Oh BOY!

Big C is just a joy lately.  Him and little C have switched places in the naughty department it seems.  Big C just started preschool again and he LOVES it. He is doing great with all of it and I love that it is a block from my house.  He has said some pretty funny things lately that I don't want to forget....

Mom: Buddy, I really need you to pick up your legos and trains.  I don't want to ask you again.

C: But MOM, I told you we should have bought a different house! This one has too many toys to clean up!

He calls marshmallows : Smash Mellos (I can't bring myself to correct it!)

He calls Root Beer: Fruit Beer

He says "Fmamly" for family (what a monkey!)

I just realized I need to get some updated pictures of him!  He is growing so fast! His 4t pants just got retired-they were turning into floods.

I adore this little boy.  He is a joy in my life everyday and I miss him when he is at preschool.  

He is very scheduled and likes to know what we are doing at the beginning of everyday.

He still LOVES going to the library to get new movies and books.
He still loves Great Harvest bread trips in the bike trailer. 

His favorite food is french toast (do I see a bread theme going on?)

He is so lovable. I love his hugs and kisses.  

He is finally more comfortable in the water.  Hip Hip Hooray! We'll keep going on swimming lessons, but for not he'll at least play in the water with a life jacket and dunk his head.  

Remembering 9-11

I know it's been 10 years. But for some reason this year I really took it all in differently.  We watched a few news specials and I read a bunch of stories online.  Personal stories from various people involved in all that happened 10 years ago.  We even listened to all the air control audio on 9-11.  Crazy sad. I've cried quite a few times this weekend.  Am I weird?  Maybe.  I just have been really touched--reliving and thinking about this all again.  Tonight, we went to a community event that my father-in-law sang in.  It was really touching.  The opening prayer was a Muslim student at the university.  It was nice to feel like all the building were there in one cause-even though our religious backgrounds were very different than each other.  It didn't matter.  That to me is one of the great blessings that has come from such a national tragedy.
We all now have something in common. 

So much has happened since then. But I can remember that day like it was yesterday.

I was in college-My sophomore year in fact.  I was sitting in my 8:30 am English class in the education building up at USU.  I remember my teacher being interrupted by someone and then told us what happened.  I remember walking out of the class feeling calm and glad that I lived in a safe place.  I also felt that we were definitely in the last days.  I also wanted to call my family.  My next class was cancelled and I headed home to my basement apartment and turned on the TV.  A bunch of friends gathered and we were glued to the coverage for quite a while.  That night, my roommate Emily and I went down the street to get gas.  Everyone was a little uneasy about what was going to happen.  Was gas going to sky rocket?  Were we now at war?   The gas stations were packed.  I remember Emily getting out and offering to wash others windows.  Funny girl.  Two days later at the university there was a candlelight vigil.  The choir I was a part of sang in it.  We sang "Be Still My Soul" and that song will always remind me of that experience.  I'll always remember the spirit I felt singing at that.  We were amist over 1000+ college students holding candles.  When it was all over-nobody really wanted to leave.  Someone in the crowd started to sing God Bless America.  I don't think I sang a single word.

Maybe one of the reasons 9-11 feels different now is from our visit to NYC last month.  Ground Zero isn't just a place I'd heard about, but a place that I recently stood.  It truly is sacred ground.  I kept saying to Mark that I couldn't believe we were standing in places where all of this happened that has marked a large spot in America's history.  They have a visitors center that chronicles all the events of that day.  Everyone was quiet and their was a movie playing with testimonials.

A piece of the bent steel from World Trade Center 1

We didn't get to see down into the reflection pools-they weren't turned on then. And it was under construction-so it was difficult to get a good look at what was going on.

September 11th has changed me.  After what I've thought, heard and read about this weekend I am changed.  After listening to all the mother's and wives whose husbands called them from inside the airplanes or top floors-I just couldn't believe my ears.  And then the husband from the 92nd floor telling his wife that they tried to go down the stairs, but that it was so hot and the smoke was too thick they were forced back up the stairs.  The wife and husband talk during these last minutes and try to problem solve how to best get him out.  The husband says he has now walked up to the 105th floor to try to get out of a door that leads to the top and hope he could get rescued there.  But the door won't open. Just listening to the wife plead with her husband to try the door again. Please try the door again.  I just couldn't take it anymore.
Then they said their goodbyes.
 How can you not be changed by this?

I couldn't get enough of reading about the hero's of 9-11.  The employees that wouldn't get out until they knew everyone on their floor was in the stair well.  So many, many stories.  The stewardess that called her husband and told him that she was boiling water on the plane to throw on the hijackers.  And the show that moved us the most was the actual documentary of a firefighter that took raw footage inside the towers.
Those firefighters are real heroes.   

I've changed this week.  I rocked and sang to my baby Conner a little longer tonight.  I tried really hard to not get frustrated with Caden's millionth question today.  I gave Mark a hug and an extra kiss today.  I will try my best to remember this all year long and not just today.  We are blessed to have all that we have.  You never know what will come tomorrow, but we do know how we can react today.
We are the proponent of change that is necessary for the world today.

I'm sorry that 9-11 happened, but from these tough, tough experiences, we have to change-
or all those lives are lost and gone in vain, and the bad guys will have won.

Trek 2011

Yes, this did happen in June...BUT you still want to know about it. right?!

Our church does this mock Pioneer Trek across similar paths that our ancestors would have crossed.  They are for youth groups 12-18.  Our stake participated in it this year and I was anxious to be a part of the experience.  Mark has never been and I really wanted to go with him.  I was lucky enough to go on Trek when I was 14, and then 18 as a "Ma" and loved both times.  This time Mark and I went as a "Ma and Pa" and it was a great experience, but much more difficult than the previous 2 I'd been on.  We ended up walking nearly 26 miles in three days.

Here what the first day when we met our family:

Here is Sonja creating the flag for our wagon (not a member-said she was Agnostic) AWESOME girl. 

Our family name was: The Short and Easy to Remembers- silly kids!

Sagie-Oh what a sweet girl.  DEATHLY afraid of bugs and she ended up waking up the entire camp one night with a tick in her belly button. Yes, it's true.

The men waiting up at the top of the hill during "Women's pull"

Washing President Maughn's hair

Our serious Pioneer Faces

We made it!

Updated family pics

At our Cottle Family reunion- Cali snapped these for us.  I am blessed!

20 most important things I learned in NYC

I'm behind in blogging! I've been waiting for pictures from Trek from a friend clear back in June so I've had this mental block about writing anything because I didn't want to skip ahead, but here we are!  Trek, Ragnar and family reunions will all be coming. For now, let's focus on the trip I took with Mark last weekend.  

It was fabulous.  I loved almost every second :)

I wanted to share with you some of the most important things I learned while in the Big Apple...

The Seinfeld Building

1) Judy Garland is dead.  45 years in fact.  Also, Liza Minnelli (Judy's daughter) isn't going to sing in a piano bar in downtown NYC for 30 people.  AND always read the fine print on posters.  There.  If you'd like to know more, you'll have to ask.  I'm way too embarrassed to tell you that we thought we were going to see two famous people sing and ended up in a gay bar with drag queens.  Yes, it really is true.  But you live and learn-and that, we did.  The $80 club cover charge wasn't my fav, but the experience was priceless.  Mark laughed when we left and I was mad.  How did this happen to us?  We still don't know.
2) Just spend the extra $250 and stay in NYC.  We wanted to save a little, so we got a hotel by the airport and took a train into the city both days.  It wasted a bunch of time and we didn't end up saving that much in the end.
3) If you go to a restaurant that has an entire page of handwritten specials that the waitress reads out loud; it's okay.  The restaurant will be worth it. Seriously, don't get nervous that there aren't very many people there.
4) Don't take the tour bus to get places.  Just get on the subway-it's dirty, but it goes way faster!
5) It's always a good idea to visit Tiffany's the jewelry store.  And it's an even better idea to have your husband act like you are really shopping. (I loved trying on the $30,000 ring!)
6) The food is incredible. Really.
7) Try your very hardest to get into Jimmy Fallon.  We didn't make the actual show (refer to #2-dumb train!) but we did hang out in the store for the intern that passed out the rehearsal tickets.  We saw him live in his shorts and sneakers. It was super funny and we loved it.
8) The NY native tour guides do actually like their jobs.  They are just accustomed to yelling at the bus drivers and telling you their opinion.  They want you to have an authentic experience-I promise they've planned it.
9) If you go to Canal St. (and you must!) take out your money and be willing to walk away.  (we got these tips from an experienced shopper) it worked every time.  Our friend Ben would barter and then got out this wad of cash-it never worked so well for him.
10) Don't waste your money on your favorite perfume. If you pay half the price you're never going to get the real deal.  They have you "test" the actual real live bottle and then give you a wrapped boxed one that I hope doesn't make me break out in something terrible.

11) If by chance you miss your stop on the train at 1:30 am back to your hotel, don't freak out.  And don't slip out a swear word.  Everything will be okay. Just breathe.  We had this terrible experience that we can laugh about now, but I was legitimately scared. Mark went and asked the conductor where we could catch the next train and how (this much bigger, taller, non-Caucasian FROM NJ) told us he wouldn't get off the next stop "well I just wouldn't get off in Elizabeth" (WHAT?!) so we waited and got off the next stop, ran for our lives under the underpass and up to catch the incoming train in the POURING rain.  It was absolutely crazy. A nice boy helped us find the gate to get across the 2 tracks and fence to the train. So, don't worry and hope you have an awesome husband right by your side.
12) Don't forget your nice . I'm still so sad we had to use Mark's phone the entire time.  Oh well. It probably would have gotten stolen in Elizabeth anyway :)
13) People from the East Coast are different than people from the West Coast.  Enough said.
14) Schedules are tough to keep.  Esp. when trying to get from one place to another in the city.
15) The boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty is fabulous.  Esp. when you stand by Portuguese people that your husband can speak with.  It was a really fun memory-you won't be sorry.
16) Buy a bus tour pass, but make sure you see the Uptown part.
17) Ground Zero is sacred.  It's quiet and somber.  Visit the visitor's center that is packed with people. You won't regret it. And walk across the street to see the church that George Washington prayed at after he was elected president.  A-Mazing.
18) NYC is an old city and so full of history. I loved all the things I'd learned on the bus.
19) Times Square is NUTS. Wednesday night had just about as many people as Friday night.  And people with small children were all over too! And late! Every building in Times Square is required to have at least 30% of their building covered in a lit-up screen.  It's a sight to behold.  I almost had tears I was so excited to see it for the first time.
20) The Empire State building is really amazing. The 86th floor is really high though.  And you're husband might not like to take pictures by the edge because he might throw up.  Just get one and get out.  And it's really crowed-even at midnight.

This is right before our awesome subway experience.

I loved all of it.  I loved being with Mark especially.  It's fun that he gets to travel with work and invites me to tag along.  Now that I've been I know what I'll miss next time and what I do again.  AND-A Special thanks to my mom and Mark's mom for taking the boys so we could go. They had such a great time at both places. Thanks again to both of them.

Looking for rainbows

My cute oldest has been giving us a run for our money lately.  Totally and completely. In fact, some nights I lay awake thinking about where we went wrong or what we have done to make him throw fits like he does.  It's crazy to me that he can be so sweet and loving and be such a little terror in the same hour of the day.  And I just want to think of him as this 100% perfect, innocent, happy, smart, content, polite, loving little boy.  Which he is a lot, but lately, I'm just not sure I can handle all of it. I feel so terrible that he asks me what day it is everyday. He asks because he doesn't like Sunday's and he's afraid that's what day I'm going to say it is. Maybe having the rules for Sunday we do has bitten us in the bum-and he is going to fight us every Sunday as a teenager too. What kid do you know doesn't like primary? Ugh. I hope we leave this phase soon.

"Let's Wrestle"

Each night lately, Big brother C says to Mark, "Dad, instead of reading, can we just wrestle?"

The boys love when Mark gets home and cry when he leaves! I really love the attention that the boys get from their daddy. I am so ever thankful that the boys get this time. They will only be little for so long!  Then when they are done-Mark gets them on his back and takes them to bed.