Keeping Promises to my Kids

A few weekends ago, I visited Tami and Vi. While in Rexburg, we planned to go ice skating. However, Mariah didn't take a nap, I really didn't want to take her skating with us (knowing that Connor and Mylie would need my help and not knowing how I would do that with Mariah in tow), and so I cancelled on them. They were NOT impressed. And so I PROMISED to take them skating in Rock Springs sometime. Connor was not happy until it was written on the calendar.

Today I fulfilled that promise. We had a GREAT time, and now the kids are trying to get me to promise them another trip soon!

Connor had been skating once before, but it was two years ago. I knew that he would enjoy it because he is just persistant enough to fall down a hundred times and get back up again. And that's what he did once again today.

I was worried about Mylie, though. She's not very persistant when she's struggling to learn something, and she's not usually very tough. I figured that she'd either cling to me and whine the entire time, or fall down a couple times, cry, and be done. Boy was I wrong! She caught on really quickly, and hardly fell at all--I'd say fewer than ten times in the entire hour! In fact, in the end, Connor asked me (in a voice that said, "I really doubt this is true"), "Do you think I'm still better at ice skating than Mylie?" My reply: "It's okay. Everybody has different talents. You're better than her at basketball."

Here she is in action!

My Bros

I have the two greatest brothers anybody could want. They started out very different as little kids, but are now a lot alike. Tyson was aggressive from the start and had to learn to be gentle, while Sullivan was born gentle, and learned how to be aggressive when he needed to be. But they are both great guys, with a nice mix of drive, work ethic, kindness, and consideration for others. And they're both a ton of fun!

Mom and my bros being goofy (This is actually normal.)

(I don't know why this picture and the next are so small. It looks like I just love Sulli best. But I didn't mean to discriminate like this!!!)

Tyson is older and is attending college at Utah State. He went on a mission to Texas, and I heard more from him during the two years he was gone (via family emails) than I have since, that's for sure! I love it when Tyson and I are both in Cokeville at the same time, but I don't get much sleep! Seems like we end up staying up late talking about life quite often. I have a lot of respect for Tyson and all he has accomplished. He's multi-talented. He's a great athlete, super smart, musically talented (playes piano, drums, guitar, and organ all quite well), and funny. I'm sure that whatever he chooses to do with the rest of his life, he'll do it well.

Tyson is an awesome uncle!

Sullivan is ten years younger than me and was always my little buddy. We used to love to play games together. I remember when I was about 16 or so and was starting to spend a lot of my free time with my friends, he came to me one day and said, "You never have time for me anymore." Ahhh. It broke my heart. It's been fun to watch Sulli grow up. Although some things about him have changed over time, the thing that has always remained constant is that he is a good kid. He just has a good heart. He never loses his temper. Actually, I'm not sure he even has a temper. He's a freshman at Western Wyoming and will go on a mission this summer. (And he's one handsome devil, as you can see in the picture below.)

I love my brothers, and am so proud of them. I feel lucky to have such great brothers!

SURPRISES

I love going on dates with my husband, and I love SURPRISES! Last night I was treated to a surprise date with Tony. He texted me from the gym in the afternoon and asked me if I'd go on a date with him. I asked him if I needed to get a babysitter, and he said he already had one. I just needed to be ready to go.



Anyway, I had no idea where we were going, and he took me to see these guys!! The were putting on a concert in Evanston.

BYU Young Ambassadors

It was such a fun time. The concert was amazing!!! Take a look at their website and schedule. If they're ever coming somewhere close to you, you should definitely go. It was wonderful! Thanks, Tony, for the surprise!

* Tessa *

I LOVE Tessa! How can you not, really? Tessa has the perfect mixture of kindness and hilariousness to make up her personality. She would never hurt anybody, and is friends with SO many people! She's very goal-oriented and works hard. She takes pride in everything she does, and is good at it all, too, of course.

Tessa has always been one of a kind. She is just herself, and happy to be. Most girls her age are way too concerned with what everybody else thinks of them. I know I was. But watching Tessa, I can see that life is much better when you just be yourself. And Tessa's "self" is something else! The picture below is "the real Tessa" to me.

Stay REAL, Tessa! (And keep those Beyonce moves sharp! I'm gonna want another show sometime soon. I haven't laughed that hard since. Haha. . . )

* Livi *

I LOVE my sister, Olivia, although I pretty much never call her that. It's just Livi, or sometimes Liv. Last week was Livi's birthday, and I was lucky enough to be at her party and watch her play basketball. It was so much fun.

Not only is Olivia beautiful (as you can see in the pictures), and extremely talented (you should see her play basketball!), but she is also a great person. Livi never complains about things. You know how when you're finished talking to some people, you feel depressed or totally worn out? It's NEVER like that with her. Instead, you get to feel refreshed and upbeat. She just has that effect on you. Livi is also "cool." What I mean by that is that you can't ruffle her feathers. I used to try to tease her about boys, but I quit because you just can't rile her up. Livi has a kind heart. She never wants to hurt anybody's feelings, and is always kind. She is also a GREAT aunt to my kids. They totally adore her, especially Mylie, who does more than adore her. I think it's closer to some form of worship.

Anyway, I feel blessed to have Livi in my life. I hope I can be more like her someday. Love ya, Liv!!!

Treadmill, Newtons, Shenandoah Sisters

I love my treadmill. It was given to us 4 years ago by a teacher at Tony's school who bought it with good intentions, but never used it and needed the space it was taking up. So it was FREE! And it has a couple glitches now. I'm not sure how long it will last, but between Tony and I, averaging 3-4 runs each per week for four years now, we've certainly gotten a lot of use out of it. (P.S. If any of you are like that teacher, and your space is more needed than your good intentions, let us know. We're going to need to buy another one soon, I'm afraid.)

I love my hot pink Newton running shoes. They are INCREDIBLY light and designed to help you run with the form you would if you were running barefoot, which is supposedly best for the rest of your body. I've only had these for a few months, but I love them! Plus, they look SOOOOO COOL, right?!?

I'm on the fourth and final book in this series, Shenandoah Sisters, and I'm LOVING it! You know the kind of books that you stay up late reading, and don't care that you're tired because the book is so worth it? Tony doesn't know anything about this concept, but I'm sure some of you do!

I especially love the three of these things in combination and have enjoyed lots of runs in the past few weeks, almost oblivious that I'm running because I'm so into my book (and my shoes are so light and comfortable!) A lot of people tell me that they can't read and run--either they can't focus in on the words or they get dizzy. So I consider myself lucky. As long as the text isn't too small, I can read up to about 8mph pace. So I don't read when I do speed workouts, but otherwise, I'm ALWAYS reading when I run!

~Luuuuuv Month~

Since this is the month of LOVE, I'm going to dedicate the entire month of blogging to the things and people I LOVE most! (Seems like I already got a head start on this idea with "I Love My Life" and "Land That I Love." But can you really ever have too much love?!?)

I LOVE that my stay-at-home mommy lifestyle allows for spur-of-the moment Wednesday afternoon cookie baking sessions with my girls!