May and June 2008

May 2008

With Mother's Day, a wedding anniversary, and two birthdays our May was overstuffed from the start. So the marriage turned 13, which is spooooky because Hale turned 1 and Koen turned 3 (okay 4, but it's close). But perhaps the more exciting milestones this month were that we put our house up for sale and they finished framing our new house. At last we were able to look at the river through our real live window holes, a view we'd spent a fair amount of time trying to prefigure. Verdict? Joel: not bad. Jenica: as good as we could have hoped for.

Readers may recall the chilly baseball game from last month's report. It had been on the last day of April and on May Day we awoke to a dusting of snow on the lawn. Evening games continued through the month and temperatures gradually rose. Si and Koen were just as excited about going to the games as Jonah was (maybe more so, since they didn't have to worry about getting hit by a pitch). They mostly hung around the playground but spent enough time on the bleachers for Koen to decide that it's bad manners to cheer for players on Jonah's team if you don't know their name.

On Mother's Day we went to church with Jenica's grandmother, Bonnie, who is in an Alzheimer's facility in Sandy. Even though she didn't recognize the boys she was excited to see them. They sang the songs they'd practiced for our ward. Afterward we had strawberry shortcake together in a dinning room at the facility. On the way home we stopped by the newly built office building for Jenica's mom's company, where - with no one there to bother - the boys had unusually free reign.

Hale and Koen had a combined family birthday party this year and Koen also had a party for friends. Despite his previous exclusive rules about whom to invite he ended up with 10 guests. He told Jenica he wanted a dinosaur / golf / picnic party and she went all supermom and delivered across the board! The pizza man was less super, arriving 30 minutes late (apparently Papa John's online ordering doesn't relay the city name) but the kids all had fun golfing, playing with bubbles, and wearing dinosaur birthday hats. Koen really enjoyed being the host.

On top of all other busy-ness, May was the month of the Grand 2nd Biannual Family Reunion on Isle of Palm in South Carolina. The weather was great, our house was right on the beach, the cousins seemed to get along well, and we had a great time seeing everyone and crushing them at Crosswords. Thanks to Mom and Dad Barber for making it possible.

If President Grover Cleveland (whom Lori and Scott so admire that they named their first born son after him) were still alive today he probably would have enjoyed our vacation to Disney World in May, occupying as it did two uniform but non-consecutive terms. During the first term - before the family reunion - it was hot, and we stayed at Port Orleans, and went to Magic Kingdom. During the second term - after the reunion - it was hot, and we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and went to Animal Kingdom. What was the best thing about Disney World?
Hale: [the Bone Yard at Animal Kingdom]
Koen: "Riding on that 'Enjoy Sinking' thing."
Silas: "The hotel. Did we ever ride the monorail?"
Jonah: "The Laugh Floor."
Joel: "No one got lost, threw up, or wet themselves."
Jenica: "Being inside It's A Small World during a thunderstorm"

Overheard at 517 N Center St.:
Si: "Did you know if you hold your nose you can't hum?"

June 2008

June didn't really start until we got back from vacation. After the South Carolina reunion we drove south (minus Silas) and flew home out of Orlando. At the airport security checkpoint we realized we still had in our backpack a half full bottle of cherry cider we'd purchased at a little roadside shop in Georgia. If any of the other travelers in line were alarmed to see a mother pushing a baby stroller hastily throw back a large quantity of wine-colored liquid right from the bottle they gave no sign.

Arriving back in Utah on the 3rd we found it as cold and rainy as it had been at the start of May. We had a near repeat of Jonah's first icy nightgame but by the end of the month it was scorching hot and we traded our jackets and blankets for sunscreen and snow cones. The Cubs placed 8th out of 16 teams and made the tournament, much to the delight of the high-pressure parents on our team.

Silas was in Tennessee for the first part of the month, so we got a taste of life as a family of 3 kids again and also took the opportunity to indulge in every kind of dairy-filled food or dessert we could think of. Si reports that the food was good in Tennessee as well. He also describes the trip as "hot" and "fun." He felt "kind of sad" being away from his family "but not too much." He got to visit the houses of all his cousins there and says the highlight of the trip was sleeping in the secret passage at the all-boy sleepover.

Koen always seems to have something to announce when he or anyone else in the family arrives home. Sometimes he serves as town crier, passing the latest news from the home front or abroad. This usually begins "Oh, did you know". Sometimes his reports are more personal, like the day he returned from church and declared in a sing-song voice, "I'm ba-ack! And I've got a manna game." Exciting news. Then he added a bit of advice in a whisper, "And Dad, don't - eat - too - much."

Hale is really walking now - thanks to the squeaky shoes that Jenica bought for him. Before he would take a few steps now and then, but lacked the motivation that being able to squeak with each step now richly provides. He is also saying "Mama" now. It does not mean "Jenica" exactly but instead means - and I'm pretty sure this is not a first in our family - "Give me the thing that I want, PLEASE!"

The Lehi Roundup was a great time as always. This year the primary's float was Wizard of Oz themed. Koen dressed as a very convincing Tin Man. Si was a serious Professor Marvel. Jonah had his Lollipop Guild act together - right down to the screwed up expression on his face. And Jenica scared little kids up and down the parade route with her Wicked Witch of the West costume. Joel and Hale had the great pleasure of watching the whole thing from folding chairs in the shade along the park.

Overheard at 517 N Center St.:
K: "But I'm too tired"
J: "You can't keep using that excuse."
K: "Uh-huh. I just did."