Trip to Alabama Part 4: Norris-Downs Wedding

Saturday, June 18th was our final and most anticipated day in Alabama...it was Andrew's sister Rachel's wedding day! She married a super sweet, worth-a-million-bucks kind of a guy named Drew Downs in the Birmingham, Alabama Temple (if you don't know much about Mormon temples but wonder, click HERE).

It was a beautifully HOT morning for a wedding. The kids [mostly] wore smiles on their faces and matching suits and dresses (aren't they cute??), accompanied by sweet rosy cheeks and glistening hairstyles. Rachel and Drew hardly seemed to notice the heat. They were beaming with ear-to-ear smiles all day long! It was contagious. I love being around happy newlyweds.

The Downs hosted a wedding luncheon in an LDS church building just across the street from the temple. You could tell they had planned in advance for the 20 Norris munchkins...they had a little table set in the middle of the room especially for them, complete with coloring books and crayons for each child, and lovingly made heart-shaped PB&J sandwiches for all. Taylor dug it. (So did I).

Taylor struggled to nap that day.

And after struggling to survive the heat and enjoying the wedding and luncheon festivities fully, Taylor's body would not accept playing more at the wedding reception at the Hoover Country Club that night. Andrew and I moved him around a lot and still to my amazement, he crashed! We found a large comfy chair near the food (for Andrew and I, of course) and let my exhausted 3 year-old snooze.

The wedding cake and bridal bouquet took my breath away. Every detail at this wedding was beautifully done--to perfection.

We all had a great time at the reception. It had the most "party" feel to a reception of any I've ever attended! Rachel and Drew hired a live deejay who kept the dance floor active for most of the night. I hadn't been out dancing since I married Andrew, so I put myself out there and had a great time shakin' it up. Russell, our little social butterfly baby, showed evidence of fatigue but thrived in the party atmosphere. Taylor eventually woke up and enjoyed food and dancing too.

Here are some snippets from the reception, top-to-bottom:

Top Left: Drew's parents, Drew, Rachel, and Rachel's (Andrew's) parents in a receiving line near the entrance of the Hoover Country Club.

Top Right: Andrew and Taylor dancing on the dance floor to one of Taylor's favorite songs that he calls "Baby Tonight" (more about that story HERE).

Bottom Left: Andrew dancing with his mom briefly during a mother/son dance. He had to share that lovely lady..Andrew's four other brothers took a turn with Mom during the dance too.

Bottom Right: Rachel and Drew's wedding guests enjoying beautifully displayed hors d'oeuvres.

The wedding was a great way to end our vacation. Congratulations to Rachel and Drew, and thank you dear Norris family for some of the best two weeks of our lives! We love you.

Trip to Alabama Part 3: Ft. Walton Beach

The weekend of the June 11th - 13th was a special treat for we western folk. We drove even further south--to the Florida coast--to play at the beach! Taylor has read countless books and seen many movies about the beach or ocean and has been begging for us to take him there ever since he had a basic awareness of the place.

When we arrived at Ft. Walton Beach, Taylor's first words were: "The BEACH! I CAN'T believe it!!" That moment alone made the four hour drive from Birmingham worth it.

What made the trip even better was that Andrew's parents came, and his brothers and sisters came with their families--all of them. It was the first genuinely just Kim & Pam Norris posterity reunion the family has ever had. It was such a special time; my favorite part of our stay in the south for sure. I hope there will be many more times like these to come.

We enjoyed playing with a variety of fun toys--Robbie and Michelle's stand-up paddle board (what Andrew is holding above), kites, boogie boards, and plenty of sand toys: buckets, shovels, sand molds, etc.

We all stayed in the same beach-side hotel together. Talk about fun! That made it so easy to play, day and night. We fully enjoyed and utilized our time there.

Taylor dug hole after hole after hole in the sand. He and his cousins buried each other in the sand countless times. Beach play made my little 3 year-old such an easy child to handle! Even Russell entertained himself. He crawled around the sand near his cousins and didn't mind that it got all over the place. I know how I would be spending my summers if I lived on the coast.

Doesn't just looking at these pictures make you feel calm and serene? Our time in that place was soothing to my soul.

It's moments like those that make all my troubles seem to vanish and life a journey worth the making.

Trip to Alabama Part 2: Shark Party

Taylor and Russell celebrated their birthdays the week before we drove to Alabama. Our sweet family out there remembered this and showered plenty of special attention on them after we arrived. I was especially touched and amazed by my sister in-law Jill, who offered to host a shark party for them! She, who so far has four little girls and no boys (not to mention a real talent for hosting events) went crazy with plans for a very BOY themed morning. And we loved it.

There were picture perfect shark decorations. Impressively decorated shark/beach cupcakes and shark themed snacks. Lots of water activities. Birthday presents. And kids. Lots of kids. All of Taylor and Russell's 18 cousins were there! Did I mention that they were showered with attention? They loved it.

Here's Russell taking time to cool down...it was H.O.T.

All 20 Norris grandchildren pictured here, except for newborn baby Kaitlin. Quite the crowd, huh?

Thank you again to Jill and all Norris family for giving this huge gift to our boys. It was the party of a lifetime!

Trip to Alabama

From June 2nd to 19th, Alabama was our world. We drove out there (yes, drove) to celebrate big moments with Andrew's siblings-- Don graduating from dental school at UAB, new baby Kaitlin's blessing, Rachel & Drew's wedding--and to take plenty of time to fully enjoy being with our family who live in a distant land that keeps us from seeing them very often.

Here's Taylor and Russell with Jeff and Faye's kids (Andrew's brother and his wife) eating popsicles on a day so hot that they could hardly eat them before they melted off their sticks! It was SO hot in Alabama. And check out that sea of red...University of Alabama fans take things seriously out there...even in the summer! I tried my best to "walk the walk" by keeping my boys appropriately outfitted. :)

We arrived just shortly after the horrible tornado season that hit the southeast had ended. Portions of Alabama received some of the worst damage. Andrew's parents (in the blue suburban pictured here) gave us a tour of the devestation nearest to them. Can you imagine if that house above were yours? It's amazing to me how powerful tornadoes are and how quickly the damage is done. The neighborhoods you see above took only minutes to destroy.

Another uniquely Alabama experience we had was getting caught in one of their summer rainstorms. I thought that I had seen rain before this. For those of you who haven't seen a southern rainstorm, I'm telling you, this was nothing short of DOWN POUR. Large waterfalls poured off the roofs of houses, rivers formed in the streets...and if you took one step outside...well, you'd probably have the time of your life. Taylor and Andrew played in the rain for what seemed like ages on the night that it rained the hardest.

Russell played hard too. During this trip, I learned how much he loves to be pushed in swings. Love this easy baby secret! I chatted with my sister in-law Mindi for a long time while I pushed him in the swing you see above. He was so sweet and quiet that it took me by surprise when I noticed this complete pass-out. He rarely falls asleep outside his bed! I had to take a picture.

Bolder Boulder

On Memorial Day weekend this year, we were spoiled to have some of our favorite visitors stay with us: Andrew's sister Christy and a few of her roommates from BYU, and my brother Larry! We had been planning on Christy and friends for a while, but Larz totally shocked me one night when I walked downstairs from my bedroom to talk to Andrew and instead stopped in my tracks at the startling sight of my brother-- sitting on MY couch! He lives 12 hours away in Rexburg, Idaho, for crying out loud! But that's totally Larz...super spontaneous, and I love him for it (he knows I love surprises).

We fully filled our little townhouse while they were all here: Christy and her three friends camped out on the couch, air mattress, and floor in our living room, and super-trooper Larz stayed on a spare mattress on Taylor and Russell's bedroom floor! Amazingly, there were no complaints.

This is nerdy Larz teaching Taylor the "Sign of the Dude."

Don't ask, because I don't really know--but Larz does tell me it's an uncle's job "he takes very seriously" (as he attempts to hide a huge grin).

We played hard while our sibs were here: we played with our little boys, watched movies, ate out, hiked around Red Rocks (pictured above)...but by far the most fun part of the weekend was Memorial Day, when we all raced the Bolder Boulder 10K.

This is us--pre-sweat, cramps, and stink: Andrew, me, Larz, Shawney, Rachel, and Christy.

Race highlights, bottom to top:

Bottom: Some of Bolder Boulder's masses. 50,000 people ran that day! I earned my place among them, finishing at #23,064 (it took me 1:07).

Middle: Post-race, in the bleachers at U of C's Folsom Field.

Top: One of my fav pictures of that day. This is of the MANY groups of racers that were costume (although I personally think these guys had some of the more entertaining...and slightly disturbing ensembles) striking a pose with the ladies. And yes, me and my sick sense of humor coaxed Christy and her friends into having this picture taken. They were so NOT fans of those pretty boys! And still, I can't keep my face from cracking up as I did above (middle picture) each time I look at this! :)

Fun race. Fun company. Thanks for the memories, you guys!

Asthma

After several deep coughing days and sleepless nights, I took our sick boys to visit the pediatrician. I was told that they both have asthma--induced either by colds or allergies. My poor babies!

They now use a nebulizer on a regular basis, and time will tell if this is a long-term battle or just a situational one. I'm praying and crossing my fingers.

Birthday Boys

Late Spring is birthday time for our family--in a big way. Andrew's birthday is on May 24th. Taylor's birthday is on June 2nd, just nine days after Andrew's.

When Russell was born on May 23rd last year, I knew that I had something big on my hands!

For their first year as the three birthday musketeers, my men celebrated their big days all on one day-- the 23rd--which happened to be Russell's day.

Plans for the big birthday party was nearing completion when I received a surprise phone call from my mom in Utah asking if she could come visit for a week and join the celebration. Awesome! For me, it doesn't get much better than that.

So the week before the boys' birthdays my brave mother faced her post-stroke struggles with airports and flew into the oh-so-enormous Denver Airport to visit us. Her love knows no bounds.

Mom stayed with my grandparents at night while she was here and drove over to my place every morning to visit with me and the little boys. She spoiled us with fun meals and new groceries, and plenty of one-on-one conversation. My mom is one of my best friends. It was so nice to have her here and to hog so much of her time to myself!

Well, I'm sure the pictures have made it pretty obvious--when party day finally arrived, we gave it a pirate theme, inspired by the new cute Disney TV show called "Jake and the Neverland Pirates," one of Taylor's favorite things these days. I bought pirate masks for the occasion, and my friend Jennifer, who is an amazingly talented cake decorator, made a spectacularly cute pirate cake for the birthday boys.

My Uncle Jeff and Aunt Donna and their family joined us, as did my Mercer grandparents and my Mom at Grandma's fun neighborhood park in Bow Mar South where there's everything fun for families: a swimming pool, lake and beach, playground, picnic area with charcoal grills and tables, a fire pit, yummy food, and presents (for the birthdays of course!). Even though it was a chilly mid-60 degree day, we did it all, and we had a blast.

Taylor- 1 Year Old

On Taylor's first birthday, we stripped him down to just a diaper, put him in an inflatable swimming pool, and let him go crazy with his first piece of birthday cake. It was a blast to watch him make a huge mess and thoroughly enjoy the massive amounts of sugar he had been given.

This being Russell's big number one, I was excited to let him have the same chance at his first piece of cake. This time, the scene played out a little differently. First off, it was way too chilly to not wear any clothes. Russell was much happier in his jacket. Second, baby Russell is much more mellow than Taylor was at his age. Russell was delighted to have cake, yes, but didn't have the urge to show outward approval like his brother had. Look at how clean he was in comparison! Although it was less entertaining to watch this time, it was nice that I didn't have to overhaul clean a baby and a swimming pool when at the conclusion of cake eating. Nice job, Russell!

So now my babies are 3 and 1. What happened to me having a 2 year-old and an infant?? They are growing up so quickly. Here are their birthday growth stats:

Russell- 1 Year

Height: 29 1/4 inches (35th percentile)

Weight: 20 lbs. 14 oz. (20th percentile)

Head Circumference: 47 cm (70th percentile)

Taylor- 3 Years

Height: 37 1/2 inches (50th percentile)

Weight: 29 lbs. 2 oz. (25th percentile)

Head Circumference: 52 cm (95th percentile)

And now my hubby, like me, has turned the dreaded 27. :) (Although he doesn't loathe the sound of that number like I do).

I love him tons! He was such a champ to share his birthday for the second year in a row (last year I was in the hospital with new little Russell and he didn't receive the attention he deserved on his birthday). I also don't know many adult men who'd ask for pirate themed birthday parties--Andrew included--this year's party was definitely planned with the kids in-mind. Andrew has always been a selflesss and thoughtful, fun father. Even on his birthday.

We were sure to recognize him appropriately the following night over dinner at Mellow Mushroom, at my sweet mom's invitation.

So here I honor the three men in my life. They make mine three times more busy, three times less predictable, three times more exciting, give me three times more laughter, and three times the blessings. Aren't I the lucky one??

Easter in Utah

It's June, but let me tell you a little about what happened in April...

Easter.

In April, Russell, Taylor and I flew to Utah for a week to celebrate this, one of my favorite holidays, with my family.

This was the first time that I had flown alone with two small children. It was an adventure to be sure--made possible with help from a double umbrella stroller, my husband and dad who checked my luggage and helped handle the kids up to security check, an infant carseat and entire row to myself while onboard the airplanes (so fabulous!), an iPad loaded with Disney flicks, lots of kiddie snacks, and several good samaritans in Salt Lake and at DIA who offered to lend a hand. And we all made it there and back without a scratch! Whew.

Having the chance to visit individually with each of my family members while there--Dad, Mom, Larz, Devin--was special treat I received during this visit. They all have such great insights and positive outlooks on life that leave me wishing that I were more like them.

Of course, I missed my missionary brother, Kyle who's serving in Sao Paulo, Brazil for another year, and Andrew, who stayed in Denver for work (but was great at keeping tabs with us via Face Time on my iPad). It will be great when we can all be together again.

Mom planned the fun holiday events--egg dying for Taylor with my Uncle Mitch and Aunt Megan's kids, an egg hunt in my parents' yard on Easter morning, Easter baskets filled with holiday goodies for my family and my brothers, and special meals with family. Since getting married and having Easters on our own for the most part, I'd forgotten a little how much I missed those things.

An awesome bonus while we were there was that BYU's graduation fell on Easter weekend this year, and Andrew's little sister Christy was graduating! I was able to celebrate with she and my mother and father in-law over dinner at Mimi's Cafe and later at her convocation on campus. She looked so beautiful and so happy. It was also so strange and exciting to see my Alabama family and my Utah family all on the same trip! Utah sure brings people together, doesn't it? Love it.

My favorite part of this Easter vacation was on the Saturday morning before Easter, when my parents, my brother Larry, and I went to the Provo Temple together and performed sealings for some of our Danish and Scottish ancestors.

Larz, who is quickly becoming our family genealogist, had found our ancestors' names on his own and prepared them to take to the temple. Until he had done this, I had thought that we were at a bit of a dead-end with our family's history and honestly never imagined that I would have the priveledge of serving my ancestors by doing their temple work. I was so happy to be wrong! I was also deeply honored to help Larry with the work, as I prepared some of the sisters' names for the sealing room by working in the Denver Temple a little the week before I went to Utah.

Going to the temple, for my ancestors, with my parents and younger brother there with me, was sweet and tender time. Thank you Larry, for making that possible.

May and June were filled with family visits too! I have been so blessed this year. Stay tuned...

Five Years

The past several weeks have been a whirlwind.

Since my last post, I've attempted potty training (so NOT recommended!), taken a graduate course (working to maintain my teaching certification), made an offer on a house, began working on a BYU Independent Study course, along with my usual wife/mother/homemaking/church calling responsibilities. I can now feel it slowing down a little; I'm completely content to leave Taylor in diapers for a while, I have only 3 credits of certification renewal left to go, and the house deal fell through, so no stress there. I can breathe again.

During that time of hustle and bustle, I celebrated my FIFTH wedding anniversary to the world's sweetest, hottest, funniest, most dedicated, clever, thoughtful man ever. (Feeling jealous?) Sometimes it's hard to believe that I'm a not the bride anymore--that five years have really passed since our perfect wedding day:

March 25, 2006

I am still SO in-love with this man! He is perfect for me and makes marriage such a happy, fulfilling experience. I thank my Father in Heaven every day for giving me my sweetheart Andrew...

...and these two sweet little boys who call me "Mommy." My blessings are great and my heart is so full!