The Montoya Family

Epistle to Seminary Students

2017-07-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

In the 2016-2017 school year the youth of our church studied the New Testament in Seminary. This spring I was asked to write a modern epistle to the youth in our stake as they studied the ancient Epistles. Here is what I shared with them:

Epistle to the Youth of the Cincinnati Ohio North Stake | March 2017

My dear young friends – what a blessing it is to know you! As I serve with you I feel Heavenly Father’s love and concern for you. He loves you with a depth you cannot now comprehend. I love you and care deeply for what happens in your life. Every day you are in my heart and prayers. Wherever you are on your personal journey I am here for you - please reach out if there is ever anything I can do for you.

I have sought the Lord’s guidance that I might focus my writing on the most important and impactful things for you to hear at this time of your life. It is a message which is near to my heart and I hope it brings you understanding, strength, peace, hope, and courage! I pray the Spirit of the Lord will be with you and personalize this message for your specific needs and concerns.

Have you ever felt like there are multiple versions of yourself? In particular do you ever feel the raging battle within between your eternal spirit and your mortal body?

I have often felt conflicted in understanding my nature as an eternal spiritual being while also being very aware of the natural man inside me. To some degree I have always known the church was true. The gospel and Plan of Salvation make sense to me – they feel innately right. But knowing these things alone do not alleviate temptation and I make a lot of mistakes.

As a teenager I was generally obedient to the gospel and I had pretty good gospel habits (prayer, scripture study, etc…). But I also had a lot of questions and feelings – some which brought me closer to the Lord and some which did not. Deep in my heart I wondered why? Why when I read my scriptures and go to church do I still face temptations like I do? Why do I keep making mistakes? Why do I still desire to make bad choices? Why do I still have doubts? Why do I wonder if Heavenly Father really has a place for me in His plan and His Kingdom?

And at the heart of these questions was a growing conflict – am I spiritual or not? If I am a spiritual being, why do I feel the passions, pride, or doubts that I do? These questions haunted me – they still do. I felt like I was a good person living a good life and from the outside I think most people would agree – but inside was a daily battle that few understood. And while others may have been blind to my reality, I was not. After several years of working through these questions I started finding answers.

I learned that weakness is not a sin and that weakness comes from God to help us become like Him (Ether 12:27). Satan likes to make us think that if we have weakness or vulnerability we must be fundamentally flawed and eternally damaged. It is true that we all need repentance and the Atonement – none of us can do it alone. But we can reject Satan’s taunts, and because of Christ we can learn to glory in our infirmities (see Paul’s Epistle on this in 2 Corinthians 12 – seriously go read this chapter!).

The more I studied I began to realize that the best among us struggle, that weakness really can lead to strength, and that we can overcome. I took heart in the Lord’s words given to Alma the Younger (someone who knew a thing or two about mistakes and weakness):

"And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and his daughters; and thus they become new creatures." - Mosiah 27:25-26

Consider those words - "Marvel not."

I started to realize that progress is really a “line upon line” type of activity. More importantly I was coming to know that God is much more concerned about who we are – and who with His help we can become – than He is concerned about who we once were or what we’ve done. I realized that nobody should be identified or judged only by their weakness or the worst thing they’ve done. We are a culmination of our entire life – not just the worst parts of it.

The principle of "marvel not" does not imply acceptance or tolerance with anything less than divine. It does not excuse behavior nor does it rationalize future choices. It is not foolishly optimistic or pessimistic. Rather it indicates a faithful steadiness and consistency in striving, an appropriate recognition of our mortal condition within a correct perspective of the plan of salvation. So my young friends when life, or the world, or poor choices have you down - marvel not! And then look to Him through whom we can find forgiveness, peace, strength, and the "power to become." (D&C 39:4)

This concept sheds additional light on Alma’s the Younger’s later teachings to his sons in Alma 36-42, and particularly to Shiblon, a “good son”, to whom Alma gave the counsel “bridle all your passions.” Corianton may have been running after the harlot Isabel but Alma understood that even his good sons had weaknesses and needed strengthening. We all have moments of weakness and vulnerability. That good people have temptation does not make them evil, it makes them human. The temptation does not define them. Learning to live with a spirit and a body was the point of coming to earth.

With this in mind please consider this quote from CS Lewis:

“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.”

Additionally I think these two verses of the poem “Good Timber” by Douglas Malloch illustrate the concept well:

The tree that never had to fight, for sun and sky and air and light;
But stood out in the open plain, and always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king, but lived and died a scrubby thing.

Good timber does not grow with ease: the stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length; the more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow, in trees and men good timbers grow.

You are warriors! And as I have served with you I have come to know the potential Heavenly Father sees in you – individually and collectively. In his eyes you are to become Kings and Queens! Just look at the promises made in D&C 132 “[they] shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions…. Then shall they be gods.” We know the path to these blessings requires that we pass through this world, where we learn from making mistakes and having all the experiences of mortality.

Though we experience desires, habits, and appetites which are contrary to the character of God, as spirit children of Heavenly Father, we do have a divine nature and destiny to become as He is. God created a Plan of Salvation and provided a Savior, not only that we could repent, but that we could learn to put off our natural man and become a saint such “that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 3:19; 5:2) I believe this fundamental change of our character is, in many ways, the ultimate miracle and most potent application of the Atonement – not only that we can return home to our Father in Heaven, but that we can actually feel at home there. That we can feel at-one with ourselves and with God through the at-one-ment of Jesus Christ, the battle within subsiding as our spirit asserts its pre-eminence and we claim our divine heritage and potential.

To do this requires more than just being converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must be converted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A checklist approach to the gospel only gets us so far, eventually we need a full and complete change of heart. We have to pray to feel close to Heavenly Father – not just to get to the amen. We have to read the scriptures to feel their impact in our hearts – not just get words in our heads. We need to partake of the sacrament to commune with heaven – not just because it’s part of our weekly routine.

We have to learn to use our agency to reject the natural man and embrace the atonement. This deliberate choice is central to our eternal progression. There is something significant in having tasted the good and the evil – experiencing the fullness of our spiritual and mortal selves – and then having the power of choosing of our own free will what we’ll become. Agency was central to the plan and God knew we would make mistakes worth learning from – that’s why He sent us here! It’s also why He provided a way for us to return through faith, repentance, and receiving all the ordinances and covenants of the gospel.

Repentance is a gift and a joy made possible by the atonement of Christ! Too often the culture of our church is unnecessarily harsh on those needing repentance. Often we are too hard on ourselves. When we understand that weakness is not a sin and the principle of ‘Marvel Not’ we are better enabled to find real and meaningful progress in repentance. Remember that a hospital is helpful when you are hurt only if you go in and allow the doctors to do their work – simply knowing it’s there, or driving by, or touching the wall will not heal you. Obedience is best, but we all sin. And though repentance may be painful it is always worth it. There is no shame in repenting because it is the only path to become our best selves! It takes courage, but please repent! Daily if needed! And please change the culture – the church needs to be a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints!

You live in a day of promise and wonder. The opportunities you have are a fulfillment of promises and prophesies the Lord gave to those who came before you. In particular you can be Millennials in the truest sense of the word and become a sin-resistant generation. A generation experienced in the hand to hand combat with Satan. A generation who ultimately comes out victorious because of your faith in Christ. A generation prepared to meet the Lord! (See 1 Nephi 22:26; Revelation 20:2)

I believe in Christ! My weakness is made strong through His atonement. I have experienced the soothing forgiveness only He can provide. His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection change everything! Because of Him we have hope that we can overcome, we can persevere, and we can become as he is. I love Him and I praise His name. I pray that God will strengthen each of you in your daily battles!

With all my love,

Brother Montoya

Paternity Leave

2016-12-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Paternity leave was a dream! Seriously. Tommy's big project ended on October 1. He had a some follow-up work and a short business trip to Geneva, but other than that he was able to work most of the month from home. And he didn't have nearly as much to do, so he was able to hang out with us in the mornings and go places with us. Then he started his official paternity leave in November. This year P&G changed their policy to give 4 weeks of paternity leave. We were glad we had a baby this year to enjoy that perk!

We started the month off with a trip to Tennessee to visit the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We stayed in a cabin in Pigeon Forge and it was so much fun! Our cabin was super secluded, had a hot tub and pool table, and plenty of space. We were able to cook several of our meals there and it was just perfect. We went hiking in the park each day and LOVED being outside to enjoy the wonderful fall weather. Our kids were awesome hikers and it was just so rejuvenating. We also spent time in Gatlinburg walking around the shops, eating out, and playing mini golf. We realized it was our first vacation that was just for us - we weren't traveling to visit family or to go for a conference or anything - it was just our little family and it was perfect.

The rest of the month was just as fun and relaxing! We did several house projects (major organization and clean outs, raked leaves, replaced lightbulbs and light fixtures, got a new washer and dryer (because our's died!), hung Christmas lights, etc), ran errands together, went to lots of parks to play and go on walks, and went on adventures (zoo, museums, discovery garden). We also got to be pretty lazy - we rarely got out of bed before the kids, watched lots of movies, and introduced the boys to Mario Kart.

The boys became super attached to Tommy. He is amazing. I can't even describe all the ways that he is helpful - but I am so grateful! He pretty much potty trained Caleb on his own, changed diapers, got kids dressed, made breakfast everyday and lunch often, got kids ready for bed, did preschool drop off and pick up, baked with the kids, and played and played and played with them! Bradley started calling him "Tommy" and I think it's because he is legitimately his best friend.

I feel like November was almost perfect. It was just such a great month and I find myself feeling so incredibly grateful that it all worked out the way it did. It was so nice that Tommy was between jobs at P&G so his mental space was just free and clear. I will always think fondly of this time we had together.

Naomi

2016-10-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

Naomi Joyce joined our family on September 23. She weighed 8lbs 11oz and was 21 inches long.

I had a dr appointment on Thursday morning and was dilated to a 4. The dr said it probably wouldn't be long and that I could get induced starting the next day (39 weeks) if I wanted to. We had actually hoped she would come the 23rd so we explored that option, but the induction schedule was full for Friday so we just didn't worry about it. I was positive for strep B this time so I needed to get the antibiotics during labor. The dr told me that if I had contractions for about an hour to come in so they could start that (especially since my labor was so fast with Caleb).

We went on a couple walks that evening and I was having contractions. At about 10:30pm they started getting more intense. We waited for a little bit and then decided to go in. When I was checked at the hospital I was at a 6, so I was admitted immediately. I got an epidural at 1:15 am. At 5:22 they broke my water and gave me the smallest dose of pitocin to help things along. At 8:29 I started pushing and at 8:42 she was born!

I think it was actually my favorite birth experience so far. It didn't drag out but wasn't crazy fast like Caleb's. My epidural was perfect because I could still move my legs, feel the contractions and pressure, and I could feel her come out, but I didn't feel all the pain. They also left her with me for nearly an hour before even weighing her and cleaning her up. They just immediately laid her on me for skin-to-skin and nursing and didn't take her until I was ready. We also had a great experience at the hospital (it's new, so I wasn't sure what to expect because I had heard mixed things). It was so peaceful and quiet, they gave us a "birthday cake" from a local bakery, a super nice "celebratory" dinner for me and Tommy, a gift (including things for the baby and a massage gift card for me), and they really did a good job giving us space. They came in for vitals, but not as often as I remembered in the past. It was great.

The boys have adjusted really well! We haven't really seen any changes in behavior from them and they just adore her. Bradley of course wants to touch and love on her all the time. Caleb loves to see her and talk to her and then ignores her. Every time she cries he says over and over, "Ok baby dider (sister)!" It's adorable.

My recovery has been fast and easy this time. My emotions have been pretty stable and the transition to 3 kids has been easier than I expected so far. She has been eating like a champ and sleeping well for a newborn. She is very calm and still when she's awake. We just adore this little girl and are so happy she has joined our family!

Philmont

2016-07-14T13:54:00.001-07:00

The past few months have been pure craziness and I am so far behind on keeping record of it. But instead of backtracking, I'm going to pick up from right now.

We just got back from Philmont and Arizona. Philmont is a big scout ranch in New Mexico. Every summer they do 2 one-week LDS training sessions. It is for Stake Presidencies and Stake Young Men Presidents, so we were invited this year. Our Stake president and his family went with us. It was an amazing experience for us! I actually got to go to Philmont when I was a kid, so I kinda knew what to expect, but it was different as an adult.

It is super family friendly and the kids had a blast. They loved getting to sleep in tents and play in the dirt and rocks. And every day they have programs for each age group of kids for them to go to all day. So the boys were taken care of for most of the day while Tommy was in training and I got to do fun stuff with all the other women. They had such fun options for the women like hiking, horse back riding, white water rafting, COPE course, craft center, museum tours, dutch oven cooking, etc. My options were limited since I'm big and pregnant, but it was so relaxing and fun. And I loved getting to meet and know all the other amazing women!

This conference is put on by the General Young Men Presidency and Board and the General Primary Presidency. We got to meet them all and have good interactions with them. Seriously, the week was so spiritually uplifting. It felt like Youth Conference for adults. Tommy and I left so uplifted and determined to try even harder. We especially felt really strengthened as a family. It was so inspiring to be around all the other amazing families and see their good examples. We were definitely the youngest family there and we feel grateful for the opportunity we had to be around such great families and see their examples while still so young.

Sunday after church, Sister Bingham (counselor in General Primary presidency) found us at lunch and told us that Bradley was one of the loudest singers in primary. She just loved him and took a picture of him and emailed it to us.

One of the nights was Western night, with a Primary parade, BBQ, and games and activities on the lawn. All the kids made costumes out of butcher paper for the parade. I helped Bradley make his penguin costume.

Bradley helped Sister Cordon throw candy in the parade.

Tommy made a leather Philmont belt (a common keepsake there) at the craft center. He really enjoyed making it.

Us with Sister Bingham, who loved Bradley.

President Foister, President Owen (General YM president), and Tommy

Bradley was one of 2 kids who did the requirements to receive a Junior Ranger badge. I wasn't sure how he would feel about getting called up in front of everyone during the closing ceremony. But when they called his name he literally jumped off our bench and ran up there. He was very proud. :)

Each group did a song or skit at the closing ceremony. This was the youngest group, The Small Frys, where both of our boys were all week.

It was surprising such a great week!!! We have talked a lot about it since. We really enjoyed all the family time we had and the boys had a blast with all the activities. And it was just so uplifting. Great week!

Europe Trip - Geneva

2016-05-13T12:57:00.001-07:00

The last portion of our trip was in Geneva, Switzerland. Tommy has traveled to Geneva a LOT for work and he knows it well. He had work there the week after our trip so we built it in so I could come see where he spends so much time.

We arrived Sunday afternoon and walked around the city. We went to the Museum of the Reformation, St Pierre Cathedral, the underground archaeological site at the cathedral, and the Wall of the Bastions. All of it was very interesting. We paid to go up to the top of the cathedral and that was really cool. I wish I had counted how many stairs in the spiral staircase it took to get up there...but I was definitely dizzy at the top from it.

We had dinner that night at Lugia's and it was delicious.

Tommy took Monday as a vacation day, but he did need to get caught up on email so that when he went into the office on Tuesday he wasn't too overwhelmed. There actually isn't a ton to do in Geneva itself and all of our plans to go to nearby cities fell through because lots of things are closed on Monday. I had told Tommy though that all I wanted on my last day was to sleep in and just relax. So we actually didn't end up doing much on Monday and it was the perfect way to end our trip!!

After breakfast at the hotel we walked to the hotel pool to check it out and it was gorgeous!! And there was no one there, so we immediately went and changed and went swimming. Honestly, it was probably the most fun I've had swimming since I was a kid. It was such a relaxing environment, I wasn't worried about keeping my hair dry, I had no kids, and we had it to ourselves. We had so much fun playing games and swimming laps. Afterwards we went and laid on their amazing and comfy hammocks and dozed off for a while. Seriously...it was heavenly.

Then I took a long time showering and getting ready while Tommy did some work. In the afternoon we went to the market and bought some lunch and pastries (and chocolate) to eat outside. My favorite pastry from Europe was this one. I requested it twice because I loved it. Tommy gets one often when he comes. Then we walked around the city some more and window shopped.

Then we went to the Hotel Edelweiss for dinner to have traditional Swiss fondue. They have live music each night and it was amazing! He even played the big huge alpine horn. I loved it. The dinner was delicious but also super heavy.

As we got up to leave the restaurant, a table of 3 older American couples asked us if we were on our honeymoon so we stopped to talk to them for a few minutes. They were so cute. They were 3 couples who met in college and have stayed friends and every year they take a big trip somewhere. One of the men said he knew we were Americans because I was wearing pearl earrings. I thought that was interesting and funny - and he was right. They made us happy.

Tuesday morning I left to fly home to the boys and Tommy went to work until Friday. It was a long flight home and I was exhausted and sick...but I was happy to see the boys again. Caleb looked huge to me.

It was all such a great trip! I can't say it enough. Everything was perfect. I'm so grateful my parents were willing to watch our boys and that we got to go!

Europe Trip - Italy

2016-05-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Italy Tuesday evening and it was so good to see my sister and her family! Melanie was so excited she cried. :) We ate pizza that night and talked until midnight.

Wednesday Melanie took us to the Catania fish market. It was fascinating! The first section was all fish (and smelled like it too) but then the other half was fruit, vegetable, other meat, cheese and salami stands. We bought a lot of produce and it was so fun to see the culture. We also went to a pasta shop to buy fresh pasta to make at home for lunch. Then we got amazing pastries! Yum.

We played outside at their beautiful house (just check out the view from their backyard!) that afternoon. After dinner we went to Motta, the town you can see from their house, and walked up to the castle there.

Thursday, Sam took off work and while the kids were at school we went to the town of Caltagerone. There is a street that is made entirely of stairs with pottery shops off of it the whole way up. It was so neat! And I loved looking at all the art. Such a fun place!

The view from the top of the stairs!

We grabbed some lunch of arancini (a filled and fried rice ball that is super popular in Sicily and it was Tommy's favorite Italian food we had) and brioche bread and then went to the Piazza Armenia Roman ruins. It was Melanie and Sam's first time there too and it was amazing! It was built in the 6th or 7th century and was full of mosaics that have been preserved because of a big mudslide that covered it for centuries. They only discovered in back in the 50s (I think) and it was amazing to see the incredible mosaics so well preserved.

These types of mosaics covered every surface of flooring.

That evening we got to go to a traditional Italian puppet show in Syricusa/Fortigia with a few members of their branch. It was super interesting. It was all in Italian so we didn't understand the words and it was basically the puppets just fighting the whole time but it was entertaining. It was a small little theater and the puppets were really cool. And it was our first time to see the Mediterranean. We got gelato afterwards. Yum!

Friday was such a good day! Tommy, Sam, and Wesley went hiking up Mt Etna, the volcano, first thing in the morning.

Melanie, Jane, Andy, and I went to visit one of Melanie's friends, Lori, at her farm. She's an American who has stayed in Italy and bought a farm. She teaches horse riding lessons, runs farm camps, and does birthday parties at her farm for the Americans on the base. It was fascinating! She has tons of animals. And we got to feed puppies bottles! One of her dogs just had 8 puppies and is super thin and doesn't have enough milk for them so Lori is having to supplement their feeding with bottles. It was really fun to do. Then we went grocery shopping at the commissary.

That afternoon we went to Taormina. It was our favorite place! We started down at the beach. It was kinda a hazy day but the Mediterranean is so beautiful! It was still too cold for swimming but we walked in it. The waves crashing on the rocks (instead of sand) made the most interesting sound and I loved it. We just sat there and talked for a while and it was so peaceful.

Then we went up the mountain to the city. We enjoyed just walking the streets and looking at the shops. It is a very cute and nice city. Then we got granita which is so good! It's sorta a cross between a smoothie and a slushy...but so much better and fresh!

And right in the city they have Greek amphitheater ruins. It was interesting and is still used. It had the most incredible view from the top!

Afterward we went to an Italian seafood restaurant and walked around a bit more.

This passage between the buildings is an actual alley with doors off of it. crazy.

Saturday their branch had a service project planned for the Italians. We helped pull weeds and fix fences at an archeological park with ancient crypts (like 4th century BC!). And then the Italians fed us lunch afterward.

That afternoon we went into Motta again to go to the bread store and tour the castle. We bought cannolis for after dinner. Sam took us to pick blood oranges in one of their neighbor's orchards, who has told them to come whenever. Melanie and Samuel made pistachio pasta and bruschetta for dinner at home and it was amazing! I actually think it was one of my favorite meals of the trip (and that's saying something!) Then that night we played hide and seek in the dark and other games and chatted.

Sunday we left first thing in the morning to catch our flight to Geneva. It was so sad to go. We had the best time in Italy! The Jarvis' were amazing hosts and we felt like we got to do and see so much while still having good family time. I loved watching Tommy relax and enjoy everything we did (it's been a stressful and crappy year at work for him...and he totally relaxed on this portion of the trip). And it was just so good to see Melanie. I have missed talking to her more. As we took off, I teared up looking below at all the beautiful farms and little cities and thinking about how great of a trip it was. I'm so grateful we got to go!!

Europe Trip - Paris

2016-05-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

Tommy and I had the opportunity to go to Europe in April. It was a fantastic and wonderful trip!!! Like seriously the best. I think we will talk about it forever. My sister Melanie lives in Italy so we knew we wanted to visit them. And Tommy travels to Europe for work so often and we both wanted me to go with him sometime. So we built it all together.

We left Friday, April 15 right after preschool to drive to my parent's house in Delaware. They were kind enough to watch the boys for us to go on this trip and we are so grateful. We spent Saturday with them (and went into Philadelphia because my old roommate Lizi and her husband were on a getaway there at the same time! So we got to meet up with them and it was so good to see them!!). Sunday evening my dad drove Tommy and I to the airport. Because we were building this trip off of a business trip for Tommy, we used his sky miles and splurged and flew in business class. It was so fun to feel spoiled and to see what Tommy gets to enjoy so often!

We flew overnight and landed in Paris late Monday morning. We got to our hotel (and found out we were upgraded to a suite!) downtown right across from the opera house.

We spent the afternoon walking the city. We grabbed a delicious sandwich and apple tart and saw the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the whole city in between. We then walked back to our hotel to rest for a little bit. It took us longer than we thought but we got another sandwich and chocolate croissant. We rested for 30 mins and called the boys and then went back out for dinner. We ate steak and frites at a fun restaurant and then walked to the Eiffel Tower. We waited until dark to see it at night and then took a cab back to the hotel because we were so exhausted from jet lag and walking so much.

This is the mall!

Tuesday jet lag hit me hard. We took a tour of the opera house in the morning. It was beautiful and amazing! It's the opera house that the Phantom of the Opera is based on and it is magnificent. We walked around to a few shops and got crepes for lunch. Then we headed to the airport to fly to Italy.

Paris was really neat! I enjoyed seeing so many of the famous sites and it was my first foreign city experience so I enjoyed just seeing all the differences and people watching.

Baby Girl

2016-05-09T17:01:00.003-07:00

We are so excited to be expecting our third baby!!! And it's a girl! She is due September 30 and everything is going really well. We feel so grateful and excited for her to join our family. :)

March

2016-04-14T12:34:00.003-07:00

Tommy was home the entire month of March (minus the first few days)! It was soooo wonderful for all of us!!!

Our friends had their 5th baby and we watched their other 4 kids overnight. It went really well and my boys (and me!) loooooved the new baby.

Tommy and I went to Mormon Prom because he had to chaperone. They had a nice dinner and it was fun to teenage-watch

We went hiking in Oxford and it was wonderful!!! B is a good little hiker and it is so much fun doing that kind of stuff with my family.

Bradley started soccer and LOVES it!

Bradley and I went to a birthday party at a trampoline park and it was so much fun! I think I had as much fun as he did.

Other random pictures:

one day I closed Bradley out of my bedroom while I got dressed and he got really mad (he doesn't like being closed out of doors...especially when Caleb is with me). He slipped these two papers under the door and it made me laugh so hard! He really wanted me to know how he felt about it.

I spilled the entire bowl of cinnamon sugar during the making of snickerdoodles and Caleb was right under me.

He liked his strawberry shortcake :)

Easter:

preschool party

hunting eggs at home. (I love him in his rain boots!)

Goodbye Saturn

2016-03-28T18:07:00.002-07:00

Today we said goodbye to our dear old Saturn. It was strangely very sad and sentimental to say goodbye. It was such a faithful car. Back when we were at BYU and it wasn't running well, we always assumed it would be the one to leave us. In time we were able to get the Saturn working great again, and since it is still quite reliable it almost feels like we are betraying the car after all these years. The Saturn has been a consistent part of our life for quite a while - I blogged about it back in 2010 as well.

Here's why the Saturn is sentimental:

The car is 20 years old
It has 243,170 miles
My family had it for 16 years
I drove it in high school and have lots of fun memories driving in it with my brother
Tommy didn't have a car in college, so it was the car that took us on all of our dates
It's where I taught Tommy to drive a stick shift
Tommy and I had our first kiss in this car
We drove away in the Saturn after our wedding
We brought Bradley home from the hospital in it
It has faithfully gotten Tommy to and from work in Ohio for the last 4 years

There have been lots of times we thought it was on it's last leg....but it's never actually given us major problems. It has been our miracle car and has been such a blessing to us. It's kinda silly how sad we have felt about saying goodbye.

It's definitely not a pretty car anymore and it has a very distinct old smell, but it has been so so good to us. It's not worth much anymore, so we donated it to Make a Wish Foundation...hopefully it will be good to someone else too. I will forever wonder how long it ultimately lived!

Thank you Saturn for all you have done for us! You will always have a soft spot in our hearts!!

But any sorrow we feel in saying goodbye is replaced by the excitement for our new car. :)

18 months

2016-02-19T12:47:00.001-08:00

Caleb is 18 months now! And he has been so much fun lately!! He has grown up a lot and is becoming a much happier and content little guy.

His favorite things are stuffed animals (the dog is is favorite, special one he sleeps with), books, and marbles, and balls. He unloads the kid bookshelf multiple times a day. But he doesn't just unload it to make a mess, he actually sits and looks through them all. He can be entertained by books for so long!

He is a really good eater and loves food! He isn't as attached to me as he used to be and right now is on a really big Daddy kick. He loves being chased and tickled.

Caleb and Bradley have really started to become good buds lately. They play so well together and I love watching them interact. Caleb is more patient with Bradley's constant touching and we've been really working hard with Bradley to not touch Caleb's face or neck and that has helped a lot. I think they will continue to grow closer.

He is really picking up with language. He doesn't jabber like Bradley used to, but he says a lot of words and mimics sounds. His best words are baby, ball, marble, apple, bye, balloon, poop, and mama,

We love this baby!!!!

January

2016-01-31T18:40:00.001-08:00

Honestly, I can't really think of anything to say about January. Tommy went to Geneva, Tommy and Bradley had nasty colds for 2 weeks, it was unusually warm, we went to the children's museum and the zoo. We played with marbles all month! We went to a friend's house who had marbles and my boys were obsessed. She let them borrow a little bag of them and they were so entertained. So at the end of the week, we went to the dollar store and Bradley bought himself some marbles. They are still the favorite toy. Since nothing else really happened, I will just talk about the boys.

Bradley talks all the time and he talks fast. He asks questions constantly. When I'm in the right mood, I love answering his questions. When I'm tired or trying to get something done, it definitely gets old. But I just love his little brain and the way he thinks. His most common question lately has been "Is (insert some kind of food) healthy?" We have explained that all fruits and vegetables are healthy and everything else we eat in moderation....but he still asks it over and over. Bradley loves babies. My friend has a baby girl and he is especially obsessed with her. He will just sit by her and touch her softly and talk to her. It's so adorable. He has been talking for a while now about how we need another baby in our family. He has been praying each night for 5 boy and 5 girl babies....oh my! He mastered his big bike this month. yay! We had parent/teacher conferences at his school last week. He has progressed a lot. His teacher told me several times how much they love how happy he is and how much he talks to the teachers and asks questions. They love how he always walks in with a giant smile. I'm grateful for his good preschool. He still loves to pester Caleb, but he is also so sweet with him. He is so quick to help him and would love if Caleb was always willing to play with him. He is a good big brother, especially when he wants to be.

Caleb has grown up so much lately. He is learning to communicate really well. He doesn't talk a ton and doesn't really jabber like Bradley used to, but he is constantly learning new words. This boy melts our hearts. I really love one-year-olds. He is so curious and gets into everything, but he is so sweet. He could sit and read books forever! And he is obsessed with his stuffed animals. He is definitely starting to get naughty with intentionally disobeying or doing things he knows he's not supposed to. He is more fearless at a playground than Bradley. He loves slides and climbing. And he still eats a ton. He has been more interested lately in playing with Bradley. They mimic sounds back and forth (which, depending on the noise, is either really cute or really annoying). We love this sweet baby.

blowing a kiss to me before bed :)

One day Caleb randomly tackled Bradley and then laid on him and cuddled for a few minutes. It made Bradley so happy.

We went on a few hikes with the Holts. We really enjoyed those!! So much fun.

I love when Bradley writes. :)

Post-bath jumping on the bed. so funny!

cloud dough fun/mess

My favorite day of the month was probably yesterday. It was so warm. We went to the zoo in the morning and then had a dinner picnic at the park. We played frisbee, soccer, and then played on the playground. I love my family.

December

2016-01-07T16:50:00.003-08:00

December was a great month! Tommy traveled to Geneva for a week, but other than that we were home and enjoyed so much time together. It has been unusually warm and I have loved it! We have spent a lot of time outside for December. :)

Us and the Guffey's were in charge of our ward's Christmas dinner this year. They assigned several families to help us. Tommy and the Keister's organized the activities and the Pahulu's and I did the food. It was a lot of work and I didn't get to talk to many people at the party since I was busy the whole time (and it was super hard that we had small children to tend to during it), but it was very successful and turned out good. We had a huge turnout and our gym was packed to capacity.

Bradley had his preschool Christmas program and party. Both were so so cute. Bradley is a very outgoing kid, but often gets shy about performing. I wasn't sure how he would do at the program, but he sang every song very energetically. Other moms told me the next day how much they loved watching him and how cute he was. He got really into it. I have loved watching his development in school and I love how much he loves it.

We did an overnight staycation with the Stices downtown. Skylar had a couple of free hotel nights that were expiring at the end of the year but they hadn't had a chance to use them so they invited us to spend a night in Cincinnati. It was a lot of fun. We went out to eat, walked to Over the Rhine, watched the ice skaters at Fountain Square, and got Graeters. After we got the kids down we went to their hotel room and played games. The next morning we went to Findlay Market and then went home. Short, but fun.

We did all our typical Christmas activities like the zoo lights, Christmas walk at Neiderman farm, making toffee for friends, and singing Christmas carols every night. Christmas this year felt so magical. We loved having just our little family together and our boys are so much fun.

Christmas eve we went to the zoo in the morning. Our bishop had us and a few families over for dinner that night. I was hesitant to go because I had just wanted to do stuff as a family that night...but I'm so glad we went! They did it early enough to leave families enough time to do their own traditions at home and it was actually really nice. We had a good dinner, played a game with Christmas carols, acted out the nativity, and had a little spiritual message. It actually made the evening feel even more exciting.

And Christmas day was perfect. It took us almost 4 hours to open all the presents because we stopped and played with each thing as we opened it. So much fun!!!

This dog was easily Caleb's favorite gift. He loves it so much. He walks around carrying it around its neck like this and snuggles it so good at night.

We used Christmas money to get a membership at the children's museum for this year. The boys had so much fun.

New years eve we spent the day at the Air Force Museum. Bradley had so many questions and Caleb loved walking around like he owned the place.

That night we went to a party at the Young's house for their babies' birthdays and then played games at home until midnight.

Other pictures:
lots of dress up!

Lots of outside time

October

2015-11-02T10:58:00.003-08:00

We enjoyed a beautiful October. Tommy went on 3 business trips (Chicago, Minneapolis, and Connecticut). I enjoyed lots of projects with making Halloween costumes and painting our kitchen.

I went with Bradley on his preschool fieldtrip to Neiderman Farm. It was really fun and cute to see him with his classmates.

Miss Kate and a bunch of 4 year olds loving on a very sweet kitten.

Our family went to Shaw farms to pick out our pumpkins. Caleb was obsessed with the animals they have!

We discovered a new park that we LOVE! It has artificial hills with turf and you can slide down them. So so so cool.

We enjoyed lots of good time outside. :)

We painted our kitchen gray/blue (used to be bright yellow). It was a big project but I'm enjoying the results.

We had lots of Halloween fun this year. We were monsters! I had a lot of fun creating and sewing the costumes this year. It was all Bradley's idea and he was very involved, which was fun. We had a Halloween playgroup, Bradley's preschool party, church party, and pizza and trick-or-treating with our neighbors.

Bradley finally learned to confidently pedal this month!!! He has kinda known how but for some reason tricycles/bikes have been intimidating to him so he just wouldn't even try. I tried just being patient and encouraging, but he was never ready. When we got our first batch of Halloween candy, I decided to put it to good use. I drew a chalk road on our back patio and told him for every 5 laps he did he could have a piece of candy. That did the trick!! The first few times were frustrating for him and I had to help him quite a bit, but he quickly got the hang of it and now enjoys it! Yay yay yay!!! He now rides and doesn't even ask for the candy. :) Super proud of him. We had lots of conversations about how practicing helps us learn how to do hard things. Those conversations and his new confidence have helped him try a few other new things.

He has been looking super grown up to me lately.

And he has been super into cutting paper.

Caleb is walking! He has improved so much and is now walking just as much as crawling. I've decided Caleb is a home body. Most of my friends think he is so grumpy because he always is when we are with other people, but when we are just at home by ourselves playing, he is so happy and fun! That is completely opposite of Bradley, so I'm used to always trying to get out, but I need to take more time at home for Caleb.

Other pictures from the month:

These pictures are blurry because they were moving so much but they make me laugh. They love ice cream!

14 Months

2015-10-13T12:38:00.003-07:00

Caleb is now 14 months old! He is a funny boy. He is either completely easy-going, happy, and a little silly or a complete grouch with a temper. There is not much in between. He scowls at strangers which I find funny because Bradley went out of his way to smile at strangers at this age. (my boys are sooooo different!) But oh he can be a sweetheart! He prefers me over anyone and it always just melts me (unless I'm trying to make dinner.)

He is learning to walk! He took his first steps a couple of weeks ago and is making progress. He is getting more confident and just this morning walked across a whole room! Yay!

He is also learning to talk. He is picking up new words quickly. Here are his best words: mom, milk, more, ball, book, balloon, dad, bye, dog, duck. Obviously all the words sound pretty similar...they all start with m, b, or d and sound a lot alike but he can at least communicate them along with pointing. He also has the funniest head shake when he doesn't want something. He shakes "no" very vigorously.

He is down to one 2-3 hour nap and sleeps 12 hours at night. I'm enjoying the only one nap with him because it frees up our morning quite a bit.

He is obsessed with books right now. Like he goes crazy if he sees them and can sit for quite a while just looking through them. Although if you try to read him an "older" type story book, he gets mad and wants the ones he likes.

He loves animals and stuffed animals so much. He gets so excited when we see any sort of animal.

And his hair keeps getting lighter and lighter! It's sooo weird. It actually has a ton of red/orange in it. Weird that such a tan baby has red-ish hair.

I love one year olds. Even though they start having tantrums and you can't reason with them, they are just so adorable and funny to watch. I love how curious he is and the way he plays with toys (and unloads cabinets).

these are some of his one year old pictures:

the scowl:

We love our Caleb!

Bradley Age 4

2015-10-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Bradley turned 4 in August!! He had a great birthday at Grandma's house.

Doctor kit

At the beginning of September he started preschool! He goes 3 days a week and LOVES it! It has been so good for all of us. I have nothing but fantastic things to say about his school, teachers, and experiences so far.

He got to celebrate his birthday at school one day and was so excited and proud.

His imagination has exploded and changed the way he plays. Whereas he used to only pretend real things (like car noises, pretend cooking, etc), he has now added in dialogue. So now his cars talk, have conversations, and fight bad guys.

He is so interested in good guys vs bad guys right now. And he's been dreaming a lot and actually telling us about his dreams. His nightmares usually involve bad guys or bugs.

I have loved my conversations with him lately! He is so funny and understands so much more. He has also been a lot more whiney though. I've heard 4 is an emotional age and so far that has been true for him. His meltdowns have become way more intense and dramatic than ever.

Tired boy:

One day while letting my kids delay nap time, I started playing a game with Bradley where I asked him, "What is your favorite ____(every possible thing I could think of)?" and then he would answer. It was so cute to hear some of his responses. He got clever with some. Like, "what is your favorite salad?" (he hates salad). His response, "hmmm a little salad".

At one point he mentioned something about growing up and having a kid. I told him, "Did you know that someday when you have a baby and become a daddy, that then I will be a grandma??" He got a super serious and sad face and said in a quiet tender voice, "Oh noooo. I don't want you to change into a grandma." Oh. my. goodness. It made me melt and feel bad that that thought made him sad. I hugged him and told him that I would always be his mommy though. It was so sweet and tender.

I helped him sew a diaper for cow. :)

Despite the meltdowns and extra whiny voice, I have really been enjoying him lately. He is a sweet, fun boy.

Washington D.C.

2015-09-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Tommy and I had wanted to take a trip somewhere for our 5 year anniversary, but then I was 8 months pregnant, so we decided to wait until this year. We changed plans several times, but finally settled on doing 4 days, 3 nights in Washington D.C. It was a blast!!! And it was so nice to get to run away together and have a break from parenting and normal life. It was our first time really away from the kids.

For months, I had been worrying about leaving Caleb and weaning him, but as the weeks got closer I just got excited. He weaned really easily and didn't mind the change. I had no worries when we left them Tuesday and that was such a great feeling!

Tuesday morning we headed to the D.C. temple. We had been really bummed to find out after we booked our hotel, that the temple would be closed for major work. So sad! We had been excited to go the temple without having to worry about kids. But we still went to see the temple and spend some time at the visitor center. After a picnic lunch we headed to my Aunt Denene's house, where we were leaving our car for the week. We enjoyed catching up with her and my cousin Brian. Then she drove us to the metro station.

After we got downtown and walked to our hotel, we ate dinner at California Tortilla and then walked around the mall and the monuments. The weather was so nice and it was great to just go on a long walk that evening. We ended up walking close to 6 miles that night.

Wednesday was my birthday! We spent that day at museums. We both love museums and it was so fun to see so much and not have to worry about kids and naps! We went to the Archives, Air and Space, American History, and Natural History museums. We spent the most time at the American History museum (so many cool things there!!). For dinner we ate at the top of the W hotel, which has a terrace with a fantastic view. We were looking down on the White House. It was a fun day.

Future President

My view at dinner :)

That is the White House right there!

Thursday we walked through the Library of Congress and then headed to our Capital tour. Tommy had made arrangements through our Congressman for the tour - but the super cool thing is that we live in the Speaker of the House, John Boehner's district (in fact he lives in our town). So it was just me and Tommy in the tour with one of his interns and we got to see his office chambers in the Capital. We were official "business visitors". His desk has a fantastic view looking straight down the mall at the Washington Monument. We both really enjoyed that tour.

We then took the metro to Arlington and walked all over the cemetery to the Iwo Jima monument and to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Then we walked back from Arlington (several miles) to see the Roosevelt and Jefferson Monuments and then went to the Holocaust Museum (very somber). We were so pooped after 3 days of a ton of walking so we took the metro to the restaurant Nando's. It's a Brazilian chicken place and it was definitely my favorite meal we had! So good!!

Friday morning we went to the botanical gardens and walked around a little more and then checked out of our hotel and rode the metro back out of the city, where Denene picked us up. After we got our car, we drove up to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. We walked around a bit and ate at a seafood restaurant.

Then we went back to my parent's house. It was fun to see the boys again! Their reactions were so cute!

Tommy and I had a great time getting away. We walked sooooo much and our feet hurt so bad each night. I loved getting to stay up late and sleep in and not have to worry about a schedule. It was so much fun to have good time together!

And the boys hardly noticed. They had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa. My parents are awesome and I'm so grateful they were willing to watch them for us. :)

Such a fun week!!!

Montoya Reunion

2015-09-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Tommy's mom and siblings happened to plan a trip to Delaware to visit Andrew and his family at the same time we were planning to be in Delaware. So Tommy's mom decided to make it more of an official reunion.

She and the kids arrived late Thursday night into Philadelphia and they stayed at my parent's house that night. Andrew, Christina, Zia, and Joslin came up from Dover the next day. We hung out at my parent's house, played at the park, and had a BBQ. Then my dad took family pictures for us and we got ice cream.

Saturday we spent the day at Cape Henlopen beach. It was so much fun! I haven't been to the beach in so long. The boys both loved it! Bradley did not like the water because the waves scared him, but he could have spent days playing in the sand. Caleb loved it all! We all ate at Applebees after getting cleaned up. The boys went to bed really late that night and Caleb was so hyper at the restaurant - it was really funny to watch.

Sunday we went to church in Dover and then hung out at Andrew's house. They took us to the Air Force museum on base. Bradley really loved seeing all the planes.

The kids played in the kiddie pool that afternoon, but we didn't have Bradley's swimsuit so he got to wear some of Zia's pink shorts. haha it was so funny looking!

It was fun to have everyone together!

Caleb's birthday

2015-09-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Caleb turned 1!!! I was pretty sad about him turning one for some reason. He has been so attached to me and I was sad about weaning him for our DC trip. But once it was actually his birthday, I was fine and excited for him.

He woke up early on his birthday. I brought him to bed with me and miraculously, he laid on top of me and fell back to sleep! He isn't a very cuddly baby and never sleeps on me, so I was shocked. He slept with me for about 45 minutes and I loved it! He laid as if he was hugging me and it was so so sweet. I counted that as his birthday gift to me. :)

We took him swimming in the hot tub in the afternoon since he loves swimming so much.

I made a zucchini chocolate cake that was delicious and he loved it. He was a little hesitant at first, but thoroughly enjoyed it once he got going. He LOVED when we sang to him.

He had fun opening some presents.

Happy birthday little Caleb!!! We love you so much and are so glad you are in our family!

Delaware

2015-09-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

We spent 3 weeks in Delaware! It was originally only going to be 2 weeks, but Tommy had a business trip to New York scheduled the week after we were supposed to be back, so we just stayed there and he took the train up to NYC. It was so much fun!!

I always just love being with my parents and the boys had fun with them too. In between our time with Tommy's family and our trip to DC (other posts), we did lots of just normal errands and playing. But here are some other fun things we did:

Riding bikes - We took our bike trailer and my parent's borrowed some friends' bikes so we could all go on bike rides. We did it several times, but my favorite was riding along the canal. So fun and pretty!

Orchard - there is a peach orchard near their house with a really fun area for kids. The boys had a lot of fun there, especially feeding the goats.

Ice Cream - near my parent's house is a homemade ice cream stand right by a pasture of cows. It's a fun place to sit and eat ice cream and watch the cows. We went 4 times. :)

Parks - I love the parks near my parent's house and we went several times.

One of the Saturdays my mom had seminary training so my dad took us to Philadelphia to Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was written and signed. We really enjoyed it (well the boys didn't care much)!

My Aunt Denene and cousins Brian and Jay came for a weekend. I loved getting to spend time with them. We went on a walk to a lighthouse, went to Hagley museum, and played games.

We ate out at the Canal House and enjoyed watching the boats along the canal and walking on the board walk.

Game Tournament - We played games every night and kept track of who won for a tournament. It was so much fun to play games so often! And it was fun because I won. :)

And my parents are so fun with my kids. Bradley has asked me sooo many times since we've gotten back, "What is Delaware Grandma doing right now? I really miss her!"

I'm so glad we got to spend a great 3 weeks in Delaware! What a fun month!

Around Our House - July

2015-08-02T16:57:00.002-07:00

July was a very low-key month.

We celebrated the 4th of July by going to the parade in the morning, and then swimming and BBQ with the Holts in the evening. We decided to skip fireworks so we didn't have to mess with Caleb's sleep, but then at 10pm we could see 3 different shows from our driveway so we woke up Bradley to watch them. He loved them!

We celebrated six years of marriage. :) Joslin babysat for us so we could go on a date. We went to PF Changs and Barnes and Noble, and then Target, Lowes, and Walmart looking for our anniversary gnome. We ended at sonic to share a sundae. It was fun.

We started taking dance lessons from my friend Katie who is a ballroom dancer. We won 3 lessons from her at our ward's service auction. It was so much fun!

We rented a pedal boat at Sharonwoods Park. The boys really enjoyed it. Then we let them play in the little spash pad river for a few minutes.

We went to the Indianapolis temple open house. It was beautiful! It was neat to get to take the boys there.

Tommy baked and cooked a lot! We are all enjoying his new hobby. :)

And other random pics:

One of the prizes from the library's summer reading program was fireman hats

Gotta make sure cow stays safe!

How is that for a 3 year old outfit???

Playing in the rain

Dress up!

Bradley is definitely in the asking questions stage. There is a question or a "why" for everything! He is getting excited for his birthday. He has finally started to show more empathy for others and is very quick to apologize lately. I'm glad for those developments. His energy levels continue to amaze me. Fun boy!

Caleb is crawling! I'm so happy for that. It's nice that he can move around where he wants to. Of course with that comes a lot more mess, but I am so okay with it. His babbling is starting to change to the older baby gibberish that happens before words. He makes the biggest messes at dinner! The second he is done with something, it all goes on the floor! He has started wrestling with Tommy and Bradley and that is super cute.

A New Kid

2015-07-28T17:34:00.003-07:00

Caleb has spit up/thrown up his whole life. As a newborn, he projectile vomited. As he got older, he stopped spitting up after nursings, but if he cried for more than a few minutes in his bed, he would throw up or even if Tommy made him belly laugh, he would throw up. It was sad (and gross).

Around 4 months old he stopped sleeping 12 hours at night and only slept about 10 hrs. He learned to sit up around 6 months old, but didn't try to move around or crawl. And he was a very, very serious baby who pretty much only ever wanted me.

Over Christmas break (4 months old), he threw up black throw up. We were out of town though so there wasn't really anything to do. He seemed perfectly healthy otherwise. It happened again in April and I took him to the doctor. They couldn't find anything wrong with him but gave me some swabs for if it happened again. It happened again last month and I took a sample in and it contained blood. (He actually had discolored throw up quite often, but these times it was super dark). He also had stopped gaining weight. He was dropping percentiles.

The pediatrician referred me to a GI doctor, but started him on an antacid immediately. I felt really good about that because we have always known he probably had reflux. (As a newborn when he vomited a lot, the dr said that's what it was but since he wasn't fussy and slept well, they didn't do anything about it because most babies outgrow it). For some reason I hadn't really thought about reflux for the last 6 months and didn't attribute all the other issues to that.

And oh my goodness, what a difference we have seen!!! He is a whole new kid now. He has been on the medication for 3 weeks and in that time he has started sleeping 11-12 hrs a night again, clapping, waving, crawling, eating better, putting on weight, and is SO MUCH happier!!! He actually plays and laughs and is so much more content.

We had the GI appointment today and he has gained 2 pounds in the last month. He went from the 18th percentile to the 45th percentile. Wahoo!! He hasn't thrown up even once since he's been on medication.

I feel kinda awful that he's probably been in pain this whole time and we just didn't know. Poor baby. But I am SO grateful it is working so well for him. I love that it was a simple and easy fix that has made such a difference for him.

Swimming

2015-07-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

We've gotten to go swimming quite a bit this summer and it's been so much fun! We have mostly been going to the Mason pool with Katie and Jude in the evenings. They have a pass with some guest passes on it.

Caleb is a natural in the water. He just loves it! He gets so excited and kicks and scoops his arms enough that he actually moves. We can dunk him (which Tommy does often) without him really reacting. He also recently started putting his own face in the water and blowing bubbles. It's amazing! He is just so happy when in water.

Bradley has always been hesitant of water. At the beginning of the summer when we were in Moab, he basically cried the whole time and would put up a big fight if we made him leave the steps. But because we have gone swimming so much, he has really warmed up to it and now loves it. He still doesn't like to get his face or head wet, but he enjoys being at the pool and that is a huge improvement! He has gotten good with his puddle jumper and will swim off on his own and he loves playing and walking by himself in areas he can touch. He now gets excited to go swimming and is usually wanting to stay longer than we can. Yay!

Tommy has loved all the swimming. In past summers, I got to go swimming with Bradley but usually during the day when Tommy worked. But this year since we've been going in the evenings, he has gotten to come and we've made it more of a priority. His first suggestion for an activity is always swimming.

I have enjoyed cooling off and seeing my boys happy. I also enjoy chatting with Katie since we usually go with her. :)

It's been a lot of fun!

Around Our House - June

2015-07-03T10:40:00.004-07:00

We spent our first two weeks in Utah. The week we got back, Tommy got sick and we had our new windows installed, so Tommy worked from home every day that week.

The window installation went well but took them 4 days instead of 2. It was a combination of problems on their end (truck problems one morning and a funeral another day), rain, and our horrible old windows. Instead of the windows easily coming out, they kept chipping and breaking when they were taking them out because they were so old and brittle. The workers were really annoyed with them. So I guess it was a good thing we replaced them! The supervisor said he hadn't seen ones that bad in a while. We are loving the new windows! They look so much better and are so much easier to open! Yay!!

We celebrated Tommy's 26th birthday and Father's day! We love him!

It was my first time making a cake with 3 layers. It was so good. :) The Stices came over to eat cake and play a game.

Tommy's Father's day gift was a giant cook book (America's Test Kitchen). He is loving it and we are enjoying what he's made! As he was looking through it Bradley came up to him and started whispering random things in his ear and then said, "Dad I have another present for you. It's a hug." haha it was cute and funny.

The following week Tommy was in New York until Thursday evening and went straight from the airport to Youth Conference, which went until Saturday night. The beginning of the week went really well for me but gradually got harder. I helped prepare food for Fred Holberg's (Rampton's grandpa) funeral and took the boys to the funeral alone. It went well but was exhausting. I helped with a baby shower for one of the women I visit teach who just adopted a baby. I'm so happy for her. I had to have my kids with me though and that took me away from a lot of the conversations. I just needed a break from the kids by the end of the week. I took the kids to the church Saturday night while they were eating dinner for Youth Conference so Tommy could see the kids since he hadn't seen them all week.

Tommy with his aunt and cousins on a jumbo screen in Times Square

Youth Conference went really well. Tommy had a great time. We had four 14 and 15 year old boys stay with us. That was fun. It made us excited for when our boys are that age.

We picked blueberries with Katie and Jude one morning. We had a lot of fun and Bradley was fascinated by the farm.

We went swimming with the Holts and had playgroup at a splashpad. Caleb was super intrigued by it.

We also went to our town's "Touch a Truck" event. Bradley really enjoyed it, although this year he didn't want to sit in very many of the trucks.

Bradley has been really fun this month. I substituted in his Sunbeams class on Sunday and he was so excited I was his teacher. :) He has been singing "Happy birthday" all the time since Tommy's birthday. He yells it in his room after we've put him to bed. And he has been telling everyone that he's turning 4 in August. He has discovered it feels good to have someone scratch his back and asks for it fairly often. He talks on his play phone a lot. Most often he talks to Aunt Julie or Grandma.

Caleb still isn't fully crawling!! He is soooo close, but just can't quite do it. He is pro at getting onto his knees now and has started to move his hands but can't figure out how to move his legs forward. He also crosses his feet and then gets tangled. He lunges himself forward, can sit up from laying down, and rotates easily so he still ends up moving quite a bit. He is babbling a ton and started pointing this month. He loves swimming. We even dunk him and he doesn't mind! And one of the best ways to calm him down is to read books.

This week Caleb threw up black vomit again. I took a sample to the doctor the next day and it tested positive for containing blood. He also hasn't gained weight since April. They really can't tell what's wrong with him. I have an appointment with a GI doctor at the end of July. He has been so grumpy and is getting 4 new teeth. He has had a fever off and on and isn't sleeping well. I feel SO bad for him and have no idea what to do. This type of thing makes my worrying nature go out of control. I just wish he could tell me what hurts and how to make it better. My poor, sweet baby.

But he is obviously still happy and cute when he feels good. :)

Utah trip part 2 - Moab

2015-06-17T17:24:00.002-07:00

Monday afternoon we drove down to Moab for my family's reunion. Only 3 of us 6 siblings (me, Julie, and Danny) were able to come this time, but both sets of grandparents were able to come. I'm really glad we got to see the grandparents! It was a great reunion!

Monday we just arrived, got unloaded, went swimming, and talked. I hadn't seen Danny since the last reunion 2.5 years ago. It was fun to be all together!

Tuesday we went to Arches National Park. We enjoyed stopping at several spots and doing several small hikes. The kids all loved getting to climb all over the rocks.

Bradley walking with my 95 year old grandpa. :) love it!

After lunch those of us with kids, went to the Sand Arch. After you hiked back between the cliff walls, it was all just sand! Julie had brought their big bag of sand toys and the kids had a blast! It was like being at the beach. It was nice and cool in the shade and we had a good time there.

That evening my parents, Tommy, and Danny went back to Arches to hike to the Delicate Arch, which was more intense than the kids would have enjoyed.

Wednesday we went to Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands National Park. In Canyonlands we hiked up "Whale Rock" which I really enjoyed. I went slow with Bradley and Julie (who recently had her ACL replaced). It was fun to go slow with them. At the top there was a great echo that Bradley loved.

Thursday morning I did a rafting trip down the Colorado River with my parents and Karen. My mom has all the pictures from that. It was a lot of fun. I was nervous about leaving Caleb for that long (about 6 hours), but decided to anyways. We got rained on during the trip which I actually really enjoyed. Between the rain and the last rapids we went through, I was completely soaked. As we were waiting for the bus to pick us up, it poured! It was a really good rain storm. Everyone was huddled together under the pavilion and all of us who were wet were freezing. We saw lighting strike the cliffs RIGHT by us! I saw it strike and immediately heard one of the loudest thunders I've ever heard. It actually sounded like a pop because we were so close. It was pretty cool. Finally the bus was ready to take us back. About halfway down the canyon, all the traffic was stopped and people were getting out of the cars. There had been a big mudslide with rocks in the road and it was impassable. Grrrreat. It was like my nightmare happening. We had no idea how long it would take to get cleared and my baby was waiting for me and no one had phones (or service...we asked others who were out of their cars). Luckily we only had to wait about 50 minutes before they got it cleared. I was relieved! And Caleb did fine. He got hungry and was grumpy but was fine. I'm glad I went!

Tommy and Danny took the kids on another hike in Arches while we were gone that morning.

Danny and Julie's families went to play in the river that afternoon, but my family was too tired. They were heading back once our boys woke up so we didn't go.

Friday we packed up and left the condos. We went back to Arches for one more hike with Danny and Julie's families. It was one of my favorites we did.

The rest of the time of the reunion was spent hanging out at the condos, playing games, riding bikes, eating good food, watching the kids play in the dirt behind the condos. and swimming. It was so much fun!

Caleb Glen meeting Grandpa Glen. :)

Grandma Margene celebrated her 86th birthday on Thursday! The kids didn't mind having cupcakes. :)

The only complication at this reunion was Grandma Jane (age 95) fell out of bed twice in one night. We shared a condo with them and my other grandparents, so Tommy and my Grandpa Glen had to help her. It was kinda scary. She also got sick and had a bad cough. Somehow she still managed to keep her sense of humor (even though it was obvious she did not feel good). She's amazing.

Lots of pool time!

Love my siblings!!

Bradley had so much fun with his cousins. He has been talking about them nonstop ever since.

Friday we went back to Julie's house. Danny's family also stayed there. We went swimming at her pool and hung out the rest of the night.

Saturday morning we flew home. Not going to lie - it was hard to come home. It felt good knowing we would get back to routine, but I loved everything about this vacation and getting to see family and mountains. Ohio didn't feel as exciting this time.

But I'm so glad we got to go! We had such a great time!