July 11, 2010

July 11, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

We've been so busy here and out of our element that I am writing very late. Monday the 5th was SUPER busy. We were all up early and going. I ran to the store with my mom to get some last minute things that we needed for a big BBQ at the house. We then came home and got all the food ready. We ate the most delicious hamburgers. My parents make quite the team. My mom makes the patties, and then my dad grills them. It was so tasty. G, Jewels and their children also came down for the day. B-man was so happy to have his cousins around. They ran and played the whole time. After lunch we cleaned up and eventually went to the Del Mar Fair. This is a huge fair that comes every year. I have such fun memories of going and was excited to take B-man. We loaded up, went to a parking place where we then got on a bus to shuttle us right to the front gate. It was very convenient. Everybody from dinner came making the event extra fun. Once we were there we first went to look at the animals. I loved the turkeys they had out, but the kids loved the huge pigs and the petting zoo. Then we wandered through the exhibition halls to look at all the fun things that people were trying to sell. During this time it became clear that J was not feeling well. Although he had seemed fine during the day he now seemed feverish and uncomfortable. I was so sad for him. I ended up carrying him for the rest of the night because he was so tired and sick. After the exhibition halls Grandpa treated the kids to a few rides. They did the carousel and a few rounds on the bumper cars. B-man was in heaven he rode with Nathan, but got to be the driver. Nathan was very patient and helped him to not get stuck. We eventually decided the kids were toast and we all headed back to the shuttle. It was super late, but a great day. We pretty much collapsed into bed that night.

The next day was recovery day. Everyone (especially the parents) were super tired and so we didn't go anywhere. We were content to play at home. In fact the next several days were pretty quiet as we tried to get back on schedule and get everyone feeling better. The weather was really very cold for July, barely seventy degrees, and so it really limited what we could do. B-man had been so looking forward to the beach that we did go on Thursday despite the cold weather. I left J with Grandma so that he didn't have to brave the cold and could take a nap. I didn't really expect B-man to get in, and so I didn't wear my suit, but once we got there he played in the sand for a while and then found a friend in the water and so he ended up playing in the water too. The water was very similar to the air temperature, so it felt chilly when you first went in, but after a few minutes was "comfortable." I was still grateful to be wearing a sweatshirt...

Friday we drove up to Orange County to spend the day with Jewels and her boys. B-man was so excited because he was going to be able to spend the night at their house. We first went to the park where the sun FINALLY made an appearance. It actually got really hot and so we left before we melted. We then came home and let the babies take naps. The boys were playing so well together it meant that Jewels and I could actually have some time to converse. After the naps we took the boys to a community pool. B-man was thrilled that there were no lifeguards and a hot tub that he could swim in. I left the boys swimming at the pool with Jewels and then drove with J back to my parents' house. Once home I put J to bed and then had a quiet night at home.

Saturday morning I was up early to go with my mom (and J) garage sale hunting. We found a few little things, and J was a pretty good sport. Although he was also pretty good at letting us know when he wanted to be at home. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. We figured out about half way through the day that B-man was having too much fun and wanted to stay until Sunday and come home then when they came for dinner. After being reassured by G and Jewels that he was doing great and not being extra work I agreed. He even got to go with his cousins to tour the stadium where the All-Star game was being held. They had a bunch of fun things going on as part of the event.

Sunday morning we got up and got ready for church. Church was great, although uneventful. J did have a great time "chatting" in Relief Society and making a bunch of happy noises. After church we quickly fed ourselves and J and then went to clear out so that my Dad could take care of some church calling stuff. I think I even got a little nap while J was finishing his nap. After my dad was done we hurried to finish dinner preparations. B-man finally made it back to me. He got a glowing report, and was happy at first, but quickly showed that he had so much fun that he was also super tired. We made sure he got to bed early that night. It was so nice to have a great meal and then enjoy some adult conversation while the kids played in the front yard together.

M has been busy on this trip. It seems like a longer one than usual, but he has been to some interesting places.

We love you all!
R, M, B-man, and J