Rest and Relaxation

Sadie really knows how to spend her summer vacation!

After I set up the pool she came in and asked for two cucumber slices.

"Why do you need those?" I asked.
"For REST and RELAXATION!" (She said it in a way that only Sadie can say it though) She can be pretty silly!

I went out and this is what she meant. I think she realizes that once kindergarten starts there won't be any time for this kind of thing. We should all follow her example.

Vacation in Williamsburg

Last week we vacationed in Williamsburg, VA. I thought I'd share some stories and photos with you all. Also, I'm getting on Carrie's case about blogging a bit more often, so hopefully you'll see more from her soon.

Carrie's parents have a timeshare and they let us use some of their points to book a week in Williamsburg. Our kids absolutely loved staying at the condo. Sadie thought it was awesome that she and Dallin got their own room. We all loved the gigantic whirlpool tub. The place we stayed at had two pools and a mini-golf course, so that kept us busy, too.

I'll be honest, though, doing Colonial Williamsburg was tough. For those that don't know, it's a huge historical site complete with actors in costume, reenactments, shops, demonstrations, and more. It was a really hot, humid, sunny day, and Sadie was grumpy right from the start. We saw as much as we could, but eventually we had to give up and head back to our place for some cooling off (literally and figuratively). But we got in half a day there and enjoyed it for the most part.

I really loved the Colonial Parkway, an incredibly beautiful and scenic road connecting Williamsburg with the historic towns of Jamestown and Yorktown. We rolled down all the windows and just soaked it in. We also stopped to dip our feet in the James River.

The day before we left we went swimming at the Chesapeake Bay on a beach inside a state park. It was tons of fun and probably Sadie's favorite part of our trip. Unfortunately, though, we all got sunburns despite our sincere efforts to keep sunscreen well applied. Mine was the worst. I'm still recovering.

We also got to spend a couple days with our friends Jon and Lauren, who live in Virginia near D.C. and drove down to visit. We enjoyed that and were glad we got to see them. Sadie loved it.

But our kids were definitely excited to get home after a week away. As we were pulling into State College at around 9:30 p.m., Sadie asked "Daddy, are you thinking what I'm thinking!?" Carrie and I looked at each other, puzzled, and I said "I don't know, what are you thinking?" She then burst out "I'm thinking that we're almost home!!" We laughed and I said told her that that's just what I was thinking. When we got home they didn't want to go to bed. Dallin pulled out a toy he hadn't seen for a week and proceeded to play with it like he just might not ever see it again. When we told him it was time to go to bed, he just played harder and started yelling at us if we got too close. It was pretty funny.

Enjoy some pictures!

Sadie and I at Colonial Williamsburg during a reenactment of a confrontation between government leaders right before the Revolutionary War.










I was picked to be on a "jury" for the trial of a Virginia militia man that had made some pro-British comments.











Carrie and the kids in front of a courthouse in Colonial Williamsburg.












Playing in the James River (this one and the next two).








































At the Chesapeake Bay Beach (this one and the next 2).








































This one is just because.

Kids don't want health care, it turns out

A hilarious video from the Onion about why kids oppose efforts to ensure that they have adequate health care coverage.


Study Finds Most Children Not In Favor Of Children’s Healthcare

Sadie's First Talk

Sadie had her first talk in primary on Sunday. We practiced reading it a few times before church. At lunch time she got a case of nerves and said that she didn't want to go to church. She was actually in tears. During sacrament meeting the primary sang for the dads. She didn't like that at all. We were a little worried that she wouldn't be able to do it. She proved us wrong! I stood up with her, but she read almost the entire thing herself. She even remembered the word ancestor and family. She messed up once and just kind of laughed about it. She did such an awesome job. We are definitely proud parents. She's ready for sacrament meeting now!

Sadie's Writing

UPDATE!! The winner (only two people responded to my challenge . . . I'm disappointed) is Jenny Anderson! She was really close. The correct translation is:

I know that you have been working for me. I love you.

Hey everyone . . . I thought I would have a little competition. Who can decipher Sadie's note the best? I must say, it almost made me cry because it was so sweet. She came down from her room after I had a really hard day. It made me feel good. I'll give the translation in a few days. Have fun!

Sadie

Sadie is really enjoying summer! She goes outside anytime I will let her . . . even when it is absolutely roasting outside. She loves playing with water and chalk. She especially enjoys practicing her new writing and drawing skills on the sidewalk. She is a great little girl and we have a lot of fun with her. Even when we are really mad at her, she manages to make us laugh (sometimes). The other day I was really upset with her (I don't remember why) She was sent up to her room. She really hates being sent to her room. A little while later she came stomping down with a note in hand. She had written, "I do not lik yuo."

After she had gone back upstairs she called down, "Mom did you like your note?"

"No, I didn't."

"Why?"

"Because it made me sad."

A little while later she came down with another note that said, "I love yuo mommy. Love Sadie."

I must say that I was proud of her even when she didn't like me very much. There were so many positive things from her being sent to her room. She learned a new way to express herself instead of crying and screaming, she wrote a whole note without any help, she showed compassion when I said that the note made me sad . . .

Later that day she wanted to throw the mean note away . . . I kept it. I decided that it's ok if my kids don't like me all the time. As long as they know that I love them, that's all that really matters.

So Sorry!

First of all, I would like to apologize for my recent lack of blog posts. As you can see, we have been enjoying our summer. We've been going on bike rides, swimming, taking trips to the library, and just having fun. I'll try to update everyone up on what we have been doing. . .

Dallin:
Dallin got tubes put in his ears about 2 weeks ago. He has been a totally different child since then. I don't think we realized how much his ear infections were bothering him. I think he is really going to be a lot like Steve. His mom tells me that when he was little she would take him to the doctor and the doctor would look into his little ears and ask, "Why didn't you bring him in earlier?" She would say, "Well, he hasn't complained about his ears." They would just look at her with an expression of, "Sure, lady!" I know how you felt Julie!

The same kind of thing would happen to me. The only symptoms he would have would be to rub his ears. He wouldn't cry and he would continue sleeping just fine. Sometimes I would just take him to a well-baby visit and they would discover infected ears. So, he has had almost constant ear infections since January.

He laughs all the time now. He rarely screams from frustration (he used to scream all the time) He is also starting to speak a few words. We are still the only one who understands him, but he definitely says mama, dad, bird, ball, banana (it sounds like dada), bye. I think he might say more than that, but we don't really understand him.

Dallin has also figured out how to climb out of his crib. Nobody ever mentions that as a milestone, but it definitely opens up a whole new chapter in our lives.