Mexico

Hola! Es hermoso, verdad?

  Del and I were able to go to Mexico for five nights in the middle of our Utah trip. We celebrated ten years of marriage on the Mexican Riviera.  We stayed at the very pretty, and very friendly,  Secrets Maroma Riviera Maya resort.

It has been such a fulfilling ten years being Del's wife. It has been a privilege to be by his side through the joys and trials of life. I have gained more than I ever would have dreamed... four beautiful children that define so much of who I am, a stronger testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it's power to strengthen families, a greater appreciation for hard work, and the ability to exercise more faith than I ever had before our journey started as a married couple. I have a long way to go in learning all that I need to know in this life about how to be a better person in all of the above areas and more, but I am so glad that I get to learn with Del as my husband. Everything is just more fun when we can do it together.

Okay, maybe not shopping. Sorry My Dear, but who are we kidding, you hate shopping. And that is not fun. I'll tell you what was fun though... Mexico!
Now, I apologize for the upcoming picture-o-rama.  

There was no shortage of activity to keep us busy while we were there. The resort had around 8 options of restaurants to eat at, I believe I read that there were 25 pools, a beach, basketball, and tennis courts, shows in the evenings, volleyball, ping-pong, yoga and pilates, a gym, rifle shooting, and bike riding, among others on the list. Del joined in with many of these activities. Here is is playing volleyball on the beach. Yes, he is chasing the ball out of bounds, but I thought he looked cute in the picture.

We gave archery a try. I wasn't the absolute worst person at it, but I was compared to Del, who grew up with a bow and arrow.

We attended a fiesta one night. I am probably one of the only people to go to an all inclusive resort and walk away having lost weight. But, when you have a food allergy, and every bite could equal a life or death situation, and despite the people knowing English, there being a communication barrier, you tend to lose your appetite when the food is set in front of you. It was agonizing deciding weather or not I believed them telling me that there were no nuts in the food. I found it easier to just go hungry most of the time. I was able to find things to sustain me, like fruit and guacamole, and with the granola bars and Wheat Thins I had packed, I did okay.  I was just so happy not to have an anaphylactic incident!

The beauty and relaxation was worth the food drama.

We were asked about five times every day if we were on our honeymoon. When we would say it was our ten year anniversary, or that we have four kids, people were completely shocked. We would say, "Yes, we got married young." a lot.
I am so glad to have the ten years that we do under our belts. I would not change those years for anything.

We went on a visit to the Mayan ruins of Tulum one day. It was interesting to see the buildings of those who inhabited the land of Mexico so long ago. It was also interesting to hear about how their pagan religion was based on the Tree of Life.
It was so stinkin' hot! My poor pale skin could only handle so much before I had to hunt for shade.

We joined in on activities like a bike ride through the jungle, (sounds cooler than it ended up being,) and Del participated with some of the staff in a kayak race. I am sorry to report that his team lost.


And yes, I do realize that this one of the nerdiest get-ups possible.

The kayak race.

A few of the resort grounds.

I loved sitting on a chair under the cabanas at the beach with a cold drink and a good book.

I also got a massage at the spa. A word of advice that I wish I had heard before hand. Don't go for the deep tissue!!! Stick with the swedish massage. Eeeoowwww! It hurt so much I had to ask to have less pressure, and even then I was trying not to flinch. I am smiling because the pain is over. I wanted to say, "Yea, that is a BONE! So maybe don't try to break it, thank you very much!" That was hardcore.

Del ran around and played things like basketball.

Del flew his Georgia manager Rullie and his wife Noelle in for the weekend. Our stays overlapped for a day, so we spent some time with them. It was fun to see them and to get to know Noelle better.  Rullie has done a great job for Patient's Choice in Georgia. Del is glad to have him!

P.S. The whole trip was one long bad hair day for me. The humidity was impossible.  But you better believe I wasn't going to spend my time trying to get my hair right on vacation!

We enjoyed the trip so much! I really can't say I had any complaints about the resort. It was so well done. Thanks to Del's sister Renee, her family, and my Mom and Dad being so willing to watch the kids, even when they got sick, we were able to get away. Thanks so much! We love you, and so do our kids.

I wasn't kidding about the amount of pictures, was I?

We got back from Mexico and loaded the family up to drive to Denver to see my best friends Christy and her family. Del recently hired a guy in Denver, and used the time to train him.
 It was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. We drove through Veil and all the little old mining towns in Colorado, and all the amazing rock formations and mountain ranges in Eastern Utah. It was truly breathtaking! I didn't even snap one picture while we were with the Cutler family in Denver! It guess I took enough in Mexico to burn me out. We did have fun visiting. I love to see my forever friend! I did get one picture at a gas station before we came out of the canyon into Denver. Beautiful! It was a lot of time on the road, but we feel so blessed to be able to drive back, and have Del take time from work to be with us and our extended families. What a great time we had! Now we are getting back into the swing of life. And I am good with that too!

If you are still reading, you made it to the end! :)

The Summer Trip To The West

We made the LONG, LONG, drive out West to visit our family this month.  And, we were gone for almost an entire month.

I was only too happy to abandon the crazy Summer schedule that we had somehow found ourselves keeping, and spend time with the people we miss.

We will have many memories of lots of time spent in the car as a family. I can only hope that my children remember it fondly, instead of as being trapped in a torture device. It is easy to think of the car as that after about the 16th hour on the road. They really are little champs when it comes to traveling, even Walker, who only up until about two weeks before the drive would cry incessantly in the car, no matter how short the trip. Thankfully, he outgrew it just in time. It was unfortunately, Georgia who had the toughest time. We heard plenty of "I'm hungry!" out of that girl. Any time she was bored, or needed to stretch, or got tired, she would repeat it over, and over.

We did make some stops along the way. Del needed to interview two people in Iowa City, so the kids and I kept ourselves entertained for a couple of hours, and then it was back on the interstate.

The drive is worth it when we get to see our parents, siblings, the many, many cousins, and my grandparents, who are still living.

These are all the grandkids on my side of the family at Wheeler Farm.

Me with my mom, and all of my sisters. I love them all SO much. We look like we are backpacking across Europe or something with all of our bags. I guess that comes with the territory when you are a mom, on an outing to the farm.
And you should see how effective we are as a group when it comes to breaking up fights between rival gangs of ducks!  Boy, those Wheeler Farm ducks are vicious!

The two guys that were able to come along, Del and Christopher.

Walker WITHOUT the helmet. I took it off so he wouldn't get heat stroke that day. That is picture worthy these days! We hate that thing!

Then, just days after driving through Wyoming to get to Utah, Del turned around and went back to the Wind Rivers to backpack for a week with his best friend, brother, and nephews. He hiked to this point...

To catch lots of these...

Yuck.

While Del was gone, we had lots of fun with cousins and grandparents. I got to leave the kids with Aunt Renee's kids to go buy new running shoes, get a good six mile run in, and get a pedicure with Renee. We also hit Copperton Park with my parents and sister for a pizza picnic.

Walker is a fan.  And Grandpa is a good pusher.

Grandma gave the kids an excellent demonstration of how to pump your legs.

And then we took up every single swing to practice pumping skills. As you can see Hailey and Mallory are quit advanced.

We were happy to be able to celebrate the 24th of July in Utah with family. This is the anniversary of the day the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, to nothing but a desert climate and amazing mountains. They made the valley thrive and bloom, and began the path that would lead to statehood for Utah.
In Utah the celebration of independence and patriotism continues throughout the entire month of July.

My mom and dad make some KILLER BBQ chicken. It is the best recipe for it that I have ever eaten, and thankfully they have passed it on to all of us girls.
Isn't it pretty?

We ended the night with some real fireworks in the street. In Illinois everything is illegal except really unexciting fireworks that let off colored smoke. This was an upgrade from our 4th of July fireworks show.

Del and I were off to Mexico a few days later! More to come! We do love you and your mountains, Utah!

Ten Years!

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We have been married for a decade! Time flies when you're with the one you love! I love YOU Del!

You Have To Be Pretty Cute To Pull Off This Look

Walker is sporting a new accessory these days. After much debate and many a consultation, (which included appointments in the city) we decided that we don't want any regrets as far as treatment of Walker's Torticollis is concerned.

Walker has got one stubborn tilt to his little head! He has been in therapy since he was eight weeks old, and really the misshaping of his head and face has been minimal, but we think it is worth a shot to make sure we get it just right. The window in which babies can be helped by these helmets is limited, so it was now, or never. His therapist also thinks this may be beneficial for the root of the problem, the Torticollis, in addition to the head reshaping.

Wally also wore one of these and I swear his was not as bulky! I can hardly see Walker's face when I hold him. Poor guy, having to wear this hot thing in the Summer.

I am also considering buying a curio cabinet to display this one, and the one Wally wore. They are so gosh darn expensive they deserve a place of honor! I can't bring myself to throw Wally's away... six years later. Our kids are worth it. Their future is our greatest investment, and they bring the most joy.

So now, it is on to all the strange looks and comments when we are out. And I mean a LOT of them. That is okay, I have learned that it is a chance to broaden the world of knowledge on childhood orthopedic devices for the person asking. 
The first comment was from a lady at T.J. Maxx just hours after Walker got the helmet. She looked at my older kids and said they were cute, then at Walker and said, "Ohhhh....and there is SOMETHING going on here!"
It was funny. She was nice, just curious. And Walker always has a big grin for people.
My favorite was when Wally wore his and people would ask me if I dropped him on his head. Or when someone thought he wore it solely for the purpose of not getting a goose egg when bonking his head.

Walker, you look pretty sweet in your helmet. Oh, and if the insurance doesn't come through, just remember when you want your first car, that you took this bad boy for a spin instead!

I'll still have it to remind you, even then.

Cheer Up Little Kitchen

We went yet one more round of the "should we stay, or should we go?" game this past Winter.

Should we move into something a bit bigger in our general area here in Chicagoland? Should we wait it out in what we have just in case a move out of state becomes a possibility, and avoid owning two homes here in Illinois? We will after all,  rent out whatever we leave with the market like it is.

We ended up looking around a bit, and found a home we loved. But...we just couldn't pull the trigger and make an offer. We decided that would leave us with too many factors to deal with in the long run. So although our home may not be fancy, it is kind of sweet, it is ours, and we are staying.

For now.

This led me to a whirlwind of ideas for some sprucing up. We moved into our home six years ago this month! Wow-ee! And I have been in love with my kitchen  ZERO of those years. This is the first home we purchased, and when it comes to getting in over our heads, we just aren't the type. So we went pretty basic. My home, (I am going to amend that- ILLINOIS!) also has poor light. I find the light here very shadowy inside. Can you say S.A.D. capital of America?!! So I made the decision to bite the bullet and get over my fear of painting my cabinets. This has been on my mind for some time. I wanted it brighter to battle the ho-hums outside the majority of the year. Turns out, it is quit controversial. What?!! Paint perfectly good, SOLID wood cabinets? What an abomination! But I did it, and I have NO regrets! It is a very in depth and fear inducing experience when you have never done it before however.

So here we go.

The before.
I do realize that it could be worse. I just didn't love it.

Right smack dab in the middle of the process. I had a stress attack one night at about 11:00 that lasted until about 2:00 in the morning wondering what I had gotten myself into.
I did have the cabinets professionally painted. I started one section on my own, and realized the same day that this was not going to happen if I did it. The paint fumes, mess and time involved, and the four children that demand my life in general, did not mix. So, first there was the emptying of all the cabinets, removal of all doors and hardware, sanding, then the taping and covering of all things to be left unpainted, spraying of primer, (minor) blip in the plan when the paint ran after spraying the first coat (night of before mentioned freak out,) fix it job the next day, hand painting of the shells, spraying the primer on the doors out in the garage. Then the flipping and spraying of the other side, then the top coat, drying time, and rehanging of doors with all the hardware.
If you do embark on this adventure, make sure your painter is going to agree to either stripping the wood, or sanding the heck out of it, (front and back,) using an oil based primer, caulking the seams or holes in the doors, and I would recommend not paining the inside of the cabinets. I did have the inside of the upper cabinets painted, and it was a tough thing to get right. Turns out that when the Pam spray can gets bumped, and sprays your shelves, it forms a barrier to paint when applied. So it ended up taking up a lot of time. I would do the inside of the doors, just not the shelves. 

All of the things that were in the kitchen ended up in the basement for a couple of weeks. If we needed any inspiration to never move again, I think this was it. On the other hand, the inside of my cabinets have not been so neat in years.

Inside the kitchen cocoon. Hopefully she will emerge a butterfly!

The outside of the cocoon.

I then painted the walls a different color, ( Universal Khaki by Sherwin Williams.) Our wonderful friend Dr. Jared Tyson came down from Wisconsin and helped Del with the backslash.  What can I say? I don't let anyone that is not an Orthopedic Surgeon touch my tile!! :) Those are some good credentials! Jared is a good sport to work so far below his pay grade. I chose beveled edge Lanka Metra Tile in alabaster. The inspiration for much of this came from a designer named Janell Beals of Isabella and Max Rooms. I used the same tile, and wall color after I found her post about painting kitchen cabinets. You should check out her amazing ideas for the home here!

I did the grout work all by myself. Which was a MESS! It wasn't too bad, except for the constant interruptions.

And now.... The after!

Trust me, there is still a list of things that I would love to improve. I have yet to find an option I like for a light above the sink. I want to get rid of the florescent light I never use (hate.) And I would like a new faucet. I also need some kind of window treatment. But it will all come in time. For now I am just happy to have the most important aspects done!

The tile. I really, really like it.

Janell Beals points out how well the beveled edges catch the light, and they really do!

Some fun pops of color add some character.

Another of my favorite new aspects is having the inside of the doors on this cabinet removed and replaced with glass. It opens things up so nicely and gives me a place for some cute dishes and fun display items.

I put some apples in the bowl on the counter, and my apple fanatic children ate most of them before I was able to take pictures. Now there are just four sad little guys in there.

The glass has a nice pattern to it. Don't mind Oprah in the background. Walker got lonely over there while I took pictures.

I am in love with the moldings above the doors and windows my dad put in for me even more now! Wow, I am realizing I really do need a new light above that sink! Oh, and a new light plate by the sink. I couldn't find the old one once everything was put back together.

Yes, stainless steel appliances would be nice, but these still work, and it just isn't our style to throw them out when they are perfectly fine. Even I can't do it, and I am usually all about the "design." We do agree a new fridge might be in order however. Ours is very old school. I am talking about us still using ice trays people! Maybe if we are still here, even when we don't expect to be, we can replace them all. The same goes for the counter tops.

I also ordered a new light fixture for the space above the table. I am happy with the clean look of it.

 

I added another panel to the curtain rod over the door to make it feel less "sliding glass doorish."  
And finally, two new chairs for the heads of the table. I like the texture that they add to the room.

And that is about it! It has been fun. Crazy, but fun. It is amazing the amount of work even just a simple face lift is in a kitchen! I am sure Del just shakes his head when I start my scheming. Thanks for the support to do the project babe! Both mentally and monetarily! I love the kitchen, and you! Now on to the next!!

The 4th

We had a "nowhere else to go" party at our house for the 4th for all those who...well...had nowhere else to go! It was fun to have friends over to play and eat in the backyard. Our kids love it when we have guests for dinner. They will ask all day long, "When are the friends going to get here?"

I love the 4th of July because I love my country. It am ever so grateful we cant celebrate our freedom by having an "All American" BBQ in our "All American" backyard! God Bless America!

Lacey, Me, Jessica, and Kathy

The Wally boy

Soccer fun.