We were in charge of our neighborhood block party for National Night Out which we held in the street right in front of our house.
The boys had a blast!! They especially enjoyed the bounce house, food, police car, and the two fire trucks!
This fireman was so nice to play checkers with Caleb!!
A good time (hopefully) had by all. It's always nice to get to know neighbors and spend some time with them.
A few weekends ago we went to the Day Out with Thomas.
The boys had so much fun! They actually got to RIDE on a real train. They were soooo excited!!
They also had a bounce house train thingy:
Pretty sure Caleb only ran through it 206 times.
They had a miniature golf course. Food. Magicians. Musicians. And Caleb's favorite--a rock climbing wall:
I was surprised at how much Caleb loved this! We will definitely have to find one locally that we can take him too.
Perhaps Chris enjoyed it too. :)
Good times. Good memories. Good company! (Thanks, Cheneys!)
We were able to go on a quick trip to Utah to attend the funeral of Chris's Nana.
Carson LOVED the flight. For the full first hour on the airplane, all that was heard was, "AIRPLANE! AIRPLANE! AIRPLANE!" Cute and funny to his parents. Maybe not to the people around us. But probably better than crying, right?!?
We were able to stay at a 12 bedroom cabin at Bear Lake with all of Chris's siblings and families and parents and even some extended family. We had so much fun spending time with family and want to thank everyone for their hard work in making this such a fun time together. Thank you for driving so far, for letting us crash with you, all the meals, etc. etc. etc. We have truly been blessed with good families!
The memorial service was very nice. Chris was honored to be able to play a violin piece with our niece at the memorial service that was beautiful! He also did a great job speaking at the service and singing a hymn with his siblings.
Utah is a truly beautiful place. I forget just how beautiful in between times.
(While in Utah, one of my favorite parts is to take the boys to the place where my mom is buried and spend some time with Grandma Kathryn too. :)
We are so thankful, despite the circumstances, that we were able to go and spend time with family and be there for the funeral. Unfortunately, it was such a quick and busy trip, we missed seeing many of our friends. Hopefully we will be able to go again soon and spend time with all of you! But meanwhile, you are also always welcome to come see us in Texas. :) (Counting down you know who that is coming on a surprise trip, Sandie, Kaylyn, Kip, Bridget, and Elliott!!)
As I mentioned in my last post, Chris's grandmother (Nana) and uncle passed away on the same day in two different states.
I'm so glad we have been able to visit with Nana a few times in the last few years and let our boys meet her and take pictures with her.
We were lucky enough to be able to attend her funeral in Utah. More about that in another post. While Nana will surely be missed, we are happy for her to be reunited with her husband who passed away 43 years before her, her daughter that died very young, and her son that passed away just hours after her. What a sweet reunion I'm sure that was!!
As I've had cause to contemplate life and death and the purpose of life...it has reminded me of one of my secret pet peeves. :) And since you asked...haha...here you go! Secretly, it drives me nuts when people complain about their parents. If only they knew how much some of us would give to have our parents alive and "bugging" us. :) Just hug and kiss your parents and tell them how much you love them! I don't care who you are and what the circumstances! You will miss them when they are gone!
(Chris holding Caleb when he was a baby, Chris's dad, Chris's Uncle Rod)
One of Chris's heroes passed away a couple weeks ago. His Uncle Rod died very unexpectedly in a kayaking accident at a young 50 years old. (see the news story here). He died in Austin, just hours after Chris's grandmother (Nana--also his uncle Rod's mother) passed away in California (more on that soon.) What a day for the Dial extended family.
Chris has always looked up to his Uncle Rod...as a father figure, a mentor, a church member, an entrepreneur, a businessman...the list goes on and on....
We are so happy for the time we've been able to live fairly close to them and visit them while living in San Antonio--a short hour and a half drive away from Austin. How we will treasure our memories of him and the example he set for our family.
The funeral was beautiful. And just packed with people whose lives, as our lives, were influenced so much for good.
His passing and funeral brought back waves of emotions and memories for me. I couldn't help watching his sweet kids and mourning for them. For the heartache that I know is theirs now and the heartaches that will come and go for years to come. I mourned for all the missed future life events--weddings and baptisms and missions for the church and births of their children--his grandchildren. My heart aches for them because my heart has ached for my own mom who died when I was 9 years old. And yet...I know they'll be ok. Because I'm ok. I know that their dad will still be a part of their lives, because my mom is still a part of mine. I will see my mom again...as I know they know they will see their dad again.
Another good reminder about how short life is. How we need to make the most of it and not sweat the small things.
See my cute boys?
(As a totally random aside--dang! Can't believe how much that power washing helped our sidewalks, porch and driveway! Looks so dirty in this picture! Good job scouts!)
They have no health insurance. And that scares me. A lot.
Today is day #9 with no health insurance.
We've had recent reminders of the importance of health insurance. Remember that meningitis bit? Expensive! If it had been without insurance? Dang. And our last weekend with insurance, we decided we should take advantage of it one last time with a trip to the ER. Chris sliced his hand open and we ran to the ER to have them fix it up. Can't imagine without insurance how fun it would have been. We may soon find out! :)
Chris has his own company. Which is great!!! We have learned soooo much this last year and he is doing awesome! And he has so many irons in the fire he's not sure which to pull out first! Great, right?
BUT! Health insurance is a major issue for us.
I admit--I used to be a bit judgmental on this topic. I'd hear about health insurance issues and think...well, go get health insurance then!
That was then. When I had health insurance.
We have been on COBRA up until now because we have been unsuccessful in buying private health insurance. We keep being denied because of various pre-existing health conditions. Supposedly this health reform bill was supposed to make it so they couldn't do that. But apparently Texas is fighting it...which translates into...us fighting it too.
We've looked into CHIPS at least for the kids. We do not qualify because Chris makes too much.
So, as far as I can tell, that leaves us with the following options:
1. Have no health insurance
2. Chris works for somebody else instead of himself so that we can get health insurance
3. Krista goes back to work--just for the insurance
4. Earn significantly less money so we can qualify for medicaid or CHIPS or something
I choose none of the above. At least I wish I could choose none of the above.
I've asked every doctor, nurse, receptionist, insurance salesmen, friend, neighbor. Anyone I can think of to see if they know of any other options. I've turned up nothing.
Krista's commentary? Sad that small businesses and people working for themselves are forced back into working for someone else if they want to have health insurance. Sad for sure.
Meanwhile, since we are a business, we pay double for medicaid and medicare and such. We pay the company portion and our individual portion. Nice that I can pay double every month for insurance for somebody else, but no one will allow me to even purchase it for myself! I'm WILLING and ABLE to pay for my own insurance! BUT NO ONE WILL LET US! Messed up system. (Disclaimer: Ok...last time I mentioned this, I was teased about mentioning medicaid and medicare. I have absolutely nothing against these programs...nor anyone that has ever used them. Just frustrated that I have zero good options and that I am forced to pay for the programs when no one will give me an opportunity to pay for my own. Selfish? Yes. I know. Sorry!)
So for now, I guess we will just pray for no major health issues and brush up on our negotiation skills if we do. :)
P.S. Even with private health insurance...seems like none of them have maternity coverage--anyone out there with private insurance--how do you go about that? Just save your money and pay for it outright? Not an announcement by any means--just curious for future reference! :)
Phew. 3 posts in one night. A new record!! Trying to play catch up.
Lessons learned from Day #1 of speaking assignments:
Ok, so our new found plethora of time with Chris is kind of over. Not completely...but a bit. A couple of weeks ago he was asked to serve as a member of the high council at church. How do I explain this to my friends of other faiths.... Our church is organized by geographic boundaries. So the actual congregation you go to each Sunday is based on where you live. Several congregations (or wards) make up a stake. So he now helps with more regional things on the stake level (made up of several wards). And everything we do at church is volunteer. You are asked to serve in a certain spot and you can decline or agree, but it's all unpaid. Does that make any sense? If not...you'll just have to come with me and see what I'm talking about for yourself. :)
So among other assignments, once a month we are assigned to speak in Sunday services at one of the 11 wards that make up our stake. Each month it rotates and we will be somewhere different. Today was the first one. Lessons learned from today:
1. 1:30 is too late to start church for 18 month olds who didn't take a nap.
2. 4 year olds don't like their cheese moved. In the beginning. But by the end, they are happy their cheese moved. (Also known as...four year olds don't like to attend other congregations...they miss their own friends and teachers...until they realize it can be just as much fun and they can meet new friends.)
3. 4 year olds will, if parents are not watching closely, make their way to the front of the congregation where their other parent is speaking. Several times. Especially if one parent is holding a sleeping baby and is not sure how to snag him with said sleeping baby. Oops! :) A little distraction and entertainment never hurt anybody, right? :)
4. 18 month olds who really like their dad should not be sitting near the front in church where they can see said dad really well. They will probably keep calling out to him while he is speaking. Daaaaad!! Daaaad!!!
5. Chris loves to speak. In church. In public. Really, anywhere. Krista, well, does not. But is learning that it is ok. I guess.
6. I thought the high council was for old guys. I mean no disrespect. :) But apparently it's for young guys too. :)
7. It actually can be a lot of fun to travel to different wards and visit old friends and make new ones and get out of your comfort zone!!
8. (Chris' item #1) When Krista says she only needs five minutes to speak, what she means is that YOU only need five minutes to speak.
9. (Chris' item #2) Four year olds LOVE finding hymn numbers. For example, if you tell a four year old to find hymn #219, they start at hymn #1 and go in order until they find #219. The carrot is when they hit, for example, hymn #29. "Hey! There's a 2, and there's a 9, but there isn't a 1 between them. Keep looking!) Hours. Of. Distraction. (Or at least until mom starts speaking and you need to run onto the stand. Again.)
10. (Chris' item #3) Tori K. is my all-time speaking partner. All other high councilors BACK OFF! ;) (I'm also thinking of poaching Bradley C...any thoughts on whether I can pull it off?)
Meanwhile...back at the ranch...
While I was on girlcation, Chris was ambitious. He decided to take the boys camping at the beach.
And wow. Those boys are still talking about it. They had so much fun!
What a fun memory for them!!!
I'll have to get the other pictures from Chris and post them because there were some really fun ones!
Funny side note--in case you didn't realize it--it's HOT in Texas this time of year. So Chris was apparently roasting all night. But when they woke up in the morning, Caleb said, "Man! Next time I need to bring my jacket! I'm cold!!" Haha. Little Texas boys don't know what cold is. Let's hope to keep it that way! :)
For my birthday, Chris surprised me with an airline ticket for and helped orchestrate the first annual girlcation (Girl + vacation = girlcation. It's science). He even took the days off work and watched the boys himself. Now if all of that doesn't win you the Husband of the Year Award...I'm not sure what would! He is pretty much the best!!
So I hopped on a plane by myself and man oh man was it weird. It was strange to go through security at the airport without a whole bunch of kid gear. It was strange to get on the plane and not have kids to distract. It was weird carrying only one suitcase through the airport.
But I somehow persevered the weirdness and I met up with my sister, Kaylyn (aka Nyn) in Nashville. About two miles outside the airport...we had our first of many adventures.
Hehehe. Awesome, huh? That's what fun memories are made of right there!! A guy rear ended us. Welcome to Tennessee!!
We met up with another sister (Kim) in Huntsville, AL. We went to the space museum and played games galore and just had fun catching up with each other.
Caleb apparently loved all the pictures of the spaceships I kept texting them. He kept asking me to ask someone there if we could all ride on one. :) The only thing in Huntsville I probably could have done without is the human centrifuge machine thing they called experiencing g force. :)
Then all three of us met up with Kip and family in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. What a crazy but fun place. I think it is becoming the Vegas of the East!! We road a tram 3000 feet in the sky, played miniature golf, rode a ski lift up to an alpine slide and raced down the slide, hit the outlet stores, ate out, made candy in our hotel room, and just had a relaxing but fun time.
Chris said the only thing I had to come home with was a date and place for next year's girlcation. :)
And so...looking forward to next year! :)
It's funny, but really all I wanted to do when I got home was all the daily things that sometimes get mundane. Life is so good.
And when I got home to a nice clean house and happy boys, check out what else was waiting for me!!
I had to take a picture of those cupcakes. Pretty much masterpieces, don't you think? They tasted even better than they looked though! Thanks, Jill!!!
Maybe...just maybe...I have had a permanent grin on my face since Sunday.
Maybe Chris was released from being first counselor in the bishopric at church. (For those not down with this lingo--I've been told by my friends of other faiths that it might be compared to an assistant pastor of sorts. Except it's all volunteer and unpaid.) So maybe...just maybe...a lot of his time has been freed up and we have certainly enjoyed him being home a bit more!
And maybe I sat and giggled during church when Chris came and sat with us and the boys wanted absolutely nothing to do with me and were all over Chris during the meeting.
Here's Caleb showing us how excited he is by showing us the bull:
And sporting women's sunglasses
(Thanks for dressing my son in these fancy sunglasses, Aubrey--and taking a picture--but this looks suspiciously like it was during church--hmmmm.... :)
And Carson was so excited, he was doing a mariachi song for us
And doing a happy dance on the table
Ok. Actually...that is where you can find him anytime I turn around for more than a second. Crazy kid!
All teasing aside though--Chris really enjoyed serving in the Bishopric. I know there will be plenty of other opportunities to serve, but he will definitely miss being able to serve in this capacity. He constantly amazes me with how hard he works. He was going to school full time finishing his second master's degree, working 60-70 hours and serving in the church full time and yet managed to make his family feel like the priority. Now he is finished with his MBA, usually working only about 40 hours a week, and has a break from church service. Hence our smiles! :)
And the second exciting reason I am maybe...just maybe...smiling a lot is because Carson started Nursery at church on Sunday. (Again, for those that are not down with the lingo--they have a class that kids start attending at church during the second and third hour when they turn 18 months.)
Ok. Not really! I'm not smiling that big about this yet. I can't believe my baby is 18 months old and I'm a little sad about it. Sniff sniff. Ok. A lot sad. And I think it makes it harder because he is having such a hard time with nursery so far. As in crying so hard he puked. This is a new adventure for us as Caleb walked into nursery like he owned the place! Any suggestions? Tips? Pointers?
And speaking of grinning...here's to hoping that Chris is still smiling when I get back from girlcation!!! :) hehehehe.
