Just Because

It was just a normal day, but Brad made it special by stopping off at a roadside stand and getting me these:

Isn't he sweet?

P.S. Yes, I do have vases, but I never unpacked them. They're somewhere in the depths of the abyss we call a garage. I actually think the cheap-o plastic cup doesn't look too bad. Texas must be getting to me!

Waiting...

It seems like I've been waiting a lot this week:

Waiting for the official word to come that we can finally move to San Antonio. We thought it would come the 15th of August, then the 21st. Still no word. No one seems to know what's up. AUGHH!!!

Waiting for ideas to come for a blog entry. Nothing for over a week.

Waiting at the church for people to show up for Activity Days. I somehow missed that the time had been changed.

Waiting for the home teachers to show up.

Waiting for the ibuprofen to take effect after being bonked hard in the nose by the back of my 2 year old's head. (During Sacrament meeting)

Waiting in the Houston traffic.

Waiting for Brad, who was stuck in the Houston traffic.

Waiting for the pounds to leave me, or "the Melt," as Suzanne Somers describes it, after following the Somersize eating plan for two weeks. (Well, 2 weeks minus a weekend that I totally cheated)

And most exciting: Waiting for the first game of the BYU football season this Saturday!!!

A Most Important Decision

Ty, hanging from the Texas Longhorn

Being new to Texas, I've been trying to decide who my local college team will be. (No worries, BYU is still #1 in my heart) We visited College Station, aka Aggietown, and I really loved the Texas A&M campus. It was really pretty, and had so much life around and on it, even in the middle of the summer. It just seemed like a college I would want to attend, and a town I would like living in.

Last week we visited the University of Texas campus in Austin. It is pretty, too, but it is so HUGE, and Austin's traffic is SO BAD! I thought BYU's campus was large--nothing in comparison! In fact, I felt a little overwhelmed. I just liked the feel of A&M better.

So it looks like we're going to be a split family. Not that I want to see Texas lose, but I think I'll take more interest in the Aggies, while Brad will be a Texas fan. He works in Austin a lot, so he feels like he should root for them. We decided to raise Ty in a non-hostile environment and let him choose which team to root for when he reaches the age of accountablility, much like children who are raised with two different religions. (That last sentence was a joke, by the way. Sometimes I crack myself up!)

The Longhorns are too big and popular for me. Most people seem to like them more, because they won the big Championship in 2005. That's another reason why I'm rooting for the Aggies. I like underdogs. Plus, Burnt Orange just isn't cutting it!

Disasters

Here's a shameful little secret: I'm bummed that Hurricane Dean has turned away from us and is not forecasted to come our way.

How sick is it that I like Disasters?

It's not like I love seeing people losing their lives and their homes. Watching the drama of Katrina--all those people begging for help at the superdome--was horrific, and yet it was really intriguing, too. I got so angry at the Federal Government for not getting there soon enough, and I was proud of the local agencies and our church members for doing their part and volunteering.

Times like that show the best and worst of human nature. Everything is raw and real. I think that's what I like about it. Of course, I haven't had to live with the fallout, and that's why I feel so guilty. I really don't wish anyone harm, but if it happens, I'm glued to the TV to see it.

Disasters unify people. People forget about being "red" or "blue" and just help each other out. There's a common cause. Usually people do whatever they can. There's a nice benefit concert. It gives people something to talk about.

Of course, it has always happened to someone else--someone I don't know. I'm sure I would change my tune if I lost my own house, or loved ones. And that's why I have kept quiet about it: it's such an unfeeling way to look at the tragedy others are experiencing.

So, back to Hurricane Dean. Here's the thing--I live way too North (about 75 miles from the coastline) to really get hit by a hurricane. And we live on a little hill, so I'm not worried about our actual house flooding. The only thing we've had to prepare for is possible evacuation or staying in the home and having a possible power outage. And we're ready for either of those situations. It's been kind of exciting to watch the news and track the storm. Everyone was so busy over the weekend getting supplies. People were all abuzz at the stores and at church. It felt like a community. It gave people something to talk about. I like that, I won't lie.

I've never really discussed this with anyone before, but I know that other people must guiltily feel the same way, right? Please. Share your thoughts. And if you think I'm a disgusting speciman of a human being for feeling this way...that's okay, too. Why do you think I haven't talked about it before?

Potty, Potty, Potty

So, I know that everyone says it's so much easier once the kids start going potty.

Am I the only one that thinks that diapers aren't so bad? They're quick, for the most part you can change them at your convenience--or at least wait til you find a good place to change them. We've gotten pretty good at the occasional standing-up changes and pants-on changes, too. No sweat. Even the nine-wipers we can handle with the ease of an expert.

Perhaps it's because I don't think diapers are all that bad. Or maybe it's that we struggled so much just to get Ty and who knows if we have more kids in our future, that I'm not in a real big rush to see him grow up. Whatever the reason, I have not pushed potty training. Or even really encouraged it. He's not even three yet, why mess up a routine that we've got down pat? But ever since we got back from our vacation, Ty has really been into the whole potty thing. He's basically potty training himself. We just go along for the ride. And I've got to tell you-this ride is like being in the back seat of a speeding van on a windy, hilly road with all the windows up, after eating a big helping of Grandma's potato salad that has sat out in the sun for a few too many hours.

Every little peepee. We're talking every drop! I know about it. Every little boof leading up to every big load drop--I'm right there, cheering him on! The fascination with it all. The special wipes, the blue toilet water that turns green when he pees, the pull-ups, the spills, the waiting on the pot, the straining, the waiting, the false alarms, the waiting, the poo on the seat because he was too excited to flush that he forget to let me wipe. It all kinda grosses me out!! And it's not so convenient.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to do it. (Well, at least resigned to it) But I have yet to see the fruits--er, the good fruits--of all the labor. And let's just be honest here: it takes years for boys to get accurate in their aim. I'm going to be dealing with pee on the seat and floor for a while to come.

So, while other moms get excited for the switch, it is with a little sadness and some annoyance that I say goodbye to Luv's Blue's Clues Size Six, and say hello to Diego Underpants. Go Diego, Go!

I thought I'd Seen it All

We walked into our nice Comfort Suites room in San Antonio and cracked up. What in the world was a swing doing there? I still don't understand it, but Tyler really liked it. We set up his foam pads on the floor behind it and he was a happy camper.

It reminded me of my parents, who liked their porch swing so much they brought it inside, to enjoy it even on rainy and cold days. They even brought it with them to their mission home in Denver, when Dad was mission president, where it sat smack dab in the family room. Love it!

(So sorry about the poor picture quality. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my camera until I finally realized that someone--probably a little 2 year old--had changed the setting to nightime, so the shutter was open longer, thus the blurry pictures! I'm just glad the camera wasn't broken, which is what I had worried.)

Oregon!

We had the most wonderful two week vacation in my home state of Oregon. Going back to the home of my youth is always a bittersweet thing--I love it so much, it's always difficult to leave and I wish with all my heart that we could live there. Don't get me wrong--I like Texas a lot (as I liked Utah for the 13 years that I lived there), and I know this is where we need to be, and I'm excited to settle here for awhile, but I think my heart will always belong to the beauty of the Northwest.

The weather was great while we were there! No rain at all. Kind of funny that we had to go to Oregon to escape the rain of Houston!

The plane ride was non-eventful. We even got the whole row to spread out. The first few days Ty and I stayed with my sister Susan in Eugene, just hanging out and playing. Ty loved the slip n slide and playing with his cousins Jacob, Jessi, Katie, Christian, and Carter. Unfortunately, I wasn't the most diligent picture taker, so most of our two-week adventure went unrecorded.


Once Brad flew in, we spent some time at our family's cabin on the Coast in Florence. This little slice of Heaven is my favorite place on earth. It's here where I spent my childhood summers swimming, rowing, climbing sand dunes, fishing, exploring, reading, sunning, and relaxing, all without telephones and television.

A cute pic of "KayKay," "Jessica Fish," and "Ty Food." The kids made up nicknames for each other, and us. Not pictured: "Chin Chin," "SaySay," "SuSu," and "Grandma CiCi."

The girls also got Tyler hooked on the Cheetah girls. He goes around everywhere now singing Girl Power and Cheetah Sisters! I'm torn because I know he would LOVE it if I got him the CD, but is it just too girly for him to have it?

Poor Brad! It wasn't his lucky day. After crushing a pop can on his forehead and getting this circular-shaped welt, he overturned the canoe, drenching himself and his work cellphone. Luckily, after some intense hair dryer therapy, the phone was revived. He was a little embarrassed, but as Scott said, his clumsiness just endears him to us.

Grandma and Ty playing "bull" with a tablecloth after eating another wonderful meal out on the deck.


Special fishing lessons with Grandpa.

What's a trip to Oregon without a walk on the beach? We even managed to make it when there wasn't much wind.

In addition to the coast, we were able to spend a few wonderful days at SunRiver, where we saw Cousin Kelli and her cute kids and hung out at a luxury pool complex. We also visited my high school friends Catharine and Tonya. We couldn't even remember the last time all three of us were together at the same time--probably Ton's wedding in '99. It was so fun to see them and catch up.

Thanks to everyone who made the trip so wonderful! We had a great time! We love you and miss you already. Remember, Texas is a really fun place to visit, too. Our door is always open!