Playing Catch up: January-April

I'm behind on blogging. So now that it's summer vacation and my boys are building a fort in my kitchen (really? my kitchen?!) and Kara is probably reading her third book of the day I thought I'd take a minute to try and catch up.  It's been such a fun year so far…fun and exhausting!  I've never been so tired in my life (except maybe when I served as a missionary for 18 months in Italy.)

{In January}

Kara, Jared, Jeremy and I went to help make meals at Feed my Starving Children.  They loved helping and I hope it helped them realize a little bit more how blessed we are and how important it is to serve others.

{In February}

We got to meet (and fall in love with) this little cutie-

I swear I've never seen such a content, easy going baby in my life.  And SO CUTE! And of course he brought the rest of the family too.  We had a good time playing card games and trying to convince them to move to Denver.  We really miss them!

(And I had fun taking their pictures on this very windy day!)

And just like that Jared turned 7!  We celebrated by taking him and two of his friends to "Monkey Business."

He was excited about all of his gifts…but he was especially excited to get his own unique copy of The Book of Mormon that he can read before he turns 8 (we are currently reading in Mosiah.)  Some interesting facts about Jared:
*He is taller than most kids his age (and most kids that are older too!)
*His favorite food is salad
*His favorite colors are black and orange
*His favorite ocean animal is a shark
*His favorite sport is baseball
*He loves playing kickball and soccer in the backyard
*He really loves his family and spending time with all of us is his priority
*He also wants me to write how much he loves and misses his Grandpa DuBravac

{In March}

Jeremy spoke at a conference in Chicago and I realized how grateful I am that I don't have to attempt this parenting gig on my own.  (Next year I'm tagging along!)

Oh, and Sammy discovered pickles.

{In April}

We had a visit from Jeremy's parents.  Kara got her first real sewing lesson (she made a headband) and the boys had someone to play "Crash Canyon" with them.

Then we celebrated our first Easter in Denver.

This is how Sammy thinks he's supposed to find the eggs!

 

And then we celebrated another birthday- Luke turned 4!

Luke is such a fun kid…
*He says the funniest things like "Oh yeah, bebe!"
*He is almost always singing…even when he's just talking he'll do it to music
*His favorite color is blue
*His favorite things to eat are oreos and soft pretzels
*I cannot get him to go anywhere near a sandwich
*His favorite animal is a tiger
*He loves to be on the go…always swimming or running or playing…he is the life of the party!
*He loves playing with Jared (who is always really good to include him!)

In conclusion…here are a few shots that Jeremy caught of Sammy and the kids in our backyard...

Memorial Day- Remembering Dad

This has been a long time coming…but every time I sit down to record my thoughts and memories of my dad passing away or his burial in Arlington National Cemetery I just can't bring myself to post it.  We'll see how it goes today.  Maybe if I can just stick to the facts.

Dad was one of my closest friends.  We talked nearly every day on the phone and he was involved in the details of my life.  He would call and say "Your mom wanted me to call and see what you were up to."  He was always one of the first ones to the hospital after I had a baby which was something special for me.  He was also one of my greatest cheerleaders and was always telling me what a good mom I was and what good kids I have.  I miss hearing that from him.

Dad loved America.  Dad served an honorable career in the US ARMY.  He became a tank commander and served in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf.  I don't know much about his career since he retired when I was only 13 years old but I do know that he was revered and respected by other soldiers.  Dad was a great leader.  I still remember the phone call from him informing us he was on his way home from the Gulf and in a few short hours we were reunited.  He fought valiantly for our freedom.

Dad loved baseball and so we all did.  In some way I think that is what led me to date and marry my baseball-loving husband (it certainly didn't hurt Jeremy's case that he was wearing a Mets shirt when I introduced myself to him!)  What a blessing it was to live in both states where spring training is held.  Dad would come visit for a couple of weeks and combine grandkid time with baseball.  Two of his favorite things!  One of my favorite memories was attending the MLB All-Star game, home run derby, and fanfest with him in Phoenix a few years ago.

We remember him daily in our home (Jared talks about him more than anyone else does) and feel like he is often closer than we know.  As hard as his passing was for me (my heart physically hurt for a good 6 months) I was so grateful for the celebration we had on May 9th when he was laid to rest amongst some of the finest soldiers our country has known.  It was a day I will never forget.  Soldiers came hundreds of miles to honor him.  I remember the chaplain kneeling before my mom and presenting her the flag while whispering his gratitude for Dad's service.  I remember the ARMY band.  I remember the soldier playing taps in the distance.  I remember the 21 gun salute.  I remember the soldiers folding up the flag that had been draped over his casket.  I remember walking behind the horse drawn caisson.  I remember all of his grandkids carrying a little flag to honor him.  It was all so beautiful.  And I know he loved it too.

I'm grateful I got the dad I got.  He wasn't perfect…but he was perfect for me.  He taught me to be respectful.  He taught me to grateful.  He taught me to love.  He taught me to laugh.  And if it wasn't obvious from this post….I was very, very proud of him.

If you're ever in Arlington and want to see a hero, my hero, I can point you in the right direction.

Oh Deer

I really thought I would blog more this year.  Maybe I'm just more of a Facebook/instagram person.  Maybe I make it seem harder than it is.  Maybe I've never been one to finish what I start.  Or maybe it's just that I have 4 kids and a husband and when I finally get them all to bed I just want to zone out and be entertained.  Yeah, that's probably it.  Whatever the reason, here's a random post to bring you up to date.

It was so thrilling to see deer in our backyard.  OUR BACKYARD!

We could watch them for hours…once I even saw them at 1am just all sound asleep while it snowed on them.  I thought I died and went to Heaven.

They like to watch us too.  "Smile for the camera!"

We've seen them back there a handful of times.  But the honeymoon phase has worn off and I'm ready to go buy a gun.  Do you know what is NOT fun to do?  Spend 30 minutes cleaning up their poop that they unloaded across our entire yard.  Actually that's a lie...I still like to see them…but only if they are on the neighbor's side of the fence.

 

Freshness

We started 2014 out with some fresh snow that sent us outside testing out the the new sled and snowboard that Santa brought.  So much fun!  And turns out Jared just might be our future snowboarder (but of course I don't have a picture of that!)  I read a quote about today being the first day of a 365 page book and to "write a good one."  I'd say our book is starting off great!  Fresh starts are the best (fresh snow comes in a close second!)