Our Annual Drive to Silver Lake

Saturday, September 6th--Every year, usually on Labor Day, we drive up to Silver Lake. Silver Lake is at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, right next to Brighton Ski Resort. The lake is so beautiful and there's a walking trail all the way around it. The kids love all the many chipmunks and squirrels you can see and sometimes we'll catch a glimpse of a moose or beaver.

We enjoyed a yummy picnic and watched as the chipmunks cautiously approached our table to see what kind of fancy viddles we were munching on. There are strict rules on not feeding the chipmunks and squirrels but Nate threw a Sour Cream and Onion chip anyway and the chipmunk, scoping us out, munched on it happily. Even letting me get pretty close to film video and take pics. Then as we read the reasons for not feeding them, Nate was feeling a little bad about throwing that chip but hopefully, it won't effect the little guy that much, if at all.

The funniest thing about this day was, as we were walking the trail around the lake, Brady kept whining and we didn't know why. We'd ask, "What is wrong?" and he'd point at an area and we'd ask him, "is it ..............?" and he would say, "no" and so on. Finally, about halfway around the lake, we had enough of the whining and had to discover what was making him so upset. He pointed again and Nate, jokingly, said, "Is it the pinecone?" (they were strung all over the trail). Brady said, "Yes, I don't like them." Both Nate and I tried very hard to hide our laughter. We tried to explain what pinecones are but I guess they looked a little freaky to him. So for the next 1/2 hour we tried to put Brady's phobia of pinecones to rest (is there even a scientific word for a phobia of pinecones?!?!?!). Elise jumped in and saved the day by giving Brady her walking stick so he could shew them aside. Once he was able to do that he was kicking them around and touching them. Cured! But still, something we will remind him of the rest of his life! ha ha ha Maybe he should have worn his super-hero cape!

The reason we go up on Labor Day Weekend (except this year the weather was bad so we went the next weekend) is to celebrate the eventful day of September 4, 1999, the day Nate proposed to me. He took me up to Silver Lake and we walked the trail, hand-in-hand. We took pictures, had a picnic, and enjoyed each others company. As we were almost all the way around the lake we sat down on a bench to rest a little. He took the opportunity and made it his moment to propose marriage. It was so sweet, he got on his knee and held my hand in his. He made promises he's been able to keep and then I happily said, "Yes!" So to memorialize that special moment we vandalized the very bench we sat on by carving our initials, "NA + AB", into the corner of the bench with a key. For a few years after, our initials were still there. When we moved back to Utah, in 2005, and went on Labor Day, the bench had been replaced and our initials gone. We thought about carving our initials again but it didn't seem as important anymore. The memories will always be in our hearts.

Nate, I still feel the way I did 9 years ago. I would gladly say "Yes!" again in a heartbeat. I'm so glad we have our special place we can visit every year and now we can bring our children and let them enjoy such a beautiful place for all it has to offer.

My Little Super Hero!

Saturday, September 6th--I've been wanting to get photos of him in his new, super-cool, cape for a few weeks now. Being a super hero is quite personal, and private, to Brady so every time I've asked him to let me take photos he's not very willing. Today, with a little bribbery, he let me.

In the beginning of August I called up Grandma Rosemary and asked her a special favor for Brady. He's been quite into Buzz Lightyear (as most boys become interested at one time or another) and Woody, from "Toy Story". He plays with the two every day, taking them on all the adventures Brady's little imagination can come up with (I love to secretly listen!). I got an idea to have a cape made for Brady so he could join in on super-hero adventures. I asked him what he thought about it and he LOVED the idea. I called up Grandma Rosemary and asked her to make him a special super-hero cape. She's great at sewing and I knew she would do a wonderful job plus add lots of love to her creation. She asked what color and so I asked Brady and he said "Buzz Lightyear!". So then I asked him, "Green or Purple?" He said he likes purple. Yes, we know Buzz Lightyear does not have a cape but who gives a rats patoot!

A week later Grandma Rosemary had his cape all done and presented it to him. He wouldn't even touch it! What the......?!?! We were worried he rejected it without ever even trying it on to fully gain what super powers it has in store. Once we got home he grabbed that cape and put it on and was off searching for super adventures! Phew! Again, he needed his privacy, LOL!

He loves his cape. He'll run from front door to back door with his arm out, pretending to fly. It's so adorable! Even Elise has snuck a few moments with the amazing, purple cape.

Grandma Rosemary and I thought the cape needed some dressing up so I'm going to find some space stencils and green paint. I know Brady's super-hero cape will be used for a long time---and maybe he'll go public with it one of these days!

Truth be told, Brady is my super-hero. He endures so much on a day to day basis with finger pokes and shots galore. He deals with high and low glucose levels as we try and continue to figure out this disease. Once we think we've got it down the rules of the game change. He never asks "why" and rarely has a day that he's fed up with it all. He is still full of laughter and loves entertaining anyone he can. One day there will be a cure for Type 1 Diabetes and he will raise his super-hero arms triumphantly! And we're optimistic that day isn't too far away.

Brady the Builder

Thursday, September 4th--Brady saw me workin' on the blog and asked if I would take a pic of him building with his Legos. Then he asked me to "....tell a story about me on the computer." He's very proud of his Lego creations. He wanted to copy the pictures that come with the box and once he did he said, "Mom! Mom! Come take a picture of my blocks!" So, I did and here ya go! Brady is such an adorable goofball!

Elise Has Created A Monster!

Thursday, September 4th---Oy vey! Lets back track a little. I believe I planted flowers in early June. As the flowers began to thrive and do well I noticed a little plant growing in and had no clue what it was. It didn't look like a weed so I decided to give it a chance and see what it would produce. Slowly, at first, it was growing and my hunch was that the leaves looked kind of like pumpkin, watermelon or squash leaves. How could it be? "No way!", I said. My aunt, Maureen, came over for a visit. She looked at the odd plant and concluded it is a watermelon plant. Wha, What! Elise happened to be listening in and said, "Wow, my watermelon seeds are finally growing!" Huh? When did this happen? She told us she was eating watermelon last year and took the seeds and planted them. So we have this watermelon plant that I decided to let grow, just for kicks and giggles. Well now, this plant is out of control! We've cut it back a couple of times and it just grows back and attaches its vines to anything it can. I directed some of the vine up onto the porch. Two weeks ago I was sick of this pest-of-a-plant and decided to give it one more week to produce any kind of fruit (there were plenty of yellow flowers on it). It did not disappoint. We now have two watermelons growing, side-by-side. The larger one has grown quite rapidly and we hope it'll be done growing soon. Strangely, the vine on the porch is producing the fruit so I'm wondering if there is a connection. Weird, indeed.

Elise is tickled at the sight of her watermelons! Every day they get bigger. It's been fun to watch and experience but we did have a talk with her and pointed out areas that are okay to plant seeds---moms flower garden is not one of them! We'll be sure to take pics of a ripe watermelon being cut into. It won't be long now, that thing is already HUGE! I asked Elise to pose with her pride and joy but she said she didn't want to. She's worried about all the bees. Poor girl!

Brady's First Day of Pre-School

Wednesday, August 20th--Much like Elise, Brady was pretty wired this morning. He got up early and must have asked 20 different times when we were going to leave to go to "his pre-school". I sent Elise off to school, jumped in the shower, got Brady dressed and then we were off. On the way, Brady and I had a nice chat about how to behaive in his class and to listen to Mrs. Peterson. We pulled up to Learning Dynamics and saw nothing but chaos in the parking lot. There were cars, parents, and children everywhere. Some of the parents parked a little on the retarded side so it made it difficult for us all to squeeze in. Anyhoo, I walked Brady into his classroom where Mrs. Peterson was there greeting us with a big smile. I love that she and Brady already have a relationship due to the time we spent with her going over his diabetic needs. Brady seems to like her a lot. She's due to have her baby in 3 weeks so she'll be gone for a little while and then be back around Halloween, I believe. We were also able to meet the lady who will be filling in for her and she seems quite nice as well.

Mrs. Peterson asked Brady to find his name on a nametag, posted on the door, and he did so then she put it on his chest. From there, he was not a happy person. He wanted that nametag off and wouldn't go play with the kids until it was off. In typical "desperate times" fashion, I convinced Brady to keep the nametag on and then, when I picked him up, we'd go get a treat. After that he was good to go and went over to play with the other kids in his class. He looked at me and said, "You can go now, mom." I gave him a kiss and a hug and then I left. Surprisingly, I didn't get emotional this time. I drove home and realized I had 2 hours all to myself. Hmmmm, what to do, what to do? Today, I chose to be lazy. Usually, when he's at pre-school and Elise is in school I'll either be cleaning or exercising.

I picked Brady up at 11:15 am and he seemed so much happier, even with the nametag still on! He loved his first day of pre-school and really enjoyed meeting new friends and spending time with Mrs. Peterson. He said Mrs. Peterson sang one of our favorite pre-school songs "Days of the Week" (sung to the tune of the Adaams Family theme song). At the end of class he got a Hershey's kiss from his teacher and then we left. He was content with that being his special treat for wearing his nametag the whole time. As a comfort, for me, I checked Brady's glucose level when we got home and it was perfect. A sure sign all will be well and, for the most part, his diabetes won't be an issue for pre-school. Hooray!

Happy 33rd Birthday Nate!

Tuesday, August 19th--We celebrated Nate's birthday today. He took the day off so I tried to make it special for him, giving him the quiet time he wanted and making him a special dinner, etc. Earlier in the day I took him to lunch, along with Brady. He chose to go to Arby's and seemed to enjoy every bite of his lunch there. From there we went to Wal-Mart to get the rest of the items needed for his birthday dinner. The dinner of choice---my homemade beef stew. It must be pretty tasty considering he use to salivate over my homemade lasagna. He picked out a small white cake for his birthday cake. We'll be celebrating all the Armstrong, August birthdays (there are 4) on Saturday and so there will be a BIG cake for all to enjoy.

The kids and I picked out a few presents and I hope he likes them. While at the Museum of Flight, in Seattle, I found a fleece vest that I thought he might like so I got it. The fact is, I think he looks pretty good in a fleece vest---one of my little quirks! And again, while in Washington, I was shopping at the mall and found a simulated aquarium that lights up and looks like the real deal. Eventually, I think it would be great to have a real aquarium, as does Nate, but for now, this will do. He's been showing interest in a book called: "Presidents and Prophets" by Michael K. Winder. It's a book on the relationship of LDS prophets and US presidents over the years. Michael Winder also went to school with Nate so he wanted to see how great of an author he might be. I look forward to glancing at it as well! And finally, his last gift will come later on tonight. He requested a massage. You'd think, being married to a massage therapist, he would get a massage on a regular basis but no, not the case. I'm usually too tired or too achy or whatever else so he gets neglected. Sorry Nate!

Nathan, Nate, Natey-pooh,

You are everything to me. In six months we will have known each other for 10 years! I'm so happy we've been able to grow and mature together and create a family together. My life is fulfilled with you and I look forward to many more years and eternity with you. You are an amazing dad, I enjoy watching you interact with Elise and Brady. I can see there is true love and true joy when they are with you. I hope you have a wonderful year, full of great times, memories and surprises! Happy Birthday, my love!

Love always and forever, Audra

Elise's First Day of 1st Grade

Monday, August 18th--Our alarms clocks were set for 7:00 am but Elise was up at 6:00 am, unable to sleep because she was so excited. She and I quickly got dressed and ready to go and then we were off. I was happy to find that the school was kind of quiet. We chose to have Elise do "A Track", which starts at 8:00 am. There is also a "B Track", which starts a little after 9:00 am. With the two tracks it seems to break up the chaos, somewhat, and the large number of crowds. Elise and I went through the front entrance of Pony Express Elementary and, from there, I asked her to walk me to her classroom. I wanted to see if she remembered how to get to her classroom. It took her a minute but she found her way to room #103, Mrs. Mair's room. Mrs. Mair was in the room along with two of the students in Elise's class. We put Elise's backpack and lunchbox in her cubby and then I took a pic of her with Mrs. Mair. From there we went over to her desk and she sat down to begin a coloring page Mrs. Mair had prepared for all her students. I gave Elise a kiss and a hug then that's when the tears began to flow. No, not from Elise's eyes, she wanted me to just go so she could start coloring. I had tears coming down my face and so I waved good-bye and quickly left. Once I got in the car I just let the tears come. Like I said in my last post, where has the time gone? I am baffled at how quickly life just flies on by. It makes me kind of sad but I'm also excited to see my children grow and learn and experience everything life has to offer them.

On Wednesday, Brady begins his first day of pre-school at Learning Dynamics in Saratoga Springs. Friday, we went in to meet with his teacher, Mrs. Peterson, and the director of the pre-school, to go over his diabetic needs. We were greatly comforted to find that two members of the staff, including the director, had gone to a class concerning Type 1 Diabetes and how to handle a child with the disease, in a pre-school/school setting. Mrs. Peterson's husband is a nurse and he has been going over some things she needs to be aware of, for Brady's sake. Brady will be attending pre-school every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

Today, right after I dropped off Elise, we went over to Learning Dynamics for an open house. Brady was happy to see Mrs. Peterson again and I was happy to see a familiar face in one of the moms bringing her daughter to be in the same class as Brady.

I picked Elise up from school and she said she had a great day. She got to see a lot of her Kindergarten friends at recess time. She loved eating her lunch in the cafeteria. She said she forgot to read my note but saved it to be read at home.

An hour after she got home I asked her if she was tired, considering she got up way too early today. She said she wasn't tired but then I went to check on her and found her sound asleep. My sweet, little girl! What a great, exhausting, first day!

More to come on Wednesday when I have to be emotional all over again for Brady's first day of pre-school. Ay yi yi!

Where has the time gone?

Sunday, August 17th--Oh wow! My baby, my first born, is starting 1st grade tomorrow! I thought Kindergarten was rough for me......no, no, 1st grade has got me far more emotional. Elise will be in school full time now! She'll be responsible for eating lunch on her own and making sure she gets to and from recess. She'll be walking the halls with older children. Kindergarten was in the same building but they still seemed a little secluded. I know we'll all get through this and do beautifully. I know Elise will do well and all will be fine. This is just another milestone and I'm grateful for it but so incredibly nervous and anxious. More to come tomorrow as we drop Elise off for her first full day of school.......well, actually, Mondays are early release but it's only an hour earlier.

Call me cheesy, I dunno, but I packed Elise's first school lunch and then took a pic of it. I always heard about moms sending little notes with their kids lunches and so I did just that. Okay, I'm off to bed. Gotta get up early....blech!

Happy Trails To You, Until We Meet Again.....

Monday, August 4th--Sadly, time to head back to Utah. My niece, Samantha, woke up feeling quite ill. We debated leaving the next day but I didn't want to make the long drive in one day and I had to be back to work on Wednesday. We decided to make her as comfy as possible and pull over whenever she needed. It was hard to say good-bye to my parents, my sister and her family, as usual. Fortunately, they're coming for Christmas so we'll all be together again in 4 1/2 months. Nate stayed behind and he flew out the next day so he didn't have to miss any work. He was able to hook up to my parents wireless internet to work all day Monday. By the time our 2-day drive ended, my sister, Alishia, and I wished we had spent the HUGE amount of money to fly us all back to Utah!
About an hour into our drive, Samantha began to feel better after an urgent pull-over to the side of the road. Elise and Brady were whiny and fighting a lot. I think we were all just needing some "alone time" and none of us were getting that in a cramped car. The sooner we got back, the better! Tuesday morning, after staying the night in Ontario, OR, Brady threw the monster of all tantrums and tripped on some asphalt, scraping his knee and elbow. I got him cleaned up with colorful band-aids and then we sat down for breakfast at Denny's. Another 9 hours later we made it back to the house where Nate was waiting to greet us after a comfy, SHORT (2 hours), plane trip from SeaTac. And once again, I was happy to let Nate spend one-on-one time, all night, with his lovely children while I went and took a very long bath. Aaaaahhhh.........
In all seriousness, Brady and Elise were just as exhausted as I was. We had a great time in Washington but spent our days filling them full of activities. Rarely, did we get naps or quiet time so, by the end, we were all cranky and it was understandable why they acted the way they did. The next three nights, after we got home, they both slept over 12 hours every night!
Our next trip up to Nana and Papa's might just require us saving a little extra longer to fly instead of drive. It will be well worth it!

A'Hoy There Matey!

Sunday, August 3rd--Our final day before the long road trip back to Utah. We all pitched in and rented an electric boat docked in Poulsbo, WA. Poulsbo is an adorable, small Norwegian town, nearby Silverdale. It's a tourist town along the waterfront. The boat was spacious enough for all 12 of us to sit comfy with a table in the middle for the snacks we packed to enjoy during the two hours we had the boat. Our first captain was Nate. It was his first time ever steering a boat and, I must say, the beginning 10 minutes were a little nerve racking. Once he figured out the steering we were good to go. As we drove out of the boat docking area we came across some sea lions making their home on an old, run-down, dock no longer in use. We all laughed at how funny they looked lounging around and napping on the dock. Some were doing the Kate Winslet/Titanic pose and looking at us curiously. Moving along we headed out into open water. I couldn't help but be amazed at all the million dollar+ homes along the waterfront, many of them had their own private piers and docks. I WANT ONE!!! We passed many other peeps in motor and sail boats out on the water. It's proper, courteous, and just plain fun to wave at other people spending a day on their boats as you pass them by. About 1/2 hour into our boat ride we gave my nephew, Jacob, control over the boat. He's only 16 but his mom, my sister, Alishia, assured us he's a pro since he steers their boat all the time. He didn't disappoint! His favorite thing to do was steer us into the wakes made by other boats. We would be rockin' side to side, front to back and laughin' like crazy! A few of them became a little too much for me but I got over it quickly and we were back to laughin' and having a great time. Halfway into our boat trip we sailed pass Keyport Naval Base. Along one of the docks we spotted more sea lions! Only sea lions would make a nuclear naval base home! Yep, that's right, Keyport is where nuclear weapons are stored. Doesn't it just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing you can rent a boat and sail it right past such a place? Let me tell ya! ha ha ha

Anyway, back to our boat ride. The kids had a great time sticking their hands in the water and looking for jellyfish right at the surface. And thanks to the movie, "Finding Nemo", we had to explain to them not to touch the jellyfish AT ALL, not even the tops. There was a little defiance as they explained that Dory and Marlin discovered they wouldn't get stung as long as they bounced on the tops of the jellyfish, so, naturally, it was okay for them to touch the tops. Not so! We let them know it would be best not to risk getting stung because a jellyfish sting hurts like crazy! Since Elise experienced her first bee sting the day before, she decided to listen to her parents for a change!

Our two hour boat trip came and went pretty fast but we had a wonderful time and will plan on doing it again. We loved visiting and enjoyed the sights. It was the best activity to end our trip on. After we returned the boat we rounded up all the grandkids to take a photo. They moaned and groaned but the final result turned out okay. Later that evening we had our traditional dinner, when at moms house. Mom made up some yummy calzones. They are big pizza pockets that I refuse to learn how to make because I have to use the homemade calzones, made by my mom, as a selling factor whenever I want Nate to come up to Washington with me. He's not so much a fan of the chaos that, naturally, comes when my whole family gets together. I guess the calzones make it bearable! ha ha ha!

Nana & Papa's rugrats, er, grandkids:

Top: Jacob (16)

Middle: Samantha (12), Keven (8), Brady (3)

Bottom: Elise (6)