What a difference a day makes!

What a difference a day makes, indeed! This past Friday, Matthew and I went up to Mesa to go to the Temple, which was just so wonderful. We did sealings, visited the distribution center, and had lunch at my favorite restaurant, Cafe Rio. After that, we checked into a hotel near by, and proceeded to enjoy a child-free rest of the day/night. The quiet alone was worth the trip :) We went to bed early, and even slept in--I can't remember the last time Matthew and I slept in past 7 a.m. We woke up, lounged around, watched uniterupted T.V. and had lunch at the cheesecake factory in honor of Father's Day. Even the flat tire we experienced as we left the hotel wasn't that bad. We ended up having to get it replaced, which took two hours, but there was a Super-Walmart across the street from the Discount Tire store we went to, so we waited there, getting some of Emma's birthday shopping done. We got home Saturday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. and even two days later, I still feel rested, rejuvinated, and able to handle Matthew's crazy work schedule, and my crazy kids again! I think we need to do this every six months or so. It was so good for us as a couple to get away, even if just for a day and night, to spent time alone, talking, laughing, and being without the kids. We were just Matthew and Niki, not Mommy and Daddy. It is so easy to get caught up in family life and even easier to forget about cultivating and nourishing the marriage. I'm really glad we did it, and I can't wait to til we can get away again!

Finally!!!

Well, after four years in our house, we finally got our back yard landscaped. Matthew is over the moon, since getting the backyard done was one of the first things he wanted to do, but I made him wait while we tiled, painted, and purchased furniture over the years instead; (happy Father's Day, honey, I am now too broke to buy you anything else :) I must admit, that I am really excited about the backyard, too. It has been done for about two weeks now, but we had to stay off of it while the grass "took" to the ground and melded together. On Saturday we bought a little pool for the kids, and we've basically been outside playing ever since. It is glorious. The kids are busy, entertained, actually playing nicely together, and SO exhausted by the end of the day, that we don't even have to tell them it's time for bed...they just fall asleep on the couch watching a video. How great is that. Parker especially loves it, because anytime we are outside, his helmet has to come off. Granted, I have to be careful about that, so I think for the rest of the week we'll wait til he takes his big afternoon nap to go outside.

I think I might just survive the summer after all!!!

Palo Verde Ward

I feel like I am going through a break up of sorts...we just found out today that we are no longer members of the Valencia Ward. We, and a few other families that fall within the new boundry lines, are now members of the Palo Verde Ward. My heart is heavy and sad to think that today was my last Sunday with so many of the wonderful, kind, and caring people that have, over the last year or so, become an exstension of my family. I have had the distinct privelage of serving in the Primary presidency with some truly remarkable women. Allison, Malisa, and especially my dear friend Vicki, have been such inspirations and examples to me of hard work, love, and support. To my other Valencia Ward sisters, most notably Trisha Anderson and Sara Adams, thank you for being my friends. For inviting me to your homes, for being loyal visitors to my blog, and for always having a kind and thoughtful word for me, I will miss you. I will miss seeing your smiles on Sunday, and I will especially miss teaching and loving your children during Primary. I have faith that this split was divinely inspired, but it doesn't stop my heart from wishing it was otherwise. I hope that our friendships may continue, that we can continue to get together, have playdates, and keep updated through our blogs.

Thank you, all of you, for what I have learned from each of you. You are special, you are valued, you are my friends and I love you!

Side show freak

Last night after Parker's physical therapy, Matthew and I decided to stop for a quick dinner/date on the way home. My mother was watching Aidan and Emma, and since it was a rare treat to have Matthew at PT with me, I thought it a good idea to take advantage of the situation and be spontaneous. However, once we walked into the restaurant, I immediately wished we had gone straight home. Every eye in our proximity was on Parker and his helmet. There were whispers, exchanged looks between patrons, and long, constant stares. Now, I know kids wearing helmets isn't the "norm," but I also didn't think it was so uncommon that people stopped eating their dinners to follow you with their eyes. There was a family across the way from us, a father, son, and a set of grandparents, that made Parker, his helmet, and why he wears it, their dinner conversation. They didn't try and be quiet, in fact, they seemed be trying to be heard. Their conclusion as to why my son was wearing "the apparatus" was because he suffered from shaken baby syndrome and was brain damaged...it was right about then, that I asked for the check, and we promptly left. If I hadn't been so astonished at the gaul of these perfect strangers, and in such shock at their assumption of abuse on our part, I would have marched right over there and given them a piece of my mind. I think Matthew knew what I was thinking, because as we were getting ready to leave, he made sure he had a good hold of me as we made our way out. My impromptu dinner date didn't turn out to be as fun as I thought it would be. I am so glad that Parker had no idea what was going on, and was just his happy, laughing self the whole time.

Helmet Head

It's official. My kid wears a helmet! I took Parker in on Friday to get his cranial band, and was a little horrified to find out the bears I chose, were a mix of girl bears and boy bears, with mostly girl bears in the front. Matthew says it's not that noticeable, but I still feel bad. I should have just gone with the trucks, cars, and trains like his Daddy wanted. This is what I get for trying to be cute. We got the schedule for acclimating him to the helmet, but unfortunately, on Friday night/Saturday morning, he woke up at 1:00 am screaming bloody murder and didn't stop all night long. I could tell it was a cry of pain, but I thought maybe it was teething. I took his temperature and it was 100.5, not too high, but I took him to the Saturday clinic at the doctors just to be safe. Good thing I did, because not only did he have a pretty bad ear infection, his left ear drum had ruptured. Poor baby. I felt horrible. But at least, once it had ruptured he was in a better mood. Apparently when it ruptures the pressure and pain goes away, too. He is on antibiotics for 10 days and we are resuming the helmet wearing today. They can't wear them when they have a fever because the cranial band increases body temperature on it's own, so any kind of fever and it's off til it goes away. Never a dull day at the Carpenters :)