Happy Birthday, Little Bug

Hannah is 4 years old. I can't believe it. I seems like yesterday when I thought she would never get here.

Now she's 4. We had a good birthday with her this year. I decided I would have some of her friends over for lunch and cupcakes. We had a good time. It was a crazy day and I was exhausted by the end of it but she loved it. It was good to hang out with my friends too.

That was Friday and then Saturday, her real birthday, we didn't have much planned but the day quickly filled and finally burst into a rather productive day for us and a good birthday for Hannah. I went to a quilt thing that I have every month and when I got home we decided to get a storage unit, fill it and buy more furniture. After Hannah's approval of these plans we were off. We got everything settled with the storage stuff and then headed to one of our favorite stores, Ikea. After a tasty lunch of Swedish meatballs and chicken fingers, complete with dessert, we found our dresser of choice.

We then headed to our other favorite store, REI, for a quick stop, during which Jonathan slept the entire time. Woohoo!! After that we headed home and opened presents. Hannah was delighted. Then I hurried to decorate her cake. I made the fondant myself and I don't think I'll ever do that again but luckily she's only and she didn't mind. I got the cake made while Hyrum worked on building our dresser. We ate a quick dinner, sang Happy Birthday, ate our cake and then off to bed with the kiddos.

She got a few clothes, some workbooks for her letters and numbers, some paper and fancy scissors, shoes and from her grandparents, a tiara making kit, rubber stamp kit and a shirt. It was a good day to be together as a family.

Hannah is so happy to be four. She is really growing up and turning into such a good helper and a fun little girl. We are so thankful that she was sent to our home. Happy Birthday, little bug!

Cycling Challenges

I really like riding my bike.

I've always enjoyed riding my bike.  I still remember the first time I rode on my own, as my dad let go and I was under my own power for a few brief moments, before crashing to the pavement.  From that ignominious beginning, I love of two wheels grew.  We lived on top of a slight hill, which made riding to school as a 6-year-old fun, but coming back home a bit more challenging.  To my young mind, a bike was an exciting symbol of freedom and speed.

As I got older, a bicycle found another use: basic transportation.  I appreciated the freedom that came with riding my bike to school instead of the dreaded yellow school bus, and continued to do so until I got my drivers license.  I occasionally used my bike to go exploring among the (then desolate) back roads of Allen, Texas.  My bike got a break while in high school, as I preferred gasoline fumes to the fresh air of cycling.

As a missionary, I continued to ride, mainly out of necessity.  Over the course of my two-year mission, I spent seven months assigned to areas where we were left to our bicycles for transportation.  During those seven months, I put over 2700 miles on my bike, including a single day of 70 miles.  Having a companion who enjoyed cycling helped introduce me to cycling as recreation and sport, and I learned a few maintenance tricks along the way.

At college, I was once again car-less, and my trusty Liahona-brand bike, having followed me home from my mission, became my sole transportation link: to class, to family, to church.  Even riding through Utah winters became standard, and discovering the delicacy of riding a two-wheeled vehicle on snow.  While at BYU, I completed my first century, the aptly-named ULCER, and I was hooked.  I few more centuries come before I graduated.

Upon the start of grad school, cycling again took a back seat.  Busy with school and a young family, I found little time for personal pursuits.  It wasn't until a summer internship a couple of years ago, that cycling again became a transportation necessity, and I found the time to ride for recreation as well as transportation.  Purchasing a new bike, and completing another century, put me back in the saddle toward my cycling goals.

These days are better.  Once again, I eschew the bus for my bicycle, doing a ten mile round-trip commute in the course of a typical day.  Even though I travel for work, I still try to find time to cycle.  I can ride twenty-five miles at the drop of a hat, and have found ways to sneak rides in around a busy family, church and school schedule.  I'm hoping to do another century this fall, and may even set some longer-term, and longer-distance, goals.

I really like riding my bike.

Some days things just work out!

There are days when I get done with them and wonder how I will get through tomorrow and then there are days like today when I almost wish they could last forever. The past two days my kids have been so good. Jonathan has taken a long nap, they have played well together, not too much wrestling or yelling at each other and they were helpful for me.

I think it's because we're potty training Jonathan. He is upset about if for about the first hour and a half in the morning but then he is so easy going and cheerful. It's like a game to him. I've resolved not to get a whole lot done beyond keeping the house decent and it's extremely liberating in so many ways. I don't have to worry about going to the store because I can't fit it into my 30 minutes break from the bathroom. I never thought potty training could be the source of so much contentment but so far things are looking up.

I think it's also because Hannah is growing up. More and more I am reminded that she won't be my little girl forever. She is constantly reminding me of what she'll do when she's "a mommy." She'll be four in just a few weeks and it has gone by so fast. She is growing into such a responsible kid. I didn't think I'd miss her a ton when she goes to school next year but now I know I will cry. My little girl will be changed forever. How I am cherishing these days with her.

These last two days have been a great blessing to me. I am so thankful to be a mother. My Heavenly Father has so greatly blessed my life. I am anxious in so many ways to see how our new little girl will fit in but if Hannah has anything to say about it I know she won't be forgotten or left in the dust. "The new baby" is already a fixture in our lives as Hannah insisted she be included in the picture of our family she colored on Sunday.

Life's changes are great and wonderful. I hope that I learn what I need to before the chances pass me by though because time seems to only fly by faster as the days go by.

Summer Trip Summary

I posted the link to some of our vacation pictures but I thought I would add a little explanation to it.

In early June, I got a phone call from Hyrum. It went a little like this:

Hy: "Hey so, ah, would you like to go to England."

Heather: "Ah, yeah, do you have to ask?"

Hy: "How about the last week in June?"

Heather: I think I responded with a bunch of really confused babbling.

Then Hyrum went on to explain there was a conference in Oxford, England that he felt would be worth his while but he didn't want to go unless I went too because he had been gone a whole bunch over the last month.

We found a sitter for the kids, some good friends that I knew in New York and now live only about 20 minutes away and got everything ready. Then I found myself on a very large plane headed for England. A dream come true.

It was a good visit. It was short and towards the end a bit lonely since I was on my own during the days. The way Oxford University is set up is fascinating and I really enjoyed learning about that and just walking around the city. The weather was nice, a bit warm for the locals but way nicer than Texas. I got to walk in rooms where some of my favorite authors walked, streets where some prominent members of history walked. It was really cool.We even found time to have dinner with my brother who is interning near London. I am excited for a trip to the rest of the rest of the country and hopefully a chance to learn even more about England.

We got home Sunday night and after a crazy day of laundry, grocery shopping, and packing, we left Tuesday for Utah. We decided to take a little bit of a family vacation and stopped at Mesa Verde National Park. I have always wanted to see the cliff dwellings and Hyrum wanted to see it again since the last time he had gone was as a little kid.

Jonathan started getting sick Wednesday afternoon pretty quick after we got the park. I neglected to take his temperature until Thursday morning and when I did we found a 103 temp. We gave him some medicine, saw a few things in the park and then headed north a day earlier than planned. Hyrum's aunt was good enough to house us especially since we brought a sick child. Jonathan ran a fever until Saturday afternoon which meant I was a little frazzled from lack of sleep.

We made it to the annual Allred 4th of July celebration, "Grand Avenue of Fire" or "on Fire"--if you're Hyrum, and by that night Jonathan was happy and feeling a lot better. It was a quick trip and we spent the time visiting our grandparents and spending time with our family. Hannah spent a good amount of time playing with Hyrum's 4 year old cousin. They were pretty much inseparable when they were together.

Hyrum and I even to spent Tuesday almost exclusively together. That morning his mom volunteered to watch the kids so we got ready and dropped them off then we visited BYU campus and our old stomping grounds. After the customary raid on the candy counter we dropped in to see a friend from Austin who is now a professor at the Y. We picked up the kids, gave Jonathan a nap and then took them to Hyrum's sister, Sarah. She wanted to have them for an afternoon and we were happy to oblige. They played with her while we went and saw Toy Story 3. It was a good day.

It was a good trip, an odd trip but good. We've realized that the main reason for visiting Utah this time around was to see our grandparents. We love them very much and hope they are with us for a long time yet but we cherish every moment we have with them. We missed seeing my siblings that live there. We'll just have to coordinate our vacations a little better next time.

We're glad to be home and glad we got to have some good time together.

Summer Vacations 2010 Photos

This link will take you to Walmart Digital Photo Center. I hope you enjoy the pictures.