20 Year Famiversary!

We spent Labor Day in Omaha!  Sweet Leah is trying to figure out how to spend time with her FSY friend Adam while not wanting to drive herself the 4 hours round trip it takes to visit him, and on this holiday the solution was for all of us to go west together!  I've been wanting to return to the botanical gardens for years, and it worked out- with the stipulation that the kids would go one direction, and the parents would go the other direction. Boo. 

But Daddy and I actually had a lovely time wandering through the gardens as a couple who has been together for 20 years would do. 

We are very mature. 

Whenever the kids saw or heard us coming toward them (which was more often than we let on to them), we made a big show out of running in the other direction.  Leah said I looked like a sasquatch in the woods. I took that as a compliment. 

We met up at the highlight experience of the park- the trains!  This amazing set up captivated us for what felt like hours years ago- yes, this garden was the location of Adam passing out which resulted in me leaving 7-year-old Leah alone with toddler Emma and baby Noah while I got Adam into the air conditioned lobby.  None of us can decide who was the most traumatized from that day, but it sure was memorable. This time around, as is the case with so many things that change with our perspective over time, the trains were viewed as cool and a welcome spot of shade on this boiling hot day, but the magic of seeing them through the eyes of a child is a solid memory from the past.  

Still, we soldiered on and had a great time, especially once we headed back into the atrium for some lunch, air conditioning, and magic tricks.  

Adams of a feather must magic together. 

Then up the stairs we raced to see the huge trains!

It seems that we always only ever visit Omaha in conjunction with a temple trip, but since the temple is closed right now we had lots of other places we wanted to check out!  These slides on a hill were nothing like we envisioned, but I would say they were actually even better!

Apparently no matter how old kids are, they can't be kept from the lure of playing in water. It was so hot, I'm sure this felt amazing. 

Since we were celebrating the anniversary of our first date, we had to get ice cream!

Just what we all needed on such a hot day, and I am still dreaming about that delicious hot fudge. 

Cheers to 20 years!

Two thoughts on marriage to close out this post- I recently heard (maybe from a comedian?) that the hardest year of marriage is the one that you are currently in.  This feels true.  Time keeps marching on and just when we think we have figured out our current phase of life a new one arrives with its own struggles and (hopefully) triumphs.  

And second, these are the good old days.  Memories get sweeter over time and that means that  intentionally acting and celebrating is important not only for a happy today but a lifetime of memories to look back on as the years march by. 

Turning Toward School

So long lazy days of summer.  Waaaayy before any of us were ready, it was time to turn our thoughts toward school.  The first day of school temps were in the 90s, so I stuck our traditional back-to-school banner in a watermelon to remind us all that summer wasn't really over, we just had to spend part of our days at school now. Everyone is at the same school this year as they were last year, which has done wonders to help manage nerves and expectations as we have started this new year. 

Leah has been up and at 'em for color guard for weeks by this point, so getting up for school was no big deal for her.  She has been driving herself to and from practice and work all summer, and was more than ready to start driving herself to school now as well!  All around we have been quite pleased with the junior year driving milestone for Leah.  As our oldest-child-guinea-pig-baby, we definitely have pushed back these milestones for her in hopes of keeping the younger kids expectations at bay for as long as possible. Leah is ready to take on her junior year by force!  She has two AP classes, online seminary for the first six weeks to accommodate before-school color guard practice, and competitions or games every weekend through October to kick her year off with. 

Next up is 8th grader Adam!  

Adam is ready to rule the school, Chick-fil-a style!

His biggest hopes for this year are to get his learners permit and get his braces off. 

And last but not least, my elementary school babies! I'm so glad they have one more year together before Emma heads off to middle school. 

Emma is ready to be a leader and top dog at Jordan Creek, and has a great line up of activities and a great circle of friends this year. 

How is Noah already in 4th grade?!  He was a kindergarten in 2020 so right from the beginning his school years have felt all mixed up to me.  I am thrilled that he has the same teacher Emma had in 4th grade, and he is thrilled that one of his three best friends is in his class (although he would have gladly taken all three!). 

 Laney is always at a loss when the kids are at school. She watches the road diligently for any signs of their return. 

And return they all did! With smiles and tales of classes and friends and excitement for the new year and a bit of sadness for the end of summer.  

After school relaxing is a must whenever possible. 

And as is our new tradition, we got Chick-fil-a for dinner on the second night of school.  That one's always a bit tougher than the first day as we all have to get up again and do it all over again... 179 more times.  But there is so much good that comes in the school year- it's going to be a great year!

Childhood Memories

Speaking of spending time with grandparents, check out these highlights from my delightful and enchanted summers vising my grandparents. That's me in the middle up there.  

Heise Hot Springs (pronounced Hi-C) - if I had to pick one iconic scene from my childhood summers with extended family, it would be at this green water slide. Racing up the stairs and down the slide, again and again, trying to catch up with my cousin Becky and occasionally succeeding, resulting in us tumbling out of the slide in a tangled up heap of arms and legs, only to pop out and do it all over again. We must have slept really well on Heise Hot Springs nights. 

My Grandma and Grandpa Gardner's backyard and outdoor kitchen.  That's Uncle Larry, the rough cowboy who had a hook hand and a tub of Red Vines in his house that always required a pinch from his metal fingers on my nose to earn a piece of licorice.  He also had a massive collection of movies on VHS and a video cassette rewinder and a hot tub and a deck that I got a huge splinter from once and a fascinating water fountain feature that my cousin convinced me had acid water in it so I wouldn't touch it. 

My grandparents living room.  I was visiting my grandma the summer that she replaced this seriously awesome carpet with something fluffy and pink. 

Me on my grandma's lap.  Heather and Aaron are standing next to Grandpa Gardner.  These are all of their grandchildren, and I'm assuming this is their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 1983. 

Look at these cuties!  By my memory, my grandpa was softer spoken, hard working, and never up for much of a discussion or argument.  He called lollipops 'suckers' which I thought was a bad word and he loved my grandma a lot.  He died too soon, and I don't have enough memories with him, but I do remember when my mom got the phone call that he had passed away when I was 11. 

My grandma was a feisty lady, just like her daughter (Grandma Cathy) and her granddaughter (me) and one of her great-granddaughters, my daughter (I think all of my blog readers know which one ;). She loved plants and had a TV in her kitchen where we watched The Price is Right and had a teddy bear cookie jar that was always stocked with peanut butter cookies and off-brand Oreos and she wrote and mailed out the beautiful Gardner Globetrotters newsletter.  I can't even imagine how much effort she put into making sure our family was connected in an era when mail was essentially the only option. She took care of me when I went to visit her one summer and it was one of the biggest adventures of my childhood. She lived longer than my grandpa and her toy poodle Buffy kept her company in her later years.  She loved that dog more than some humans, I'm sure, but I can probably say the same about my love of Laney. I got to spend just a few of my first days in Idaho as a college student at her house before she passed away in August 2000. She was a happy, loving part of my childhood!

Emma's Trip to Utah

Next up, Emma's trip to Utah! She was feeling quite confident about the flight and did a great job getting there and back. 

Oh it was so hard to say goodbye again!  And much more fun to say hello!

Emma has been waiting for her turn to visit Utah for years!  She was ready to hit the ground running as soon as her plane landed, and I don't think she stopped the entire week that she was visiting Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Allison and as many cousins, uncles and aunts as she could find!

Music and the Spoken Word!

"That Guy" in the Tabernacle Choir never fails to entertain us all. 

The strawberry party was Emma's very favorite part of the week. 

Or maybe it was all of the girly time at Grandma's house!

Or maybe it was the aquarium. 

The cupcake tradition, next generation!

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma for having a pool!

Just look at this lovely young lady in the canyon. 

Drinks and cookies for the win!

Bosses. 

Just being silly. 

Cardmaking- Grandma has so many fun craft supplies!

And eventually, after good long week that went from morning to night and then some, it was time for Emma to hop on a plane and head back home. 

I got to pick Emma up from the airport!  The 3 hour drive home went exactly as I expected it to, with a sweet 45 minute catch up followed by a good long nap for the weary traveler. 

We were so glad to have Emma home again!

This time Adam's not pictured because he was babysitting for the night.  The reunion between these two was a big one when they were finally together again! (This picture is from before their trips but it's such a cute one!)

A HUGE thank you to Grandma and Grandpa, who were willing to entertain, host, feed, and love Adam and Emma for two very full weeks this summer.  We are blessed to have people who love us so much and we love them too!