Happy graduation, happy anniversary, and happy vacation!!!

So, on our anniversary, Alex graduated from high school. I couldn't believe he was grown up enough to do that. It seems like he should be in 4th grade. But how could that be possible when I will have a first grader next year??? After Nathan's preschool graduation, we picked Carson up from school and left for Idaho Falls. It was such a rainy, wet, windy, yucky day. It is always fun to go to Grandpa Bob's house! While I went to graduation, Robbie stayed with the boys and my dad's. They were super excited to stay. They were able to have 3 sleep overs.

To celebrate our anniversary, my dad and Marsha kept the boys for us. This was such a sacrifice because Marsha's mom was staying there. She has dementia. She was a little bugged that the boys took over her space. The boys didn't seems to mind her until Carson over heard my dad talking to her. When we got back, Carson told me, "Mom, Grandma Bob asked that old lady, Mildred, if she was glad we were here. And do you know what she said? She said, 'NO!'" I had to totally crack up! I guess if that was the only problem that there was, then we were just fine!

Robbie and I went to Salt Lake. It was so fun! We hadn't been with out the kids for 3 or 4 years for overnight. We should be ashamed! We went to the Avengers movie. It was the first movie that we'd been to since Australia when I was pregnant with Logan! We shopped and ate yummy food. We did a little birthday shopping for Carson.

The best thing we did was go on a hike. We spent a few hours and hiked up Grandeur Peak. It was  beautiful! We didn't stay at the summit long though. There was a storm brewing. Robbie and I got some great idea to run down the mountain. That was pretty much the dumbest thing we ever did! We were so sore the next day and even more sore the next. I am talking that I could barely sit down to go to the bathrooms. Plus, there are like a million little muscles in my legs and feet that were killing!!! I was more sore after that than after either half marathon. It was worth it though. We laughed and laughed while we were running down.

It has been 9 years since we got married! 9 wonderful years! I am so blessed with a sweet husband. I can honestly say that we have been happy. There disagreements are minimal. The fights are few. There is love and respect between us. When we got married, my Grandma Johnson gave us some wonderful advice. She said to keep falling in love over and over again. We do that. This is one of those times. Sure, I missed our kids, but they didn't really miss us. But I got to have uninterrupted time with my very best friend! Thanks Robbie! I love you again and again!

Kindergarten...here we come!

Is there a better way to celebrate your anniversary than by having your sweet little boy graduate from preschool? I can't believe it! Now it is time to move on to the big school! Yikes! It seems like one day at a time, right in front of my eyes, these little boys are growing up on me! I wish I could push pause and keep them right where they are.

Look how tall Nathan is! One thing his teacher told me is how sweet he is. She said that he is a good friend to all the kids in the class. She also says that he keeps her on her toes because he is a smarty pants!

 Here is "teacher"! We love her. Logan will be in her class next year. Poor lady. After she has all the Wayment boys, it will be a miracle if we are still friends! 

The weather was aweful, so graduation had to be moved inside the church. Andrea asked if I would be willing to help her take kids to the chuch. Logan kept telling me, "I want to wear one of those dresses!" I said no about a hundred times. Andrea said she didn't mind, so he got to wear one. AND, I am not sure how the Nerf sword ended up coming in! Boys...sneaky, silly boys!

Something fun for summer...Thanks Grandpa Bob and Rob!

I sometimes get crazy ideas. I have been dreaming of a play set for our kids. I am pretty sure that this will help me make it through the summer...this and a pool pass. I talked to my dad about my wild ideas, found him some pictures, and made my own adjustments. With a lot of work, we came up with the most fun play set ever!

We knew that Grandpa Bob was coming, so we let the boys stay home from school. They were so helpful. They were right next to my dad and Rob the entire time.

 They climbed up and down the ladder about a zillion times. 

 Not quite finished, but finished enough to climb up!

 When they weren't climbing the ladder, they were walking over the bridge.

 Tower 2 going up!

It took a while to finish this project. The slide and swings came a couple of weeks later. I am sure there are going to be many adventures on this. It has already been a pirate ship, ninja dojo, castle, fort, and all kinds of other thing that I don't hear about. We had a very warm day in May. We invited friends over for some fun in the play house and snow cones. Somehow the hose got drug out and these two little buddies found it. They were covered in mud, but that didn't stop them. We stripped them down and that didn't stop them. Parker and Logan are so funny. They have been trouble together for as long as they have known how to play. They are entertained by the funniest things. I love these two boys!

It is so fun to have our yard coming together. It is nice for the kids to have somewhere to go and play. If I am sane by the the end of the summer, it will be because my boys were outside the whole time. Rob did say that we need to get something soft underneath it, because we might end up with a broken arm or two. I hope not! But with these boys, who knows. Carson and Nathan climb on top of the monkey bars and walk around the end to get in the rectangle tower. That is not safe. We are going to have to do something about that! Here is to a summer full of fun!

Mothers Day

Mother's Day is always an interesting day of the year for me. I always have a mix of emotions about feeling grateful for my mother, missing my mother, and feeling so blessed that I am a mother. This year was better than most years past. In years past, I have really let missing my mom leave a hole in my heart.

Maybe today was better because Robbie spoke in church. It took my mind of my mother being gone.  I always get a little nervous when someone might mention me in public. Robbie paid such a beautiful tribute to his mother. He said that if he can think of one word to describe her, it is resilient. It is so true. No matter what life has given her, she always responds with faith and keeps moving forward.

Then it was time for what he had to say about me. He talked about advice given to him to find a girl who loves children and loves the Lord. He said I am a strong runner (wonder compared to who...Ha), a great cook, beautiful. All these things considered, he said how much I love our boys. And I do. More than anything.

I have been given glimmers lately that this is the best time of my life. I really have felt that I am not ever going to have a do over. This is it! What an adventure I am blessed with. But also, what a responsibility! I hope that I am up to the task at hand. I love these boys and want them to have the best life they can. I want them to be good friends and examples. So far, they are doing pretty well with this. I love them so much! These glimmers make me so thankful that I had a mother who cherished her role as mother. She taught me to live in the moment and to love my family more than anything. I will forever feel so blessed to have the time I was able to have with her. Love you, Mom!

This is Carson's Mothers Day card for me that he made at school. I didn't get a picture of Nathan's, but his was darling too!

 Darling little boys that I get to call mine! Luke is crying because I took away his bottle for the picture.

A couple of days ago, Carson lost his first tooth on top! It is so darling. I can't wait for the other one to come out! I love toothless little smiles! It was full of drama though. A lot of tears were shed. I kept telling him how lucky he is to have a dad that knows what he is doing...didn't help! But it is out! Yea! 

I have the best husband ever. Friday, I went to Utah with Karrie. We had such a fun time shopping and talking. While I was gone, Robbie did some shopping and sneaking with the kids. When I pulled into the garage, there was a road bike, helmet, shoes, and gloves! I couldn't believe it! I went out to go for a ride. It was my first ride since I was 12. I saw our neighbor Jill out. Don't worry. I forgot to unclip my pedals when I stopped to talk to her. I totally tipped over! I cut my right leg and totally scraped up my other one and my arm. Nice. I look pretty beat up. No one can believe that I was stopped. It looks pretty bad. More that anything, it hurt my ego. Oh well! Lesson learned! Hope that doesn't happen again! I love having a bike. Hopefully, Robbie and I can ride some together. He is doing the Rupert century in a couple of weeks...100 miles. Whoa! Maybe some day...sigh...but for now I just need to learn how to use clip in pedals!

The Dam Race

 This race is a fundraiser for Carson's school. I am pretty sure this race is called the Dam Race for more than one reason. It is at the dam, but it has a reputation for terrible weather. A week before, Heather called and said she wanted to come do the race. She brought her teacher friend Breanna. They were crazy! They drove to Rupert to run a race in sustained 20 mph wind with 35 mph gusts! It was cold and hard!

Here we are pre race

 I ran the 10k. I still am not sure why. The first 2.5 miles had a 20 mph headwind. I froze. I just put my head down kept moving forward. I kept telling myself that each step was a step closer to being done. When we turned, I had to lean into the wind to keep myself on the road. Then when it was at my back, I could feel the gusts pushing me faster than my feet wanted to go. I was so relieved when we were done I think the picture says it all. It totally cracks me up!

We celebrated our finish at the taco truck restaurant. Yum! Then Heather headed back home. Then Robbie and I took our kids and went to Twin to celebrate Josalyn's birthday. We ate at our favorite mexican restaurant. YUM again! Nothing like Mexican food twice on Cinco de Mayo!

Even though the weather was terrible, the finish was great. It was also great to do this with my sister. I never thought that we'd do anything like this together. I hope my mom smiling down watching her girls do hard things! I know that I am proud of us! It feels good to feel good! I know Heather feels the same way.

Naughty, Naughty!

After naps, Logan found a pen...

 He colored all over himself.

 I think he was proud of his artwork! Naughty! Naughty!

Dream Come True!

A few weeks ago I had a dream I was in my Grandma's kitchen. She was making me a signature Leora Johnson dish: ham fried noodles. I could smell them frying. I was talking to her telling her I wished Heather was here. These are her favorite! Just as I was going to eat, I woke up! Not fair! It is so weird that I dreamed about this! I haven't eaten this in probably 20 years. In fact, I am not sure I really liked it as a child. But, in my dream it smelled like the most delicious thing I could wrap my lips around.

I couldn't stop thinking about this dream! So, I called Grandma and asked her if she would come teach me how to make them. She agreed. She told me what I needed to have ready: bone in ham, homemade bread (can be store bought she said, but she likes homemade better), and homemade noodles.

I worked and got everything ready. The day I was going to get her, she was sick with the stomach flu. I think that there should be an exemption..if you are over 90 years old, you are immune. I felt so bad for her! So, we rescheduled for a week later.

That day, Logan was definitely on one. On the way there, he kept telling me, "When Grandma Great gets in the car, I am going to scare her. ROOOAAAR!" Then when we picked her up, he ran back to the car and got in and said, "Beat you, Grandma!" I guess that was better than scaring her! After we were home she said, "My Logan, you have such handsome brown eyes." He replied, "They not brown. They blue." She got a chuckle out of that. The big boys were a little excited too. Right when we got out of the car they were instantly sword fighting. I was about ready to kill them. I got after them. Maybe I was a little sharp. Grandma said, "Oh honey, the are just little boys! Don't get after them. This is what little boys do!" She is so sweet and wise and right!

We had a delightful time together cooking and talking. It was a treasured day. She was a good teacher. Here is what you do:

Dice ham and boil it with the bone.

 Make homemade egg noodles

 Dice up homemade bread.

 Add noodles to ham and broth. Cook until tender.  

 Add bread cubes to soak up liquid. May need to drain some before adding bread.

 Now here is where it really gets good! Add butter to frying pan. Get butter hot.

 Add noodles and brown.

Serve noodles with applesauce. Mmmmm. It was just as good as my dream. She told me of her father's stepmother that used to make these, but with out the ham. Grandma decided that ham would make it better, and she was right! They were so good.



We took her home via Dairy Queen. She got her standard: twist cone. She is such a delight. I hope if I am ever 90 years old that I can be a sweet as she is! I love and cherish her. She made my dream come true!

The next day, my friend Karrie came over. She made some fried cabbage that her Grandma used to make. We ate leftover noodles and cabbage and talked about what our legacy may be with our families. I am not sure what it will be, but I hope I can be as precious to my grandchildren as my grandma is to me!

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year. I love to get my boys little matching outfits. They looked so cute. All the little old ladies at my dad's church couldn't stop making comments to their friends and to me! It was cut to see their reactions. I guess when you have four darling little boys all dressed the same, you are bound to be a spectacle.  I wish I could have taken a better picture, but the subjects were not cooperating!

 Logan crying!

 After a nice day at church, we went to Rob's house for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt. It is capitalized because it is an official event!

Heather is the fun aunt on the trampoline

 Chatting with the family

 Everyone has an Easter Sunday barbecue, right?!

Lukey made a friend. He loved Alex.

 

 The eggs are hidden and we are ready to go!

 Tucker and Logan eyeing the eggs!

 The kids are ready to go and eggs are everywhere!

 I love Taylor's hat! Funny girl!

 Here we go! Little ones first. Every gets to fill their bucket and then they are done. They can go as fast or as slow as they want.

 Nathan's working hard!

 Carson's almost full. 

 Lainee and Nathan spied the eggs on the tramp. How fun is that!!!

There were still so many eggs left after everyone's buckets were full! Taylor volunteered to help Luke gather the rest of his. Thanks Tay!

 Logan spied the last few.

 Finding out what he got! He is so darling!

 Here is all his gatherings!

 Wow Nathan! Look at all those eggs!

 Alex shared his 18th birthday with Easter this year. He was a good sport. Heather made a yummy ice cream cake. Happy birthday Alex!

It was such a fun day at Rob's. We were sad to go. We headed back to my dad's to get our things. It wasn't seconds until Logan was asleep.

 Once we got there, we gathered our things. In the middle of the chaos of packing up, we found Luke like this...which is no surprise. He was throwing cooking utensils out the doggy door all weekend. He loved those dogs. He wouldn't leave them alone. Maybe I should get one of these dog cages to keep him in at home. He would get into a lot less trouble!

With all the festivities of Easter, it was so nice to attend church. Of course, in the back of my mind is always my mother. I miss her. I am so thankful for that sacred special day that Jesus Christ became more than a baby born in a stable. He became the Savior of the world! He lives! I am so thankful that I know that I will see her again. She will live again. It is the miracle of Easter.