WICKED AWESOME!!!!

Last Thursday, I had the wonderful opportunity to fly to Florida to visit my good friend Katie -- we had been eagerly waiting for months for the time to arrive when we would be going together to see "Wicked." Oh my goodness, I know I can't find words cool enough to describe how wonderful it was, but I'll do my best.

I left Salt Lake Thursday at 1 am, and even though I'm a total insomniac and thought this would be the perfect flight for me, I must admit I was pretty tired. But no matter, I had Saturday's matinee to look forward to, so nothing could bring me down.

Katie and I went to dinner on Thursday night with my dad, my brothers Adam and Matt, and Matt's girlfriend Osmelie (hope I'm spelling that right.) We went to Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney and enjoyed some delicious pot roast and great company.

We posed for some photos together after -- do we look like we're freezing? Cuz we are freezing. I went to the Sunshine State hoping for some relief from the cold winter, but unfortunately it was so darn cold there I could hardly stand it. But no worry -- I had my "Wicked" to keep me warm.

Friday, Katie and I went to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM). I was despondent to find out they no longer have the Ruby Slippers on display at the Great Movie Ride, which has always been a highlight of my visits to the park. But we still had lots of fun, riding my favorite rides like the Rockin' Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror. Good times.

This picture of us cracks me up -- Katie's expression is hilarious.

It happened to be ESPN weekend or something that day, so there were lots of major athletes in the park, and would you believe that among them were the great Brandi Chastain (defender for the US Women's National Soccer Team) and Shawn Johnson (US Olympic Gymnast). It was so fun to see them, and I even got Brandi to autograph my ticket. Super cool.

Then, finally, the big day -- Saturday arrived, and we set out for Tampa to see "Wicked." Oh man, was I on cloud nine. Here's a shot of me before the show, about to burst. It's not great quality because the flash had to be off to see anything, which in turn made it blurry. But you can get the gist of it and see the map of Oz in the background.

Trying to wait patiently for the show to start.

I was totally floored by the show. I mean, really, I knew it was going to be good -- I've had the soundtrack for years and adore it, and I've got a bootleg copy with the original actors (yes, Kristin and Idina), and I've watched tons of clips on youtube -- but nothing can compare with actually being there in the theater, and feeling it as well as seeing and hearing it. I was a little worried about being let down because I love Idina and Kristin so much and to me they ARE the show, but that did not happen at all. The show is the show, and it's so good in and of itself that the very talented girls in the lead this time were able to do a fabulous job and make it what it should be. It was truly better than I ever imagined.

Thanks to Katie, a friend I love so much, for taking me to see this show. And thanks to Chris for letting me go. It was a day I will never forget!

"Happy is what happens, when all your dreams come true . . . "

Arrow Of Light

Nathaniel, the world's greatest Cub Scout, was honored at last week's Blue and Gold Banquet. He has completed his Webelos and received the Arrow of Light, which is the highest award a Cub can receive.

Attaching the "mom pin" to his proud mother.

Chris and I had the chance to talk a little bit about our son and to share a couple of experiences about watching him grow from a boy into a young man. I told about the time after Lindsey broke her arm when we found all 3 kids in their room, kneeling together, with Nathaniel offering a prayer for his sister. Chris talked about the time last year when a boy on the bus was saying and doing inappropriate things and Nathaniel stood up to him and told him it was not right, knowing the boy would be mean to him if he did. We couldn't be more proud of him. He's an amazing person.

The Banquet was so much fun. The Scout leaders in our ward are just wonderful and have done so much for our boy. We are very thankful to them for all their hard work.

Just because, I thought I'd post these two funny photos from recent life. Here's Joseph below, during Stake Conference. Chris had to sit on the stand, so I was left to wrestle Joseph alone, which I can't do very well because he is much stronger than me . . . and oh, so bad. :) I took him out to the van once I'd had enough -- he looks like he's feeling very punished, doesn't he?

We caught these funny boys in Nathaniel's room on a Saturday morning, playing some video games together. Too cute.

Two is Terrific!

Last month we celebrated two years of having Joseph in our lives. For about two weeks before his birthday, whenever any of us would ask him about his upcoming special day, he would excitedly point to a photo of Nathaniel -- a picture from his first birthday where he is covered in chocolate cake. I guess to Joseph, that was what a birthday meant . . . and it was clear what he most wanted to do on his birthday.

So when he saw an enormous chocolate cake at Costco and went nuts, we knew what we had to do.



Since Uncle Matt had a birthday in close proximity, they blew out the candles "together." (Joseph didn't really get the concept.)

Oh happy day!

He never did get as messy as Nathaniel in the photo, but he thoroughly enjoyed his cake.

He was more excited about his new piano than he looks.

Getting into the little smokies when no one was looking.

It was a wonderful day to remember all the countless reasons we love this little boy. May I list just a few:

1. He is incredibly cute -- he can't really get into trouble, with me or with Chris, because he flashes that smile and we melt.

2. He has beautiful eyes that mesmerize me, and I love the dimple in his chin. He's my only brown-eyed child and the only one with the chin dimple.

3. He's so sweet and cuddly. When he wants to be. If he's in the mood he can be very clingy, which is nice since he's growing up so fast. I love his hugs and kisses.

4. He's learning to talk, but his gibberish is so adorable. He gets to talking really fast and in a very animated way, trying so hard to tell us something very important. He sometimes sounds like he's speaking Korean or something.

5. He's daddy's boy. It makes me smile to see how much he loves Chris. Admittedly, I can sometimes feel a little jealous, but it makes Chris pretty happy and proud to be so loved by his boy.

6. He loves to dance!! If he hears music, he immediately stops whatever he's doing and starts shaking it. He excitedly runs around the room whenever a fast song comes on the ipod, and he's already pretty demanding about what he does and does not want to hear.

7. He's an absolute angel. I know Heavenly Father sent him to our family, and he has been a special blessing to us. His siblings are absolutely crazy about him and have been since the moment they first laid eyes on him. He brings a special joy into our home, and we love him so much. I'm so thankful he's mine.

Happy birthday, sweet boy! We love you like crazy!!!

Christmas 2009

Thanks to a computer crash, my technical ignorance, and a busy husband, time has gotten away from me, and posting a blog about Christmas now seems sort of ridiculous. But I will go ahead and publish the photos I had all ready to go before the laptop turned on me.

The Christmas pagent. Didn't go as well as we'd hoped. Joseph was likely the most uncooperative shepherd who ever lived, and I was cracking up at him too much to be a very effective narrator. But it was fun.

In our never-ending attempts to de-commercialize the holiday, we de-emphasized gifts. Our focus was on music, and each of the kids received the musical intrument he or she had been longing for. Our hope is that this will begin the process for each of them of learning and loving music.

Rockin' out!

Even our de-emphasis didn't keep them from being overwhelmed with gifts from lots of loving family members. They were definitely blessed, as they always are.

We had a wonderful Christmas. Being together was what made it so special, and I'm thankful for that.

The Best Gift That I've Ever Known . . .

. . . I'd always wanted most to own.

Yet in my dreams of sugar and spice,

I never thought it could be so nice.

The best gift of the year to me,

The one I hold most dear to me,

The gift that simply drove me wild

Was a tiny, newborn child.

Seven years ago, Heavenly Father blessed our growing family with its fourth member -- the singular sensation we call Bradley was born. This morning I'm remembering what was probably the best Christmas of our lives, a time that included all the usual joy and gladness that comes at this time of year that was amplified by the gift of our own son.

My pregnancy that time around was the hardest of the four of our kids. I always get incredibly sick, but that experience was worse than the usual. I ended up getting so dehydrated that my doctor ordered a picc line (peripherally inserted central catheter) so I could get some I.V. fluids at home for the next two months. Boy was that fun! (Actually the phenergan that went into the fluids was a lot of fun . . .)

As hard as it was, and always is, it never matters once that tiny, perfect baby is placed into my arms for the first time. Even the fourteen hours of labor, the throwing up all night long, and the pain of giving birth faded quickly from my memory the first time I saw Bradley's face. He was so beautiful.

Later, after Bradley's first bath, the nurse brought him to me in a stocking -- it was the cutest thing ever. I was madly in love at first sight, as all mothers are, with my new little one.

I've been looking through his baby book, enjoying the chance to go back and read my thoughts during the first few months of his life:

I kept thinking about being overrun with boys, but I didn't mind a bit! I just loved being with my guys, and it was so cool to watch them together. Bradley did not make a sound for the first 24 hours of his life -- it was the strangest thing. He didn't even show much interest in eating. He was just the most mellow kid I'd ever seen . . . his doctors and nurses commented on it again and again. He just hung out with his dad and his brother and seemed absolutely content.

We were all absolutely content. We got to bring him home on Christmas Eve and spend a

wonderful holiday together, cloaked in the warmth of the Spirit of our Savior's birth and the knowledge that our family could be bound together through the eternities.

I'm so happy my husband ended up being the world's greatest father. He is so tender with our children -- I love to watch them together.

Nathaniel is thrilled to be a big brother and loves to help out with Bradley as much as he can. And Bradley loves him! If Nathaniel is in the room, Bradley's attention is fixed on him . . . and they each think the other is absolutely hilarious all the time.

We couldn't be more thankful for our wonderful son, Bradley. He is off-the-charts smart, he's incredibly sweet and thoughtful, and he's a great big brother. His tender heart and gentle spirit amaze me as he demonstrates daily how much he loves his family. Today and every day, we celebrate him and his special place in our family.

A Little Birthday Fun

Bradley's birthday is next week, but he wanted to have a little party today, so we invited a few of his friends over to play.

He had a small cake, and we sang "Happy Birthday."



He opened a few gifts, which really thrilled him -- he got some really fun toys and was quite excited. (He's wearing the In-N-Out hat because Chris took him out for a special father/son lunch right before the party.)

He got a cool Mario Bros. chess set, which he really loved. Cute little Toad is the rook.

We took everyone over to Baskin Robbins for ice cream -- everyone had a great time.

More to come on my baby boy Bradley's birthday next week, when the actual day arrives.