Dear Elder

If you're reading a "Dear Elder" post for the first time, these are letters to my missionary brother serving in the Sao Paulo, Brazil North mission for my church.

For more on this, see my first post HERE.

Dear Elder

I've been regularly sending letters via email to my little brother Kyle, who has been serving a mission for our church in the Sao Paulo, Brazil North mission over the past year (we anticipate his return home in June 2012).

In addition to my joy of being able to communicate with my brother who is so very far away, just recently I've been realizing that there's yet another great value to these letters: they're also small records of my life's history! Someday when I have a few more wrinkles on my face and have walked a few more miles, I'll love to be able to look back at my journaling and remember what life was like "back then."

As I've thought about this, I know that for me, there's probably no better way to immortalize my letters than by posting them to my blog after I write.

I must say, I feel a little more vulnerable doing this, because I am often more candid with Kyle than I usually am on my regular blog posts. I guess we'll just see how this plays-out; see if this works...

So for my benefit, here's my first recorded letter--written last month on August 1st.

Camping and iPads

As soon as we returned home from Alabama at the end of June, we knew that we had one weekend before our lives would pick up quickly with church callings, out-of-town visitors, and my commitments to teach swim lessons for the next 6 weeks ahead.

So we jumped on the opportunity to take our boys camping that Friday night (6/24). This would be Taylor's third time camping in his lifetime and Russell's first.

Andrew did his homework; learning that we could camp for free in national forests, so we drove to an area northwest of us in Arapaho Forest to find our "spot."

But I always under-estimate time. That was no exception on this special Friday, where we left home later than planned, it took longer to find a camp site than planned (talk about poorly marked, badly maintained dirt roads!), and it took a while to set-up our gear, etc.

By the time we were finally settled, it was nearly dark and the little boys were starving! Andrew and I fed them dinner--campfire hot dogs and buns, grapes, and water--and put them to bed.

Then Andrew sat down and began to fall asleep in his camping chair. It was slightly dissapointing to my vision of s'mores and a romantic evening in the wood, but I recommended that he just go to sleep with the kids while I cleaned up our dinners. He didn't hesitate at my suggestion.

What happened after that, I can only describe as the longest, hottest (surprisingly), most uncomfortable night I have had in a long time. The tent felt too small for 2 adults, 2 children + a pack n' play (for Russell). We were sleeping upon each other, struggling through high altitude headaches, kicking aside blankets because of the heat, occasionally waking baby Russell up, and having to tiptoe through a mini-maze to get outside if we had to pee.

I didn't remember camping being such a pain!

Well, my night seemed like the most difficult to endure, because when Andrew and the little guys woke up the following morning they were mostly rested, happy, and eager to enjoy the day.

Taylor especially remembered the trip for it's great opportunities for exploring, collecting "rock treasures" and sticks, and helping his dad make fire. :)

We hurried home late that morning so Andrew could help a new family in our ward move in. I think it goes without saying that between taking care of our boys, unpacking from our trip, and Andrew hurrying to get out the door, our house was a little crazy when we arrived at home.

In the midst of the chaos, I placed my new iPad 2--what had been our temporary road map during the trip--on the roof of our Volvo wagon. When Andrew drove away to help move, I didn't even think about the iPad sitting in such a dangerous spot.

That night as I got ready for bed, I searched for my iPad to charge it. Then it dawned on me-- and I knew exactly what had happened.

It made me sick to think of my iPad falling off the car roof! But the especially sickening thoughts were the possibilities of it landing in the middle of the road somewhere, or being smashed to smithereens from cars driving over it, or it being picked up by a "lucky" bystander, etc.

It was another sleepless night for me.

The following day was a typical Sunday for us, involving late afternoon church from 12:30-3:30, putting the kids down for late naps, and then an early dinner for me and Andrew.

Right as the day was slowing down and Andrew and I had finished eating, Andrew noticed that he had a voicemail on his cellphone that had been left for him while we were away at church. It was from a young guy named Kevin, who said he had found my iPad. I almost couldn't believe it!

Kevin's side of the story is nothing short of a miracle: he said he had been driving at the intersection of Coal Mine and Kipling, not far from our house, on Saturday, 6/25 and noticed what he thought was a purse in the middle of the road . He stopped and picked it up and was surprised to find an iPad 2 inside!

Being the honest person that he was, he first listed the iPad on Craigslist under a "Lost and Found" ad (above). When he didn't hear from anyone that Saturday, he cleverly thought to call the Apple Store and give them the serial number of my iPad. The Apple Store was then able to trace the it back to Andrew, who had registered the iPad when he bought it for me a few months ago.

I was floored when Andrew played Kevin's message for me. We immediately got our boys up from their naps and drove over to his house (only 2-3 minutes away from us). When we got there, so was the iPad.

As if the miraculous return of my iPad wasn't surprising enough, Kevin himself was a little bit too--he was very young, probably between 16 and 22 years old, and wearing what I can only think to describe as "punk/cool" type of attire. Not my personal vision of a hero--I now know that heroes come in many different forms!

And here she is--the iPad, that is. There wasn't a scratch on the iPad itself, thanks to the homemade case that Andrew gave to me. There are now a few battle scars on the corners of the case, and that's the extent of it!

It might be funny to some of you reading this, but this experience was a significantly spiritual experience for me. I felt then, and still feel now, that I have a Father in Heaven who really cares about me--really cares. What kind of God would bless me with the return of a material possession, especially when it was lost due to my carelessness? A loving one. I know that it's me who He loves, and not materials.

What a whirlwind of a weekend that was! One that I will always remember and always be grateful for.

Dear Friends

It's hard to believe it's been a month since we've had to say heart breaking goodbyes to our dear friends. Since we moved to Denver over two years ago, MariLouise has enriched my life so much--bringing meaningful girl time, adventures with children, and lots of hardy laughter to my life--all of which I needed so much.

And as sad as I am to see the Harrows move to Dallas, my heart aches even more for Taylor, who bonded with little Jonathan more than he has to anyone outside our family.

Those two sweet little boys have been playing together since they were babies.

They too have had their share of adventures: being pulled in a bike trailor all over town for park play and shopping, "exploring" our apartment while I became incapacitated with morning sickness, playing with trains over-and-over-and-over, and enduring 12-hour car rides in the snow (more about that HERE), to name a few.

They love each other.

My poor little boy has mentioned that "he's sad Jonathan left" or that "Jonathan moved to his new house in Texas" a handful of times since the Harrows moved at the end of June. He misses his friend, and so do I.

Thank Heaven ML and I both grew up in Utah (we both visit family there often) and that we both have phones and email accounts. I don't know what we'd do without their friendship!

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.