HOT HOT HOT

It's HOT. Officially very very hot here. 115 most days this week. But we've got good air conditioning and it's too hard to take so many kids out anyway, so I'm pretty content to stay in. Plus we're leaving for a month of cooler weather in Ashton, ID and Bear Lake - back to back family reunions and then we'll hang out longer at Bear Lake to enjoy extra time with family while Jared works off and on in Salt Lake.

I'm so in love with these kids of mine lately. That doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of moments when I feel totally overwhelmed and frustrated. But amidst the messes and work I'm trying to finish and tattle taling and crayon marks on walls and endless kids' needs, there are beautiful moments in abundance in every day. I love hearing the twins laugh at each other in their cribs after their nap and then going into their room to find them smiling their biggest smiles and clapping their hands in glee at seeing me. I love feeling their sweet little chubby arms around my neck and their big wet kisses on my cheek. I love having Ashton come tell me about some new invention he's come up with or some odd fact he just read in his National Geographic Kids magazine. I love having Isaac come up and hug me and ask me to do flash cards with him. I love having Eliza's little face pop up behind my desk as she says, "Mommy, I know what would be pofect!" (perfect) and then goes on to tell me about some imaginative idea she has. I love overhearing the kids playing together - the older kids making the babies laugh, Ashton explaining how to play some game he's made up, Isaac throwing out his ideas, Eliza adding in her own outlandish two cents on what to do next. I love seeing their bright, innocent little faces with so many unique expressions that show so clearly their joy, worry, sadness or excitement. I love telling them stories and seeing their wide eyes and anticipation as they eat up every word. I love seeing them sleep at night, so peaceful, so beautiful.

We were up in SLC for about a week so that we could go to my mom's cousins' reunion at the Carvers and Jared could do his Starbridge work days in SLC at the end of one week and the beginning of the next. It was great to have some time to see friends we seldom see – had a BBQ with my friend Laurel and her family and hung out with Alyssa and her kids, plus we had a great time with Jared’s brother Aaron and Michelle and their cute kids. The twins had the time of their lives being able to play outside in different people’s backyards – it was cool enough and people had fenced in yards – something we’re missing so far here – there’s a big old drop off at the end of our property. We all loved the unseasonably cool weather we had when we first got there – 70 degrees feels so nice – almost cold to us though when we’re used to so much heat! We went to the zoo with Grammie and Grandfather, Jared and I got to go on a date thanks to my parents watching the kids, Isaac and Ashton got to go up to Bear Lake with Mom and Dad for a couple days and they had a great time riding horses and playing on the beach (in the cold) and just being with three of their favorite people (Josh was there too). We got to meet a lot of mom’s cousins at the Clark reunion and the swimming and great food was fun plus it’s always so nice to see the Carvers. It was fun to celebrate Father’s Day with dad in person – what a dad! I helped mom on plans for the new house a bit and we tried to figure out some simple things to do to fix up JB Mopeltel just a little here and there – low cost things that would a big difference.

Jared had a pretty crazy roller coaster ride with work while we were there – turned out to be a very important time for him to be on-site at Starbridge as their big China deal took a nose dive and then seemed to recover quite nicely. He’s still really liking Starbridge and has built some good relationships and helped them through some hard stuff while working on his overall marketing plan for the company. It's been working out great for him to work two days a week in SLC and then work from home the rest of the time - and it's nice when we have a reason to be in SLC, we can just go up with him. Jo and Aja area great to help out with the kids here and there when Jared's out of town and it really has worked out so much better than I'd feared. And Jared just really needs this - so good for him to be able to use so many of his skills and abilities and have a position that gives him recognition and a chance to steer and exciting new little company.

Just finished the almost-final version of the CareerMothers Manual, got to load up the laptop with everything I'll need to work on while we're gone and pack for a month of being away! Will be quite a lot of crazy packing and unpacking all month and the kids will be on wild schedules will be pretty cranky at times, but it'll be great overall. I'm bringing some books to read with the older kids - some of my favorites from when I was a kid - Narnia, the Little Princes, plus some Harry Potter - I love that they're old enough to enjoy some of my favorites now.