Three Early Morning Musings

FIRST -

Yesterday was the day. May 29th. We turned the air conditioning on. It was warm in the house with too many hours in the day left to wait for the cooler evening for relief.

And last night was the night. The cooler evening temperatures didn't come soon enough so the cooler remained on all night.

And this morning - well, when I got up at 5:30 it was cool enough to open up the windows for a short time but the smell of farm was strong enough to deter me.

So even though we've had a wonderfully mild "spring" here in Arizona - goodbye spring and hello summer.

SECOND -

Peaches. When we were driving from Florida to Alabama to visit Yvonne and her family we went through a sliver of Georgia. And we saw a few roadside stands selling Georgia Peaches. We didn't get any. But I asked Yvonne if she ever got any and if they were good. She hadn't had any. Then our discussion turned to Utah peaches. We discussed how really wonderful they were and that we didn't think you could do any better than Utah peaches. But now I beg to differ.

My mom and I drove out to Schnepf Farms in the way east valley on Friday. We went out there to pick some peaches. The trees were loaded and the peaches looked good. And WOW! They tasted so good. They were the kind you bite into and the sweet sticky juice dribbles down your chin kind of good. Yes, they are as good as Utah peaches - for sure.

We learned that May is a good month for delicious Arizona peaches. I can't wait for next May to roll around and I can say - hello delicious peaches.

THIRD -

While I was out of town for the better part of a month my plants suffered a bit. I had a pretty nice looking poinsettia plant on the kitchen island that was going strong since Christmas. Now all the leaves have either fallen off or are a little crunchy. Goodbye poinsettia.

Catching Up #4 - Toys

All kids have toys. They learn by playing so toys are important. I noticed three things about toys while I was in Utah.

1. It didn't seem like Evan and Shanna had many toys for Calvin. I know he's young - but bright colors or rattles and squeaky or crispy/crunchy things can get a baby's attention and make them want to examine those noises. While I was there Calvin was getting really good a grabbing things and trying to get them to his mouth. His greatest success was his hands.

I brought up 3 small cute colorful stuffed Snoopy dogs - one for each of the grandkids. Nothing fancy. And Calvin really liked seeing it and trying to put it in his mouth. He was somewhat successful. I left one there for him to have. And in Evan and Shanna's defense - they were packing up and cleaning out and getting ready to leave for a summer internship in Idaho. But I did spy a few toys when I went to their house. A big round duck with crinkly wings and a chime inside, some small shapes with crispy sounds and bells inside with velcro wristbands, and his ice cream cone thingy - there really were toys. And toys are good to distract fussy babies. They are good to entice babies to stretch and try new things. They are good to help develop hand/eye coordination. So good job Evan and Shanna - Calvin is a baby in development. Keep him busy with toys.

2. The Kevan's, on the other hand, have lots of toys. There are boxes, bins, canisters, cabinets, drawers, bathtubs, and beds full of toys. Let me list a few: electronic pianos, stacking cups, floating ducks, rubber letters, wooden puzzles, electronic music and ball spitting gadgets, shapes and canisters for the shapes, train tracks and trains, cars, bikes, dolls, dolly blankets, crayons and markers, bean bags, etc. Now in their defense, they have had 2+ years to acquire such an extensive collection of toys. Sadie has a lot of toys to play with. She plays a lot. She loves to play! I guess that is a toddler's full-time job. PLAY WITH TOYS! She always wants you to play with her. And she usually shares. That can change with her mood though. She has plenty of toys. Zachary came into this world with a great supply of toys to explore (when he gets big like Calvin).

3. Sometimes you don't need toys. I witnessed first hand what kids like to play with even if there are lots of toys. Sadie's favorite toy while I was there was a big cardboard box. It became a canvas for our most creative expressions - it had my rendition of "Y" Mountain, several Bobby faces, the alphabet, a house with a yard a tree a bird some flowers and clouds, spirals - lots of those, tracings of hands and feet, and a ton more. She put a lot of stickers on this box. We colored on the box using every color imaginable. Actually Sadie choose my colors for me. She would choose 2 crayons or markers - one light blue and one dark blue. Then she would present me with the one I got to use. Then when she was done, I was too. She would collect the colors and then choose 2 more. That was the routine. But then Lindsey cut a hole in the side of the box that we could put a TP tube through and then pass balls and other things from the outside in or the inside out. Fun! That box was a house one day and a hiding spot the next. She got in it. She squeezed me into it too. Then a few days before I left we discovered that if we colored hard across the cardboard bumps that it sounded really cool. So we sort of scribbled on the empty spots to make the noise.

I guess chalk can be considered a toy - but she really loves coloring the sidewalk with it. She colors it and then uses a paintbrush with water on it to dissolve it away. Then she starts again. A budding artist.

She plays with the pans in the kitchen too. She gets them all out of the cabinet and then hides in the cabinet. She stacks and unstacks the pans. She even used the pans for shoes.

She seems to love playing with their potatoes. She even entertained herself with those at my house. She (and her daddy) went into our dark pantry. They played or whatever. But then later I noticed that she had picked off any of the "eyes" in my potatoes and pushed them under the door. Crazy fun!

Anyway, that is all I have to say about toys.

Catching Up #3 - BYU

One of the main events of my trip to Utah was to attend the BYU Graduation. I got to see my son graduate with his Bachelors of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. His plans are to return in the fall to complete his Masters Degree. So our family's presence at BYU has not yet come to a halt.

One day after graduation we went to the BYU baseball game. We met up with Evan and Shanna and watched the game on a sunny afternoon. That was nice. We enjoyed it. But the best part of that activity was getting Sadie's annual picture with Cosmo. She wasn't too sure she wanted to be handed off to Cosmo. But her dad handed her off, I got the picture, and she was back in Daddy's arms before she could get too nervous.

And while we were there - at BYU - we also had a fun evening of bowling. It was baby Zach's first real outing. He had been out of the house to get his blood checked at the hospital. And he had been to the doctor once for a quick wellness check. But bowling was the first family outing. He did great! And Sadie was having so much fun! She danced! She bowled with help from Daddy. She just plain had fun!

So BYU we love you!

And we're not done with you yet!

Catching Up #2 - Moms

Today I will blog about moms. My thoughts about moms came while I was in Utah - I was there for Mother's Day and I took some time to reflect on the topic. We all have moms. Here are my thoughts about moms.

Did I mention that my mom flew to Utah with me? Yes she did. She flew up to see Evan graduate from BYU. She tries to come for those types of special events. Luckily she loves Utah and that is where most of those special events have happened for my kids so far. My mom did a wonderful job of raising 3 daughters. She worked hard, sewed us matching outfits, played the piano and had us learn songs to sing together in public places (I'm still trying to forgive her for that one - just kidding), and encourages and supports us now. I mean - who could ask for more? She even adopted another daughter about 5 years ago - the cannine variety. Yes, I couldn't tell you about my mom without mentioning Billie. Love you lots, Mom.

Shanna is a mom now too. This year was her first Mother's Day as a mom. She had sort of a rough time birthing her son, Calvin. But she is a wonderful mom. I loved seeing her deal with the "joys" of motherhood while I was there. And even though I love little Calvin so much - it seems he has been challenging so far. He cries quite a bit. He doesn't nap much. He has been a high maintenance baby. Through her C Section and recovery, Calvin's NICU stay, and learning the ropes as a new mom, Shanna has been a real trooper. She is a great mom! I think those challenging days are getting fewer. Calvin has the cutest smile ever. And I cried when they were all packed up and left for Idaho. I love that mom and her little family.

Lindsey is another mom that I love. She was the reason for my extended stay in Utah. Just 3 days after the BYU graduation baby Zachary was born. So now she is a mother times 2. She very adeptly managed to parent Sadie - a sweet but active 2 year old. Now she has a son, Zachary too. Lindsey managed the transition beautifully. She is very capable, she is patient, and she loves her kids. Loving this mom is easy.

And while I am at it - I am a mom too. I loved being in Utah and spending time with my two kids. I love them (and their spouses)! My other two kids are in Arizona and are doing well. I love them too! As I think back on my years with babies, young kids, teenageers, and now adult chlidren - I know I had many weaknesses. I wasn't patient enough. I was too loud at times. I am sure my kids can think of many more things I could have improved on. But amidst all my shortcomings - my kids have become wonderful, talented, and successful adults. They make me a proud mom.

Catching Up #1 - Weather

As most of you know, I was out of town for a month. On April 22nd I went to Utah for Evan's graduation from BYU. A few days later baby Zachary was born. So I stayed in Springville to help Lindsey. I came home on May 11th only to turn around and leave on the 12th. Doug and I had a trip to Florida planned to watch the space shuttle Atlantis launch. We were there for 1 1/2 weeks.


Needless to say, my blog has suffered. But no fear I have determined to play Catch Up. I will try to slowly Catch Up to current time by occasionally inserting posts about the missing month.



Today my topic is the Weather. Mom and I left clear Arizona skies only to arrive in SLC in cloudy and rainy weather. That wet weather welcome would start a pattern of weather that didn't seem too spring-like to me.

Cool and rainy for Evan's graduation.

Sunny one day.

(Notice the clouds low on the mountains in the back.)

Cold and snowy the next.

(Unfortunately the cold weather didn't spare Rob and Lindsey's tomato plants. They will definitely need to be replaced.)

Waiting until we get a quick break in the weather for a trip to the park.

Then staying inside because of the hail and wind.

(The thing is the pictures were usually taken after the peak of bad weather evidence - so imagine worse than you see.)

I started to miss the predictably sunny and clear Phoenix weather.

Having a toddler in a small duplex and not being able to go out and spend energy is tough.

All in all I quite enjoyed my time in Utah.

On a positive note - the cooler weather meant more comfortable sleeping conditions.

Note to self: Always plan on cooler than expected weather.

My presence in Utah seems to bring with it cool weather.

Remember my warning?

Do you remember my warning? The one I gave a couple of months back about markers and Sadie? At the time Sadie had a new cousin who was immobile and could be at the mercy of Sadie's artwork - there was cause for concern. And now Sadie has her own baby brother who could fall victim to the markers - higher chance of damage. Well the warning wasn't far off the mark.

Sadie is a normally chatty and engaging girl. She usually gives instructions about what to play and how to play it. Sometimes she will take instructions from the adults in her life - but not too often.

Today Sadie secreted herself from view. She had a couple of markers in hand. Slipping away unnoticed and being extremely quiet gave her mother some cause for concern. She quickly located Sadie and the markers. Sadly it was too late to prevent the inevitable. The damage had been done as you can see here:

Luckily her first victim was a lifeless doll - one without working eyes or supple skin - no hair or ears to hear. Actually if the doll had a real voice this damage might have been prevented. But alas, her mother was a wise woman. The markers are washable and the doll was cleaned up and back to normal in no time at all.

Hey Zac, you dodged a bullet this time.

Good luck from here on out!

BYU

One of the main reasons I came to Utah was to see Evan graduate from BYU. His event sort of flew by due to the birth of Zachary (you've all heard about that). Back to Evan - We took all the obligatory pictures at the key BYU locations. Take a look.

He even got a picture with the cougar just outside the BYU Football stadium. Below you'll see a happy graduate! He has worked hard to graduate. And just in case you are all wondering - Evan will stay at BYU for a couple more years to get a Masters Degree.

BYU we love you!