Life in Paradise

I am the first to admit that I did not appreciate the idyllic way that I grew up until recently. It's not something that a child can appreciate or even notice. It just is. But now that I have kids and live in a totally different world, I look back with amazement and longing. My children don't have what I had, and it makes me a bit sad. I realize just how special it was every time I spend time at my childhood home and enjoy the life as an adult. My kids play all day, sometimes for hours at a time without me ever seeing them. And no, that isn't why I enjoy it! I enjoy the feeling of not worrying that I don't see them for hours at a time. I know they're out in the yard somewhere, exploring, riding bikes, swinging, getting dirty. They come in every once in a while to say they're riding their bikes down to find Grandpa and to visit Great-Grandma Edie. I might see them for lunch, if they get hungry or if Grammy calls them in. They are thrilled when cousins come and then I see them even less because they entertain themselves even better with more kids around. Even the little ones are free to roam with the big kids with no real worries. It is, in a word, wonderful.Here we see Anson on his way to find Grandpa Ron. We were all with him this time, but the next day he followed Claire and Coleman (they "told him" to go inside) and I didn't know he'd gone. Luckily he only made it a ways farther than in this picture and to the top of the next very long hill until Uncle Dennis saw him coming from his window and stopped him. I found him there a while later when I saw his bike parked out front. So there are a few worries after all!
The kids and I spent the whole Spring Break (sorry Dad, Easter Vacation) in Newcastle with my parents. Sadly, Garrett had to work so he couldn't come, but he was glad that we went without him because he ended up having to work long hours while we were gone. I made an effort to document life in paradise , so hopefully these pictures represent the good times we have while at the home of Grammy Ann and Grandpa Ron.Dad called this "Grandpa Heaven"--the kids were equally pleased with their situation. This was the beginning of movie night with most of the cousins.My kids don't know that they are missing out on the childhood that I enjoyed. They just know that they love to go to Grammy and Grandpa's! I'm grateful they get these opportunities to experience a little of what it meant to grow up in Paradise. Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Thank You Grandma and Grandpa Burbidge!

What a fun surprise this was! The kids were so excited to receive this Easter special delivery. They (and Dad) made quick work of these yummy cookies. Okay, so maybe I helped a little too. Don't tell!

Open House

We are so lucky that our kids have such great teachers. They put so much effort and care into their students. I know I couldn't do it, so it amazes me. Tonight was Open House so we got to see all their projects, etc. Those classrooms are amazing! I can't imaging having that much STUFF around me all day long. I think I would go a little nuts. Coleman's teacher, Ms. Burnett, is a little crazy, according to Coleman. He absolutely loves her because of that. She constantly has little parties and other fun stuff.

Claire's teacher, Ms. Warrington loves Claire, according to Krista, my friend who is in the classroom a lot. She is a more straightforward teacher and is good at challenging Claire to do her best. Claire loves to please her teachers, so they do well together!

Anson loved being at open house. Every time I took a picture, he went and stood in the same spot and gave a cheesy smile. This is a good example!

I just thought this was a great picture of the boys. They're looking at the memory book that Ms. Burnett has going for Coleman. She adds to them all year and gives it to them at the end of the year. Man, that's a lot of work! It's a very nice thing to have.


And by the way, Ellie hasn't been in any pictures lately because she is in Newcastle with Grammy and Grandpa. She is having a grand old time playing with her best cousin, Abby. We're going to join her for Spring Break, but she got a little extra time to be spoiled!

A Great Weekend

We had the great experience of attending a convert baptism today of our friend Hailey. She is the good friend of our babysitter, Stefanie. Her story in a nutshell: Several months ago she approached Stefanie, who at the time was just an acquaintance and said basically, I'm church shopping, tell me about yours. She knew Stefanie attended church regularly but didn't really know anything about our church. She had been to a few others and didn't feel right at any of them. She said that the first time she walked into our church she felt like she was in the right place. She bore her testimony after her baptism and said how she felt the Spirit so strongly the first time she came to church. She said that there is so much love there. The missionaries have loved teaching her because she is so eager and humble. They would give her a reading assignment and the next time they would meet she would say, I couldn't remember exactly what I was supposed to read, so I just read the whole chapter (or book, or whatever.) Those lucky missionaries! It is such a great experience to teach someone like that who is truly seeking the truth. She loves the Book of Mormon and she has such a strong testimony of the Savior. Her baptism was so wonderful. Stefanie and another friend, Misty, gave the talks and several YW sang "I Am a Child of God." It has been a great experience for the girls in our ward. They have really loved and supported Hailey. There were a lot of tears all over the room, including Hailey's mom who is not a member. I know she felt the Spirit and is so happy that Hailey is so happy. She has seen a change in her that she is very pleased with. Claire was so excited for Hailey that she wanted to give her a present, so she looked through her treasures and found a notebook and a bookmark with a poem about baptism on it. She was so happy to give it to her and give her a big hug.

We also had a fun day yesterday going to the rock climbing gym. The kids, especially Claire, really love it. And she especially loves to pose, as always!

It was my first time, but after I got over the initial fear of letting go at the top and trusting the auto-belay, I had a good time too. I sure am sore today!

The kids like trying out the slack line--kind of like a tight rope. It was amazing to watch one of the guys do it (no ropes to hold, of course) and even turn around. I tried it and it's HARD!

Anson just liked playing with the chalk bag.

You're Kidding, Right?!

Note to the Squeamish: Graphic photos ahead!! Proceed with caution! Actually, they're not that bad :)

At least it was a different injury, that's all I can say! Coleman was, once again, a little too adventurous on his bike and split his chin open. It was less than an inch long, but pretty deep.

My first thought after I looked at it was, what time is it? Oh good, it's still during office hours! Our great pediatrician, Dr. Jones, sewed him right up. He seemed to kind of enjoy it. Maybe it's something more interesting after a day of coughing, runny-nosed kids parading through his office. I was amazed at how quickly and expertly he did the stitches. It should be healed in no time!

Notice in these pictures that the end of his nose is still red from his last injury. One at a time, please!

On a better note, we enjoyed several great days with my mom (aka. Grammy Ann) at our home. We did several projects, as usual. We rearranged the girls' room to accomodate their new day/trundle bed. We redid their closet and added some decorations, which look adorable. I forgot to take pictures yet, so I'll post those later. We also completely redid my linen closet and did a little makeover on my closet. It's always great when Mom comes! The only drawback is that I'm exhausted when she leaves! Man, that woman can work!

I have to note a disclaimer for my mom: she didn't want her picture taken because she didn't have any make-up on or her hair dried. But the kids needed to leave for school, and she looks beautiful anyway!

Coconut oil myth

I've run across some interesting information lately about coconut and palm oils. It appears that everything we've been told about what fats are "unhealthy" is just a smoke screen for import and trade issues. I've been doing some reading and am convinced that eating coconut oil is not only not bad, but actually good! There is a lot of evidence that it is better for you than the highly processed canola oils and other "good" oils. Did you know that the fats it contains are mainly MCTs (medium chain triglycerides), half of which are lauric acid, which increases metabolism and are more easily digested than other fats? They also don't lead to belly fat like long chain triglycerides. The only other rich source of lauric acid is breast milk, which is why coconut oil is often part of commercial formulas. Check out this link about how the smear campaign came to be.

Then read some of the information about why coconut oil is so good for you right here.

I recently ordered some coconut oil and am going to try replacing other oils as often as I can. I'll let you know how it goes! It's very good for hair and skin, so I'll be trying that too. I am going to smell so good!

Fasting

I have to say thank you to Marci and Dixie for sharing their testimonies of a 24 hour fast. We discussed it while in St. George and they told me how committing to a full 24 hours has made such a difference for them. I had never thought much about a 24 hour fast. I always just went with the "about 24 hours and 2 meals" which translated to starting my fast in the evening, and eating an early dinner. I have had a really hard time fasting since having kids. Maybe I have just gotten out of practice with pregnancies and nursing, but for a long time it has made me seriously sick to fast. I can't function, I have bad headaches, I feel nauseous, etc. So Garrett and I committed to a 24 hour fast this time. We didn't plan well and had friends over Saturday night, so our fast didn't start until 6:30pm. That wasn't a good way to start the experiment! I guess I don't have much faith, because I was surprised at the difference. Sure, I was uncomfortable, but I didn't feel sick and I didn't have a headache. We both commented on the difference. We felt like we were blessed for really having to stretch. Before it didn't feel like stretching, if that makes sense. I would also like to start a tradition like Marci and Chad have with their friends. They have a date group that goes out almost every weekend. On the first weekend of the month, they all eat a late lunch or early dinner at home, then go to the temple together. What a great way to start your fast! So, who wants to go with us?