Apple Picking

I get so homesick this time of year. Mike is such a great guy. He found some beautiful orchards to keep our New England tradition of apple picking. The girls really enjoyed themselves. The orchards are at the foothills of the mountains. They are beautiful. Thanks, Mike.

Aspen

My amazing neighbors and I went to Aspen to hike and bike. It was truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I really love these women. My friend, Marianne, used to ask me, if I could pick my greatest friends and live on a cul-de-sac who would they be? I have to say this neighborhood and these neighbors are pretty ideal.

Soccer

The girls have been very busy 4 days a week with soccer. E is on the "Lightening" team. She plays forward and goalie. She is a great forward because she is fast but she really loves goalie best. She is this petite little thing but she has never once let a goal score off her.

R is so funny to watch. Her team is the Cheetahs. They have a great cheer. She is the power kicker on the team. She might not dribble the ball but can she kick it FAR. Four years old soccer is so entertaining.

Soccer is VERY serious in Colorado. Our county gets more soccer scholarships than any other in the country. Boy! is it time consuming, too. But we are having fun. K is such a little trooper. She spends so much time at soccer fields but she manages to have fun, also.

Summer picture catch up

Since I wrote last ...

We went on our annual vacation with our best friends, the Guymons from our Washington, D.C. ward. This year we went to Mike's parents place in St. George. We love Zion, but it was even better this time with our dear friends.Emerson and her life long best friend, Sophie. They have been best friends literally since they were born two weeks apart in D.C.. They have the sweetest, most enduring friendship.

The entire crew (above).

Every year we literally count down the moments until our vacations with the Guymons (esp. E). This year in particular. It was so uplifting to spend time with these brilliant, kind, and interesting friends. Our annual vacations with them have taken us to Bethany, DE., Cape Cod, and now St. George. I am so glad they moved to the Bay Area. Mentally it just seems closer.

At Serendipity's in Las Vegas.

After St. George the girls and I went to Salt Lake to see cousins and Grandma and Grandpa at their SLC home. We were in Utah for almost 3 weeks this summer. We loved being with family and friends.

The Cousin cousins - love these guys! My sister's children are the same age as mine. We are so lucky.

Got to see my dear Boston friend, Becky, and her cute little ones. Becky and I grew up together in the Hartford Stake. When I watch E with her little friends I sometimes wonder who will be her Becky someday. I miss raising my family with her.

My best friend, Raegan's little guy, Kuper. Love that kid!

Of course no trip to Grandma and Grandpa's would be complete without seeing Troy's, from "High School Musical", house. Mike's parents live on the same small street as the houses they used for Troy's and Gabriella's houses in the movie. Every trip to SLC we have to walk down and see the houses. I am just glad the owners are friends with Grandma and Grandpa, otherwise we might look like stalkers. This big girl had a 5th birthday. More on that later but we really love this funny one. So glad we get to keep her. I honestly have moments where I just look at her and feel such an overwhelming sense of gratitude that she is mine. Life with R is so enjoyable.

Grandma, my mother, came home from her mission. The girls were elated. She came right from her mission to Denver. There were a lot of hugs and tears. Even people at the airport were teary eyed when the girls ran up to grandma for the first time. We missed you, Grandma. Welcome home and great job. We are proud of you.

E's best friend from Boston and her dad came to visit. E and Miya were inseparable for 4 years. They went to preschool together, played on the same soccer team, went to tennis camp together, had swim lessons together, were in the same class at church. They were literally together 7 days a week. They could not get enough of each other and would even had play dates after spending 5 hours together. E was elated Miya came. Sadly, she cried for a whole day after she left.

The dads are pretty similar, both M.I.T. alum. I think the dads had as much fun as the girls. The four of them went to Rockies game together.


We went to Omaha to see this cousin. The girls LOVE their cousin. I think this picture captures the three of them perfectly. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time down loading Omaha pictures. Hopefully more to come.

Winter Quarters Temple
In Omaha I got to see my dear friend Katie from Boston. Her husband is in business school at BYU and is interning this summer in Omaha. It was amazing to see her and her great family. Even though we hadn't seen each other in a year it was like no time passed. I am REALLY hoping that they end up in the west. Although Katie is a Boston native and thinks Boston is the hub of the universe (as a fellow Bostonian - she is SO right).

My dear dear friend Marie-Edouard came to visit for a week from Boston. It was heaven. I love this women with all my heart. It was one of my favorite weeks ever. Poor Marie-Edouard, I miss her and Boston so much that every time I talk to her since she left, I always cry. The middle picture of her in Breckenridge.

I competed in a triathlon with these friends. We trained together (and some of us still do workout together). I loved the triathlon. I plan on doing more next year.

I asked Emerson, Rileigh and Kate to help me with this blog about Dina on Mother's Day. I asked Emerson and Rileigh what is special about their mom.

Emerson said:

My mommy is pretty. She makes my favorite dinner, mini meatloaf. She takes me to the swimming pool. She exercises. She is always happy and she loves me.

Rileigh said:

My mommy loves me so much and I love her so much. She cuddles me and she reads to me.

Kate didn't have anything to say, but when I asked her who her favorite person is, she said it is Mommy.

Dina is an amazing mom and a wonderful wife. She gets up at 5:30 every morning to train for a triathalon, then she makes sure that everyone is ready for school and work. The girls love to spend time with her and they love to bring their friends to our house for play dates because Dina always has something fun up her sleeve. I love Dina so much. I can't ask for a better wife or mother for our children.

Mike, Emerson, Rileigh and Kate think we have the most awesome wife and mom in the world.

"I know exactly how you feel"

The beginning of my "happily ever after"

Tonight, as Mike and I were leaving the Celestial Room of the Denver Temple, I went to peak at a sealing room. A cute little worker caught me and asked if I wanted a tour of the rest of the sealing rooms. I grinned and said yes, thinking that I would choose the rooms that my little girls would someday start their own “happily ever afters”. A few minutes later, as I was getting ready to change, the same sweet little worker found me and asked with such excitement that only a mother of daughters could have, “would you like to see the Bride’s Room?”. Most definitely. As she showed me the room I realized that I wouldn't be able to fight the tears already forming in my eyes. This sweet woman just put her arm around me and said “All three of my children were married here, I know exactly how you feel”. And because she did, I just hugged her. I can’t wait for the girls to wake up in the morning and tell about tonight. I am sure they will understand, like only a daughter with a mother who loves "to the moon and back" can.

Wait for it ...

Someday, when K goes back to napping, R eats her vegetables, E sleeps past 6 a.m., the girls do not have multiple lessons and/or play dates, the laundry is all done, Mike is not on a huge deal with a demanding client, I am done training and no longer get up at 5 a.m. to go workout with friends, my pantry is alphabetized ... I will create a version of the "Brady Bunch" song about three sisters for this collage. You just wait for it.

We wondered why they were so quiet ...

I think Mike and I learned that we will never take a nap again. But on the up side, they definitely have shown that if getting into a good college doesn't work out, they are quite handy with make up. There's a MAC counter just waiting for them.

Happy Birthday E!

E just had her 7th birthday. This year has brought so many changes to this little girl and in the process has really emphasized what a sweet and brave little person she is. Moving from Boston was so hard for her. She had dear little friends some of which she had gone to school with for 3 1/2 years between kindergarten and pre-school. She left her best Boston friend, Mia J.. Those two were such "kindred spirits" (Grandma just sent "Anne of Green Gables" from Canada and we just read it). Plus she lived only an hour away from her favorite person, besides us - Grandma.

She quickly made new friends in Colorado, esp. a neighbor that would also be in her class and a sweet girl from church who would become an inseparable buddy.

But along the way, she experienced a bully. Which proved to be frightening at times. Yet, she rarely complained, and even at times would pray for this girl/bully. We learned both how compassionate and brave she was. The bullying, although still not completely eradicated has certainly improved and almost disappeared. Plus she was buoyed up by new friends that stood by her. She has also learned what it feels like to be on the outside of a social circle becuase you are new and in the process realized that although hard, being on the outside is a place everyone will be some times. Due to that she has developed greater empathy for others.

She grew even more confident and excelled in her academics. She learned to swim and ride a bike better. She continued improving in tennis and has really found "her sport". She has found a group of children in the neighborhood that would become extended family. But mostly, she has been a loving and caring sister.

Her true character has emerged in this formative year and she has proven to be such a lovely, strong, and caring girl. There is not a day that goes by where I am not in awe of her genuine goodness.

What a year for you! We are so proud of you.

My Valentine

I realize that sometimes my life is often (and mostly) about the girls. But the reason I can so fully focus on the girls is because I have someone in my life that always focuses on me. I am so grateful for Mike. We have been married for 10 years, and together for much longer than that (due to a secret courtship and stint living on separate continents), and his thoughtfulness continues to amaze me. Even now as he is in the midst of studying for Colorado Bar Exam he still takes time each day to spend time with each of the girls and me. Mike has always been a man who shows his love not through words but through service. By doing so he has set a solid example for each of us what true love is and can be.
I am still in awe of this quiet, brilliant, and kind man. I think if I had to use one word to describe him it would be loyalty. Mike is incredibly loyal and extremely protective of us. And this sweet and wonderful life that we each enjoy everyday is all because of his endless hard work.
Plus I think he gets more handsome each year, which is just lovely. I love you, dear.

Sweet irony

Last night my friend Mary Jane called. This month her daughter just married, making Mary Jane an empty-nester for the first time. She has one married son - with a her first grand child on the way, and two children on missions. She is experiencing a time that so many of us dread - when your children, who you have dedicated most your life to, have left. You found yourself wondering "who am I now?" The void must be almost tangible. As Mary Jane was talking I found myself moving from room to room in our house to try to talk to her without interruptions from my children. At one point I even tried to go into the bathroom, but the knocking on the door was so loud, I just opened the door. In the midst my frustrations of not being able to carry on a phone conversation, I just looked at my little girls and realized that soon enough I would be Mary Jane.
After I hung up the phone (or maybe one of the girls "accidentally" hung up the phone - I forget), I just looked at my babies and was so full of gratitude for them.
So to the me in future, when I read this someday ... today was hectic and crazy - play dates, babysitting, hugging, crying, running noses, lots of "I love yous", seven outfit changes, messes cleaned, books read, rushed dinner so that Mommy could make it to YW, more cuddles, and more "I love yous". It was your typical crazy day ... and I wouldn't change it for anything. Thanks, Mary Jane. I am going to log off now and check on my sleeping girls - because I can.

"R"isms

R very seriously asked Mike this morning "Dad, did you faint the first time Mommy kissed you?"

Also this week we drove by the temple. I turned to the girls and said "Aren't we so lucky to live so close to the temple that we can almost walk here?"
A few minutes later I told them that this was the temple where they would probably be married. R said immediately "When I get married you have to drive me to the temple, though."

Happy Birthday Baby

Our sweet baby just turned 2. Truly, it is so sad for me to even write that. Time just seems to be moving too quickly. My babies are growing up faster than I would like.
Each of just love this little thing so much. She is such a sweet and fun child, mixed with a heavy dose of stubbornness. I love the way she dances and sings all day. She doesn't say much but she does have great little manners, constantly saying "thank you" and "bless you". She is full of hugs. After being apart for a few minute she will run to any one of us, arms spread wide, and just embrace us with her little toddler arms. When E and R come home from school, the very first thing they do is race to hug her.
She is quick to comfort us when sad, and always laughs when we laugh, even when she doesn't understand the joke.
She loves her books and her binkies.
What a joy this little person. Even thinking about her brings a smile to me. I just feel so lucky that she is ours.

Special Visitors

Aunt Lindsay and Cousin E came for a visit. The girls are in heaven when their cousin is here. They had so much fun hiking, swimming, dancing, jumping with E. Many tears were shed when she left. Thanks so much for visiting. Did we mention the house next door is for sale?

Can you imagine these four when they are teenagers? I am so glad that these girls are so close in age. They are so lucky to have each other.

This is how I so often see R (above).

But when I think of R, this is how I see her.

We have so few pictures of us.