Our 5 Days

So, what did we do this weekend with Levi home? To be honest, it wasn't anything too eventful. Mostly, we took the chance to hang out at home and do pretty much whatever the boys wanted. This included a lot of wii time, wrestling, a couple of trips to mcdonalds, and just playing with dad. Cort couldn't wait to watch Transformers with Dad and Cort told Levi about the entire movie. I loved not having to worry about trying to figure out who was going to watch the kids when I was at work. I didn't have to drive the boys anywhere, it was fantastic! I did sneak away to go to dinner and the Dierks Bentley concert (without having to find a babysitter) on Saturday night. The concert was amazing, it was a great show, and of course it is always nice to spend time with friends!

Sunday was our big day. We had brunch with Dallin and Ryan. For the most part, Luke and Cort behaved themselves. Dallin and Ryan did pretty good too. After a great breakfast, the 4 of us headed up to the zoo. It was a gorgeous day, and we were excited to spend the day outside. It was a fun day, and the boys loved seeing the animals. The favorite was definitely the giraffes for Cort and the gorillas for Luke. Of course, the train was a huge hit. I think the train ride might last an entire 2 minutes, but we couldn't go to the zoo without riding it. Even with the crowds, all 3 of my boys did well. Cort was asleep in the stroller before we even made it to the car. After stopping for diet cokes, we headed to my mom's to have dinner with everyone and celebrate Levi being home. The grandkids behaved themselves and the adults enjoyed a great dinner and even had the chance to chat a little.

Luke's 3 Favorite Things About Dad Being Home.

1. Playing the Wii.

2. Going to my Baseball Games

3. Wrestling

Cort's 3 Favorite Things About Dad Being Home

1. Watching Transformers

2. Playing with Dad

3. Hold you me

My 3 Favorite Things About Levi Being Home

1. Someone else to get up and get apple juice in the morning

2. Not having to find a babysitter for the boys.

3. I don't have to do all the driving!!!

Levi is at Camp Williams today and will be there for the next 2 weeks and then it will be off to Texas again. Maybe one day we will actually find out what day he will really be home. But as of now, we are just grateful to have had the chance to see him and know that he is ok.

A friend of mine sent the link to a CNN story on Camp Bucca (you can click it to link you to the site). As most of you know, this is where Levi has spent his time in Iraq. It is an interesting story, and just gives you a better idea what he has been doing these last several months.

It's a Beautiful Day

So, to steal a line from U2, I don't think I could describe the day any better. It started off with a 5:30 am phone call. I know to many of you this sounds terrible, but to me, it can only mean one thing, work is calling to see if I want to say home. I did not hesitate, my answer was yes. Cort and I slept until 9:30, it was much needed and I felt as good as new. Then after a trip to the gym, I went to lunch and a movie with Wendy. I was loving every second. When we walkecd out of the movie, the weather had changed from rainy and overcast to 68 degrees and the sun shining. I just soaked it in. I drove home with the windows down and the radio blasting.



I pulled into the driveway and saw my brother's car. Odd, but I'm always happy to see Dallin. My mom was here too, she picks up the boys on Wednesdays. I walked into the house and Cort said, "Mom, Dad is here. Come see." I of course rolled my eyes and followed him down the hall. There were some bags in the hall, but I was expecting some things in the mail from Levi. Then when we came back down the hall, Levi was standing on the stairs. To say the least, I was surprised. It is still very sureal and I am not sure what else to say about it. We then headed over to the baseball field to surprise Luke. I will never be able to express the joy in that little boys face when he walked to the dugout and realized his Dad was sitting on the bench. The only regret I have was not seeing the look on Cort's face when he spotted his Dad.

He is only home for 5 days and then has to report for duty again, but he is oficially home from Iraq, safe and in one piece. I don't think I can ask for anything more than that. It truly is a Beautiful Day.

I know you're wondering what I am doing on the computer, but I currently have a great view of 2 little boys wrestling with their dad for the first time in 10 months. Just typing it brings tears to my eyes.

The Dentist...Dreaded Words

I have always hated going to the dentist. The thought of it, even for a checkup, literally causes my heart to race, that yucky feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I even get a little teary. It is a touchy subject. Knowing this, I have tried really hard to make it a good experience for my boys. We have been lucky, there is a great hygienist at our dentists office. She has made Luke and Cort feel comfortable and safe. I can honestly say, she has helped Luke not mind going to the dentist. He is even doing better when he has to have a cavity filled. Unfortunately, he has had his fair share of that done. He only cries with the shot. And seriously, who doesn't? I am always so proud of him.

Today was Cort's turn. Again, he did great with his cleaning and exams. I knew getting cavities done was going to be a challenge, little did I know! Surprisingly, Cort did great with the numbing shot, he cried, but he didn't freak out. No, that came after the shot. The second he realized his upper lip felt different, it was full on panic mode. He continuously rubbed his lip with his hands, and kept saying it was broken. He began crying/screaming and nothing could calm him. I asked him to talk to me. "I not talking mommy!" He had 4 cavities that needed to be filled after 30 minutes, we had one done. That involved me and a second dentist trying to keep his hands down, stop him from arching his back and kicking his feet. It was awful to put it mildly. We stopped at the one. By the time I had him back in my arms, I was crying too. Partly from embarrassment and partly from watching him go through that. He didn't care that his teeth were being drilled and filled, all he was concerned with was the numbness in his lips. Almost 2 hours later he looked at me and said "It's all better now, mom." The poor kid, and poor me. I'm pretty sure he is traumatized and I don't know how we will ever get him back in a dentist's chair. My only hope is that now he realizes that the numbness will go away and he will get better.

I wonder if my dentist will allow me back in the office.

P.S. If any of you fabulous blog stalkers have a suggestion, I would love to hear them.

P.P.S. Thankfully there are no pictures of this event.

And The Winner Is...

Well, I have a tiny problem. Something must be wrong with my visitor ticker, because 2 people left comments that they were #500. But, being the fair person I am, I decided why not? I can have 2 winners, I, afterall am the person who is in charge of the contest (don't you love being in charge?! None of you can deny it, I know you all do.) I will not keep you waiting any longer, the prize(s) goes to:

LINDSEY and STEPH

The round of applause is hurting my ears. Congrats you guys. Isn't it fantastic to see your name in print. I knew you would love it. I am blessed to have such dedicated stalkers. Wow, I didn't think I would ever say that.

And for all of you that just missed out, the cyber hugs are currently making there way through all those phone and cable lines and the air (you know, for the wireless users). I'm sure things are much more technical than that, but who can keep up with that kind of stuff. Anywho, the rest of you stay tuned for the next contest. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I'm sure I will come up with something. Also, I am always open for suggestions.

#500

So, if you notice the visitor's ticker on the right (you may have to scroll down to see it), you will see I am approaching 500 visitors to my page. In just over 2 weeks. Amazing! Who would have thought so many people would want to read about our little family. It just makes me smile. I'm going to have a contest to celebrate. Here is how it will work. Please check the counter every time you are on the page. If you are # 500, leave me a comment so I know who you are and I will give you a prize. Well, sort of. It may just be your name in print in really big letters, but hey, it's something. And, don't worry if you aren't # 500. You stll get a huge cyber hug and a thank you for visiting.

Thanks to everyone who continues to check on the raising of the Boards!

A Day at the Farm

I had to make a trip up to Logan today for a meeting. I was discussing my plans with Jane (my sister, who by the way has still not checked out my blog) and how I was not so happy about having to go up there. She told me about a baby animal festival that was this weekend at the American West Heritage Center located on the south end of Logan. So, I thought, why not? The boys were going to have to make the trip with me anyway, I might as well do something they would enjoy too. We stopped by on our way home. It was a huge success. I thought the animals would just be normal farm animals, which they had. Luke held baby ducks and a baby turkey. Cort only wanted to pet them. They saw pigs, calf's, baby horses, sheep and kids (baby goats). On our first pass of the center, we somehow missed turtle town and the snake exhibit. Good thing someone mentioned it to us before we left! I think they ended up being Luke's favorite. They let him hold baby turtles, which were actually, very cute. Even I couldn't help holding one. And he also got to hold a toad (Cort and I thought this was totally disgusting. Cort wouldn't go near the toads). But, both of the boys LOVED the snakes, lizards, and giant bugs (the bugs were absolutely gross!). Luke and Cort were very disappointed that they were not allowed to hold the many different types of snakes. They did ask everyone they could think of, just in case one of the snake guys said yes. On top of all of this, Luke was able to practice hatchet tossing and roping. It was like a little boy heaven located in Logan, UT. Of course, if you ask Cort what his favorite part was, he would say "the tractors!". The boys managed to make their way up to the front bench of the wagon on both of our tractor rides, they had a great view and loved every second of it. If you ask me what my favorite part, it was realizing (again), how kind and thoughtful Luke can be when he wants to. Multiple times throughout the day he would take something out my hands (Cort's jacket, my jacket, the camera, etc.) and say "Hey mom, let me carry that for you." Times like this, I find myself wondering who really is raising who.

So, after a drive I was not so happy about making, and a meeting that could have been more exciting, I ended up having a great day with my kids. Oh, and in case you read an earlier post in which I was whining about the weather, I can say that yesterday finally felt like spring! I even have a little pink on my face to prove that the sun is truly shining. It makes me want to cry tears of joy.

Ummmmm

I've been trying to figure out what to post for the last couple of hours and so far my mind is blank. Levi wanted to know what I was going to post. He says he keeps checking and, as he puts it, there is nothing new (it has only been 4 days). So, here I go.


Things are crazy around our house, but that isn't anything new. Over the last few days I have felt lucky if I get the boys fed at a reasonable hour. Yesterday, they were in the shower at 2pm and in there pj's by 3pm. Just wanted to get a head start on the nightly routine. And, lucky for me the boys didn't complain about it. Then, Lori and Andrew had the great luck of getting to have them over at their house last night and because I work every Wednesday, they got them again at 6am this morning. Thanks!!! And to top off my busy Wednesday, I came home to 2 loads of laundry finished. Thank You Mom!!!




By the way, remember how fun spaghetti used to be? I mean, you can slurp it swing it, hang it from your nose, I don't know that food can get any better than that. And, boys sure know how to figure things like that out. I am sure I never played with my food, so without a doubt, that talent comes from there dad. But, after pretending to be completly grossed out (I also remember that is what girls are supposed to think about stuff like this, at least that is what my boys think), I couldn't help getting a few pictures.

To recap a conversation I had last night with Cort:
me: "Goodnight Cort"

Cort: "Sing twinkle star"

me: (imagine me singing)

Cort: "Mom, love you so much."

me: "Love you too, baby"

Cort: "I am not a baby, I big boy, I Putt Putt"

me: "I know you aren't a baby, but is it ok if I call you that?"

Cort: "No, I don't think so."

I don't think I even got a say in that decision. Oh well, such is life!