Belmont Habitat and friend pictures

There is a beautiful nature reserve in Belmont called Habitat.  It is tucked away--hidden almost--in a residential area on Belmont Hill.  We discovered it last fall.  Can you believe it took me four years to find this gem.  For shame.  I pride myself on my exploring and to have this lovely place escape my notice for so long is embarrassing!  Ah, well.  At least we now are acquainted.

Some dear friends (who are moving in a few weeks.  No!!) asked me to take Mother's Day pictures of their girls.  The grandmas request matching dress pictures for Mother's Day.  (I remember being one of those matching girls.  There came a time I hated it.  But now I think it's adorable again.)  It was so fun to spend the afternoon with our pals outside.  Quite the perfect afternoon all around.

 

They are expecting their fourth little girl.  They must be doing something really right to be blessed with another one!  Lots more years of matching pictures to come.  ;)  We are sure going to miss them.  It's so hard to let friends go, even though the world--especially in the Church--is small.  Of course we will still be friends.  That is one great blessing of the Internet and this blogging habit.  We can keep connected and up-to-date with those we really care about.  And bonus, these friends will be close to DC and we have to visit!

The Beach . . . in April

What, are we crazy?  The beach in the middle of April--in Boston?!  Yes, we (or I at least) am crazy.  This past week was a vacation, after all, with Collin home.  And vacation means beach. 

The boys were all for it.  As soon as the word was mentioned, off they went running to get their swim suits on and a search for the beach shovels and buckets began.  They had to be persuaded that shirts were a necessity.  I think August beach weather and attire were stuck in their heads from last year.  The shirts only made it to the sand and then were pealed off as fast as anything.  The other kids at the beach (believe it or not we were not the only ones with the wacko idea to go the beach mid-April) all obediently kept their sweatshirts and hats on, but these Lambourne boys have a serious will of their own.  There was no convincing them it wasn't the height of summer!

Babymoon and Homemoon

We are home now and the past week has been a veritable "honeymoon" with our own place and stuff.  The boys have been thrilled to play for hours with their new old toys.  I've been happy to move things around and start sorting through junk to make room for the baby.  I hope Collin's been happy to have the toy mess again as well as the general noise and craziness.  Collin took the week off work, so we've had three whole weeks with him all to ourselves.  It'll be so hard to go back to real life tomorrow.  Especially as I've been four months with 24/7 help with the children and tomorrow is my first day in a long time to go it solo.  Will I remember how (and more importantly have the energy) to be THE mom?

Here are a just a couple of things we'll miss desperately about being with family:

Water painting on the porch in the spring sunshine.  Nana always has an idea for a fun activity perfect for a toddler.

And all those people to read stories--the same ones over and over--all hours of the day (and night). Thank you Aunt Katy!

Of course there are so many more things we don't have pictures of that we'll miss.  Luke's legos, Jonathan's Temple Run iPad game, Spencer's instruments, Katy's reading and puzzles, Camilla's bubbles and tickles, Erica's iPhone games and "brown lemonade" (diet Coke) drink, Nana's toys and food, Abba's stories about his childhood and mission--and way more than that.  We love our family and feel so blessed to have had such a long and lovely time with them.

The end of the last week we were in Utah I surprised Collin with a night away in Midway.  We left the boys with the family and they treated it like we were doing them a favor!

Collin and I had a nice drive up the canyon, lunch at a funky sandwich place in an old gas station, antique goggling and art gallery browsing, a mile "hike" up in the mountains, dinner at a Mexican place with an excellent salsa bar, a row around the mill pond in a canoe, and a sunset over Mt Timpanogas.  It was so fun to talk for hours with my best friend.  Sometimes we talked about the boys, our future plans for our family, past memories.  Sometimes we were quiet.  It was all just right.

And now some of those awkward self shots:

Grandmas, Aunts, and Cousins

Collin here.  The four months of separation are finally over and I've made the trek out to Utah to be with the family before we all head back to Boston together.  We just heard news of the Boston Marathon bombings, which makes us yearn to be with our friends there, but being with them in spirit through prayer will have to suffice.

Grandma Lambourne and Aunt Jenna came up from California to be with us for the week.  Aunt Jessica and Cousin Evan were also in the area so we all met together for a few adventures.  We spent one day at the aquarium, another at the Thanksgiving Point dinosaur museum and BYU campus, another at City Creek Mall / Temple Square, and another at the park and Provo "Beach" Resort.

The boys had lots of fun at the dinosaur museum.  There were plenty of interactive activities for them to learn from.  It's been interesting for me to now sort-of critique (in a limited, amateur way) a museum based on the limited conversations I've had with Rachel after she comes home from her evening classes.  This one seemed to have something for everyone -- huge exhibits and models for people to look at and imagine the creatures in real life, detailed descriptions for those who like to get interesting nuggets of information, and kid-oriented activities that had a little less to do with actually learning about dinosaurs but still provided a nice break through the museum (puzzles, sandboxes, etc.).  Ironically, the boys' favorite part was a random room at the beginning that was completely dark with stars everywhere -- even underneath your feet to make you feel like you were floating in space.

At City Creek Mall, we met up with Uncle / Elder Kent Meyers and Will and Sarah Harcourt.  There were many discussions with the boys about running through the mall and getting in people's way.  We found a bridge to limit their running back and forth, which occupied them for some time.  My favorite part was the family-friendliness of the place.  The bathrooms even had child-sized toilets for kids to use.  The boys loved the padded climbing area in the food court.  We stopped for a few shots at Temple Square (after trying to get Lion House rolls at the bakery, but sadly coming away empty-handed) with the tulips almost in full bloom.  I asked the boys to show me their muscles.  I love Eddy's archer pose and Evan's flying muscle-man.

We were thoroughly and happily exhausted at the end of each day.  It's always so fun to see family.  We can't wait for our next meeting in CA in August!

We try to be as objective as possible about how cute our boys are.  They certainly try our patience in public and at home.  But when we see shots like these in their Sunday best, we can't help but think we have some of the most handsome boys around.

I think the boys will greatly miss all the opportunities they've had in Utah to have someone willing to read them a story.  They have books all around the house, ready to be picked up and handed to the nearest aunt or uncle, grandma or grandpa.

 

 

Today, I made myself useful by helping Mom Dollahite with one of the projects on her to-do list.  This one entailed clearing everything from the attic to prepare it for having the insulation re-done.  

Here's me going into battle.

The boxes from the attic produced a cornucopia of memories for Rachel.  Her childhood boxes included some vintage "Little Mermaid" bedsheets, girls' city league softball trophies, and ribbons from 4H / Pony Club horse competitions.  She's quite the decorated horseman!

Next up is a few reunions with friends, a surprise outing that Rachel won't tell me anything about, and a BYU mens' volleyball playoff game to top it off!

Heard Recently

Eddy:  I want a lot a lot a lot of juice.

Eddy:  I actually want a differnt song.  Not a quiet one, a loud one.

Eddy (after sent to bed):  Mommy, Davy just called me names.  He called me i-di-ot.

(After mommy singing "I heard him come" for a bedtime song) Davy, with wide, wet eyes:  Mommy, that song made me feel calm.  And a little sad.

(After mommy singing an old family ballad for bedtime) Davy:  I have ten questions.  Me:  I can answer one tonight.  Davy:  Okay.  Um, um, um.  How did you learn that song?  Me:  My mom learned it from her dad who learned it from his mom who learned it from her grandma who learned it in England.  Davy.  . . . . . . Oh. . . . . . I have another question.

For family night performances Edward sang the Scripture Scout's theme song while accompanying himself on the piano.

Great With Child

There are some phrases in the King James translation of the Bible that are just without compare.  One that has been popping in my head more and more frequently is the description of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as she was traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  Mary was "great with child" (Luke 2:5) in the days before she delivered.  I am (again) coming to appreciate this phase of motherhood.  I have plenty of complaints about pregnancy, sure, but I also love how much it makes me feel like a woman--a woman of divine purpose and potential.  To be "great with child" is to be strong and mighty.  I have used plenty of other words for how I feel and look.  Monstrously huge, ginormous, beached whale, are just a few on the tip of my tongue recently.  When I consider Mary's condition--and all those mothers past and current--as being "great" however, those negatives just fade in comparison.  Understanding "great with child" is comprehending the beauty of carrying a child of God.  Just as big as ever, but bold and beautiful.

Now to stay positive when I'm trying to turn over in the middle of the night or bend over or stand up out of the sofa . . .

Just one funny story about how rotund in front I am these days:  I was heading downstairs and my mom was heading up.  We met in the middle and I turned sideways, in an attempt to give her more room to pass.  Blup.  Turns out I am now bigger the sideways way than the front way.  We got a good laugh out of that awkward moment.

This dress was from my Grandmother's closet, one of the ones offered to the daughters and granddaughters back in January.  My cousin fell in love with it at the same time I did.  We both tried it on and reveled in the slinky, draping, vintage loveliness of the design.  In the end I insisted she take it (since I was already accumulating two garbage sacks full and I remembered my full vintage clothes closet at home).  She did take it (and it actually looks much better on her, the color being so perfect for her coloring) but at the last second told me to borrow and wear it at least once before giving it back to her.  Perfect arrangement for both of us.  I adore clothes, but I love them enough to wish them well in someone else's wardrobe.

I asked my mom to take these pictures of me a couple Sundays ago.  I felt so incredibly uncomfortable doing a posed shot of just myself.  In my vanity I couldn't even include the one of just me I look so awkward.  (I don't know how all those pro bloggers can do that all the time!  Maybe it gets easier to embrace that inner model with practice?)  When the boys ran over I was so happy to have them in the shot and these turned out much more natural.

Davy's quite the little photographer.  This one of me and my mom is courtesy of him.

Easter Egg Hunts and More

Eddy's long over naps--too early, in my opinion.  But every now and then we have so much fun we wear him completely out.  On the way home he'll fall asleep in the car and refuse to wake up.  He snuggles in my arms as I carry him inside and deposit him on the sofa (if it's later in the afternoon and I really want him to wake up) or on his bed.

Middle of the week Erica had a full day off.  We drove to the Orem frontrunner (commuter train) station and took the train up to Salt Lake City.  It may not look like the boys are having fun in the train picture above, but I assure you they were.  And waiting for the train above right.  We took the trax a couple stops into the new City Creek Mall and enjoyed the ambience.  Though the boys were super confused why there was a stream running right through the middle of the mall but they couldn't play in it.  I got some trending mint sunglasses at Forever 21 for $6.  I'm not a trender, preferring my own style either years before or after the fashion, but I felt like some of the season's "must have" color were needed (at least for that price). 

Dying eggs.  Davy's such a pro.  He was very particular about exactly the right shade of color he wanted for each egg.  He carefully wrote letters and drawings on the eggs with crayon.  Edward dropped so many eggs and splashed dye so many times that I had to finally banish him, for both our sakes. 

Early morning quiet reading time.  I love that these brothers love each other and reading so much.

Saturday before Easter we met my friend Megan and her family up in Lehi to take pictures of them (I'll show off those in a later post), join their neighborhood's egg hunt, see their baby chicks, and ride horses at the farm.  It was a packed and perfect morning!  I loved the reflection of the mountains in this little fishing pond.

Finding eggs in the long lake weeds.

Davy's horse allergies acting up already.  :(  Plus Kebo was shedding his winter coat like crazy.

With new friend Addie.  So glad we have this picture, as we may need to have it at their wedding reception in 20 years.  (Mostly kidding about a betrothal.)

My boys are born to be cowboys.  They loved riding.  I finally was so sore walking around the arena next to them that it was time to stop, but they would have kept going.  Davy even stopped and started Kebo, and walked him all by himself.

Nothing like a refreshing drink from the hose (well water, the best!) after being in the dusty arena.  I think this may be the first time either of these kiddos experienced this.  What we are missing out on in our city life!  (Though of course we have some advantages I would miss if we were to only have a country life.  Where is the perfect mix?  (And it's not the suburbs.)  That is my life long search, loving both as I do.)

After bidding a sad goodbye to the farm we drove directly to Great-grandpa Ed's for a family get together.  We missed the cleaning up, service part, but we did make it in time for lunch and another egg hunt!  (We'll find a job to do next time we visit.)  Davy and his second cousin Tyler are the best of buds.  They were stuck together like glue practically the whole time, especially in the hunt.  We've played with Tyler and his sisters a couple times this trip, and I am so glad we have these family relationships to continue down the next generation!

While Davy was running frantically around trying to get every last egg, Edward was content to eat the candy from his 10-or-so eggs, and enjoy the first popsicle of the new year.  (Incidentally, the stains from that Moose Bar were the devil to try and get out of that shirt.  Note to self, next time, push the Monkey Bar  . . .)

The Easter bunny brought chalk eggs for this happy boy.