Gator Hunt in Florida

In February, we took a trip to Florida with Jared’s family - parents, siblings, & their kiddos.  It had been planned for quite a while (almost a year), so it was amazing to realize our preparations.  Our first day was spent touring the Deseret Cattle & Citrus Farms which are all a part of the company my husband works for.  This was definitely one of my favorite experiences of the entire vacation.  Jared lined up an actual airboat tour through the Everglades - literally full of alligators.  We found ourselves there on a rainy, humid morning, and even though I didn’t get hardly any pictures of alligators (they are fast & sometimes difficult to spot until you come right upon them), we saw between 60-75 alligators - it was surreal & pretty unbelievable.  

The guy driving the airboat was so authentic, I couldn’t help but question our safety in the beginning. :)  He had the thickest Cajun accent I’ve ever heard, & he whipped that boat around like nobody’s business.  I wish I had a picture of the guy - such a hoot - never been outside of Florida & Lower Louisiana.  

A Little Side Note: The visitor’s center there was neat & educational, but while we were waiting there for our other family members to take the airboat tour, I called a friend I’d met through the annual SLC conferences who’s husband works for the ranch there.  I didn’t know it at the time, but their house was only 3 miles away from the visitor’s center.  We loaded up the kids & headed on over for a touching visit that I hope my girls will always remember.  Their oldest daughter, Natalie, who’s the same age as our oldest (6 yrs old), had been diagnosed with lymph node cancer several months prior, and she was very ill & completely bald at the time of our visit.  I had no idea that they were going through this trial, on top of the fact that they had a newborn.  I was so taken aback & a little embarrassed of our intrusion - even though she had welcomed our visit over the phone - that my initial reaction was to apologize & leave as quickly as possible.  However, it turned out to be one of those visits that I continue to reflect on almost daily as I stand in awe of my friend’s testimony, dedication to her children, & optimism - simply inspiring.  We were blessed to have crossed paths that rainy afternoon.  

We found a hole in the wall restaurant that served fried alligator.  Totally weird.  But you know what’s even weirder than that?  We ate at it.  

  

   

 

Little February Happenings

I had big plans for Valentine’s Day, but it’s somehow come & gone, and I’m still finding myself thinking about all the cute ideas I want to do for the month of love.

Bottom line, none of it’s happening the way I had planned, but I’m learning to let go of the extras and concentrate on the essentials.

AnnMarie has been loosing lots of teeth lately; it’s been fun to experience the tooth fairy stage with her and see how excited she gets to put her little teeth under her pillow in her purple velvet bag.

Carlie builds forts pretty much all the time and takes pretend naps in her daily depiction of Princess and the Pea. 

Gabriel is smiling more all the time…. now that he doesn’t have a cold and his four canine teeth finally came in.  Teething has been so hard for him!  The teeth go up and down a few times before they’ll decide to stay, but once they’re in, life is so much better for all of us.  :)

We’re trying to decide what to do with this non-homey looking entrance of ours.  I don’t know what the previous owners were going for here, but we’re working on a change. 

Jared & I attended an NBA game last week in Portland which was quite an experience for both of us.  My sister-in-law was so kind to take our kids for the night so that we could take advantage of the tickets we acquired.  The players are huge, and although I highly dislike their tattoo-covered bodies, they’ve definitely got skills.

The house is quiet now…

it’s time for bed…

but today on President’s Day, I can’t help but feel blessed for our health and happiness – for George Washington, this country, and my beautiful family.

And the fact that my Invisalign braces will be removed tomorrow which could possibly be one of the best days of my life yet.  j/k – I’m just so excited to be done with cankers…and headaches…and double takes from people thinking that I possibly left Crest whitening strips in or something like that.    

Tootles.  

A Creative Endeavor

I’ve had a pit of uneasiness lately during a few of my students’ piano lessons. 

It has nothing to do with them or the fact that January seems to be the hardest month to rekindle motivation and practice with purpose again…   

but more to do with this little monkey ^^^^ who as of late, vocally protests any piano lesson that he’s awake to hear.  Thankfully, I have understanding students and helpers who demonstrate kind patience.  I tease my students that he does not prefer that song they are playing; it’s really just a matter of taste (j/k).

I feel like he’s doing this all day long - poor thing.  

And when I enforce stroller (or highchair), this is the look he maintains:

Oh, it tests my patience sometimes…but I just have to remind myself that someday he’ll be a man (possibly with facial hair as Carlie discussed today), and these moments won’t last forever.  I’m a different (hopefully, more patient) mother than I was with my first, and I see his anxiety as opportunity to realign priorities and try to figure out this budding personality of his.