Scottish Festival 2011

It has been a while.  Sorry.  Dealing with sicky kiddo and then work stress.  But!  We are the family that does stuff.  Starting with the Scottish Festival on June 11th.  After a week of throwing up, we kilted up and went to enjoy the pipers.

Cutest little kilt-wearin' fighting Scot out there.  He was so fun.  

We are from the Macfarlane clan.  This year, they had a beautiful booth.  I am sure that Aiden has Scottish ancestry on the other side of his lineage, but.... we will never know for sure.  For right now, we just have to enjoy my side of the family tree.

15 bands all piping at the same time.  Beautiful.

The presentation of the flag.  Look at Mister's cute little hand over his heart.  So tender.

Aiden and his cute cousin, Shiree.  She was awesome in the pipe band.  They are so good that they are Grade 3.  No other Grade 3 bands come to compete against them.  They are THAT good.

During the day, Aiden found a stick, dirt, and boogers.  True boy.  He loved his stick.

And the dirt.

Always a bunch of really colorful characters at the festival.

Darn!  Mom's drink is gone.  Making of a junkie.

Still found a spot to play with trains.  Awesome.

The Grade 3 Band rocked the house.

Putting the ICK in Sick.

Tonight, Aiden threw up for the second time in two days.  Only last night was chocolate milk and crackers. Tonight it was sushi.  Joy.    Nothing like partially-digested raw fish on my nice clean clothes.  

Thank you, son.

Weekend, Birthday, Moving... WHEW!! LOTS of pics

What a fun, busy, crazy, and lovely week it has been.  Friday, Aiden and I headed off into the mountains.  OH, but did it rain and snow!!  It was the maiden voyage for our little tent trailer and for me driving or hauling anything.

We went to Jordanelle and it started to rain about 2 hours after we set up the trailer.  It was cold.  Raining.  Leaky (the trailer) but SO fun!!

See how the canvas doesn't quite match up to the door?  Yeah that would be a problem later...

So, to sleep we went after a quick trip to the beach with a psychotic sandpiper chasing Aiden.  Poor boy.

The next morning, Saturday, we woke up early and headed to Midway to the new cheese factory.  We got cheese curds and petted the baby cows.  No pictures.  Sorry.

Then, off to the whole purpose for the trip.  If you read this blog at all, you know that my son lives, breathes, eats, drinks, worships Thomas the Tank Engine and all of Thomas's friends.   He didn't know that we were going to Heber Valley Railroad for that very thing.  So... check out these pictures in succession of when he finally realized what (or who...) was pulling into the station...

Truly a fun experience.  We played games, wove our way through the hay maze, saw Sir Topham Hatt and rode Thomas.  I was happy to have Uncle Chris make the drive all the way up to Heber City for the trip.  There was a little girl on the train that Aiden was diggin'.  He even tried to kiss her a couple times.  Ooo La La

Then, what to do but go back to camp and make tin foil dinners and S'mores.  Only our s'mores were a little different.  Coconut marshmallows, chocolate sandwiched between macaroon cookies.  Delightful!!

After s'mores came a torrential downpour.  It rained.  And rained.  And rained.  Luckily, we had packed up our s'mores just in time to head back into the trailer and hunker down for the night.   

When we woke up, there was a inch of snow.  SNOW!!  We decided to head home because it was my birthday.  So, we packed up in the rain and cold and headed home...

Heading out.  

We stopped in Coalville for a little in-car cake and a birthday song to Mom.  

When we got home, we had lunch with Uncle Chris and dinner with Smeds.  Kari made the best chocolate cake...

And just like that.... I am 33.

Monday was moving day.  No pictures, really.  We were busy moving.  Pictures to come when I get things settled.  Because I have a blog stalker, I will not reveal where my new house is, but suffice it to say that it is gorgeous.  It is new, and perfect, and wonderful with a back yard and great company.  

One thing about the Smedley family and Uncle Chris is they are amazing.  In 7 hours, we had my old house packed, moved and my new house moved in and unpacked.  Pictures on the walls, food in the fridge and a great debate about the "Jesus corner" where Aunt Kari was banned because she tried to hang the picture too high.   Laundry was going and ice cream and sandwiches were consumed.  We even had time for a movie when all was said and done.  It is a gorgeous place and we are loving it already so much! I will post pics of our house as it comes together.

So, there ya go!  Our weekend in a nutshell.  Very busy, very wonderful.

Not Funny. Not funny at all...

Worst moment so far being a mom.

My poor bug took a huge crash and busted himself up pretty badly.  We were playing on Aunt Kari's stairs and he tripped and nose-dived right into the corner of her tiled stairs.  I picked him up and yelled for wipes.  Poor Nana witnessed the whole thing.  He was so excited to go to Aunt Kari's house for a bit and instead busted his sniffer.

So in the evening, Aiden's cousins brought ice cream, gave him a bath, and snuggled him down.   

It just hit me

Last night, I was laying down with Mister after a great, relaxing day.  He was just snuggling close and I was looking at his "getting old too fast" face, when I realized that this little man and I have less than 5 weeks until we move.... again.  It will be a good move.  It will be a beautiful place with a back yard and good schools.

But this is where Mister learned to walk, to talk, learned his letters and colors, fell in love with trees, and started Nursery at church.  His milestones have happened within these four walls and it is hard to let it go.  I know it is time to move on.  The neighborhood is not great.  The rent is really high and I just can't stand the upstairs neighbors screaming at each other anymore at 2am.  But it has been our haven for this past year.

I am looking forward to our new place, with familiar faces, surroundings, and neighbors.  I can't wait for Mister to play outside without being at a park where 12-year old kids smoke weed.  I can't wait for my dog to run around in the grass while Aiden and I play tag or blow bubbles.  I can't wait to hop on my treadmill at any given time - day or night - without wondering if my downstairs neighbors are cringing at the noise.  It will be great.  New.  Fantastic and wonderful.

The memories yet to be made will be as great as the memories we made in our current home.  Just different.

Dream Come True

I had a goal when I started my weight loss in December - I wanted to do a 5K by June 28, 2012.  Walk, run, crawl, I didn't care.  I would consider it a gift to my boy.

Well, I am proud to say that one year early, I finished - not one, but two - 5K walks this weekend.  The first with my very sweet sister and her girls that were patient enough to walk slowly with me.  The second was with a group of 300 who - for most- have never done this before.  Today, I realize that many of my friends and acquaintances ran the Ogden Marathon.  Let me compare:  me walking a measly 3.1 miles (okay, I did walk it twice).  Them RUNNING 26.something miles.

BUT...   I talked to my sister who went with me to China.  I remember trying so hard to walk all over China, but having a REALLY hard time.  I couldn't walk the quarter mile to the shuttle without really struggling.  This weekend: 6.25 miles no problem.  She saw me at my worst.  I got to be my best today.  And be with my buddy.  Showing him that his health is important.  My health is important.

I was able to take Aiden to both 5K walks and he slept through one and sat quietly and watched through the other.

My walkin' buddies for the second walk.  Sorry, Kari, that I didn't get pics of the first one.

Marianne (the tall one) is my Weight Watchers coach.  Her cute girls and Marianne raced the crap out of the rest of us.  Her little man gets to see Aiden everyday.

Over 300 people trying to get fit.

Afterward, (and realize that Aiden slept maybe 10 minutes up to this point) we did one of Aiden's favorite things... the park.  Check out this fantastic day!

He is getting so big.  This little bug loves the sand.  He played for a little over an hour.  Mom just soaked in the sun.   Then, we went to work on our trailer.  

Our big camping trip is next weekend...  (Yay!!)

Finally, on the way to get some supper, Aiden crashed HARD!  So I took him home and lay him down.  My poor bug has had a long, fun, warm, sunny, outside day.  

So, I am finishing off my day, sunburned, tired, and watching my all-time favorite movie:  Oscar. 

And Mom feels wonderful to give this gift to my son.  And, more importantly, to myself.