"Preschool is for Big Kids...Not for Moms"

Today was the day that Anders has been waiting for for the past year. He was convinced he was ready for preschool last year, but having an October birthday put a damper on that. The day I signed Anders up for preschool, I made the mistake of telling him. He, of course, thought that meant he would be going immediately. Lets just say it was a long summer of, "after this nap, do I go to preschool?" We got to meet his teacher, Miss Cindi, at the Open House a couple of weeks ago and Anders made himself right at home. He loved his teacher and disclosed his entire life to her in

the 20 minutes we were there. I was so glad to see her patience with a three year-olds (especially my 3 year-old) excitement to be heard. I admire anyone who willingly takes on that job. Miss Cindi gave us a paper to fill out about Anders. It was fun to see the answers he came up with:

1. Favorite color: Red (it's actually whatever color is in front of him and the paper was red)

2. Favorite food: Pizza

3. Favorite toy: Basketball hoop

4. Favorite thing to do: Ride his scooter

5. What he wants to be when he grows up: a Pharmacist that helps kids (shocker)

I can't remember the other questions, but it was so fun to learn more about my little buddy!

Today was probably the longest day of Anders' life. He was so anxious to get there. When I told him in the morning that he finally got to wear the Cat in the Hat Converse he picked out while we were school shopping, he put both hands on his face and said, "I don't believe it." It was like he thought the day would never come! When it was time to take him, he refused to let me do his hair because he said he wanted his teacher to see his haircut. When we pulled up, I started opening my car door and he yelled, "Mom! Stay in the car. Remember, you're not staying with me." I was extremely nervous (for myself, not for Anders). I did not prepare myself for the emotions I was about to feel. The moment Eva saw the perfect miniature world that she could fit right in, she demanded I put her down so she could join them. That's when I knew I had to rip my band aid off and leave. The last picture is when I was walking out the door...he didn't even look back. When I got out to my car, I could slowly feel Eva's knees tighten around my waist. I opened her door and she started crying, "Aners, no cool! Aners, no cool!" It was really hard to keep it together at that point. Poor girl is going to have a hard time with this. I'm glad to say that we both made it through those next two hours just fine. When Anders got home, he told me he didn't miss any of us. I'm so lucky to have such a big kid!

Our Summer in a Nutshell

Wow, summer is gone and I have no more excuses. Here is a very brief overview of some of the things we got to do. We had a great summer. It makes me sad to say good-bye to it!

(July) Discovery Gateway

(September) Park City

(September) Antelope Island

(August) Rainy day

(August) Anders asked me if he could write his name on my calendar and I was thinking, "sure, whatever you say." Then, I turned around to see this. I was SHOCKED! Anders' first time writing his name.

(July) Feeding the ducks

(July) Camping with Grandma and Grandpa Speirs

4th of July parade with Coley and Caca

(July) Anders' swimming lessons...which he didn't pass because the other class was pretending to be aligators. He could not be in the same pool as them after that. Ugh!

The Diva at the Rodeo. It was "Tough enough to wear pink" night, and it was so dang hot! It was our first rodeo because Jessica (Kenny's wife) was a Woopie Girl. It was so fun to watch her!

(June) My Gym Summer Camp

(June) Hogle Zoo

(June) Dinosaur Park

(May) Eva discovers her love for purses

(May) Memorial Day

On July 5, 2002...

I woke up with my heart beating out of my chest. I had just spent the night packing and pouring out my heart in letters to my parents and my little sister. I knew that 6:00 AM would come faster, the later I stayed awake. Sure enough, 6:00 was here whether I was ready or not. I quickly got dressed and made my way downstairs, not quite sure how to approach this day. My dad heard my movement and pulled himself out of bed to suggest we have a family prayer. I was the first of my siblings to experience this and none of us were sure how to process it all, so the best way to start out was a prayer. After our emotional family prayer, I hugged my family and was on my way. My nerves were calming gradually as I had time in the car to think about what I was about to do. I knew that I was on my way to see the love of my life on our wedding day.

People often ask if we dance. The answer is "no," and this is why,

Creighton University Graduation

(left to right) Chris-UT, Christian, Brian-Boston, Mike-Tennessee

I will never forget when I sent Christian to Omaha for his orientation 4 years ago. He was a little uncomfortable with the fact that they were staying in the dorms. Okay, lets be honest, I was more nervous for him than he was. The thought of sleeping in a room with someone you don't know sounds so awkward! I've done it before (Tara), but we're way past that time in our life. I'll never forget when he called to tell me that he and his roommate had a lot in common. His roommate was actually from Richfield, UT! The friendships he made on that first trip is what kept him sane thought the rest of the 4 years. It was so fun to finally meet these people I've heard so much about. These four have really become such good friends.

Omaha Children's Museum

Who gets to go on a trip with BOTH sets of grandparents?? We were so lucky to have an excuse to have both my parents and Christian's parents come on this trip and our kids were loving every second of it! It was the perfect balance for both kids. Christian and I soaked up every ounce of freedom this allowed us. Not to mention that our kids got SPOILED ROTTEN! Every time they turned I turned around, they had a rock candy sucker in one hand and a stuffed animal in the other. I was constantly cleaning up sticky mess. That's what Grandma's are for, right? There was no need for our kids to walk a step the entire trip because someone was always willing to carry them. Of course, Anders took more advantage of this than Eva did! This trip to the Children's Museum was the so great! We had 5 adults and two kids, so I was just in the way! The grandmas watched every move Eva made and the grandpa followed Anders from one end to the other. Me? I just sat back and watched. Life can't get any better! I managed to snap a few pictures, but for the most part, it seemed like "me" time! I was so pleased with how smoothly the entire trip went. I am pleased to say that my kids cherish their relationships with each grandparent as an individual. They absolutely adore them. I love that!

Winter Quarters Temple and Mormon Trail Center

Of course, we couldn't take a trip to Omaha without visiting Winter Quarters. It was a little difficult to listen to the tour around the trail center with the kids, but what I was able to hear was absolutely amazing to me. I think it's so important to research what we can on our heritage. I found it so interesting that they were the most successful pioneers in history. They were truly lead by a prophet who was inspired by God. Their trip was obviously far from being trial-free, but to listen to how productive and blessed they were was absolutely amazing. The temple was absolutely beautiful! I haven't seen any of the smaller temples up until this point. The grounds were smaller but still breath-taking.

Henry Doorly Zoo

I'll be honest, this picture made me really nervous. My inner fear of animals was going wild, but I kept my cool on the outside. Check out how this lion is staring at my baby!

When Christian and I visited Omaha just over 4 years ago for interviews, we'd heard that the Henry Doorly Zoo is one of the best zoos in the nation. Even though we didn't have kids at the time, we were sad we didn't have time to visit it. Ever since then, we've been looking forward the graduation trip so that we could check it out. It definitely met our expectations! We waited until our last day to visit so that everyone could come with us. Anders was convinced that this was the main even of our trip. He wanted to go to the zoo the second we landed in Omaha. He was so happy to finally be there! This zoo makes the SLC zoo seem pathetic! Even though they had an amazing aquarium, a huge display of tigers, a butterfly pavilion, an exhibit that allows you to walk in a cage with Lemurs, and every animal you can think of, Anders still claims that the best part was the zebras. Sadly, the zebra display was extremely disappointing. Eva is at a really fun age to visit a zoo with. She LOVED all the tigers and lions. It is so fun to hear her recognize animals and knows exactly what sound they make. So, if for some reason, you find yourself in Omaha, NE, make your way over to the zoo! It will not disappoint...unless you're a zebra!