Reckless Recreation: Cousin Visit

Pretty much every year Aaron's brother and wife make the cross country trek from Utah to Vermont for a visit.  They are always so good to make sure to get around to visit everyone even though they have just driven for at least three days with kids who get car sick.  

We are getting closer to making our trek from Vermont to Utah to reciprocate.  Next year?  Or 2014?  We had so much fun with them so I hope sooner rather than later!  I am pretty sure that Becky and I are 98% genetically similar.  There are so many family members and friends all over Vermont and the entire USA that we are anxious to visit...time and money, time and money...Ok so here is our photographic journey through our visit.

They two were funny.  I think the fact that Becky and I are similar and Aaron and Jason are similar (though they probably don't want to admit it, they are similar unique individuals, if that makes sense,) has made the way these two have very similar ways of making facial expressions and talking, sarcasm to be specific.

This may not be the most flattering picture of Sophie with her mouth full of s'mores but look at my girl!  She is growing up so much.  It is both wonderful and frightening to see her become a young woman.

This man makes my heart go pitter patter.  He makes me smile.  I feel like I have hardly seen him this summer.  We live in the same house and I miss him.  I am going to have to do something about that.

For some reason this is the only picture I got of Becky.  She is an inspiration.  She has lost a tom of weight by exercising self control.  I would do well to follow her example.

I absolutely adore this sweet boy.  He would look up at the camera and give the sweetest smiles.

See what I mean?

And this guy.  He is a heart breaker.  The poor guy was too old to play with Maddie and Noah and too young to play with Ben, Jacob and Gavin.  Of course they all played but you could tell he felt like a 3 wheel. 

Father son bonding

These two were SO funny together.  Noah loved Maddie.  When he saw her he got so excited.  When we were in the pool and she wasn't he kept saying come on!  They were little copy cats the whole time they were together.

I asked Noah to give Maddie a kiss on the cheek and Maddie tried to kiss his cheek simultaneously.  I promise they are kissing each others cheeks not lips.

Monkey See...

Monkey do!

The cousin chair!

Again!

This was a special moment at Grammie and Grampa's house as the cousins gathered on Grammie and Grampa's bed to watch a movie.  What is incredible and bittersweet is that this is only a small portion of their grandchildren.  Maybe someday we will get a picture with all 24 (25 if you could Leah's little nugget)

These two were bored and grumpy so we played a Cummings Family favorite, "Don't you Smile"

Sophie caved and smiled

Fun was had by all.  We miss all of our other cousins from UT to D.C. to VT!  

Parenting Practices: Time

For much of my married life I have prided myself on being on time.  Then Noah was born and for some reason I lost the ability to be be on time.  It has nothing to do with Noah except that he has the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak.

 It has a little to do with my previous post in that I was seeing myself as a victim.  I work too hard, my brain can't handle four kids, my life is busy, stressful etc...  All those things may be true, but I was rewarding myself with down time.  Now I am not saying that we don't need downtime.  In fact I think it is essential.  But there comes a time where you have to put that away and do what needs to be done.

The other factor in my lateness is that for some time I have been a stay at home mom with few out of house engagements requiring me to be strictly "on time"  I could go grocery shopping whenever it was convenient and as long as I was home before 2:50 it was fine.  I have not worn a watch in about 12 years.  Last week I bought a watch and all of a sudden I am aware of the passing of time again.

What does this have to do with parenting practices?  For me personally being on time produces less stress in getting ready to leave.  Less stress means less barking at the kids to move along.  Being on time allows us to get settled in at church, appointments, stores...creating more peace and tranquility.  Basically being on time makes mom feel less frantic and remember, "when momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

And on that note it is time to leave to bring my charge to summer camp!

All those photos were random, but I hate posting without a picture and to connect it all together, when I am on time I have time to stop and take pictures of the amazing state I live in and love dearly.

L.S.N.E.D.

Over the past several weeks since I began my class, I have fallen into a trap of treating myself like a victim.  "I have too much to do," "I can't do that because I am too busy," "That does not fall into the category of the most needful thing," "If I start that it will be too hard to finish," blah, blah, blah.... 

While some of these statements may be true, the fact that I was whiny and negative about them just dug the pit deeper.  So I slapped myself, told myself to buck up and get over myself, and went back to work.  I have learned that I have time to do anything I want to if I put my mind to it and focus.  So far I am finding great success in just having a positive attitude.  Don't expect me to post on here every day, don't expect to come to my house and find loaves of steaming hot bread lined up on my counter, but you can expect to come and see a relatively clean house, happy, clean engaged children (most of the time, I don't want to jinx myself) and mostly excellent grades in my classes.


Now for the true Learn Something New Every Day:

See these deep and core stabilizing muscles? 

And these muscles of the hip and thighs...

I have learned that they are a pain in the butt.  Literally.  I never realized how much I moved as a stay at home mom until I started this class.  I have to sit all the time.  I sit to study, I sit to drive to class, I sit in class and now I can't sit.  It hurts because my muscles and bones are not used to sitting.  If the muscles aren't happy the bones aren't happy and if the bones aren't happy the muscles aren't happy.  Why do these darn bodies have to be so interconnected!  I know what I have to do to fix it, but I have to get past the hurt to be able to do it.  Until then when you see me, I will most likely be on my feet!

Yesterday

Yesterday was a quiet day.  Actually no it wasn't.  There were six kids running around begging to go in the pool, or have a snack or play Legos, or do a baking project or.......Meanwhile Aaron spent almost all day in the blazing sun and humidity, working on the new addition.  I was inside cleaning, tending to aforementioned rugrats and making curtains for the downstairs bathroom.

What was quiet about yesterday was that it was our 11th anniversary.  I guess that is what 11th anniversaries are like.  Busy.  We are in the thick of the prime of our lives.  We are settled enough that we can be building an addition, but not so settled that we have loads of cash laying around for romantic getaways or jewelry or flowers or restaurants.


Instead at 10:00 when all of the kids were finally asleep (actually every single one of them were still awake) we went for a quick dip in the pool which was SO refreshing after a slimy hot day and then we watched Arrested Development on Netflix while we ate one of our favorite meals, chicken and broccoli aglio e olio.  Topped off with a bowl of ice cream and oreos.


So here's to a marriage where love remains even when things aren't luxurious or extravagant, where love thrives on the most basic of human needs, companionship.  To my one true love, Aaron

Pre- Marriage

July 6, 2001, the big day!

2001, very newly pregnant on a french class trip to Montreal.

2002 Sophie was a newborn I think.  See how young and innocent we still look?

I can't remember when in 2003.  I was newly pregnant with Ben I think.  We are on our way to church.

Halloween 2004

Aaron graduates from Johnson State College May 2005

Christmas 2006

2007 Family Portrait in the Apple Orchard

2008 I think this was the first time we had gone back to the Boston temple since we got married there.

July 2009 anniversary trip to Boston

July 18, 2010 The day we went home with all four of our children.  Honestly looking through my albums to find all these pictures,we have accomplished a great many things together.  College, home, vehicles, crafting etc... but the greatest accomplishment we have achieved together are these four gorgeous, fun, intelligent, sweet and all together amazing children God has given us.

July 2011 On our anniversary trip to Connecticut

June 10, 2012  Ben's Baptism