Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Fun Continues...

Leaving Grandma Petersen's did not mean the end of our summer fun. Tyler had already returned to Gainesville when Noah, Naomi, Abram and I boarded our plane bound for Baltimore, Maryland. We were on our way to spend a few weeks with my family touring Washington D.C., visiting grandparnets, and traveling to upstate New York.  

Our adventure began at the airport. We were quite a specticle, the kids and I. The show began with our bright blue wagon. It's quite a nifty little thing. It's made of canvas and has a folding frame so that it fits very nicely in your trunk. Here's a picture of it. The top detaches.


I had the wagon, but instead of towing children, I was towing car seats. Two of them. One BIG and one smaller booster. The big one filled up almost the entire wagon. On top the car seats I had bags. Three of them to be exact. My jumbo purse. A tote bag filled with snacks, my scriptures, kids jackets, etc.. and Noah's backpack- filled with kid friendly activities for he and Naomi to do on the plane. In addition to pulling the wagon, I also had Abram strapped to the front of me in one of those child carriers that is combination of an octopus and a strait jacket with straps going up and around, getting buckled here and there. Next  in the enterage was Naomi. She was wearing her Abby dog backpack complete with long furry tail (AKA- leash) which Noah was in charge of hanging onto. Noah, being a very dutiful brother was constantly coaxing her along or chasing behind her with me calling out for her to slow down. Walking down the terminal it was as if the The Petersen Family Circus was in town. Everywhere we went people stopped and stared. Grins spread across the faces of all the old timers as memories of travels with their own children came to mind. Other parents with young children observed with obvious expressions of sympathy. Some offered words of encouragement. Still others looked on with annoyance. I'm sure I reaffirmed to a few individuals their decision to never have children.

It got worse once we boarded the plane. I had to leave the wagon at the door to be gate checked. This resulted in me carrying two car seats, a baby and two bags down the narrow airplane walkway. As soon as I came into view ll of the passenger's eyes widened in amazement as they leaned away from the isle to avoid being hit as I scooted along. Luckily, waiting for us three quarters of the way back was Grandma Abby (Grandma's Artinger) and Uncle Isaac! They had boarded the plane in Reno and were ready and waiting for us to join them on the last leg of their flight! There were a few minutes of craziness as we buckled in car seats and children, stowed our bags overhead and underneath the seats in front of us. But before long, we were ready for take off!


Noah was very excited to sit next to Uncle Isaac!


Grandma Abby brought presents for Noah and Naomi.


Flying on the plane to Utah and then to Baltimore were Abrams first big trips in the air. He was a pro!

It was a long plane trip. Caravaning through the airpot was exausting! So I did what every young mother does when they have their mommy around. I handed her Abram, gave her charge of the children, and took a nap! 

Saturday, September 3, 2011

More Utah Fun

In our church, there is a song that the little children sing titled, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." It has always been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. The words to the song are:

Whenever I hear the song of a bird
Or look at the blue, blue sky,
Whenever I feel the rain on my face
Or the wind as it rushes by,
Whenever I touch a velvet rose
Or walk by a lilac tree,
I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world
Heavenly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see
The color of butterfly wings.
He gave me my ears that I might hear
The magical sound of things.
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:
I thank him reverently
For all his creations, of which I'm apart
Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.

In a feeble effort to keep up with my exercise routine, I would try to go jogging around the neighborhood a few times a week. It is on these outings that I found myself marveling at the mountains, the trees, the wild flowers, listening to the sounds of children playing, with the words of My Heavenly Father Loves Me playing in my mind. I have to admit, when I think about our trip to Utah, this was one of my favorite parts. It was a perfect balance to the wonderful craziness that accompany a family reunion that involves 5 young children, a wedding, packing for a move, job searching, and LOTS of FOOD!

Of course, I didn't think to take a picture, so here are some pictures of some of our other fun adventures while we were Utah.


The HendRUN! Each year Rachel and Michael host a 5K run for all who wish to participate. Noah decided he wanted to run with the big boys instead of walk with all the mamma's and babies. I was impressed. He ran much further than I thought he would! You see the lady with the stroller and the blue pants on. That is Tyler's sister Brooke. She was thirty-two weeks pregnant and keeping up with the crowd. You go Aunt Brooke!


Grandma had some fun summer "flip-flop" Lolly pops that the kids enjoyed eating on the back patio.



We spent an afternoon swimming at some friends of Grandma's. We invited Aunt Alana, cousin Violet and new cousin Alice!



Noah and Naomi rode the carousal at the Riverwoods.


Uncle Michael helped Noah play the arcade games.



Noah and Naomi played in the fountain outside.


Noah was reluctant at first. He is not a fan of wet clothes. But after watching and with a little coaxing from Grandma he decided to join the fun. He still wasn't happy about his wet clothes though.


As for little Abram. He was a trooper. He spent the majority of the trip happily observing the commotion around him as he sat snuggled with grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, and of course, mom and dad (no way were we going to let family have him the whole time!) Here he is with Aunt Rachel while we were in the arcades.

It was a grade "A" trip. Lots of  laughing, family fun, good good, and wonderful memories to take home with us. We even got a few decent pictures! Life must be good. 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

A Very Eggs-ellent Breakfast

"Hey Look! It's twinners." Dad Petersen said as he cracked open his first egg. Not something you see every day. Then he cracked open his second egg. It was a twinners too! I'm not sure what the odds are that you would get two double yolked eggs in the frying pan at the same time, but my guess it's not very good. To remember and celebrate this historic event we...took a picture.


It's gotta make you wonder, What Are They Feeding
Those Chickens!!