Moments 4, 5, & 6

Moment #4:  Despite my constant reminders that, "We only put stickers on paper" she has the ability to express her free agency...a free agency that sometimes gets her in hot water.

Moment #5:  When she tells me that she is mad and going to tell her daddy on me, the knowledge that her father and I present a united front...despite the miles that separate us, I am not doing this alone.

Moment #6:  The quiet opening of my bedroom door in the morning, the heavy breathing of a little girl battling a cold and allergies, the jostling of the bed as she climbs up via the cedar chest, the THUMP of her diving onto me, embracing me in a hug and saying, "Mommy I wakey now!"

An idea that grew out of control....

As many of you know, my hero recently left on a 15 month deployment. He starts his journey at Ft. Polk in Louisiana to do combat skills training. Due to Army (he is Air Force, but will be working for the Army for the next year) regulations he will get the opportunity to return home for about a week before shipping out to his final destination in Afghanistan.

To help mark the days I decided to make Miss M a paper chain that she can remove a link each day. The bulk of the chain is red, white, blue, and yellow. However, on the guesstimated dates of his return home in July and then again for mid-tour R&R I placed a green link. I can move the green links as needed.

The chain quickly grew to such great lengths that there is NO WHERE in my home to hang the entire length without cutting across doorways and stairways. So I draped the tail end across the bay window in my dining room and put the rest into a laundry basket on top of the nearest kitchen cupboard.

Each morning we remove a link...each morning we are one day closer to having him home.....

Fourth of July Weekend

We are not fireworks kind of people; you seen one show, you've seen them all. Our little family would rather spend time in the woods, being one with nature...with the comforts of a cabin of course. We went up on Thursday and stayed until Sunday.

Phillip's dad joined us Friday afternoon. We enjoyed his company. Unfortunately his mom wasn't able to join us because she was out of town. When "Grampa" arrived he asked Meghan if she wanted to play in the sprinkler. She showed interest at first, but quickly lost it. I wasn't thinking when I packed her clothes, so I wasn't prepared for her to play in the water. I did tell her that she could but would have to do soin just her diaper.

Saturday morning the guys went fishing. Meghan and I had breakfast without them, I saved them some and proceeded to clean up. After I cleaned up I went out to read on the deck and watch Meghan play. She wanted to play in the dog's water dish, but that is a no-no in this family. So I went inside and found her a pitcher and wash basin to play in instead. Meghan spent a long time playing in the water.

Eventually our fishermen returned home. After they ate their breakfast, "Grampa" asked Meghan if she wanted to play in the sprinkler. She was so excited, I stripped her down to her diaper. But when it came down to it, she didn't want to play in the sprinkler. I had gone back inside to clean up the guys' breakfast dishes. When I came back outside...this is what I found.

Why play in the sprinkler when you have a perfectly functioning wash basin?

The cabin has indoor plumbing, to include a shower....but bathing a toddler who doesn't like water in her face in the shower did not seem like fun to me. The next best thing? The kitchen sink of course....Gramma April probably cringes at the thought....

mmmm....S'more S'mores please

A couple of weekends ago we had the opportunity to go see a friend of ours retire from the Air Force. It was wonderful getting caught up with them, and a few other friends we were stationed with in England.

My parents are so awesome, they let us crash at their pad. We love visiting them so much! And they even let us bring Emma the energizer dog...all the better. Friday we did the retirement ceremony and party. Saturday Phillip played golf at the Air Force Academy while my parents took Meghan and I shopping. It was a long day for Meghan.

Nana had promised Meghan that they would do S'mores. It got later and later in the evening, it was hard to put Meghan to bed because she was having so much fun with her Nana, Papa, and her Aunts Becky & Cassie. I undid her hairdo and was about to put her in the bath when she and Nana reminded me about the S'mores. Bath plans on hold for a few minutes, we did quick S'mores in the microwave since there wasn't enough time for Papa to start a fire. (I think my dad is a closet pyro.)

Phillip and dad enjoyed just the chocolate. Nana, Meghan, Aunt Cassie and I enjoyed complete S'mores....and my sister Becky who has an aversion to fluffy, delicious, finger lickin' good marshmallows had melted chocolate on graham cracker. I KNOW she is weird, but we love her despite that.

Below are Meghan with her wild woman hairdo thoroughly enjoying that S'more.

Dancing Queen

Meghan has been taking a Mom & Tot class since this last spring. They do dance for about twenty-five minutes, and then tumbling for about 20 minutes. She LOVES dressing up in her leotard and going to dance class. I FINALLY remembered my camera this last week....

Summer classes started this last week. New teacher, new format...not quite sure what to do with the star teacher gave her.

I am sure she was thinking it would make a good flying disk......

Dancing with her bear.....

Wall Lake

Saturday, June 27, 2009, Phillip decided he wanted to take his family on a hike. So we packed and left for the Uintah's. After an hour hike in we ended at Wall Lake, the view was well worth the hike in. Isn't that the way it always ends up?

After the hike in Meghan and I needed a snack. What a better snack for cheesy pictures than cheese?

Meghan playing with Daddy's sunglasses. She likes to play with ours, but do you think we could get her to wear her's? No way Jose!

While Phillip fished, Meghan and I just enjoyed the scenery. She found plenty of rocks to play with, numerous bugs and birds to point out, and when she got bored with that she began to play with her pack.

And when the pack lost it's appeal...she went back to exploring the dirt and rocks....after about two hours mommy and Meghan were ready to GO.

After finding Phillip who had wandered along the shore fishing, we took a family picture and hiked an hour back to the car.

All in all it was a wonderful family outing.

Hurrican Meghan

Every morning my family room is hit by one tiny unnatural disaster called, "Hurricane Meghan". She swoops in, dumps out all the toys, spreads them around, and spends the rest of the day playing with her "new found" treasures. Hours of fun spent dressing up in Disney princess shoes, building with blocks, sorting through her many trinkets, playing with her dollhouse and the occasional "coco" party with her tea set...at the end of the day we usher our sleepy hurricane through her bedtime regime of teeth brushing, allergy medicene, reading of stories, prayer, and her protests over going to sleep. When all is settled mom and dad swoop in to do a better job than FEMA of cleaning up, just so that the little hurricane can strike again tomorrow.

Tea Cups

While we were stationed in England I had several opportunities to go to Stoke on Trent. This is where traditionally fine bone china was manufactured. In recent years some factories have closed down and outsourced the manufacturing. However, you can still go there and shop the seconds shops. Most of the items in these shops have defects so small they can barely be seen if seen at all. There were so many pretty patterns that there was no possible way I could just choose one to collect; nor did I think Phillip would allow me to collect several patterns. (That one is right up there with trying to figure out a way to justify a chandelier from Waterford, "But it was only 3000 euros, sweetie....") Just when I thought it was hopeless, just when I thought I would never be able to own lovely British china a memory from my youth came back to me.

As a little girl I loved to look at my Great-Grandmother Berg's tea cup collection when we would go visit. Only once I had fully inspected the pretty cups and saucers from a distance and without touching them, would I raid the toy box for the old comics.

It was then that I decided to collect tea cup/saucer sets. Over the next few years in England I would gather fourteen sets, twelve from shops in Stoke on Trent and two sets from antique shops. My collection has been displayed on the baker's rack, wall shelves, and recently on the ledge of the half wall in the kitchen. I have long wanted proper displays for my collection.

Last fall my mama P told me about a shop in Old Colorado City that has displays she felt "screamed Lynn". This last weekend my parents took me there...boy was she right! The whole shop screams Lynn! I bought two displays that hold eight sets apiece. Monday morning I hung them up, washed the sets, and put them in their new home. Although I broke one saucer when it refused to bounce off the floor(I have since found it on-line and ordered it), I am rather happy with the results.



Even better, I have two slots just waiting to be filled with the perfect editions to the collection....

Fun times at the cabin

After I dropped Elder Stephenson off at the MTC and took my friend to the airport, I went back home to pick up my family so that we could spend a few days up at my in-law's cabin. We went up on Wednesday, my in-law's joined us on Friday and we all went home Saturday afternoon. I think it is safe to say that any time spent at the cabin is fun time had by all.

Whenever we go to the cabin we do at least one dutch oven meal. Phillip is the dutch oven cook in our family. This time we did our usual dutch oven chicken and potatoes. For dessert I had an inspired idea that I am sure has been done all over the country...it was delicious nonetheless. We did brownies baked in a dutch oven on top of a can of cherries, of course we opened the can and poured the cherries into the dutch oven. It was unanimous that a scoop of vanilla ice cream was the only improvement that could have been made to the desert.


Meghan loves taking people by the hand and going for walks. Here she is on a walk with her Grandma.




In May we bought Meghan these boots at Cabela's. They were on sale, too cute, and perfect for playing up in the dirt and mud at the cabin. Meghan loves these boots....and as you can tell she has a great fashion sense.

Elder Stephenson

The middle of June my family had an incredible opportunity. We were able to host my dear friend Marsha and her missionary son for a few days before he had to go to the MTC in Provo. I hadn't seen either one since I left Alaska in June of 2008; it was a LONG year without my friend.

When Marsha emailed me to ask if they could stay with us I jumped for joy shouting. "Yes!" As if she could here me all the way up in Fairbanks, Alaska, silly me.

Our family enjoyed their company. Even Emma the dog found a new love. It was hard to let them go, but alas Marsha had to get back to the rest of her family and work in Alaska, and Elder Stephenson has important work to do in the Cleveland, Ohio Mission.

Here are some pictures we took the day we dropped him off at the MTC.

That teenager I knew in Alaska has matured into this man his parents are proud to be sending on a mission. The transformation from youth to adulthood is always an amazing one!

Mom and son in front of the Provo, Utah temple. I had to chuckle to myself as I was driving listening to him tell his mom not to cry when they said good-bye. Little did he know that was an impossible task...one day he will understand when he has children of his own.

Marsha and I in front of the Provo Temple...I missed her before I even dropped her off at the airport.

Mom and son at the MTC. We had been warned that due to the new drop policies at the MTC that good-byes would be quick. I will never forget the look on Marsha's face when she was told, "Sister Villalva you have three minutes to say good-bye and take pictures."

Meghan and her grandma

Meghan loves her grandparents, all of them. The relationship she has with each grandma, grandpa, nana, papa, and pops is different and special in their own rights. I was luck as a child, all of my grandparents were alive and most of my great-grandparents. This allowed me to have a bond with each one. The love of a grandparent is a special love that every child should get the pleasure of feeling.

Last Saturday, we went with Phillip's parents up to their cabin for the day. We were getting away from the roar of the jets that the air show on base was sure to cause. Our original plan was to go to the air show as I wanted to see the Thunderbirds perform. Unfortunately every time they flew above our home during their practice on Friday Meghan would freak out. So we called Phillip's parents and asked if we could join them. It worked out great; Phillip was able to help his dad make a few repairs that were needed, we avoided the jet noise for Meghan's sake, and I got a relaxing afternoon out of the deal.

I am excited to going back up there this coming Wednesday....

First Rose

Having grown up in the "City of Roses," Portland, Oregon, I love roses. We have a flower bed at the end of our deck that was empty. The previous owners of our home had two little boys, and every time we toured the house there were dump trucks and other boy paraphenalia in the flower bed. It was obviously a little boys dream come true.

However, it was not this big girl's dream come true. I had a dog and a toddler that LOVED to make a muddy mess in this empty flower bed. Me, I did not LOVE the muddy mess. Thus this flower bed had to become a true flower bed. Early in May we planted five rose bushes, Gladiola bulbs, and some other bedding plants. I have five rose bushes, all different.



My peace rose is planted closest to the house, the peace rose is one of my all time favorites. I love it's yellow flower with the edges of the petals kissed with pink. Next to the Peace rose is a pink rose that I can not remember the name of. In the middle is my red rose. On the other side of the red rose is my Queen Elizabeth rose, another favorite which is a pink rose. The fifth and last rose bush is my second all time favorite the Tropicana, I just love the salmon color of it's flowers. Understandably my roses went into shock and for awhile there we were not even sure if any or some would make it. Alas, all of them are starting to come out of their shocks and the last remaining shocked rose has new shoots on it. My red rose is starting to bud and bloom. The rose bushes are still too small to support blooms so I cut the bloom off and brought it inside to enjoy.

Hump Day Hi/Lo

Why do the weeks just seem to whiz by? Here we on the hump of yet another week, soon to be on the downhill slope.....

This week's hi/lo's

Hi: I am feeling a bit better. The cold is hanging on, but everyday I push it out the door a bit more. Meghan seems to be immune to mom's cooties; it is bad enough when mommy is sick throw in a sick toddler and well that is misery to the Nth degree. My dear friend Marsha from Alaska will be here on Saturday to stay a few days with us before taking her missionary to the MTC.

Lo: I am still heart sick over the death of a friend's precious little one. From all accounts I am seeing she is handling this like the warrior woman she is. I marvel at her strength and testimony in her hour of a pain so deep. I watch my little miracle baby, I watch her grow and learn and realize every day what precious gifts from a loving Heavenly Father our children are.

With that...I want to share what could be a "blackmail" shot of my precious one....I got this shot a week or two ago, before the weather turned cooler. One night after dinner she wanted to play in the "waDer" and since I knew it was soon to bed I did not bother putting on a swim diaper or her swimsuit. Well...I had forgotten how absorbent regular pull-ups can be and her pull-up soon became so saturated that it began to sag exposing baby crack.

I hope that brought a smile to your corner of the world...and if you were offended....GET A GRIP! :0)