Soaking in Life's Little Moments

Life has been busy lately...in a good way. I like having things to look forward to and things to keep my mind occupied. General Conference was fabulous, and so was the weather for the first time in what seemed like forever. Mark left Sunday for business, and Paige and I enjoyed the most beautiful fall walk. The sun was warm, the colors were perfect, and it was a peaceful time to reflect on all my favorite talks. It felt like one of those rare moments where you just soaked up living in the now. I was a little sad Mark and my parents weren't there to enjoy it with me, but I had some pretty good company.

 

The dog, the baby, the cat. This trio is my usual posse. Does this make anyone else laugh? And does anyone else feel like it got cold FAST!? I swear one week I had my AC on, and the next the heater. There was no slow temperature decline, fall came fast and abruptly.

 

 

One last attempt to capture the moment. It was just gorgeous and it felt like Paige and I had our own private forest. Roxy about ruined the magic when she found a ginormous porcupine at the end of our rendezvous. Fortunately for her, and for us, the porcupine huddled in the fetal position and ignored us all.

 

 

When I see this picture, all I can think of is Olivia! This little girl of mine isn't afraid of a little dirt, and she loves to play ball, but deep in that little soul is a diva. She has some serious girly-girl tendencies, which I can assure you do NOT come from me. She looks so much like her beautiful birth mom and she definitely loves to primp. I wish you could see all the blush she applied so carefully, but in ridiculously large amounts. Less is more Paige! I think Olivia needs to give us both a makeup tutorial.

 

 

Paige was particularly proud of this outfit she helped pick out. She loved that skirt and kept telling me how pretty she was. Seriously, for those of you who know me at all....how?! Nature vs nurture right there. Sometimes you are just born to love tulle and play ball at Kids World in your Mary Jane's. I feel like if she can successfully kick in those babies, she is gonna be a whiz with the cleats.

 

 

I can't adequately express how much I LOVE this picture. Love, love, love. Here is a glimpse of where my beautiful, sweet, girly-girl comes from. Paige has one heck of a gene pool folks. These two ladies mean SO much to me. I love that I get to lay claim on them. And seriously....could they be more beautiful?! Not fair. Melissa is on the left and Olivia is on the right. I am hoping Melissa shares her youthful secrets with me. She looks like she is her daughter's twin, not the mom! Their beauty isn't just skin deep either. They are angels. Their souls are just full of goodness. I think it radiates in this picture. Oh they just make me happy. I miss them. I hope we can get together soon. Paige is one lucky girl to have so many people in her life who love her so much. She has some pretty amazing role models to look up to and who will help her at the drop of a hat. We are so blessed to have an open adoption---it's a wonderful thing!

 

 

From the moment I found out my parents would be selling their house and moving, I was pretty bummed. My family officially would be spread out all over the country. It was hard enough knowing Paige wouldn't really know any of her cousins on my side, but now she would no longer enjoy the ridiculously close relationship she had with her grandparents. Fortunately, Mark's family is close and she wouldn't be a complete stranger to extended family, but it bothered me that my family would be somewhat of a mystery. I came across a company that sounded like a good fit for my brother and I sent it his way, mostly as a joke and maybe a subtle hint. To my surprise, he was interested and it snowballed from there. This past weekend they made the short drive over from their new home to spend some time with us. It was GREAT!  It feels good to know this is a doable thing and we can get our families together a lot more. Paige played so well with her cousin Caden. Caden loved being in charge, and Paige loved copying him in every way. The weather was pretty wet and rainy, but we had a few hours on Saturday that we could get outside. First on the list.....Spud Harvest. Courtney and Caden wanted the grand tour, and Mark was more than happy to oblige. After being out of town for business, Mark came home and took a few days off, only to volunteer to drive crossover in Harvest. It's his favorite thing to do. He and I view vacation a bit different!

 

 

I will say it is pretty fascinating to see how the potatoes get from the field to the warehouse to the restaurant. Paige and Caden were fairly impressed with the big tractors. When the dirt started to fly, Paige said, "Oh it's so pretty!" Mark was so proud.

 

 

We came home and took Caden on a 4-wheeler ride and his first horse ride. He was pretty nervous about the horse, but Paige showed him how it was done! The 4-wheeler is always a hit and both those crazy kids begged to go faster. Don't worry, we didn't!

 

 

Our s'mores party was rained out Sunday, and Caden was pretty bummed. Monday was freezing cold and it rained off and on, but finally cleared up enough for us to squeeze in one more activity before they had to go home. Here is a perfect picture of the weekend. Paige just happy to follow the big kid!

 

 

Sweet little Bennett busting into the goods. I hardly know these two little boys. I am grateful I get to see them more. They are good kids and they were pretty fun to have around. It seems awfully quiet around here with them gone!

 

 

Getting that fire started in damp conditions was quite the feat. Mark had to work Monday, but I thought to myself, "How hard can a campfire be?" Sam is an Eagle Scout after all. His skills must be a bit rusty. The three of us are also not too good at directions and took the packaging off the fire-starter log only to read the instructions that specifically said NOT to rip the wrapper in anyway. At that point, it took some creativity and ingenuity to get a fire going. It roasted marshmallows fine, but the little thing didn't produce any much needed heat.

 

 

That is a fairly good summary of the last two weeks. My oldest brother Max and his wife Kirsten welcomed their fourth little boy this week, four and a half weeks early. I got the text they would be having an emergency C-section while sitting around the campfire Monday. Everyone seems to be doing fine and the new little man is certainly as beautiful as his brothers. Max and Kirsten have the cutest babies! I am the only daughter, and Paige continues to be the only granddaughter. We have an estrogen shortage around these parts! I went to another orthodontist yesterday for a second opinion. He used the word "enigma" when referring to my teeth. Hmmm. Not looking good folks! I am trying to decide what to do. I am struggling wanting to pay thousands of dollars right now on my teeth, not to mention diving into the braces nightmare for the third time. GRRRRR. To top things off, the wrist specialist recommended surgery. My body is anticipating my 30th birthday and has chosen to fall apart prematurely. I'm having surgery November 1st. I honestly hope I am making the right decision. It doesn't bother me that much and is definitely livable and tolerable. The doctor seemed to think it was best to fix what he can while I am "young" and prevent future problems. I suppose there is wisdom in fixing something while it's easy rather than waiting for it to get worse, causing other issues, and making surgery more difficult. Right?!? He has a laundry list of things he is looking for, he believes there are more tears than the one the MRI showed, but I don't think so. I fear he will get in there and see how minimal the damage in there is and I will be scoffed at for doing surgery. Let the record show that in my defense, I told him it wasn't causing me much pain! 

 

Funny things Paige has said lately:

 

1. Mom we are best friends forever. (as she put her arm around my shoulder as we ate lunch)

 

2. Mom we are on an adventure in Gabba Land! (on our walk in the river bottoms)

 

3. Great, my friends are here! (as my friend Michelle pulls up in her suburban)

 

4. Mom I need pink "yips"  so I can be pretty (every time we go out)

 

5. "Paige it's your turn to pray" "No, I said it last night." (it's a lie, and she says this every time we ask)

 

6. Mom, I didn't pee, but it was a good try! (each time we sit on the potty with no results)

 

7. Can we _________ all together? (Fill in flush, play basketball, pray, eat, anything that can be done all together)

 

8. Hmm (as she taps her finger to her lips) I don't think I want dinner. But maybe noodles.

 

9. Oh can we see Sherman? He is so nice. He is my best friend. He must be on a mission. (After Mark asked if she wanted to go outside to get the horses. Sherman is our horse trainer and Paige loves him. And apparently people she really loves that she doesn't get to see are on missions. ie Boppa and Mamma---Sherman is not. But he laughed when we told him)

 

10. My tummy hurts. I need a burger. (I think she tells me it hurts when she is hungry. Which should be all the time since she doesn't eat.)

 

11. Mom, you need to get this in that hole. (teaching me to play actual basketball at the park)