

Thomas: Yes.

George and I smiled at each other, both pleasantly surprised at Thomas' boldness.  I was happy that Thomas appeared satisfied.  Later we met Martha as well....so fun!

The view from Mt. Vernon over the Potomac River toward MD is something to behold.  It's no wonder George Washington longed to return home following his presidency.  The estate and surroundings are beautiful and peaceful.

After Mt. Vernon, we headed back to Adam and Mari's and decided we would head out to DC via the Metro to see the fireworks.  We hesitated because the forcast called for rain, but we decided we'd brave the weather since we didn't know when/if we'd be back for the 4th.  The ride into DC was easy.  We ended up walking right up to the mall in between the Washington monument and the Capital Bldg.  The fireworks started soon after we arrived.  It was an amazing setting...worth the adventure that followed, and it's not easy to impress a Bostonian when it comes to 4th of July celebrations:).

After the fireworks, we were 7 of 7 zillion who tried to get back on the Metro to return home.  Holy cow, what a zoo!!!!  


We were clinging to each other through the crowds while Wesley slept peacefully in the stroller.  The train door tried to split Wayne in half, but we managed to squeeze in....seven of the many sardines on board.  Then came the tears...Grace: I'm thirsty!  I can't move!  My feet hurt!  Caroline: I want water!  We were standing so close, we had to maneuver in order to be able to find the water bottle and lift it enough for the girls to get a drink.  As soon as a seat opened up, Grace was sitting down and fell fast asleep.  Caroline soon followed.

We enjoyed a good night's rest after an unforgettable 4th of July in DC (& VA:)).

On the road again...

Tuesday, July 1 through Thursday, July 3

Tuesday a.m., Christina and I did a little UT shopping that we just can't do in MA.  We went to Deseret Book and I found this beautiful piece of art by Del Parsons that I decided I wanted to look at everyday. You can't really tell, but the actual canvas has a distressed finish and is in neutral tones. The thick black frame is also distressed. I love the message the image gives & I feel I can relate.

My sister Shayla gave me a quick tutorial on how to make flower clippies and I'm going to give it a go, so Christina and I also stopped by Robert's for their big spring flower sale. We'll see if I can bring some of this cuteness to the east coast. When Shayla was passing them out at the reunion, it was no surprise that Grace was all over them! She wanted one of each color. They are darling, for sure.

Grace loved having her hair done by Ama when Ama came by and visited before Christina and I ran errands, gma Ann took little ones to water slide at Julie's, and Ama, Wayne and Matt picked up our minivan.  When we all returned (minus Ama), we said prayers, thank-yous, and good-byes, left with lots of love, and headed east through UT, WY, NE, IA, IL, OH (thankfully making it safely through a terrible storm), IN, dipped into MI, and stopped in PA.


Thomas collected state post cards (or pics of state signs) for each of the states we drove through.  He was asked to collect them over the summer since he'll be studying North America next year in Social Studies.  He'll have quite a collection to share!  Hey, family and friends, if you want to send Thomas a post card from your state, he'd love to add to his collection!

We spent the night in Cranberry, PA just outside of Pittsburgh and were thankful for a comfy bed, and good night's rest.

Thursday a.m., we got back in the minivan and drove through PA to my brother's home in MD. Again, picking up where we left off was a sweet thing. My dad and Ilene were there as well, and the kids were so excited to run around and play (and get out of the car)! Adam and Mari were so gracious and generous. We are so thankful for them. The kids adored baby Des. We visited and then went off to see Wall-e. Cute movie. I was tired and almost fell asleep, but everyone really enjoyed it.

SLC & Alpine

Sunday, June 29- Tuesday, July 1

We were thrilled to spend the remainder of our UT vacation in SCL at Grandma Ann's and Grandpa Gary's.  Gary was away on business, so we were sad to miss him, but we had a lovely time, as always with Gma Ann.  We laughed at how our Grace Ann seemed to appreciate Gma Ann's floor to ceiling decor more than anyone.  They are 2 peas in a pod in many wonderful ways.  Gma. Ann has been living with her daughter, Julie who is excpecting triplets, and when she mentioned she hadn't had time to clean off her courtyard, we decided to spend Monday morning doing just that.  The kids and I scrubbed away while Wayne took the van in to get serviced.  Later that day we went to visit Julie, her triplets in the wombs, and her 4 amazing kids.  Our kids played together while I folded laundry, and Wayne and I played catch up with Julie, her IV nearby.  She's been so sick, but I was in awe at how great she looks.  In fact I think besides being pregnant with triplets, she's in better shape than I am!  I'm inspired to work a little harder to strengthen my limbs, and if my tummy wants to cooperate and tighten up a bit, that would be icing on the cake!  We're so happy for Julie and her family and can't wait to see their 3 darling baby girls.  They are coming to one amazing family!

Monday afternoon, our family cruised up to Alpine to BBQ with my UT family...sisters Sara & Julie, brother Jon, their spouses and most of the cousins.  Of course there had to be a ruckus, and that came through Uncle baseball....Uncles vs. nieces and nephews.  The latter weren't doing so hot, and the oldest nephew, Josh was getting a little urked.  When a pop fly came right for Samantha, and she dropped it, Josh stormed up to her and then walked away.  When we were curious if he was truly upset, Josh snapped, "They don't know how to freakin' play!"  It was hilarious!  We all cracked up while Josh cooled down.  He's a hoot.  The niece and nephew team quickly fizzled, so the aunts stepped in.  I don't know what happened to my batting skills, but after swinging a million times, and finally making contact I wasn't about to settle for a single.  Problem was my sis, Sara stopped at second.  Since I knew she could appreciate a good steal- her son, Josh is an avid base-stealer, I urged her (OK I gave her a good shove that caught her off guard and sent her flying) to steal.  She couldn't get up she was laughing so hard.  I made it home while Sara laid there at second laughing.  That was a good tummy laughter workout.  I need more of those!

We BBQed, the kids played on the water slide, ran through sprinklers, made s'mores, the big girls (moms included) made darling button clippies thanks to Julie's tutoring), and we all had fun reconnecting.  I suppose reunions in heaven are like this, where you simply pick up where you left off and the love you have for one another makes the time between visits insignificant.

Since Monday, Ange has had her baby!  We just missed baby Claire's birthday!!!!  I love that name.  Wesley and Mia are just a month apart and this was the first time they met...so fun!  Mia walked circles around Wes, but we managed to snap a few fun pics of the two.  Mia will have a ball being big sis to baby Claire.  Congrats to Jon and Ange!