Missing U

For the last two fall seasons, a little ache has filled my heart. I have been missing U. As in Utah. We lived in Utah for 5 years, moving there very shortly after we were married. At first, I had a difficult time adjusting-you know, Southern farm girl moving to the big mountain West. It didn't take me too long to realize the beauty of the mountains, the Quaking Aspen trees, and to realize how blessed I was to be a new member in a family so full of love.

So now I post-with a few tears and an ache in my heart...missing Utah. I miss BYU football games. I miss hiking up to the top corner-to watch the game with all the Jones family. I miss going to see who is in the Hale seats during half time. I miss sneaking in bottled waters and eating kettle corn. I miss driving the Alpine Loop in American Fork Canyon and stopping to take our yearly family picture. I miss the vibrant yellow of the aspens mixed with the deep, dark green of the pine trees. I miss the mountains. Oh, how I miss those mountains. They were so hard to get used to at first...so large and immovable. But then I learned to love them. I learned to see the beauty that they held... ...Like beautiful, open meadows. I miss this face. SO MUCH.

I miss this yard-the raspberries, grapes, and all the games of bocci and tether ball. I miss laying in the hammock and sitting on the steps. I miss family gatherings here and eating till I can't eat anymore, and then eating some more. I miss playing 5 Crowns and Rummikub. I miss this man, and all of his practical wisdom and gardening knowledge. I miss these two and watching the away BYU football games at their house. I miss their garden and their backyard. I miss watching the birds with Emma from their sliding glass door.

Although it took me a little getting used to, I learned to love things that are different. I learned to appreciate a regions natural beauty. I learned to love other people, and learned to allow myself to be loved by others. I leaned about the heritage and the ancestors of Aaron's family and began to love those who went before us and paved the way.

So, for right now, I am going to let myself be a little homesick. Yes, I said homesick. Isn't there a saying, "Home is where the heart is?" No matter where we live, no matter where we go, a good piece of my heart will always be in Utah.

August

The month of August has been a lot of fun for us. I am starting this post with some of my favorite pictures from this month:

I love this of the boys! They were having so much fun with the cordless phone and the headset that goes with it. I tried to get a picture of William with the headset on, but he kept taking it off. However, Jonathan would not put the phone down!

Jonathan looks so puzzled here!

The boys got their first sink bath after we had lasagna for dinner one night. As I was washing them up, I wondered why this was their first sink bath. I could have been saving myself so much back ache if I had been doing things this was all along! (William on the left, Jonathan on the right)

And then they showed me why we probably shouldn't be doing sink baths at this point. They kept trying to crawl out on to the counters!

My mom found this awesome water table on Amazon.com and got it for Emma's birthday-for all the kids to play with. They have had so much fun with it!

More of the boys in the water table.

If you read my last post, you know that Emma turned 4 this year! Since her birthday fell on a Monday, we had a little family dinner with cake and family present opening. We let Emma choose her birthday dinner, and she requested steak and smashy potatoes. We were thinking that she would ask for hot dogs or pizza or something, but it was steak!

Here is Emma, accompanying us while we sang "Happy Birthday."

This is Jonathan with his slice of cake... And William after devouring his slice!

On the following Saturday, we had a birthday party for Emma. She invited 4 friends and their families over for a barbecue, cake, pinata, and fun in the back yard!

Here is Emma with her pinata spoils-boxes of Dots candy, stuffed in her pockets and lining the cuffs of her jeans. Well done, Emma! This is Emma's birthday cake. Cinderella-her favorite!

And just for fun, I am leaving you with the latest picture of Aaron!