Utah Trip 2011!

We did it. We packed up the car and DROVE to Utah! We drove straight through. 24 hours. Even slept in the car.


And the drive was actually awesome! There were zero tears and only happy boys! And others doing anything to keep themselves from getting tired!



Chris's family was nice enough to drive down for our first weekend from a couple different places. We went to Thanksgiving Point, saw Cars 2, ate at the Mayan, went to church at Temple Square and visited the sites and just had a great time catching up and spending time together.


















(vacation=only cat naps for Carson!)





(We got quite the looks...but Carson wheeled that thing all the way to the car by himself)

Caleb and Carson's favorite site seeing?

The drain outside temple square. :)


Papa Rick (Chris's dad) and Grandma Sheila came down and went to the zoo with us one day:





See? Proof that Papa Rick was there.

(We only have one picture with Papa Rick and it's the back of him? What can I say...I have mad photo taking skills! Sigh)

Oh that Papa Rick. He spoiled us with ice cream too.



And wouldn't you know it? It was our lucky day. They had dinosaur exhibits all over the zoo.







Caleb's favorite was definitely the dinosaur that watched you as you walk and then spits on you. Carson's favorite exhibit was the elephant that sounded like it was going to sneeze and then sprayed water on you. He still imitates it in fact. He also liked petting the animals:




We were also able to have lunch with my two aunts Jan and Joy and two of my cousins Kylor and Brandi. So fun to catch up with them! And we got to swim with Deonne and family and my cousins! It was too short, but fun as always!

We also caught up with the famous Giani Mob. And we even rode a train! Yes a train to a baseball game! Two favorite things! (Boys loved that! Thanks, guys!)

Hmmm...come to think of it...we waited fOrEvEr in line to ride a train within the ballpark too. :) But the boys all entertained themselves by rolling and somersaulting down the big hill. :) The boys also had a good time on the big inflatable slide and playground and stuff.


The rest of the pictures seem to be MIA. But maybe I will find them soon and upload them. Trying to keep you in suspense. But always a good time with the Giani Mob! Thanks, guys!

Towards the end of the week, my family started to come into town. Oh how I love and miss my crazy family! We had the Great Race to see who was going to have to take over the master bedroom. Kip and Bridget were close to losing



But Kerry and family lost. ;)

You would have to understand my family to understand all that...but just go with it! :) Perhaps I will be in trouble for putting a couple of those pictures on this blog...but I just couldn't resist! :)

We played lots of games including (as Kerry? or Kody? said) the Biggest Game of Idiot Ever (TM)




We swam, we played foosball and ping pong, we had yummy treats, watched the Provo fireworks on the fourth, went to the temple with 5 of the 6 siblings, went to a movie, had fun activities for kids, and just all around enjoyed being with each other.

This whole time we stayed with my brother Kody and his family in Lehi. Did I mention I'm moving in permanently? They truly have the party house! And we miss swimming every day.



Sigh. I miss everyone already.

Weekend Away

We recently (relatively of course!) took a quick weekend get away to Houston!

The boys had so much fun even on the drive there.



(had to throw that one in there :)

We went to an Astros game








Among other things, we met up with friends for a fun lunch at the Rainforest Cafe:
(Cool pictures would have been here. If we had taken any!)

But of all the things we did...I think the MOST fun was had just staying in the hotel. They LOVED swimming and exploring the room and the hotel and oh! that breakfast! How they loved that breakfast! "You mean I can have a waffle AND a donut AND cereal?" Can life get any better? :)






And yet again...I am left wondering...why don't we do this every weekend?!? :)

Easter Extravaganza!

Let the marathon blogging begin!

Easter...Easter...so long ago! But what an awesome weekend!

Chris took Good Friday off and we headed to the coast with several families of friends. It was SUCH a good time!!! Caleb and Carson even got to drive down with the Weatherholtz and they pretty much thought they were the coolest ever! :) Unfortunately...we left our phones in the car which meant that we took zero pictures! We will have to bum some off of the other fun people who went and brought their cameras! Suffice it to say--we had a BLAST and I am left wondering why we just don't do that every weekend.

Saturday we woke up and left our hotel early to drive to the next party! Some friends of ours have an Easter egg hunt every year on their awesome farm!



But there is SO much to do in addition to the egg hunt! Like huge tire swings



Throwing rocks in the pond



Riding in jeeps and go-karts


You get the idea. Straight up fun and the boys are in heaven each and every time we go!

Through it all--we stayed up late, got up early and drove several hours here, several hours there and back again. But the boys were still smiling at the end



In the weeks leading up to Easter, we did lots of other fun stuff. Like dying Easter eggs



Making Easter bunny cupcakes



Eating said Easter Bunny cupcakes




We also made some rice krispie treats shaped as easter eggs with surprises (m&m's) inside.



The boys had fun having an Easter egg hunt at our house and finding the other surprises left by the Easter Bunny.



And of course Aunt 'Nyn is awesome as always. She found this egg that you put in water and watch and watch and watch...



Several days later...it hatches! So cute! The boys were SO excited to check it several times a day every day to see if it was hatched yet!



Good times...good times.

Missing My Mom

For many years, I just really did not like Mother's Day. Kind of dreaded it in fact. I really just let it be a reminder of what I was missing. My mom died of breast cancer when I was 9 years old. In the grand scheme of possibilities, I really didn't have it that rough. After all...my dad is a saint. Seriously. I have no idea how he did it with 6 young kids by himself for so long. But he did...and did it well!

And really--my step-mom is wonderful. And I couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law. And I've had so many wonderful women in my life who have all helped to fill that big hole.

And yet.

Life without your mom is just hard. Anyone that says time heals...not really. With time you merely learn how to cope. There are so many times I just selfishly want her here. Times I selfishly want her to be a part of my children's lives. Here and now.

Then there were the years when we were trying to get pregnant and could not. Suddenly Mother's Day was a double whammy. I wanted to be a mom. But I couldn't. I wanted MY mom. But I couldn't.

But finally...I've started to see Mother's Day a little differently.

NOW, I choose to celebrate the years I DID have with my mom. 9 wonderful years where faith, love of music, fun traditions, and family love were deeply ingrained in me.

NOW, I choose to celebrate the wonderful women in my life who have helped to fill the huge hole that was left when my mom died. Looking back...I've always had at least one special woman in my life every day and everywhere I've lived. Someone was always placed in my path that I loved dearly and considered my second (or tenth!) mom.

NOW, I choose to celebrate the fact that I know that this life is not the end.

NOW, I choose to celebrate the ways my mom can guide and influence me and comfort me from the other side. Ways that she perhaps could not have influenced me if she were still alive. Maybe I'm the lucky one after all.

Becoming a mom has been very healing too. If you are still waiting for your miracle...have faith!

Being a mom has taught me to love more deeply. Being a mom helps me understand just how much my mom loves me. Being a mom gives me a renewed eternal perspective. Life would be so very pointless if there were no heaven where we could live together as families forever. Families ARE forever. And when I think of it like that, I wonder why we waste so much time and energy on pursuits that in the end...really do not matter. I love this quote:
"I have learned to say no to some things in order to be able to say yes to others. The most important yes we can say to our children is, "Yes, I have time for you." And for me that means both quantity and quality time." (Patricia T. Holland) Because really...what else really matters? A spotless house? Nope. A fancy house? Nope. Time for ourselves? Nope! We just never know when our time just might be up!

Hug your mom today. There are many like me that would give anything to have that chance.

Hug your kids today. There are many that would give anything to have kids. And many who would do anything for just one more hug from their angels who have passed on.

Find those out there who need a good mom. And give them a hug and be a mothering heart and a goodly parent to them every chance you get.

Find those out there that desperately want to be a mom. And give them a hug and be their friend every chance you get.

My resolve this Mother's Day is simply to be a better mom and to love and be a better mothering heart to those that are not mine. Someone recently said some very upsetting things to me about my boys. The comments cut me to the core. In my mind I thought, "Wow! If only you could see those boys as I do!" My next immediate thought was, "Oh, Krista. If only you could see her as I do." Yes indeed. If only we could all see ourselves and each other as our Father in Heaven does.

Happy (soon to be) Mother's Day!