We Smell Fall Y'all...

You know that first brisk fall day after consecutive hot Indian summer days?  The one where the wind is cool, the clouds cover the mountain tops, and the air is laced with the smell of rain?

Oh geez... we finally had that day!

And turns out the mercury dropping did a number on my kiddos attitudes anyway, so I whisked them into the car and drove them up the canyon so they could, "Learn to be nice and get along with one another," all the while grinning at my selfish plans to get up and see the first hints of colored leaves and smell the wet mountain air.

Holy Moly it was worth it!  We were like mythical rain creatures crawling out of postcard... at least in my head.  In reality, we crawled into our car after this hike in our skivvies because we were just that wet and muddy; but the post card story fits the romantic scenes of Autumn far better.  So, let's stick with that... mmmmm-k?

We saw one lone buck on our hike.  Which leads me to believe that the poor deer was hearing impaired because this trio of lumberjacks was NOT traversing through the acorn strewn paths reverently.  Nay.  We did the opposite... per our usual.  And I was OK with it.  Because though they be loud and crazy, the hills were already alive with the sound of rain and thunder.  It was a symphony of happy sounds for this mama.

The leaves haven't really flexed their most vibrant color muscles yet, but they're working up to it.  The wet world made everything seem brighter than it was anyway, and you just never want to head up the mountainside and see barren branches.  Missing the leaves entirely is a situation that sort of haunts me, people.  What a travesty that would be! 

 

And so let it be known that on a cold and wet mid-September day this year, we let the fall parade begin.  Who knows... tomorrow we might go hug a pumpkin and the day after that I'll probably whip up a batch of carmel apples or sip on hot cocoa.  

It seems that no one around here will be complaining... 

Not one little bit.

More Stay-cation...

For the record I would live in a full-service hotel if I could.

I remember hearing that Rick Majerus lived in the Hotel Utah when he coached at the University of Utah, and I just never fully recovered from that imagery... Clean linens to sleep in every night.  Miniature sized lotion bottles to spare.  An ice machine and a pool and ROOM SERVICE!  It all seemed pretty magical.

Even after roughly eight years of business travel - my love of hotels has not worn off.  I get you, Rick.  I totally get you.  And so do my kids who are won over by fancy "family" bathrooms and jumping across great "canyons of lava" between beds.

Yep, the Gardner guys may grow up to be their own versions of Mister Majerus.  They eagerly pack up their swim trunks and goggles as soon as the word "hotel" is mentioned.  So, after our day at Lagoon we stayed at one of our faves... the Little America.  Maybe it's strictly nostalgia from my own childhood days at this place, or more likely, it's the the inside/outside pool... but whatever the reason, this place is loved by us all.

RyGar had one zillion pending to-dos and deadlines so he swam with us that night then tucked us in tight and headed home for the moonlight shift of work.  We stayed and caught a late breakfast at the coffee shop.

 And I'll be honest, all was right with the world after waffles bigger than our heads. 

It's What Fun Is...

This weekend we had grand Labor Day plans.  They all went pear shaped on us.  So we flexed our creative stay-cation muscles and improvised... forcing the Daddy-o, who had looming work deadlines, out for one day of mandatory family fun time.  

The firm hand and "force the issue" mentality lasted all of two minutes, and then the amusement park endorphins kicked in... brought on by these giddy faces of anticipation and the group choke hold.

That coupled with the fact that Kaelster was tall enough and more than brave enough to ride the big rides with the big man.  Colossus?  No prob - they rode it twice together.  Wicked?  Why not? 

Yowza.

Lagoon is not my dream day; but it is the stuff that kidlet dreams are made of... and they remember going and they love the haunted house and the roller coasters and every other spinning, twisting and fast ride they're able to ride.

OK, I take that back, they all love every ride with the exception of this ride for little Ace Face.

Acers is not a fan of "the sensation of being dropped".  Like NOT AT ALL.  You know the "One-Two-Three- Toss the Kiddo High in the Sky" game that Dad's are famous for?  Ace clings to RyGar's neck and torso like a starfish clinging to a rock at low tide.  So this "Don't Crack the Dino Egg" ride powered by hydraulic lifts that "drop" you like you're hot on a whim.... well, the dude was in tears.  Screaming from the top of the ride, "I HATE THIS!" and "GET ME DOWN!"

We were all busting a gut at his theatrical exhibition... And we're sorry for that.  Kind of.  But dude, you were a riot.

All was forgotten at the carousel when little man rode the Tiger.  Predictable. Dax broke all the rules and jumped off his giraffe mid-ride to try out the merry-go-round AND a black horse.  How he got away with it I'll never know, but that little weasel is FAST!

The log ride is still my fave.  I don't care who you are... that's an A+ ride if ever a grading system existed for such things.  Plus, you end up in Pioneer Village where the ice cream shop resides along with the lemonade stand.  Take it from me - that's where you want to end up.

The day was gorgeous.  Partly cloudy skies with perfect temps of high seventies... we didn't take a stroller and the little dudes hiked around like champs without a single complaint.

Of course, there isn't much to complain about when you're granted a Driver's License for the day.

I do believe their faces say it all.

Oh Lagoon... We are like putty in your hands.  

You can bet yer buckets we'll be back.  It is, after all, "What Fun Is"!

It's Gettin' Cozy Up in Here...

So hey.  Hi.  Guess what?

Yep.

Baby Boy Number Four is going to be making his grand appearance early in January!  

Here's how the boys are feeling about it all.

And though this was NOT our plan, we are pretty excited to have a little caboose on his way.  

Isn't life completely ironic?  But really, though.  I mean, in my twenties I sat in a Fertility Clinic and got the devastating news (again) that our efforts to conceive were unsuccessful.  I put on my brave face and vowed to myself that even if it never happened for us -- this whole precious gift of family -- I would be a happy camper.  I specifically remember our non-religious case manager came in to meet with RyGar and I and said, "You guys, it feels like we are messing with the timing with the Gardners.  We can't find a single reason you shouldn't be able to conceive, and yet it isn't happening.  We have no answers, but I feel like I'm playing on a chess table and I don't control the pieces.  It's frustrating for me, so I can only imagine how it must feel to you."

Fast forward to now, when in my thirties, I am the most fertile woman on the planet!  :)  And I have all these adorable men around me that He has entrusted me with.  I'm in the throws of motherhood and I'm expanding my repertoire of "wifery skills" and I just love it.  Not every moment of every day, but by and large, the miraculous nature of this incredible journey is not lost on me.  That is the gift that our journey with infertility and adoption has given me... perspective.  I know the days are long and hard, but the years pass all too quickly.  I know we can plan, then plan some more, but we are not the ones who ultimately make the call.  And I'm good with it.

Are we accepting donations of entire sides of beef?  Yep.  Are we feeling a little surprised and overwhelmed?  You betcha.  But the underlying thread that binds all of this together is LOVE.  So much love for all that I've been given and the big gent I get to go through it all with.  And these three little rascals that have all been promoted to "big brother" status.  

Good thing blue is my favorite color.  :)

The Firsts...

There have been a great many firsts here this past week.  I've been oddly calm and fine about the whole thing.  Probably because we held the two older boys with the summer birthdays back which gave me a little more time to get in the right state of mind and made them RARING to go!  Win Win.

Kaelster started Kindergarten and let me walk him across the field to school exactly two times before he was too big and could do it with his friend.  (Tear)  He has Mrs. Whittle for morning Kindi and loves everything about it!  

When I picked him up after his first day, he said, "That was WAY easy!  It took only like ten minutes AND we had recess and I'm STARVING!"  We celebrated with Happy Meals at McDonalds and then the hungry little learner requested two apple pies and an additional order of nuggets which he promptly devoured.  Voracious appetite for food and learning at this point in time... and I love it.

Dax Man started his third year of Preschool and was a complete champ.  He wasn't even a smidgeon nervous and when I picked him up he reported, "I love Preschool!  I have three new friends named, Tate, Thomas and Isaac and I already got a treasure out of the treasure box!  Oh and we had chocolate muffins for snack time and they were gooooood!"

 Dax is our little politician who makes friends easily and has no problem accepting new routines, rules or challenges.  The only thing he wanted to commemorate his successful first day was a Light Saber.  No joke.  So we bought him a glow stick light saber at Partyland and all is right with the world.  Please let it always be this easy!  :)  And please let Dax always be such a complete stud.

Ace Face started his very first year of Preschool today.  I thought he might have some last minute nerves which I was fully prepared to deal with, but nope.  He hung up his back pack, put his shoes in his cubby and RAN like the wind into the class room!  I had to snag him by the elbow to even get a little hug!

 

 Ace is fearless and confident and funny with a tiny helping of crazy.  He will use his "life of the party personality" to his benefit for the rest of his life and being so independent at the ripe old age of three is something to be marveled at.  At the end of the day he remembered no one's name, but he did recall that he played with an awesome tiger toy during play time and read a book about a "little raccoon".  And I remember his proud little face.

I have a pretty sweet gig at the present moment.  I have two hours each day where I get to revel in one-on-one time with either Dax or Ace depending on whose Preschool day it is.  Then when Kael gets home we eat lunch together and head out to play before I get to sit at the table and do homework with the big man.  No complaints here.

They are learning and growing so fast!  We've definitely received a promotion in parenthood with the onset of Elementary school and we feel so lucky that they all seem to enjoy school and are blooming where they've been planted.  Go get 'em boys!  And also, fingers crossed for you, teachers!  :)