Omaha

We drove out to Omaha, NE at the end of May. We decided it would be best to drive overnight so that the trip wouldn't seem so long to the youngens. It wasn't too bad, except that around 2am, we stopped for all of us to sleep, unfortunately, Anabelle decided to wake up and sat there crying until we started driving again. The little stinker. Luckily I had gotten some sleep before we stopped, so it was my turn to drive. We arrived at Grandma Jill's apartment early Saturday afternoon. Some of Matt's brothers and a wife came over and we had a fun time catching up and playing scrabble with each other on smartphones. Mom and I were totally excluded because we don't have smartphones. We had one of Matt's favorite meals that his mom makes, for dinner that night, Italian sandwiches. So yummy! It will kill you, but you will die happy.

The kids were so excited to be with their Grandma Jill. They had so much fun with her. One of Matt's sisters, Heather, brought over a bunch of toys for Mom to keep at her house, since she got rid of all of them when she left on her mission. One of the toys was this foot high, remote controlled T-Rex that walked, roared, and did all kinds of stuff. Beckett was so funny with this toy. At first he was really nervous about it. He would just watch it from a distance. Then he realized it wasn't real and that he could play with it and after that, it was his favorite toy. He had a hard time sharing it with other cousins that came over while we were there. I personally, am very glad that we don't have one of those. That thing would move all by itself without anyone touching the remote and it kind of freaked me out.

Belle's favorite thing at Grandma Jill's was her deck she loved it. I think she was out there every chance she got.

Matt left Saturday night to start his Brothers Baseball Trip. They did one two years ago, and decided they had so much fun, they wanted to do it again. This time they stayed at their sister, Tris's house. She lives in Ohio, so they went to Cleveland and Pittsburgh. They had a blast on this trip too. Tris made shirts for all the boys.

Matt's family loves Balderdash, a game about making up stuff and getting people to believe what you wrote is the right answer. On their last baseball trip, the boys played the game and they got the name George Dawes one round. He has since become a huge inside joke for all of the guys and at our family reunion, the joke only continued. Tris remembered it all and made a T-shirt for them. Isn't she so cool?

While they were on their trip, they also went to Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital.

It looks like so much fun. Someday I will get to go too. I love roller coasters. Hopefully turning 30 and having kids hasn't ruined that for me.

Back to Omaha. We had a lot of fun of our own. Monday was pretty tame most of the day. We went to a park and had a picnic with another one of the wives and children left behind.

All I have to say is the humidity is killer. I am seriously considering NOT moving to Omaha, just because of the humidity. I moved into the shade and it was literally no different than in the sunshine. I was melting. And Anabelle just wanted to swing the whole time, in the sunshine. I had to talk her out of swinging and going and playing on the playground with her cousins and brother because I couldn't stand it another second longer.

That night, after making pizza for dinner, the fire alarm went off in the apartment above Mom's. Mom immediately grabbed the kids and told them to get their shoes on. I grabbed my camera and phone and then left. As we were going down the stairs, the girl in the apartment on fire came out and said it was a cooking fire and they had put out and that we didn't need to leave. Mom and I left anyways because the alarm was still going. We walked across the street and watched the fire trucks come and then played at the park at the elementary. After a little bit, Mom's neighbor came running towards us and told us the fire fighters needed the keys to the apartment. I ran back to open the door for them to find them already inside and pots and pans everywhere. Apparently those sprinklers are crazy. They spray about 55 gallons of water per minute, so there was a few inches of water in the apartment above, and it was all coming down into Mom's place. We had to pack up and go sleep at my sister-in-law, Erica's house that night. It was crazy.

After a nights sleep, we felt better. Erica and I decided it would be a good day to take all our kids to the children's museum. As we were leaving it started to rain, then it turned into a downpour. It was lightening like crazy. I saw lightening strike a radio tower like a mile or less in front of me. Kind of scary. The streets were flooded. When we arrived at the museum, we got drenched running from our cars to the museum, and I am really not exaggerating. Here are some pictures of the kids at the museum after we had been there a half hour and you can still see the water in Belle's hair:

It was a really fun place. It is a lot like the Discovery Gateway. There was a YMCA children's group there so it was super crowded, but the kids had a blast anyways. There was this ball area that had all kinds of machines that moved the balls in all kinds of ways. Beckett loved that area. They also had an area for putting on stage make-up. Belle really liked that area as well as the grocery store. It was so fun. And it was free to boot. She had a year pass that lets in 2 adults, and 4 kids. It was perfect!

When we got back, Mom and I thought we would be able to go back to the apartment. Nope. We had to go back and get clothes for another night. I hadn't planned on living out of a suitcase, living out of a suitcase, if that makes any sense. Beckett and Anabelle were fine with it. They were having so much fun playing with their cousins that they never get to see, Beckett especially.

Wednesday, we thought for sure we would be able to go back to the apartment. We went back to only find big huge fans blowing. There was no way we would be able to stay the day there. So we went to the visitor's center by the Winter Quarters Temple. It was fun. They had all kinds of neat stuff and things to look at, even dress ups.

I highly recommend going there if you are ever in the area. The temple is just gorgeous as well. The visitor's center has a beautiful view of the temple and the graveyard right next to it. (In case you didn't know, the temple was built right next to the cemetery for the saints that died there before they could begin their trek out west. It actually is really beautiful and even more peaceful than most temple grounds)

Well, when we got back to the apartment, it was still blowing. So we went shopping! We went to Joann's, where Jill works, and she helped me pick out some fabric for curtains to put in Anabelle's room.

Didn't they just turn out adorable? I just love them. I like how they match her blanket as well.

Just a reminder of what it looks like

The only problem is, that as soon as we came home, Anabelle started insisting on sleeping in Beckett's room. So, now those cute curtains are up with no blanket to match. Oh well, they look cute anyways.

After our purchases, we decided we couldn't sleep at the apartment that night, and trespassed on another sister-in-law, Taffy. Luckily, we arrived just as she was finishing up making chicken pot pie, so we got to have a delicious dinner and a place to stay. Beckett and Anabelle got acquainted with more cousins that they never see and had a lot of fun. Everyone that we stayed with was so hospitable. They were so kind and gracious.

Well, now we are up to Thursday, and that was the day we went to the Omaha Zoo. Which is huge! I have never been and it was so cool. At least 3 or 4 times bigger than our wonderful Hoogle Zoo. They have the 2nd largest indoor rainforest in the world. How cool is that?! We didn't go in though. There was just too much to look at and two little kids and two adults that got a little weary of walking everywhere (oh wait, the kids were in the wagon that I rented, so they really had no excuse for being tired).

We did go in the desert dome, which didn't feel very new to me, but they did have an exhibit in the basement that was so cool. It is called Creatures of the Night. It is dark down there and they have all these nocturnal creatures on display, even bats in open cages that are netted off, but you can see and hear them flying around. It was really cool.

All the boys thought it was so fun to be down there and that they were so tough, even though they are only 4 and 5. Then we got to the end, which is where they have a bayou, complete with alligators. You walk through on a wooden platform that is maybe a foot off the water with thin metal netting on the sides, hanging from the railing.

At first I thought, "Those alligators are fake. There is no way they would have them so close to the public." Then I asked Taffy if they were real and yes they were. Beckett was scared to go in, but once he got in he wasn't scared. Once I got in and found that out, I was a bit nervous. Those gators could easily chomp through and eat somebody. I did calm down after she told me that they are really lazy and well feed. They better be! They had an albino alligator in there and that was really cool. It was maybe 3 feet from the walkway, so I didn't stay too long to gawk.

After that, we went to the aquarium. That was so fun. They had all kinds of ocean creatures. I think the kids liked this place the most.

I didn't get a picture of it, but they had a big column filled with water and Jelly fish. It was so amazing and beautiful. It was just like on Finding Nemo.

Due to Beckett's insistence, after seeing the cat house, we went and saw the giraffes, but I didn't take any pictures there either. I am terrible. I did get a picture of the next thing we went and saw though:

That was definitely the best thing there for Beckett. After that, we were all spent and went home. I got an amazing parking spot, in the shade, real close to the entrance. I was so lucky and so happy when we were able to just pull right out of there. That was a highlight for me.

After that, Mom and I decided that we had had enough of sleeping at other people's houses and went back, loud fans and all. They had now added dehumidifiers, so it was even noisier, but we didn't care. It was nice to be settled finally and not putting anyone out. Plus, we made up our own recipe for chicken salad that had just what we wanted in it and it turned out great. I am craving it now just thinking about it.

Friday was the day the boys got back, so we decided to not do much. I sewed my curtains and that was about it. Saturday we spent at Matt's brother's house helping him with yard work, and then had Chinese for dinner (you should know by now that the meals were just as much apart of the trip for me, as everything else was). Sunday we had a big picnic with almost all of the family in Omaha, plus some from Utah, and the kids just had a blast playing with all of their cousins. Here is a picture of Anabelle chasing a squirrel with her cousin Ally (also from Utah):

After the picnic, Matt and I decided we would leave as soon as we could, instead of the next day, so we could drive while the kids slept. I think it took Matt's mom by surprise because she started crying when we said it. It was hard for us to leave as well. I think Beckett knew it we were leaving too because this is what he did when we got back to Mom's apartment:

Then Anabelle couldn't be left out, only she didn't look quite so melancholy.

We had so much fun with family and especially with Mom. One of our best trips out there.

Update!!

Man has it been crazy. I'm sure you all know what I am talking about. I think we have had something every weekend. I'll prove it.

The first Saturday of November we had a lovely get together with my old roommates from the Maple House. It was the last beautifully warm Saturday of the year. We met up at a park in North Salt Lake and let the kids go crazy on the playground, while we chatted and got caught up. The dads were even kind enough to watch the kids on the playground so we weren't distracted too much. Every one's kids were adorable and getting so big, and they all got along and played well with each other (which is always very nice). We had a wonderful time. (Hey, if any of you roomies want to send me a copy of the pictures we took, I would very much appreciate it)

I also went to a baby shower for a cousin that afternoon. It was so fun to see her all big and pregnant. I don't get to see my dad's family often and so it was so fun to catch up and see everyone. It was day full of catching up.

The next weekend we got out of dodge and visited my grandparents and aunt up in Idaho Falls. We had a wonderful time. The kids didn't break anything and were pretty well behaved. They didn't even break into their treats hidden in the cupboards. I was very pleased with them. We went out to dinner to a place kind of like Chuckie Cheese, only it had a train theme. Obviously, Beckett loved it. We ate burgers and chicken nuggets and fries while we watched a model train go back and forth on a wall. Beckett hardly ate anything. He just wanted to watch the train. When it came time to leave, Beckett disappeared. There was a lot of people around us and we were all distracted by putting on coats and things. I was very scared because it would have been very easy for someone to just pick him up and walk out with him and no one would have noticed. We all started searching frantically. After about 5 minutes, we found him over near the arcade like this:



After we all calmed down, we realized that this is the first place we should have looked for him. We then did what any normal parent would do at a time like this and proceeded to take pictures of the event.



Belle liked the tractor lots more.


We had a wonderful time in Idaho and hated to leave. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa and Karen for being so hospitable and letting us come visit. We love you!

We got our Saab out of the shop the next week and have been driving it since. We are looking to sell it now though. The warning lights are still flashing on and off, so we would like to buy a more reliable car before we have to fix another thing on that car. So it looks like the Saab story is almost over. Hallelujah!

That Saturday, Matt went to the BYU/Air force game. Thankfully, this time he did not come home with the flu. He had a great time and BYU won.

The next week, Beckett and I made something together:



In case you couldn't tell, he is a robot (robok, as Beckett calls it).

Thanksgiving was that week as well. We spent it with my family. It was wonderful, complete with a kids table, fine china, and amazing food. I even learned how to cook a turkey.



The food was so delicious and we had a fun time together. We watched the Gods Must be Crazy and had some good laughs. I had forgotten how good that show is. There is some good stuff in that show. We also saw Blindside. That is such a good movie. I recommend it to anyone. It teaches you what charity and being a christian is all about. Plus it had some good football scenes too.

We came home Thanksgiving night because Matt had to work the next day. It turned out to be a good thing because Beckett got really sick. I am not sure what bug he got (possibly bacon fever), but he had a bad hacking cough and a fever and he just laid there on the couch like a slug. I could hear him breathing from across the room. It was kind of scary. I wasn't sure if I should take him to a doctor or not. When Matt got home from work that day, he and his friend, John, gave him a blessing and his breathing improved dramatically. It was still a little raspy, but I had to sit next to him to hear it. I am so grateful for the power of the priesthood. I know it works miracles.

Beckett was sick for about 4 days. Belle got sick too, but not very bad. She had the cough and runny nose, but was up and running around and playing all day. She only wanted to cuddle with me part of the day. She also cut one of her fangs, as I like to call them. Now we are just trying to get rid of the runny noses left over from whatever that bug was. Oh and getting Beckett to do things for himself again. The little stinker thinks he still needs help to get his blanket out of his bed and to press play for his movies, which are things he was perfectly capable of doing before he got sick.

It was a very full month. Despite all of that, I managed to finish some projects of mine. When I was pregnant with Beckett, I made him a receiving blanket with the crocheted edging. I have been feeling bad that I hadn't made one for Anabelle, so I bought a kit over the summer and finished it last month. Well, technically it isn't finished, I ran out of thread, but there isn't much left once I buy more. Here it is:


Belle got another blanket, a quilt from my mom. She has made a quilt for all of her grandchildren. It turned out so cute. I love it and so does Belle. It has such bright colors. My mom was also really excited because she learned how to do some new stuff when she made this one. She is working on Beckett's right now and I will post pictures of that one when she is finished with it. I can't wait to see it.



I just love the flowers.


Well, I think we are mostly caught up now. I hope you all are ready for the holidays and have a very Merry Christmas.

Motivation

Today, I am grateful for motivation. I have been recently reminded of some projects that I have never finished, but need to. Some have been sewing projects, others are organizational project. With an upcoming week at my mothers, I think I am going to try to finish some of my projects. One of those being my temple apron. I got the kit for that the Christmas before I got married and it still sits in my sewing box, waiting to be finished. That is 5 years! I can't believe I have not finished it. What a procrastinator?! And if the reminders of what I haven't finished isn't enough of a motivation, I have now thought up some new projects to do next week. I am motivated to get them done though. Only time will tell if this motivated feeling actually gets me to do something, but I really want to get these projects done and out of my "to do" pile. I am grateful for motivation