Golden Spike Adventures

We were in no hurry coming home from the Tobler Family Reunion. As we exited Sardine Canyon into Brigham City, we saw a sign that read "Golden Spike National Historical Site." After a little internet research on Bradley's iPhone, Bradley and I looked at each other and said, "Why not?" We aren't that far north on a regular basis, and Promontory Summit is a really important historical site--it is where the Transcontinental Railroad became transcontinental. So why not indeed?

It was a highly enjoyable adventure. After driving through the marshlands north of the Great Salt Lake for about 50 minutes (and stopping briefly in the town of Corrine, named after me (not really)), we came to the National Historical Site. There is a nice little building with some dioramas and a gift shop (and bathrooms!), but the real fun is outside.

Although the two actual locomotives that met on May 10, 1869 were scrapped in the early 1900s, two full-scale replicas sit on (re-created) track just outside the visitor center. Every couple of hours, they move the steam locomotives around in a little demostration; on Saturdays in the summer they even have a little "Golden Spike" ceremony, complete with costumed actors. (We missed this event by several hours.) When the trains aren't moving around, you can get up close and personal with them via some observation decks. (There are no train rides, however, because this is a historical site, and passenger rides aren't historical.)

Interestingly enough, this was a stop my youngest two adored the most. Zee was "too hot" (although he perked right up when I let him take pictures with the "big camera"), and Em was only vaguely interested in the trains. But Gee and Hebs were enthralled. Hebs kept making the "choo-choo" noise, and Gee couldn't get enough of those giant locomotives.

Although we only spent about 90 minutes at the actual site, it was well worth the detour. Bradley spent several years of his childhood in Northern Utah, and as a family we've lived here for almost a decade. I'm glad we finally got around to seeing the actual spot where the nation was linked together.

Family Picture Adventures

Family pictures are always an adventure, especially when you have multiple small children.

Here, Hebs is objecting to the idea of sitting on the step between Em and Gee.

Mom! I can't believe you asked me to sit there! I'm soooo saaaaaad nooooooow!

Then the older three started sticking out their tongues. Which was when we discovered that...

...in telling everyone to wear blue, khaki, and white, we forgot to mention tongues should stay their normal color.

But, finally, blue tongue and teeth and thumb-sucking notwithstanding, we got a decent picture. Yay!

Family Reunioning In Style

A glimpse of the cabin's backyard

Although the Michael-and-LaDonna-Tobler-Family (my parents, siblings, and their families) have had many opportunities to get together (weddings, funerals, baby blessings, holidays), we just completed our very first official Tobler Family reunion. And it was a blast.

(Sure, we've had many, many, MANY family reunions. But always with extended family: The Tobler extended family in June 2004 up at Island Park, always to be remembered as the Reunion-with-the-Virulent-Stomach-Flu; the Pace extended family in summer 2005 when we visited lots of graveyards; etc. Not to mention the biennial reunions of our youth.)

But this time it was just us. All 29 of us: 12 adults and 17 kids (15 of whom are under the age of nine). The setting: An absolutely gorgeous, gigantic cabin belonging to my sister-in-law's uncle, up at Bear Lake, Idaho-side.

Seriously, this cabin was amazing. There were enough bedrooms that every adult or adult couple got their own, plus one extra bedroom, plus a loft, plus a bunkroom. A very large great room--kitchen, dining, living. Another loft. And the large basement room, filled with futons and nice covered mattress-type pads and large-screen TV.

Chilling in the great room. We had 10 laptop computers present: Mom (2), LaDale (2), Jenafer (2), us (2), Samuel (1), David (1), Telima (0) (her laptop doesn't work right now)

The backyard was spectacular, if a little scary for moms of toddlers. There was a canal-creek running along the back, with a bridge across it to a fire pit. (There was a large veranda with picnic tables and a porch swing that, once we blocked off the ramp, was perfect to let the little ones play around on.) Tons of grass surrounded the cabin, and there was a volleyball net set up.

Hanging out on the veranda

It was gorgeous--so marvelous that, in fact, the vast majority of us never visited the actual lake at all. We were all perfectly content to hang out in and around the cabin. (And, when you consider how many very small children were present, that tells you more about the size of the cabin than anything else I've written.)

We had very few actual activities planned: a family slideshow, a little family home evening lesson for the kids, the most hilarious game of TV/movie theme music Jeopardy! ever, family pictures. It was really low-key, and although I imagine my sister's 11- and 13-year-old got a little bored, the pace was perfect for the little kids and their parents.

Family Home Evening (on a Thursday! Scandalous!) with the munchkin gang

There were only two things that weren't perfect: one of my nephews didn't feel like sleeping 2 of the 3 nights, and my poor sister was totally exhausted (at least she had plenty of people to give her naps!); and on Friday my oldest sister and one of my nieces had the stomach flu. (Which then came home with our family and at least one other family.) (So far!)

And so it was, in fact, a practically perfect family reunion. Thank you so much to Samuel and Caren for planning it, and for everyone making time to come to it. See you in two years!

Tobler Family Reunion, 2010

Dog Days

Lack of sleep can really do a number on you.

As this pregnancy enters the last stage, and baby Ralphette exercises those little limbs in preparation for fending off eager brothers and sister, I am (predictably) getting less sleep. Restless legs, heartburn, anxiety, discomfort...they are all my nighttime companions.

And I am such a grump when I don't get enough sleep! If you only had my reaction (usually unspoken) to judge by, you'd think all four of my children were actively trying to drive me insane, simply by creeping into bed with me at 5:30 in the morning. But I need that last 90 minutes of sleep. I crave it. It is the only sleep I have without heartburn and restless legs.

(Naps are out of the question. Not only are my eldest two not quite old enough to make all the right decisions on their own (don't answer the door, don't fight, help each other out), the three-year-old doesn't nap. So even if Hebs is napping, Momma isn't. And if I try, fitfully, on the couch, I am such a bear every time I'm awakened that it is definitely not worth it.)

During the day, spilled goldfish is an insurmountable obstacle. A lightly-bumped head with accompanying hysterical tears (I have a 5-year-old drama queen) is nigh-well impossible to deal with. The bickering (ramped up for the summer) is practically Chinese water torture. Neighborhood friend interactions leave me longing to live on the remote prairie somewhere.

And then something will happen that switches me from harpy-momma to someone who genuinely loves to spend time with her children. Maybe Hebs will give Gee a hug, or vice versa. Or Zee will give Em the toy they were just fighting over. Or Bradley comes home early and give me a giant hug. (My favorite part of the day? When Bradley comes home and all the children shout "Daddy!" and give him hugs. Even Hebs gets into the act, coming in for multiple rounds.

I just hope we have lots of switching moments this summer. It's going to be long enough as it is.

Happy Midsummer's Day

My friend's Facebook status said: "Longest day of the year, and my two oldest children made sure I felt that today."

To which I say, "Amen, sister."

Although, BYU preschool started today for Zee and Em, yay hooray! (Of course, if you call it "preschool" Zee is quick to point out that it is only preschool for Em, not for him. It's "postschool" for him, because he's already been to kindergarten. So we call it "summer school".)

So from 7:00 am to 10:20 every Monday through Thursday, it's only me and my two little boys. It is such a reprieve! And may help me make it through the summer.

Happy Father's Day

I started out with just one dad--the most amazing dad ever:


Then I met this man, who turns out to be a MOST amazing father as well:



And I married his son, who is the Best Dad Ever:

I really hit the jackpot in the Father Lottery.

Happy Father's Day to everyone. I love you so much.

Close enough

Daddy was reading from the "Places to Know" book to Em and Zee. He reached the page about the White House, and paused.

Daddy: "Who lives in the White House?"
Zee: "The president of our country!"
Momma: "And who is the president of our country?"
Zee: "President O'Monson!"

Stop with the calling already

Bradley and I finished our New Media in the Classroom class today, and I'm happy and sad that our teaching is over for the summer.

Happy:

• It is exhausting.
• It is hard on the kids. (They are not used to having me gone.)
• It is harder on my sister, who watched all the kids.
• I miss my routine.

Sad:

• I got to talk to grownups.
• I got to spend all day with my husband.
• I got to teach about awesome technology.
• I got to eat out today for lunch. (Seriously. Raspberry cold soup, avocado-turkey-tomato on cheese bread, and turtle chocolate pie for lunch...swoon!)

But that's not what I came here to say today. No, what I came here to say was: STOP WITH THE PHONE CALLS ALREADY. We've been home from work for 2.5 hours, and have had SEVEN political calls, all about the senate primary next Tuesday. (I've already made up my mind who I'm voting for, which wasn't easy because the two candidates? Almost exactly the same.) Seriously, though, if the phone rings again...I may not vote at all, because I will have gone CRAZY, and I don't think they allow insane people to vote.

So. Candidates, a word of advice: Try to coordinate your phone calls so that I don't get three or four calls on your behalf in 2.5 hours. And count your blessings that your opponent chose the same night to call-spam me, because otherwise I would be voting for him.

Hail

This evening, as I was getting Gee and Zee ready for bed (Em and Hebs, both having had immunizations today, went to bed early), we heard an incredible noise outside. Rushing to the windows, we were greeted by a brief, violent hailstorm. The boys were fascinated.

As soon as it was over, we dashed outside to take pictures. Although probably 80% of the hailstones were smaller, a good portion were at least the size of a dime. Zee was very interested in the idea of using a penny to show scale:

We marveled at the hailstones, collecting them (I believe some made it into the freezer, even), and talking about how cold they were. Several of our snapdragon blossoms had been knocked off the stems by either the hail or the wind, and so we had a fun time "talking" with the blossoms. Most of all, my boys reveled in being outside so "late", and so randomly. It was a thoroughly enjoyable ending to a less-than-perfect day.

Well, they are brothers...

Zee: "If Jesus and Satan were playing Tic-Tac-Toe, guess who I would want to win."
Momma: "Who?"
Zee: "Jesus!"

Tired. So extremely tired.

Sorry about skipping a day yesterday. I am just so fuzzy with exhaustion that I can barely function; the pregnancy is hitting me with a vengeance after a fairly low key sixth and seventh month. (I'd tell you about my going-on-seven-nights-of-no-sleep, but then I'd have to cry. And it would be an ugly cry. Nobody wants to see that, right?)

Despite all this, there are many things to be grateful for: A clean house. Cooler weather. Pretty flowers in my grow boxes. Baby ibuprofen.

And freshman roommates! A few of us got together last night up in Sandy for an evening of hilarity. I will post about it as soon as I get some pictures. (Everyone brought cameras except for me. Because I am lazy and didn't want to drag the big camera around.)

Until then, wish me luck. I still have eight weeks till this bun is out of the oven.

Eureka!

Quick, think of a stereotypical pregnant woman food craving.

Did you think of pickles? I did. (Pickles and ice cream, to be exact. Though I've never craved them together, I have craved them individually.)

Now, onto a seemingly irrelevant subject: "Can Pickle Juice Stop Muscle Cramps?" A study done at my very own BYU has found evidence that, yes, plain old pickle juice may relieve muscle cramps. (Why? They don't yet know.)

How this is relevant: In case I was too busy to remember, my body is reminding me that I am in the last trimester of pregnancy. (8 weeks to go, give or take.) (Take, definitely take.) I'll spare you most of the unpleasant details, but one symptom has been disturbing my already uncomfortable nights: leg cramps and restless leg syndrome. The last three nights have been particularly bad.

And I have been craving pickles lately.

Coincidence? Pshaw! It must be because my body knows it needs the pickle juice to help my legs settle down at night! A craving vindicated!

Isn't science grand?

Now, if I could only find a study about pregnancy-related heartburn being countered by P.F.Chang's spicy honey shrimp, or even breadtwists and alfredo sauce from Pizza Factory...

Technophobia

So, for the last two days I've shed my stay-at-home-mom persona and become a Working Momma. It has been extremely fun, but I really like my regular job a whole lot.

For the last four or five years, Bradley has taught a BYU summer continuing education class for K-12 teachers called "Technophobia to Technoaerobia". The two day class covers basics in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and is specifically marketed for those who are less comfortable with their computer skills. (I sound like a commercial.)

For the last three years I've gotten to be his assistant. This usually requires some fancy footwork, to make sure we have childcare for the two days, but it is worth it--we have a lovely time working together, I get to interact with adults, and we earn a bit of extra money (even counting the childcare expenses). My darling sister Telima watched all four kids (along with her three) for most of the time, and my good friend Lindsay took up the extra two hours we needed that Telima couldn't give.

So, instead of my usual lazy morning routine, for the past two days it has been:

Wake up 90 minutes before I have to leave. Get showered, dressed (in something a little fancier than the T-shirt and maternity capris that I usually live in), actually do something reasonable with my hair, put on jewelry (a true rarity in my life), eat breakfast.

Get all four children up, changed, dressed, lotioned, shod (that sounds like they are horses, when in reality, they are more often being puppies), fed, and settled with Aunt Telima. Pack a bag with snacks, find my purse, find my keys (Hebs loves my keys, much to my dismay), and run out the door, accompanied by the wails of my distraught 19-month-old.

Fight traffic up to Provo (seriously, UDOT, which genius thought it was a good idea to have major construction on the I-15 corridor AND the only other north-south road (US-89)? I mean, REALLY?), find parking, and hurry to the classroom.

I had a marvelous time. It was pure bliss to spend two full days working with my husband, and I adore teaching. But I will fully admit that I missed my munchkins. We have such fun together here. My poor Zee has an upset stomach, and he needs his momma.

(Not to mention my feet are killing me. I am not used to standing so much!)

We'll be teaching another class (this time on New Media in the Classroom: Podcasts, Wikis, and Blogs) next week. I can't wait!

MTFBWY

LaDale's eighth birthday
Samuel, LaDale, Keryn, and Daddy's arms

When my sister LaDale was a senior in high school, I was a freshman at the same school. We would pass each other in the hallways, we had the same government teacher (she for government, me for world history), and we had the same lunch period. (There were three different lunch periods; our sister Jenafer (10th grade) had a different one.)

Many older sisters--especially cool seniors--would not choose to hang out with their freshman little sisters, but LaDale was different. We would pass notes to each other in the hallways, or though mutual friends. (These were always thought-provoking notes like "Hi!" or "Have a great day!" or the mysterious "MTFBWY".) She once left a note for me on the government teacher's chalkboard. We usually ate lunch together over at the seminary building across the street from the school.

All of my siblings were (and are still) pretty close, but I grew to be especially good friends with LaDale that last year she was home. I missed her fiercely when she went to college. She left on her mission the summer after I graduated, and it wasn't until my junior year in college that she and I were once again at the same school. We even roomed together our last year at BYU, and had an absolutely hilarious and marvelous time.

She lives in faraway Colorado now (okay, it's not that faraway), but we still manage to talk for hours and hours on the phone, and she is going to be spending some time with us this summer (yay family reunions!). I can hardly wait.

Happy birthday, LaDale! MTFBWY.

Free Fishing Day

Today was Free Fishing Day in Utah, and so we met one of Bradley's friends at Salem Pond for our inaugural fishing expedition. Last week we bought a $12 fishing pole at Wal-Mart, and some lead jigs (?), the hooks of which Bradley then clipped off. (One six-year-old, one five-year-old, one three-year-old = absolutely NO HOOKS.)

Zee was in (pseudo) fishing heaven. He had SO much fun casting the weight into the water and reeling it back in. Em took a few turns, but had much more fun shadowing Bradley's friend Bob. Gee hung out at the water's edge for a while, and then hung out with me on the blanket. And Hebs was determined to fall into the pond, but between Daddy and Momma, we managed to thwart his nefarious plans.

Each of the three biggest kids "caught" a fish, little bluegills, with Bob's "help". (He hooked the fish, the kids reeled them in.) Once a picture was taken, the little fishes were thrown back into the pond. (What? I wasn't going to clean them. Although Bob told me bluegills are pretty good eating.)

Although the morning sun was pretty bright, there was a breeze and plenty of shade. It was fun and beautiful little expedition to start our Saturday. Zee already has made plans to go fishing several more times this summer (during the Ross Family reunion there will be a few chances), and this time with a REAL hook. Or so he thinks.

We'll see.

Overheard this week

Two days ago, I told Gee "no". (The reason? He wanted more M&Ms.) After asking me repeatedly, I said, "Gee, don't ask me again. The answer is NO."

He screwed up his three-year-old face into the meanest expression he could summon and said, threateningly, "Do you need a SWAT, Momma?"

It wasn't the reaction he was hoping for, but I laughed until I cried. Oh, the power differential between momma and preschooler.

(Yes, my (little) kids get swats on their bums sometimes. Mostly for doing things that are very dangerous--touching the stove, going into the street, trying to balance on something precarious and refusing to get down...Zee has grown out of swatting age, and Em is practically there as well.)
_______________________

Zee was telling me that the apples I'd bought (Braeburns instead of Red Delicious) were not quite to his liking.

"These apples are SO SOUR, Momma, that they have enough sour in them to make the WHOLE WORLD sour. I'm telling you, BOTH your eyes close when they are this sour, not just one."
_______________________

Em is so proud of herself. She read the entire "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" ABC book to herself this morning.

"Were you SO surprised when I could read it all by myself, Momma?"
"I sure was, Em. You are growing up so fast, and getting so smart!"
"Were you SHOCKED that I could do it?"
"Yup."
"Were you so shocked you FELL OVER?"
"Ummm...not quite."
_____________________

Yesterday, while sitting at the dinner table, Em and Zee were singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" while waiting for Daddy to prepared their baked potatoes for them. For whatever reason, they lost interest at the start of the third line.

Zee and Em: "...how I wonder what you are..."

Silence for half a beat. Then a little tiny voice piped up.

"Uuuuup ubub de erd oo hiiii"

It was Hebs. He had the sounds, the tune, and the rhythm almost exactly spot-on. Bradley and I almost popped with joy.

We laughed and cheered. He was so proud of himself. Later, we sang "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam", and he sang the "BEAM" part as well, so excited to be part of the group.

Simple Pleasures of Summertime

We decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather (high 70s today, wow!) and go to the park. Instead of going to "our" park (far, far too crowded), we went to Gee's school and played at the kindergarten/preschool park. It is enclosed with a fence, has a lovely bench for the teachers/mommas to sit on, and is usually pretty empty!

Gee was so excited: "My school park! My school park!" Zee and Em were thrilled to be outside and playing. Hebs had a ball just wandering around--and then he discovered the little slides. Even more fun! And Momma was thrilled because the clouds came and covered up the sun, along with a beautiful breeze.

After playing for more than an hour, we came home and guzzled gallons of water. (Note for next time: bring drinks!)

This video is of Gee and Hebs playing together. They are such good friends!

Gee's last day of school

I just realized I wrote all about Zee's last day of school, but I didn't even mention Gee's last day. Of course, Zee had kindergarten graduation and a program and a party. (Not to mention that I have always felt more engaged in Zee's school. Actually knowing what is going on does wonders for engagement, I've found.)

To be fair, Gee did have a last-day-of-school party (which apparently needed no announcement or help from parents). They had pizza and watched a movie. (This is according to Gee's bus driver.) Amazingly enough, when I asked Gee the traditional "What did you do at school today?" instead of saying "Good!", he actually answered.

"I eat pizza, in my tummy!"

Delighted, I pressed on. "What movie did you watch?"

He put a thoughtful look on his face. "I watch...Snow. Snow White is good!"

Wow. The last day of school, and I finally know what is going on! He has grown a lot.

It has been hard to be completely fair about Gee's preschool experience. I was ambivalent about it from the start, if only because he's MAH BAHBEE and just three and you want him to ride a bus? The lack of current information, no teacher conferences, the mothers-not-unwelcome-but-we-really-don't-need-you feeling...it wasn't the best experience for Gee's parents, at least. And I'm not 100% sold on the idea that he needs weekly physical therapy, especially since I don't even know what they worked on most of the time.

But I have absolutely no ambivalence in regards to his bus experience. If I could give a medal and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas each to his bus driver (Randy) and his bus tech (Elaine), I totally would. (Since I haven't robbed any banks lately, a heartfelt card and little gift certificate had to do.) They were the absolute best. Gee loved the bus more than anything, and I never worried when he was with them.

Gee still has two full years before he goes to kindergarten. I don't know what we'll do about preschool next year. Maybe Randy and Elaine will just pick him and take him on a bus ride twice a week, instead of going to school...