DC to NYC: NYC

The view from Abbie's window. That's the Hudson and George Washington Bridge (to New Jersey). I totally ran across that bridge. And it was awesome.

This post could also be called "Conquering NYC with Cousins".



Holy smokes this was fun. The kids all did fantastic. They loved one another to pieces. We loved Abbie and Forrest to pieces. We had good fun, saw fun things, rode the subway billions of places and just generally had some serious fun.

Playing doctor the evening that we arrived. Audrie's curls are almost too much for me. I just want to squeeze her and play with her hair all day.

After riding the super clean and super awesome (seriously the best way to travel) Amtrak train from DC, we embarked upon NYC via Penn Station. WOW. Talk about the definition of chaos. There were a million people going a million different directions and somewhere near a millions smells. And then there was us. :) When we stopped to get our bearings (all the while clutching our children and luggage), Milo was kind enough to attempt to help a homeless man who was looking for something in the trash ("I think he lost something Mom!") and he was also thrilled to point out a grown woman dressed like a mermaid (thankfully wearing a trash bag over her torso to shield others from her seashell pasties).

Subway cousins.

We made our way to Abbie & Forrest's adorable apartment (on the Columbia Medical campus--this close to Harlem), had a yummy dinner, and watched the cousins play their little hearts out.


The next day, we were off to picnic in Central Park!!

Too much cuteness in front of Bethesda Fountain.

Isabel threw every last piece of change she had (leftover from souvenir money she got from Grandma Kim and Grandpa Manuel AND from Great Grandma and Great Grandpa) in Bethesda Fountain. Even the smooshed-flat penny she made at the National Zoo. Because she lives big like that. Milo cried for her. Because he's a sensitive guy like that.

Cutest Keeler ever.

Our picnic was soggy hot but so fun. The kids ran and played and ran some more. All in their church clothes. Then we rode the subway to New York City church. It was highly entertaining.

A bunch of LDS folks in their Sunday best definitely stand out on the train.

2nd cutest Keeler ever.
Living it up in the big city.

The next day was pretty much a 6 year old's dream come true. FAO Schwarz. Hot dogs and shakes for lunch. Ginormous natural history museum. Oh, and cousins and more cousins.

Pure joy.
Eating a hot dog in New York City.

We are big Mo Willems (greatest children's author ever) fans around here and let me tell you, there were more than a handful of pigeon-wants-a-hot-dog jokes told that day. Milo was a little horrified that his hot dog had 'kraut on it.

Notice the two snoozers on the left. Notice the nonsnoozer on the right. Cutie pies all around. This is us triumphantly eating our Shake Shack food. Because it wasn't so easy to get to and it was a bit of a line. But all well worth it.
Why cousins are awesome: they will ooohh and aaaahhh at everything with you (while assuming "the Anderson" stance).

Why cousins are awesome part two: they will let you lead them around by a leash/they will lead you around by a leash so your mom can have a break from the leash.

Keeler thought the barriers to the exhibits were totally lame.

Isabel requested that we take a break from the animals and dinosaurs to "go check out all the dead stuffed humans". Also known as the "history of western/eastern civilization". Future anthropologist that one.

Keeler was totally in awe of the dino fossils and skeletons.

FAO Shwarz schwag.

Yup. They totally played on the piano. No, they haven't seen BIG.

Day three was our Statue of Liberty day. I&M were so psyched to see Miss Liberty--they had even done "research" and checked out some books at the library about how she was made, why France gave her to us, and who made her. Too bad their lame mom didn't realize that it would have been best to plan the Liberty Island excursion well in advance. Oh well, the view from the Staten Island Ferry was pretty good too. View from the ferry. Just as pretty in real life as in pictures.

Adorable. And what is with the same ears??

Ferry Family

This one wanted to try out the view from every bench and seat and rail of the ferry.

Nautical Milo

Next it was on to the financial district. Wall Street is one crazy place. Can't imagine working there. I can, however, imagine eating a this yummy Patisserie in the financial district every day.

If it's the last day of vacation, your mom will let you eat waffles with chocolate syrup for lunch. And your sister will tell the lady waiting in line for the bathroom that it's probably gonna be awhile because her brother is in there pooping and he takes FOREVER to poop.

Just trying to blend in with all the suits.

So much fun! So many yummy meals. So many laughs. So much cuteness. An entire pan of brownies in one sitting (no kids to blame on that one). Forrest is going to ditch med school and be a life coach. Abbie is a fantastic cook and cutest mommy. NYC is crazy fun. We're going back. The kids asked on the plane ride home when we could go back. As in, tomorrow? (That may be all that I remember of the return flight. I've blocked the rest. Let's just say it wasn't the easy peasy occasion that the flight to DC was.)

Blogging about it already...DC to NYC: Part 1

My apologies (Deena, Grami Tami, Grandma Kim, Aunt Stacy etc. etc.) for the delay in posting. Turns out, I needed a little vacation after my vacation. Except, as is always the case, life was marching right along.

Commence memories. My (again) apologies for the number of poorly lit/poorly framed photos. That's how we roll folks.

But seriously, funnest trip ever. EVER. This was amazing. Incredible. So much fun. No one freaked out. No one melted down. No one puked. No one got lost. No one even cried (except for Keeler and that's totally allowed).

Public Transportation. That was the theme of this trip. We were so adept at subways, metro cards, taxis, shuttles, and giant transport stations (Union and Penn) by the end of this trip. And to think that those skills will go to waste here in little ol' Fort Fun.

Eating in bed. That's Keeler's new favorite thing to do. Because that's how it goes in a hotel (which we stayed in for our 4 day/3 night foray into Washington D.C.). Also, it turns out that a baby can subsist on Fig Newtons and peanut butter alone for a remarkable period of time. Because hunger strikes are his m.o. on vacation.

Stressed out. Doesn't even begin to describe how I was feeling about the prospect of flying across the country with three children. I was mostly worried that someone would hate us (like the poor passenger stuck in 26E or F). But, turns out, my worry was for naught. We got the seats we wanted (back of the plane, all in a row). Keeler slept. No crying. The flight attendants kept our kids loaded (and I mean LOADED) up with snacks and juice. The kids each had their own rolling carry on and backpack and we checked NO luggage. (No checked luggage = one less stop after deplaning and trying to navigate to the hotel.)

Auntie Juliann. The woman is amazing. Seriously, amazing. She is a busy, busy lady (as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Orrin Hatch) yet still found time to show us the time of our lives (literally) in D.C.. She showed us around the senate building she calls home, arranged for a VIP tour of the Capital Building, joined us on a VIP and totally amazing tour of the Library of Congress (possible the most beautiful building in America), treated us to a delish lunch at the Senate Buffet (Hello Trent Lott. Had no idea that pink was your color.), and even joined us on a whirlwind sightseeing/museum-crashing whirlwind two days later. The twins are officially in love. With Auntie Juliann AND her adorable dog, Boscoe.

Peering up at the ceiling of the Library of Congress. Told you it was beeeeautiful.

Checking out the infamous "egg and dart" architectural detail with our super awesome tour guide (and also Legislative Assistant to Senator Hatch) JJ.

Keeler practicing his fork skills at the Senate Buffet. He was a doll and completely adorable throughout. He loves that Ergo baby carrier--thank goodness. And, oddly, that carrier sparked several conversations with men in Juliann's office. Apparently, their wives are all very into baby-wearing as well.

The latter half of our first day was spent at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. It was...okay. See NYC post to come. Their museum was way better. But, this one did have this (stuffed and dead) panda that Milo thought was super cute.

Jam-packed first day plus swimming=face-plants into their pillows that night.

The next day was spent traversing the National Zoo in D.C.. Amazing and totally free. Crazy. Milo got to see his beloved giant pandas up close and personal. Well, their bums at least. Because they were both sleeping the entire time. He still loved it. Phew.

Milo with his stuffed red panda in front of the red panda exhibit. Second only to giant pandas in love in Milo's world. Raise your hand if you even knew that their were red pandas before you met Milo...that's what I thought. Now that you know, please do not insult him by accidentally calling his stuffed animal a "raccoon". It will not go without reprimand and degrading looks. Ask the hotel manager.

A meerkat in front of the meerkats.

Our last day in D.C. was a whirlwind of monuments, memorials, and museums. And it was awesome. We could have stayed their for two more weeks and still not run out of things to see and do. Isabel was a big fan of Dorothy's shoes (Smithsonian Museum of American History).

Milo, on the other hand, nearly died upon entering the museum to see this site.

Lincoln Memorial to Washington Monument (Capital in the way background).

Lincoln was huge. Lincoln was breathtaking. Lincoln was amazing and reverent. (It was also stiflingly hot and humid which made it a much shorter stop than we would have liked.)

Isabel sat out for Jefferson. Partly because of her walking boot and the heat, partly because she has an aunt-crush on Auntie Juliann and she got to stay in the air conditioned car with her. Milo thought it was super sweet and wanted to know if "he really was that tall". Not quite.

The White House was much different than we thought it would be. Had no idea it was right in the middle of...everything. It was very cool. The kids were pretty bummed that Pres. Obama was out of town that day.

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On the last day, we also hit the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum (which was cute and interesting and sooooo air-conditioned). Isabel loved it and nearly killed over at all of the selections in the gift shop. That girl is slightly enamoured with history--and especially women in history. She was bummed that she didn't bring her bonnet. No joke.

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After all of that fun, it was off to ride the Amtrak train (highly recommend it) to NYC to see Abbie, Forrest, Eli and Audrie. Phew. Post to come.

Marathon 2.0

June 12, 2010 was Marathon Numero Dos for me...one of my very besties, Shikay, asked me to train/run her first marathon with her. How can you turn that down I ask you?!
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This marathon was very different than the last one...also, this post may bore you out of your pretty little head. Unless, of course, you like to run. Or you just like to hear about the misery/insanity of others (who like this ridiculous sport that can actually make your nipples bleed and make you poo your pants).

M1: Used FIRST training program (google it). INTENSE but very good.
M2: Used Nike training program (google it too). Loved it and not as intense. More emphasis on stretching/yoga/strength training.
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M1: Trained for 18 weeks.
M2: Trained for 16 weeks.
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M1: Ran down Poudre Canyon. Beautiful.
M2: Ran down Provo Canyon. Beautiful with less steep downhill.
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M1: Vowed to run every stinking mile with running partner. Also did all long training runs with training partner (even 13 miles on the dreadmill).
M2: Vowed to run every mile with Shikay. Had one 18 mile run together.

M1: Caught bus at 4 am to top of canyon.
M2: Caught bus at 3:30 am to top of canyon.
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M1: Carefully prepared outfit night before.
M2:Frantically searched Target night before for long sleeves to wear from expected downpour of rain at race.
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M1: Nervously wondered if I could finish--secretly hoped to finish in under 4 hours.
M2: Knew I could finish and looked forward to having fun while doing so!
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M1: Lost my running partner at mile 11. Communication error causes us to remain separated for remainder of race. I backtrack an entire mile looking for her. This adds TWO miles to my distance. That's right, I ran 28.2 miles.
M2: Ran every leg of marathon with Shikay. Wondered if she wanted to punch me or push me into the bushes because I like to talk too much.
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M1: Gripped by serious GI distress at mile 22. Not enough water and too many GUs.
M2: No GI distress!! Drank tons of water and no GUs for me. Only sport beans.



M1: Cried from mile 22-24 because I knew I had 2 extra miles to run.
M2: Did not cry until crossing finish line.
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M1: Crossed finish line in 4:04. Cried because I had missed finishing under 4 because of those stupid 2 miles.
M2: Crossed in 4:50 after run/walking the last 5 miles with Shikay. Felt great. Never hit the wall!!
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M1: Did everything wrong in recovery period: collapsed on couch for 6 hours, took hot bath 2 hours after finish, did not drink enough water, did not drink Gatorade, did not eat enough.
M2: Kept moving after race. Walked around Target for an hour, stretched, stretched, stretched. Drank so much water I thought I would drown. Alternated with Gatorade. Ate carb/protein heavy frequent small meals. Started 'round the clock ibuprofen (for 3 days).
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M1: Thought I might never walk normally again for days afterwards.
M2: Went running again 3 days later.
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M1: Wanted to do another marathon immediately.
M2: Want to do another marathon. Fall maybe?
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So proud of and happy for Shikay. Marathons are hard core. Getting rained on for more than half of a marathon is way hard core. She rocked it.

Biking, Bold, Broken, and one for Deena

Yup. It's broken. Yup, I'm awesome. My daugther had a broken ankle for a WEEK and I didn't know. In my defense, she continued to play, run, and just be crazy for the last half of that week. Also, in my defense, the girl is constantly wrapping an extremity in some sort of cast/sling/brace and pretending to have a broken arm/leg/hand/foot. I feel like SUCH a jerk. Seriously.
Keeler has some mad skateboard skills. He also thinks that anything you wear on your head is hilarious.

Keeler likes corn. :)

For Deena.

Pretty sure I made my friend Deena a bridal shower hat out of the exact cowgirl hat that Isabel is now refusing to take off. Made her dr's appointment fairly entertaining. :)

In front of the CU Boulder sign after the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day. This plus a picnic at Grandma's have become an annual tradition. I ran with Allyson this year and set a new PR--49 minutes and some change!!

My favorite journal entry from Kindergarten (from several months ago). The spelling will tip you off that it is Isabel's entry...Milo refuses to write unless he is POSITIVE that he is spelling everything correctly.

Spring Summary

Too many pictures. Not enough organization. Tons of fun.

Here are the last 2+ months, in a nutshell. Let's see if I can hold your attention through this ridiculous number of pictures shall we?
Milo played soccer again and cemented his role as "cutest and most enthusiastic soccer player ever". That boy can CHEER. So, so funny. It melts this mama's heart to see her son do something that does not come easy to him and enjoy the heck out of it. He works so hard and practices so hard. He also scored a game goal this season (which promptly sent me into tears) and helped his team to another undefeated season--aided, of course, by the lucky matching sweatbands they all wore.

We all went to Moab with our friends (the Voorhies and the Bakers). Much fun was had and much rock climbing was done--by the twins and by Spencer.

Keeler loved the water in Moab but wasn't sure if he loved it quite enough to let go of Spencer's hand. Then again, he wasn't quite sure that he DIDN'T love it enough to let go of Spencer's hand. It was quite the conundrum.

Keeler also assured us (repeatedly) that is both adorable AND crazy. This boy is so cute, so busy, and so kooky.

Milo and Isabel were troopers on their hike to Corona Arch and Bowtie Arch. Brave too--that hike isn't easy-peasy (as they would say).

Spencer continued to be the cutest dad ever. Keeler loves this guy and it melts my heart! He also loves sunglasses. On. Off. On. Off. On your face. On his face. On. Off.

Kennedy, Milo, Isabel, and Sophie were very, very glad to be out of the dusty wind and in this lovely creek in a canyon in Moab. What being a kid is all about!

Isabel continues to be hilarious. Superstar anyone? She has gotten more and more imaginative and loves (as her teacher says) to just "put pen to paper and start writing away!". Spelling be darned.

Isabel, Milo, and Keeler hung out in this awesome fort on Mother's Day. Keeler loves to play right.in.their.business all day every day. Most of the time, they don't even mind.

Isabel realized all of her greatest dreams when she had her dance recital!!!! There were costume changes, puffy skirts, tiaras, stage lights, stage makeup, dress rehearsals and flowers. Need I say more? (Only to emphasize that I was soooo far outside my box in all of this. Stage makeup? Seriously? I had to call in help from my good friend Robyn because, apparently, I don't even know how to BUY the right makeup--let alone apply it.) Despite my parental shortcomings, she did so great, was so cute, and made us so proud.

Keeler discovered that spinning in circles WITH sunglasses on is even more fun than just spinning in circles. Have I mentioned that he is hilarious?

We all made a foray into Utah for the graduation of Aunty Mel (Grami Tami's oldest daughter). Isn't she babe-a-licious? Love that girl and so proud of her! There was also a super-duper-sleepover-with-Grami while we were there. Those two kiddos stayed up until 1 am (!!!) and had more fun in 14 hours than most people have in 14 days.

Isabel and Milo reverted to earlier years and started sharing a bed again--of their own free will. They were like 2 sardines in a very tiny can. Or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's grandparents. It was a passing fad but it was cute darnnit. (We also checked out the aforementioned movie to help them understand the reference. It freaked them both out (shocking) and Milo wanted to know what sort of special effects they used to "make those orange guys' arms and legs so short. Oh boy.)

Milo was a proud participant in the district art show. Love his sun right? (Isabel, the self-proclaimed, artist was more than a bit miffed that she did not have a piece in the show. Don't worry, she stifled her discontent long enough to be a good sport at the show.)

Milo and Isabel began playing outside every.waking.minute. "Can I go see if May and Spenc can play?" has become the intro to every day.

Erin continued training for her second marathon. Wowza. Doing a few things differently this time around and definitely enjoying the training more this time. Ran the awesome Platte River half-marathon with these great gals and had a 2nd best ever finish.

That's it. Phew.

It's our 6th time you know...

9 babies. Weighing in at just under 2 lbs to just over 6 lbs. 13 weeks early to 4 weeks early. All in our immediate families (aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings).

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This will be the 6th time we've gotten up on a Saturday morning in April and headed to a park. Or a zoo. Or a trail. It never gets any less personal or any less emotional. We've always started off with a cry. Listened to another family tell their story. About how their baby (or babies) was born too soon. About how they feared the worst. About how they cried. And prayed. Some rode in helicopters and some didn't know for days. All endured. And held their breath. And counted the ounces gained, heart rates dropped, days in the NICU. And their baby made it. Their baby is now 2. 4. 6. 9 years old. Most years we release balloons. Or doves. To remember those who did not survive prematurity.

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Then we start off together. Walking in a circle. Or walking there and back. This year it will be 5 lovely miles. And everyone has a connection to this. Their baby. Their patient. Their sister, niece, nephew, friend, grandchild. Had a baby prematurely or had a full-term baby who should have been healthy. But wasn't. Some got steroids, some got surfactant, some got inhaled nitric oxide, some got parent support. All benefitted.

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6 years ago we were afraid. We were engulfed. We were crying every. single. night. Because our babies were so small. Because our babies were born too soon. Our babies were in the intensive care unit where we had to sign in and out and show picture ID to see our babies and we had to talk in whispers and had to wash our hands while we sang the ABCs and had to ask questions like "how many times did his heart rate drop?" and "how blue was she though?". And had to fear the middle of the night phone call.

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On Saturday April 24th, we'll walk together for the 6th time. This is the March of Dimes biggest fundraisers of the year. Walk with us won't you? Can't walk? Donate to support by clicking on the link of the left side of the page.

Confessions of Teenage Bride

I was a teenage bride.

Ack. Can you believe it? Sometimes--okay, most times--I can't either. I know, I know. You're chalking it all up to our religion. "Ooohhhh, it's because you're Mormon." Um, guess again. Here's the tricky part--we were not involved with any church or religion at the time that we married. Oh sure, getting married at a younger age is more common in Utah, but still. I was NINETEEN. Ack. Did I say that already? ACK. That was not a very women's lib move for someone who has yet to even change her name.

Snowshoeing outside Steamboat Springs. Most fun we've had in ages. Sort of a scary-too-close-for-comfort-self-portrait. Sorry.

This adorable Mr. and I spent a lot of time talking about our marriage over the last week. We celebrated the big ELEVEN last weekend. Talk about lucking out right? Did you know that 60% of teenage marriages end in divorce within 10 years? Not a big shocker right?

We laughed about how, on paper, most people probably would have placed bets against us. How most people would have put us in a trailer park or would have put us in the same jobs we had when got married.

We laughed about how we had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA, NO CLUE, NO INKLING about what we were doing when we got married. I mean, seriously. NONE. We had no idea how hard it would be. We had no idea how crazy it would be. We had no idea what challenges would come our way. Or how blessed we would be. We just had no idea.

I guess maybe that's for the best?

Apparently, we are getting braver in our old age. This is the sign outside the hot springs above Steamboat. Remember how two years ago we went to one that made a point of telling all visitors that bathing suits were mandatory?? Lest your mind is getting away from you, do not fear. We high tailed it out of there so fast once the sun started to set! Trust me when I say that the people who were showing up at dark were a very interesting crowd.

Because, honestly, I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I had let this get away. If I had decided against it because it was too soon or we were too young or I was too scared (which I should have been and which we were and it was).

Oh sure, a few things may have been a bit easier or may have been a bit easier (school). But, we've agreed. We made each other what we are. We pushed each other, supported each other, trusted each other, and pushed each other some more.

Looking down on the springs. Don't strain your eyes. No nudies here.

I don't know exactly why we made it. Why we beat the odds. But, hard work has definitely been part of it. Faith eventually played a big role. Learning to disagree constructively is a big part. There's that whole love thing, of course. Anyway, I give him WAY more credit than me.

Eleven years. !!!!. Crazy. I love this Mr.. I love this marriage. Teenage bride or not, I wouldn't trade this for anything.