Happy Birthday Ellie

I can't believe my little Ellie will be one year old tomorrow. It has been a year of changes..something I am not very good at.   Just a year ago this little special girl came into our lives.  What a bundle of joy she is!  It has been so hard for me having her grow up so far away. Every time I get a chance to see her, I feel like she isn't quite sure who I am but I do my best to spoil her from the minute I arrive until the minute I leave.  I love to hold her and give her baths (which she detests) and just make her giggle. She is such a happy little girl.   Oh how I miss them all.  As much as I hate change and would love to keep things just as they are, it has made me realize how blessed I have been to have all of my family so close for so long. It has made me appreciate every little moment I get to share with them, every conversation, every card in the mail, every picture on faceboo... so I guess change can be good.  And in just a few weeks, there will be more changes in my life...wonderful changes.  Michael and Sarah will be graduating with their Master's Degrees and will be moving back to Salt Lake City.  Oh how excited I am to have them back.  I hope I always remember to embrace every moment I get to spend with the people I love because the joy those moments bring will never change. 

First Tri

John and I decided to do the St. George Olympic distance triathlon last weekend. We thought it would be great practice for our Ironman which it was. It was very informative as to what I need to work on so I am better prepared for the big race. I felt great when I finished and really enjoyed the race. I tried not to think about the fact that for the Ironman I will have to swim twice as far, bike 5 times as far and then run 4 times as far....no problem right? I did place 3rd in my age group which was very exciting. I had the fastest bike time in my age group and I wasn't the slowest swimmer so hey, things are looking promising...and my hamstring injury is getting better everyday. Hopefully by August it won't hurt at all. I am so glad we did the race. Practice makes perfect right? I hope so, oh how I hope so!

The Perfect Mother's Day

Since Easter was much too quiet at our house, John decided I needed to go see the kids for Mother's Day so he booked me a ticket and I was off to Portland for the weekend. Portland was unbelievably beautiful...so green and so sunny. What a change from my last few visits when all I saw was ALOT of rain. We had a wonderful weekend. From lunch at Burgerville to picnicking in the park, I enjoyed every moment. The first morning I was there, the kids were up at 5:30 AM asking me to fix them breakfast...and Brynn was calling from the kitchen, "Grandma, I have something for you! When I got downstairs half asleep, she handed me a diet coke. ..pretty sure not even I can drink a diet coke at six in the morning..I honestly had no idea what time it was because I was still on Salt Lake time. Jen nixed the breakfast at six AM so we all went up to my bed and read Books, books and more books. I do need to say that there are some really ridiculous children's books out there. How do these books get published? That is the question of the day. I did get the opportunity to fix breakfast and the requested menu was French toast for three days in a row but on Monday they wanted something different so we made pancakes...big change. On Mother's Day, Stephen skyped from England and he got to talk to everyone. It was so great to see him and we had such a fun time talking to him. I do have to say that sitting there talking to Stephen on Skype surrounded by Jen, Seth, Michael, Sarah and the grandkids was a very happy moment for me; the perfect Mother's Day gift. All of my children and grandchildren talking and laughing together made the day perfect. The best gift I have ever gotten is the gift of being a mother...and I get to be the mother of three amazing kids. I love you Jen, Michael and Stephen. Thank you for a perfect day!

Receiving an envelope filled with love...

I was having a particularly stressful day the other day when John brought in the mail. "This will cheer you up," he said as he dropped an envelope on my desk.  It was addressed to Grandma Becky from Chloe so I couldn't help but smile. I didn't tear into the envelope right away.  I finished up a few emails that I had to get off  so I could open the envelope without any distractions.  I wanted to be able to completely enjoy the moment. As I tore through the envelope, I expected a fun, colorful picture from one of the grandkids or a handwritten note that I had to decipher, but instead the envelope contained four dead dandelions.  It couldn't have made me happier if it was a dozen roses.  I called to thank Chloe but she was taking a nap so I told Jen to make sure Chloe knew I got the "flowers" she sent me and that I really loved them.  The next day I got a call from Chloe and the conversation was priceless. She told me that when she sent the flowers she was sending me all her love.  Then she asked in the sweetest voice if it the flowers she sent me had made me love her more .  I thought to myself, "how could I love Chloe any more?"  I love all my grandkids so much!  And I miss them terribly.  I miss picking Morgan up from school and seeing the excitement on his face because his Grandma is picking him up today. I miss going for bagels after school or meeting for lunch or having Jen and the girls drop by to say hello while they are out running errands.  I miss Sunday dinners and movies in the basement...and I miss sending them home each week with a little bag of treats.  It is hard having them so far away but since I can't change it, I am trying to look at the good things....so here goes...It is nice that when I get to go and visit, I get to be with them in the morning and have them snuggle in bed with me. I get to fix them breakfast and walk them to school. I get to tuck them into bed at night and read them stories and I get to be the guest reader at preschool.  I drink much less Diet Coke because the kids are always sneaking sips and I get to sit and talk to my daughter without a headset or a cell phone or skype.  So until I get them back here, I will have to hold onto the good things and try not to miss them so much and envelopes filled with love will always make me smile.