Back from holiday

Howdy, blogger world.
We just got back this past weekend, from a lovely two-week vacation to visit friends and family in Idaho. Fun times!! Sadly, I didn't take enough pictures. But we all sure had fun. Here are the few pics I got...

All set to go! Natalie wasn't so happy to learn that she had to share that seat with me. Neither was I, by the end of it. ha!

One night we went to see a play of Cinderella, at the Starlight Mountain Theater, up in the mountains behind Boise. Samantha and Ella really seemed to enjoy it, and got their picture taken with the star...

And another pic, with the fairy godmother...

On the way to the play, we drove up this beautiful mountain pass that is usually so gorgeous. Only, it was in full blaze with a forest fire, right off the sides of the road. This was taken out our sunroof, as we drove by, just yard away from our car!

We could literally feel the heat of the fire as we drove by. So crazy and and sad, and somewhat scary!

Luckily, there was quite a crew of fire-fighters standing by to keep the fire from raging out of control...

 But it was bad enough that the road was closed later that night and we had to take the REALLY back roads to get home... covered in dust on a winding road for over an hour. ugh!

Fast-forward a week, and here we are in Blackfoot, with my mom, letting the kids play at Jensen's Grove Lake. It hasn't changed much since I was a kid. And the kids really had a good time.

Here's Nattie, wading out, being so brave. (A little TOO brave, actually, if you ask me! She fell over at a river this week. Thank goodness she had on that life jacket!)

And Spencer, being so very cold. He gets cold fast, and his lips turn blue, just like my brother Lance's used to...

Our last day in Blackfoot, we went to say goodbye to my Grandma Eva and Doug. The kids were THRILLED with the boat parked in their driveway!

 Grandma was a little nervous with all their climbing around...

 Our little poser, asking me to take "just one more" of "just me!"

When we got to the airport to fly home, we checked our bags, and as we got in the security line. Who did we run into? Our friend Catherine and her four kids, on their way back to Beijing!! Small world, eh?! Catherine and I were good friends when we lived in London. Her little girl Madeliene and Samantha are about the same age, and we were both pregnant together. It was so fun to run into her. We helped her get to her flight, which left 1/2 hr before ours.

We stayed on the same plane on the way home, touching down in Denver to pick up more passengers. There was a slight delay, so one of the pilots let the kids come into the cockpit. So cool! They got to sit up front, hold onto the steering column, and push a bunch of buttons.

 I told Brian they got to do that, and he was even more excited than they were!

That's the end of the pictures from our trip. Fun times NOT pictured (because I accidentally misplaced our camera for a week, oops.)...
-- A great family reunion in Post Falls, with all Brian's mom's siblings and kids. We camped on Brian's aunt and uncle's front lawn, and had some fun outings to lakes and parks, etc.
-- Some gorgeous scenic mountain drives on the way back from Post Falls (about 8 hrs). And a not-so-scenic drive there, by way of Salmon (also about 8 hours). Salmon is scenic, but several hours surrounding the Salmon drive lack character, and water, and trees. (Not very photogenic, if you get my drift.)
-- A really fun dinner at Cheesecake Factory, celebrating Brian's weight loss goal. He is looking sooo great, I must say!
-- My parents' remodel on their bedroom, guestroom, and bathrooms. It looks amazing and is so spacious and comfortable! Also, my brother Trent and Melissa just built a new home across from my parents. We got to see it for the first time, and LOVED all the finishing touches. Gorgeous.
-- Some good thrift store shopping trips. When things come on sale at thrift stores, ya know you're REALLY getting a bargain, eh? I walked away with some great summer skirts for $2-3 apiece. Fun! Also scored some great clothes for the kids for this winter. Not bad!
-- A funny story... We bought a little plastic gumball machine for Spencer at Wal-mart, during our family reunion, just as a fun treat for him (mainly because Samantha got to do something fun that he didn't get to do). Well, one night, as I was putting him to bed in our tent, he was clutching his new gumball machine in the sleeping bag beside him, and he asked, "Mom? Are there any owls here?"
(Those of you who don't know about his owl phobia... well, he has one. He has woken multiple times in the night to tell me or Brian he heard a noise and it sounded like 'whooo.')
I reassured him that no, I had not seen any owls around Aunt Lucy's house. We were safe and owls didn't like people, anyway. He weighed my response carefully, then asked, "But do they like gumball machines??"

ha! Oh, how fun it would have been to get wide eyes and look around the tent and tell him, Oh, actually, owls really, really DO like gumball machines! ... but I didn't. ;)

All for now. We're back on the Eastern seaboard, soaking up the last of our summer sunshine and trying to pack in more fun before we head back to school in 10 days.

Brusheeen Teeeefff!

One of Natalie's absolute favorite activities is brushing her teeth. Every time she sees the bathroom door open, in she runs, pointing at the water, calling out "brusheeeen teeefff!" with great enthusiasm! And to be honest, it's one of the cutest things ever...

Open up and show us your teeth (she has ten now, cutting two more on bottom, finally).But you can't really see any of them here...

And, making a run for it. I just had to take one of those luscious curlies...

The girl in action...

Rambling Update

I'm not sure what the title of this one should be, because really, I'm just in the mood to ramble tonight. Brian's been working like a crazy man... for months now. I miss him tonight. A lot. And I miss my friends that live here, who are out of town for the next couple of weeks. What am I supposed to do with myself, with all this time to "myself" (and my three kids, and my messy house and filthy car)?

I've been reading Stephanie Nielson's book, Heaven Is Here. I got it as a birthday gift last week. It's a very touching read -- makes me feel very tender toward my family these days. I've also been working on my own story -- the one about me and Brian and how it took us (mainly me) forever to figure out that we belong together. And I've been staying up too late and suffering from slight insomnia, I think because Brian's working so much, and also because it keeps being too hot. I try to turn the air temp up a bit at night, but really, I should be turning it COOLER, so I can get some good rest, I think.

Anyway, in all my "spare time" lately, (and you can read that as the time I should be cleaning house and nurturing my kiddos), I've found myself alone with my thoughts, and appreciating the time for some introspection. I've been thinking about what's important to me in life, and what's not important, and what should be important, and what should be more important, etc. You know... lots of those deep, insightful thoughts about how I should prioritize my time and my life. And... well, I have no new epiphanies to share here tonight. But I've recommitted to be a little less critical -- of my kids, myself, my husband, my house, my friends, and basically everyone and everything around me. There's a lot of good out there, and I might as well be looking for it, right? And I've recommitted to take better care of myself -- which means eating smarter, getting rid of that last few pounds of baby weight, sleeping earlier and getting outside more. So far, so good, except for the sleep part -- will work on that as soon as I'm done blogging tonight. Promise. :)

I've also been thinking a lot about the many people who make my life so wonderful. Most of them live thousands of miles away from me. And yet, the people here that I've come to know and love are amazing, beautiful people too. This may be a personal quirk of mine -- I really and truly savor relationships and memories, past and present. (Or, maybe most people feel this way on the inside, but I just don't get to see it and feel it?) Even after paths have crossed and people I was once really close to have gone a different direction, I love and cherish the closeness we shared. And I miss those people and think of them, and love them. Not that I pine for the past or feel unsatisfied with my life as it is. Really, I'm a very happy person. I just have so many wonderful memories with so many wonderful people.

I know it's not nice to name names, but I have to give some examples of what I think about, so you can see what I mean by "quirky" and by "savor":
-- A perfect summer salad tonight, with greens, caramelized walnuts, apples, gorgonzola and sweet viniagrette dressing. I picked up the absolutely perfect bite: Alicia Buchanan, I smiled and thought of you.
-- Oreo Coolatta this afternoon with the kids: Erin, I thought of you, because you brought me oreos, and you would like this drink.
-- Old-school merry-go-round at the playground, pushing my kids a million miles an hour: Dad, I thought of the merry-go-round you helped assemble at the Wapello School 30 years ago.
-- Dollar-store jewelry trip, found an awesome pair of big dangley pierced earrings: Lindsay, I paid $1 for them, thought I'd see if you want them when you get back.
-- MAC lipstick and new eyeshadow this morning: Randilicious Johansen you'd be proud of the new shade. Scott Buchanan, you'd still make fun of me because I still hold my lips funny.
-- Little girl in the store with bright blue eyes today: Blaine, they were just like yours, true blue.
-- Scratching a mosquito bite that just won't go away: Leslie Friel, did you really tell me to put carmex on them? or did I dream that up?
-- Butterfly on Natalie's shirt. I touched it, tried to make her say "butterfly." She said "who who" because she wanted to wear the owl shirt again instead: Aunt Darla, I thought of you and how you love butterflies.
-- Chicken and rice soup. No matter when I have it, I smile and think of Joyce Farnsworth, and the time you brought it to me when I was so sick and pregnant with Spencer. Nothing ever tasted so good in my life.
-- Cleaned out my closet last night and actually hung up my shirts instead of folding them in stacks: Dalana and Cindy, you'd both be so proud to see it.
-- Toblerone chocolate bar, also a birthday present, is sitting in the back of my fridge, a slow indulgence I'm nursing along every day: Kurri, I know it's really Swiss chocolate, but I tasted it first in Canada, with you. Also, made Samantha try mac-n-cheese with ketchup yesterday, because I was thinking of you.
-- Got a Randy Travis CD for my birthday from Brian, no joke! Amber, remember when you shook his hand at his concert when we were 16, and you wouldn't wash it until your mom made you?
-- Samantha picked up several shiny, pretty rocks at the park the other day and showed them to me: Amy Partridge, I missed you and picking up so many rocks up Fred's Lane, so many fun little girl memories with you.
-- Thought about dying my hair: Marissa, I wondered what color you'd recommend, to mix things up for a change.

I feel like I should go on, because, what if you're reading and saying, "well, what about me, Kamber? Did you think of me?" The trouble with naming names, I tell you! :) But I also can assure you, that yes, I did and do think of you, if we ever had any kind of relationship or friendship. And if you're really interested to know, leave me a comment and I'll tell you things that remind me of you. ;) Every day, all day, my life seems to be filled with touching thoughts of people who mean something to me. Does this make me a freak? Or are there other people who just seem to remember it all? I mean, the more experiences I have, the more memories I'm making, the more I seem to be reminded of past memories, past experiences, and the people who made those moments in my life meaningful. And I like it! And poor Brian has to hear about it -- when he's around.

Anyway, I told you this would be a rambling, random journalish bit tonight. And I also told you I was going to take better care of myself by sleeping earlier. That time has come... Good night!

Road Trip

The official title of this post should actually read: Really Fun Road Trip with Only a Few Pictures. But I thought that probably wouldn't do much to draw in the readers, eh? But it's true, the kids and I decided to take a really fun road trip. And we took very few pictures of all that funness.

It all started a few months ago, when I was looking at our summer plans and I realized how CLOSE we are to Indiana. Why not road-trip ourselves over to South Bend and spend some time with my cousins who live there? While we're at it, let's invite sis-in-law Alysa to join, so she can take her kiddos to see their grandparents who are serving a mission in Indiana. Sounds super fun, right?... twelve hours in the car, two moms, five kids, including two one-year-olds who refuse to sleep in cars. (Well, actually, maybe it was only my one-year-old who refused to sleep. But it still felt like a car full of restless wee ones.) Who knew Indiana was NOT actually so close as it looks on the map!?

Anyway, it was fun trip, and it went down like this...
Sunday night: meet up in New Haven, CT to pick up Alysa, Aftyn and Bronwyn (who were joining us from their home in Mass.) Bad traffic. Super bad traffic. Our 2-hr evening meet-up plan turned into four and a half hours in the car, with no snacks because I figured the kids would just go to sleep, and they did NOT. Not the best start to our trip, eh? Oh well.

Monday morning: Leave bright and early (9 a.m. -- that's early, considering I was up packing until after 1 a.m.!) Drive to Pennsylvania. Drive through Pennsylvania. In fact, spend the ENTIRE day driving, driving, driving across Pennsylvania. Long state, P. Long to spell, long to say, and long, long, long to drive across. We stopped in Gettysburg, just a 20-minute detour from our route. These are some of the only pics I took of our almost week-long trip, so savor them.

A very beautiful monument/memorial, where we stopped to rest and look around...

Two cute girlies, chasing each other near the monument..

Oh, little Bronwyn, I could eat you up, baby girl!

There were names of soldiers all around the plaques on the outside of the monument. Very touching and moving (but not so much, to Natalie, who was more excited about the steps)...

 Spence and Samantha, "posing" with the overlook of the battlefield behind them...

 The battlefield, oh how I would have loved to learn about it a little bit more, really take time to appreciate its history and its sadness...

On the monument, our little climbers. We went all the way to the top, and down again. These three wanted to climb the 60+ steps again, but there wasn't time, and it was super hot!

(Note to self, and ti others who may be considering Gettysburg: small children don't really "get it." Would love to go again, maybe when they're a little older, or something?)

We made it as far as Columbus, Ohio on Monday night.  A loonng day, on the road from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Natalie was very unsettled all night long, poor thing, so we had a tired morning -- swam at our hotel and got on the road by noon. We dropped off Alysa and her girls in Dayton, where she got to meet up with her parents. yay! (Their plan was to fly back to Boston at the end of their trip, so we didn't see them again.) Then the kids and I drove on to South Bend that afternoon. We had such a nice visit!

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: We stayed with my cousin, Nathan, and his wife, Kristina, and their four kids. An extra special treat -- my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Brad (Nate's parents) came at the same time, and stayed at a nice Marriott hotel less than a mile from the house, and my cousin Candice and her family came from southern IN to join the party. We ate delicious foods, slept in every morning, stayed up late chatting each night, and swam at the pool at the Marriott for several hours, three different times. Fun! My kids were in heaven, to be in a big house (well, bigger than ours!), with new-to-them toys and friends to play with, and THREE trips to the pool!?! What's not to love? (Except that Brian couldn't be with us. sad.)

Can I just say, from a perspective of someone living far away from family for many years off and on... it was sooooo nice to be with family for a change! Even though Kristina and Candice and I haven't spent tons of time together, and we didn't grow up together, I just loved visiting with them and watching our kids play together. Candice told me a sweet story about her twin, Kim, who passed away a few years ago. The ending of the story was, "Everyone needs a sister." And I felt a lot of that sisterly love from both Candice and Kristina while I was with them. Such a great feeling, family.

We went on a quick little walking tour of historic Notre Dame University while we were there. Sadly, I only took two or three pictures of that gorgeous campus...

Touchdown Jesus, from a distance. (A bit sacrilegious, I know, but it does look like he's making the touchdown sign, and it's close to the stadium.)

Us, and the Basilica in the background. Sadly, I didn't get a pic of Nathan or Kristina, but three of their darling kids are in this pic with us...

 The gold dome building... Very pretty!

Oh, and Spencer, running away, crying and screaming and throwing a HUGE fit in the middle of the campus for 15 minutes, with loud shouts of "I DON'T LIKE THIS!!!" and "I WANT TO GO HOME NOOOOOWWW!!!" Yeah, maybe college campuses are not the best places for small tired children, either. sigh.

Friday morning: We left. And it was hard to say goodbye. Samantha especially really wanted to stay one more day. But we got on the road headed home. We made a ten-minute stop in Michigan, to say we've been there. And we stopped in Kirtland, Ohio to see the Kirtland Temple, landmark for our church. It was closed. My camera was running out of battery. I got this pathetic drive-by pic...

Maybe we'll have to redo Kirtland some other time, I guess?

We grabbed Subway sandwiches for dinner, then drove to a park overlooking Lake Erie. As in THE Lake Erie, massive, gorgeous Finger Lake. It was a happy stop...

With happy kids...

 And happy water...

 Samantha started a big rock collection, with rocks she was pulling out of the lake. She picked out five MASSIVE rocks to bring home with us, one for each member of our family. Brian's was the biggest -- a reddish rock the size of a loaf of bread. She named it The Bread Rock. I didn't get a picture, but here she is with Natalie's little rock...

We stayed that night at a somewhat smelly Motel 6. The kids thought it was fabulous, I thought it lacked charm and had a loud A/C that kept me up all night. Oh well. Price was good and we survived. The rest of the trip included driving alllll the way back across Pennsylvania, again. But we took I-80 this time, which is a prettier route, if anyone wonders. And I listened to "The Help" on CD while we drove, so it seemed to go a little faster.

Saturday night: Home by 8 p.m., kids in bed by 9 p.m. A road trip well executed, happily enjoyed! Almost 1700 miles in the car, 30+ hours. Whew!!

The sad part is the bit about Brian not joining us. Not only did he NOT come along, but he worked like a maniac while we were gone. It was very sad to come home to the crock pot still on the counter from a week ago, the load of laundry I left on the couch still half folded, just as I had left it. That's totally NOT Brian's style; I know if he'd had even a few extra minutes, he would have spiffed up the place. He literally worked like a dog the ENTIRE time we were gone. Poor man. We're hoping he'll get a BREAK soon, and that he'll get to JOIN us for the next road trip!

Looking forward to even more fun when we head to Idaho in a couple of weeks. Oh, but we'll do that one by plane this time! :)

Yet Another Birthday

I definitely feel a year older this time around. But it's been a good year. I think the oldness came from all the grey hair I found this year. In the Kamber History Book, it will be recorded that I started going grey in my 37th year.... Or is it 36th? I never remember how it works, but I think it's 37th, and now I've completed that year and turned that age... right? (Rand, help me out on this one, eh?) No fun, about the grey hair. But I guess it's in my genes (and I'm sure my mom would like me to add that it's NOT from her genes. ahem.)

Anyway, today is my day. Again.
And yes, it still is better known to the world as the day Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969 --- "One small step for man, one giant step for mankind." I guess I'm glad to share that anniversary. Because, really, it's kinda cool that we landed those astronauts on the moon, isn't it? :)

In honor of my birthday, I looked back at my blog from 2009, where I listed all my birthday memories. I decided I'd update the list to include the last few birthdays, as follows:
34 yrs -- Brian and I floated the Boise River together, while our sis-in-law, Dalana, watched the kids. It was so much fun, except when Brian dunked me. ;) I long for another river date, someday.
35 yrs -- I was expecting Natalie. We went to Lagoon for the day, with a lot of our Bishop family. It was a super fun day... except for the part where it was 90+ degrees, and I was pregnant and couldn't ride any rides, and my hip was out. But still, it sounds cool to say I went to Lagoon for my birthday, right??
36 yrs -- We were on vacation at Redfish Lake, stayed in a darling little cabin right next to the lodge. We had a delicious birthday breakfast in the lodge, then spent the day swimming at the lake before driving to my parents' place for a bbq and party in their back yard.
37 yrs -- Today! It rained most of the day -- only the second time I EVER remember it raining on my birthday. I went to the mall with the kids, and with my friend Erin and her kids. I finally used my gift card for the MAC make-up store that Brian gave me for Christmas, and also bought a nice smelly candle I had my eye on in the Bath and Body Works store. mmm.... Came home and made a chocolate/peanut-butter tort cake, with Samantha and Spencer. We put it on the gorgeous new cake plate my mom and dad sent for a present, and, as an extra special present tonight, Brian made it home in time for dinner and cake. He even helped wrestle the kids into bed while I lazed around checking fb messages, etc. Ended with a nice wind-down 2-mile walk. Good day!

And Good Night!

Lovely Walden, ever so Lovely.

 I've been sitting here trying to remember the first time I dipped my toes in the loveliest waters of Walden Pond. It was the summer of 2001, probably sometime in July, probably with Alicia dear.


I kid you not... In that moment, even though I don't remember it exactly, I'm sure I must have had an awareness that I had found a little piece of swimming heaven. And I still feel the same way, more than a decade later!! 

(shh...I didn't actually take this pic. I stole it from some unknown blog. Forgive me, please, unknown blogger and fellow lover of Walden. I have my own pics, they're just not scanned into the computer -- from yesteryear, predigital, you know??)


Ah, Walden...
Crystal clear water. No slimy bottom. Very few bugs and/or creepy crawlies. Perfect temperature -- not too cold, but cool enough to take the edge off the hottest summer day. And a lovely, picturesque setting. No wonder Thoreau built his camp out there! I'd join him in a heartbeat, if that kind of thing were still "the thing." (and if I didn't have kids, and another life, etc. of course.)

So, anyway, being soooo close to this lovely little haven (because we all know NY is close to Boston, right? ha!) I convinced my friend Lindsay to make a little overnight trip with me, so we could experience Walden and introduce our kids to its loveliness. It did not disappoint, not in the least!

Just as I remembered, it was the perfect temperature, crystal clear waters I loved so long ago. And, remarkably, the parking is STILL only $5 for the day. What a bargain. We loaded up our kids and got on the road by 9 a.m., arriving at Walden by 12:30ish. 

Even more fun than just the water and the essence of Walden, was the company. See these lovely ladies? I had so much fun reconnecting with both of them. We knew each other as single ladies, way back when. Made me feel even more nostalgic for the good ol' days of Boston life. Aww...

Also, sis-in-law Alysa joined us for her first experience at Walden. Yay!  

And, she brought her girlies, Aftyn (not pictured), and this little cutie girl, Bronwyn ...

 The kids were in heaven. I didn't get a good one of Spence and the twins, playing cars in the sand, and diving in with their life jackets. But here are Samantha and L, building a very creative sand castle, moat and all (which Natalie later sat on top of, oops).

Natalie took to the the water with no hesitation...

But her first love, of course, was the sand... Crazy baby!!

We stayed allll. day. long. And finally left at 7p.m. to venture over to Kimball Farms for ice cream. That's right, we fed our children ice cream for dinner. And they did not complain one bit, surprise! :) I missed that glorious photo op (might beg Lindsay for the great "messy" shots she took with her phone... or you can just imagine). 

Then off to the hotel. Our kids were tired. And they slept hard. And looked very cute and peaceful... 

Samantha was going to share a bed with me... until I realized she is still an infamous roller! She was quickly relegated to the floor, and didn't mind a bit...

Next day, a stop at Robbins Hill Park, in Arlington. One of my all-time favorite parks. I mean, check out this wonderful slide, all the way down a steep hill. So cool!!

Our kids went down it over and over. Then, before we were leaving, Lindsay and I decided to give it a go. OUCH!! It was H-H-HOT! How did our skinny kids bear to put their little bottoms on that, time and again? I don't know.

Here's L, queen of the monkey bars. Every time we're at a park, she's out to conquer the monkey bars, so cute!...

Another reason I love this park, is for its original toy selection. Check out this funky tetter-totter. So fun!

Or, this little train/house/sand pit. The kids would have been happy to stay all day!

 We marched them up the hill to get a view of the city. Turns out, they were more interested in the bushes, and the bees. Samantha and L were being a dual Statue of Liberty (bush as torch). .

And then, no surprise, they all crashed out in the car for a couple of hours, which made for a peaceful ride for a lot of the trip home. :)

Goodbye, Walden, until the next time...