Dallin is thrilled to be going to Utah next week. He seems to ask me about it every day. Tilts his head to the side and with an influx of his voice says,
"we goin’ to Utah, Mom?"

"not today, Dallin, next week"

"oh, okay"

he’s so excited to see all his abuelos, his favorite friends (cousins), and the temple as well. He loves to sing "I love to see the temple." I actually get choked up when he does. He’s a pretty amazing little boy!

See you soon Grandma & Grandpa. Dallin is real excited about an Icee!

yummy, sweet, precious, adorable…

shiver me timbers…twas a mighty fine party indeed. arghhh matey!  fun! fun! fun!

here are the pics

we decked out in pirate garb courtesy of the thrift store. i totally scored!! found a whole outfit for me, dallins costume, and jeff’s pants. even ella was in the attire.

kids all got there and we put on bandanas and patches. then they had to prove they were worthy sea-dogs. first, they had to walk the plank. then we had the feast…pirates peg legs (corn dogs), cannonballs (grapes), frog-eye salad, swords ‘n’ sauce (carrot sticks), grog with rubies (lemonade with fruit punch ice cubes), and captain’s treasure (gummies, m&m’s, goldfish).

then it was time for the battle of the ships. used cardboard boxes and painted them and added a mast made out of dowels and a white sheet. they fired cannonballs (ping pong balls) and ran around the ships. very fun.

then jeff made them balloon swords and they had a little sword fight. captain jack was quite the entertainer.

then time for a treasure hunt. i made a little map and had them run around to different things at the park. then they found the treasure chest that had cupcakes inside with gold and silver coins on top.

then captain dallin opened his presents. he got a few too many swords. hah!  we’ll be keeping those hiding those for a while.

after that i gave them little treasure bags (small bracelet bags) filled with stones, coins, and necklaces for the girls.

i think the best part of the party was the soundtrack from the potc movie i had playing in the background. majestic. moving. it was awesome!

do you ever have one of those days where it is just confirmed to you that are choosing the better part? 
there are a lot of good things out there that I can be doing with my time, but it requires a constant awareness to make sure I am doing the BEST thing.

today was a FUN day. today we PLAYED. today I was a three-year-old. we hid. we ran. we were sneaky. we played pirates. we had sword fights. randomly he would say "i love you, mom" while we were playing. that’s what it was all about.

he loves me and better yet, he KNOWS i love him. i am choosing him. i am choosing the better part.

Dallin is in love with Ella. He was so excited yesterday when I sat her next to him and she wrapped her arm around his. "Look, Mom, she’s holding my hand!"

Today in the car, he asked, "Will she get big like me, Mom?"

Oh how excited Dallin is for his pirate party! Although I think I am more excited than he is. Thanks to Amy, I have some great ideas and it’s all coming together nicely. This is the first b-day party we’ve done for Dallin so I want to really make it fun. Details, details, details!

Yesterday I got a pirate outfit for him and me at the thrift store. Whoo-hoo!  We delivered all the invites as well. Message in a bottle–they turned out SO cute! Dallin’s been walking around the house saying Arghh, matey. Hopefully he won’t get bored with it by next week. Lots of ideas swimming around in my head. Gotta get them all on paper tonight. I found the actual soundtrack they play on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I’m going to play that and also some music from the movie. Going to give them bandanas, patches, and a map when they arrive. The map will take them to different stations. First station, walk the plank to get lunch with fun pirate food. Second station, pirate story time. Third station, gonna try and build a ships out of cardboard that they can maybe throw cannon balls (ping pong balls) at each other. (Not sure about that one yet) Third station, Jeff’s will make them balloon swords and they can have swordfights. Fourth station will lead them to a treasure chest filled with pirate decorated cupcakes.

So excited. I think this is the funnest part of my job!!

And so it goes with me and journal writing. I’m in the game…and then I sit out for a while. Thanks, Mom, for the little nudge I needed to get my thoughts and feelings out there again. It’s good for me. It’s therapeutic. I like to use my brain every once in a while but mostly I want to record my life as I’m seeing it now and to watch myself grow, learn, and evolve into the person the Lord is making me.

I received an email from a friend tonight that really rejuvenated me for some reason. A mission companion that made a great impact on me. Been thinking a lot about the mission lately and how that experience has influenced my life. I reflect on myself then, knowing I CAN be like that again on a different level. I am grateful for the sweet spiritual experiences that provide a foundation of faith, obedience, and desire to serve the Lord. There are moments when I truly do feel "carried away in the spirit" recalling places, people, fervent prayers, and testifying with all my heart. It’s those little glimpses into the past that teach me what I can become in the future.

So, what does the picture of Dallin and Jeff have to do with this entry? Everything! They are the reason I strive to be better on a daily basis.  They indirectly receive the benefits of my service as a missionary. Best of all– they bring me more happiness than I ever knew was possible!

THANK YOU DAD!

for planting a garden that has produced its first trophies.

how i love tomatoes. just had to take pictures to remember the giddiness.

oh joy, oh happy day!

Just got back from a fabulous family reunion in the OC. So fun and fulfilling to be with family and share good times.  Dallin’s face pretty much sums it up. More pics and detes to come.

on a side note… i have always had a yearning to get into photography. just looking at this pic makes me want to take a thousand photos. which is pretty much how many i need to take to have one turn out. wish i was better or knew more. i’m working on it.