July Recap

1st: Gray colored this picture at church.  It is pretty adorable.  When I asked him to narrate him for me, I got some pretty colorful answers.  Imagination is the best!

I love them.

Sometimes I take portraits of myself.  Okay, almost daily. (;

2nd: I'm completely smitten with Beckham's sweet face.  Seriously.

3rd-5th: We headed to McCall for the fourth of July with my family.  It was a blast, as usual, and the boys loved every second.  They were really great for the majority of the time and we had fun visiting, watching movies, playing with chalk, taking walks, getting snow cones in town, watching the fireworks from the balcony, and eating. (;  The boys loved the 4-wheeler rides, nature walks, and hiding under their secret balcony fort.  Plus enjoying some awesome sno-cones.  I love that we love spending time together and that we get along with my parents & siblings so well.  They are all incredibly amazing people.

6th: Today was Becca's dad's funeral, so I went in for that.  Zac had to work, so I was there alone.  I sat with my grandparents which was nice.  It was a nice service and the thing that touched me the most was the reverence with which the military men did the flag ceremony and spoke about Terry.  He lived a life full of love and service for others and left a legacy.  I hugged Becca and the kids afterward and chatted for a minute before heading home.

After naptime, I took the boys into Dr. Page's.  We didn't have an appointment, so we waited.  And waited.  About 2 hours total, but the boys were so good.  In the waiting room they were charming & chatted with Nikki & the girls behind the desk.  In the patient's room, they ate Medifast puffs & entertained themselves well.  The diagnosis: whooping cough after effects, the prescription: steroids. Oh the joys.

7th: Beckham is obsessed.  That's putting it lightly.  Cutest Darth Vader.

Cleaning office & organizing receipts for our accounting.  So fun!

We majorly needed to get out of the house, so we took the boys to dinner & then to get ice cream at Dairy Queen.  They were so cute and we all enjoyed the outing.

8th: Had lunch with Pete's.  Beckham loves Grami's iPad because he can usually get someone to play star wars movies on youtube for him.  He's crazy!

Took a family drive in the country.  The boys LOVE that.  Gray loves getting out of his seatbelt on the old farm roads and thinks he's so grown up.  We loved looking at our future {possibly far future} home building site, and listening to the boys chatter.  We visited about our dreams & I always enjoy those conversations.

We ended up at Cleaver's of course, and although it was Sunday, the boys ended up in the pool.  We were practically helpless to stop them.  (;  They love Lyla's company and we love visiting with each other & Zac's parents.  Such cute kiddos.  PS: this was the first time in 10 years of being together that I've gotten Zac to wear shorts.  He totally pulled them off.

9th: Grayson started swimming lessons!  He was SO nervous!  Olivia Walker is his teacher and he did not want to do it, but I really talked it up and despite his nerves he went right over to her when it was his class time.  He wouldn't put his head under water, but held tightly to her neck the entire time.  At least he was in the water. (;  Olivia was great with him and got a kick out his stories and him showing her his funny voices.  Afterward he told me, "That was so fun!  I am an awesome swimmer, huh mom?!"  At least he has a high sense of accomplishment.

I kept him in for two weeks instead of one and the whole time was pretty much the same.  He did get to the point of letting her put his head under water {once}, but mostly just got comfortable with kicking, holding onto her, holding onto & moving along the side, etc.  I was proud of him for just doing it and not making a big deal of it {except to say adamantly, "I will not put my head under water!"} and seeing as how last year he would barely bathe he was so fearful of the water, I feel like we've come a long way.  And, he has LOTS of years of swimming lessons ahead of him, I'm not going to be too hard on him.

Later on the 9th, we ended up at Cleaver's.  I'm so happy Grayson wants to be in the pool that we go over there as often as he wants to use their above ground pool and just get him in the water.  He loves it. 

11th: Getting my roots done.  So needed.

So happy to have clients text me things like this.  How awesome, right?  Love it!

Our neighbor Sharon's granddaughter was here visiting for a couple weeks.  She loves the boys and is awesome with them.  We took her over to my mom's to hang for a while and she entertained them for a while & had a ball.  We brought her back home for trampoline & popsicles.  She is such a sweetie.  We all love Miss Abbey.

12th-14th: Grami makes the best "donut" sandwiches.

More time in Grandma Cleaver's pool & playing with Lyla bean.  Today, I got in my swimsuit and enjoyed it with him.  I'm not perfect.  I'm not where I want to be physically, but I got in and enjoyed the day with my kids.  They loved it.  They don't care if I'm at my goal.  They just want me.  So thankful. 

I had a booth for TSFL at the Thunderegg days.  I worked a few hours and then let my coaches work it.  It was interesting & basically nothing like I remembered it being from when I was a kid.  I guess because I wasn't 14, walking around with Amber, gorging myself on fair-ish foods, and scoping out boys.  (;

Zac & I took the boys to dinner & then to RC Willey's to look for an office desk.  We locked them in the chalkboard room which they were okay with for a few minutes before they started panicking & calling for us. (:

Beckham is paranoid about car washes.  He says, "This scurry, Mom!"  He is so cute.

15th: Dad Cleaver was called to be a high councilman and we are so happy for him.  He will do amazingly well at this calling and is excited about it.  He is so darn cute.

Our freezer wasn't working and Zac & Grayson got right on the job.

16th: I have been dealing with super intense foot pain for a while now-about a month or longer-and finally gave in to go to the foot doctor.  Dr. Burk was awesome and so attentive which is always nice.  He said I have achilles tendinitis {the cause} which leads to plantar fasciitis {the symptom}.  My left heel hurts so bad when I walk, when I sit, and when I stand.  I can barely walk on the treadmill let alone jog, and it's like piercing pains through my foot.  It's because there are a series of tears there and everytime I put pressure on it, it's worsening.  He suggested a routine of ibuprofen, ice, taping, and stretching.  He also got me a big boot to wear to bed.  Sexy, right?  Totally comfortable, too.  Not really.  Oh well, it was good to have a diagnosis & a treatment plan.

I set up a secret hiding place for Grayson in the top of the hall closet after seeing how he loved climbing up there.  He LOVES it.  Each day during Beckham's nap when he has quiet time, he climbs up there with some juice & a snack, and the ipad or some books and animals and has a great time.  It seriously occupies him for 1-2 hours.  He thinks it's pretty cool.  

17th: He totally loves this.  And he's so silly!

Visited Pete's place and Bex got a ride with Grandpa Alan.  Lucky!

I put together a going away treat for Zac & the boys & packed today, too.  So excited to take off tomorrow, but will miss my guys!

18th-22nd: I flew to Washington DC for TSFL National Convention!  It was a BLAST.  I totally wished Zac could have come with me, but we didn't want to both be away from the boys more than necessary this year, so he opted to stay home.  I missed him and know he would have loved every second, but am grateful he was home with the littles.  He had a great time with them and also had MUCH help from other family members and friends.  Thank you!

Some highlights from the trip & things I never want to forget:

-Zac and I woke up super early to leave.  We picked up Bryton & headed to the airport.  So happy to be flying with her and Kristy & to be rooming with them in DC, too.  The flight there was great, read some, slept lots, chatted with my girls, and enjoyed the time.

-The Gaylord National Resort was beautiful-just like the other two I've stayed in.  So fun to have it all decked out for the convention, too.  Met up with my sweet friend Claudia {used to be a news anchor in the valley & graduated with my mom} who is also a coach.  So fun getting to know her better over the weekend.

-Took a ferry trip across the water to Old Alexandria.  Touched three states which was so cool.  Kristy, Bryton, Beth and I went and it was so fun.  We toured, took pictures of the beautiful streets/houses/sidewalks, etc., and then ate at Gadsby's tavern where George Washington supposedly ate.  It was all decorated in that era and I had the best salad I've ever eaten in my life.  If I could re-create it I'd eat it every night.  YUM!  The company was awesome, too.

-Lots of laughing with the girls in the hotel room each night.  So much fun to visit & become better friends.

-The humidity.  Wow.  I was HOT and sweaty all day every day.  It wasn't even super hot temperature wise, but the humidity about did me in.  Yuck!  I'll take dry heat any day. 

-New products were revealed which was very exciting.

-All the trainings were phenomenal.  Top notch.  So excited and passionate about this business I'm a part of.  Such a great cause & such amazing leadership moving us forward.  What a gift.

-Listening to Tony Jeary & then having him gift us with his book.

-Having one of the scariest experiences I've had yet.  The three of us girls were headed downstairs to grab lunch before training and I'd forgotten my name badge, so I sent them down ahead of me & ran back to get it.  When I got back in the elevator {floor 4}, I was texting Zac.  It stopped at floor 3 & I started to get off, thinking it was the ground floor.  I ran into a guy coming in & realized my mistake.  I laughed-embarrassed & he went to close the door.  We were the only two in the elevator.  I explained my mistake & he said, "The weirdest thing happened to me.  I walked into my room and a strange woman was in there."  I kinda chuckled & said, "The cleaning lady?"  He said, "no..."  Then he started jerking his arm & I looked down at my phone thinking maybe he had turrets or something and I didn't want to embarrass him.  All a sudden {this all happened in a matter of 30-60 seconds}, he gasped, grabbed his heart, and fell backwards against me.  He caught me off guard {and was bigger than me} and fell onto the floor & hit his head against the wall just as the doors opened to the main floor.  I was panicking, because he was having an awfully bad seizure and kept banging his head, frothing at the mouth, etc.  I was screaming "HELP" and holding the door with my foot while banging the emergency button with my hand.  No one was coming because it is the main floor where all the music/fountains/excitement is.  Thankfully another TSFL coach heard me from the women's bathroom on the other side of the wall & ran over.  She started attending to him and I called 911 as more people gathered around.  It was all crazy after that and when the paramedics arrived they asked me for my statement and what had happened.  Then the other coach came over and said, "You did a great job" and gave me a hug and I lost it and started bawling.  It was so crazy and scary and I kept thinking it was Heavenly Father who sent me back to my room because had I not been in the elevator he would have been alone and no one would have known.  My girls came & found me and we ate, but I was shaky all day.  So so scary!

-Finding the sweetest thank you from Stuart's {the guy in the elevator} company that was put together with me & my health coaching in mind.  Such a thoughtful gesture.  I later found out he was in the hospital, but that his wife was with him.  So scary.

-Tony & Brenda are incredible mentors & friends and they have encouraged our whole team to become friends.  So thankful for all these people. 

-Almost my entire week's wardrobe came from my mom's closet, so I'm very grateful for her generosity and great sense of style.  I felt cute all week.

-Getting pics on my stream that Zac was taking with the boys back home.  Such a sweet reminder that they were doing well and helped me feel in touch with them.  

-AMAZING meals.  They fed us so well while we were there and reminded me that eating clean is always the way to feel the very best.  And, it can taste dang good, too.

-Hanging with Tony & Brenda's kiddos, Jared & Carly.  These two are adorable & such great kids.  They have become some of mine & Zac's dear friends, as well.  I hope I can raise my boys so well.

-Meeting Jeffy Fisher.  He is on the Glen Beck show and did the TSFL program.  He lost over 100 pounds and is an awesome advocate for our program.  He has inspired many of my clients.  Very cool.

-Taking a tour bus with some of my favorites & doing the moonlight monument tour.  What a great experience!  It was a very rainy night, but still incredible.  We saw the White House, the Vietnam memorial, and the Lincoln memorial which was my favorite.  I felt so small there {he is huge}, but it was just a great reminder that we are so blessed to live in this country.  I got a little emotional being there.  We laughed and talked on the bus ride home and I so enjoyed the people I was with.

-Writing on the Free to be Wall.  I am Free to be imperfect.  And, I'm free to be a full time Mom and part time TSFL.  Such a gift.

-Reconnecting with great friends Zac and I had met at Go Global, Sean & Courtney.  We chatted several times and had lunch together too.  Love them.

-Listening to the amazing and inspiring Robin Sharma again.  Wow.  He is a truly awesome speaker.  If you haven't read his book, "The Leader who had no Title," get it and do it.  It's so worth it.  Zac and I were both changed for the better after reading it.  I wrote page after page of notes in his presentation and loved every minute.

-Walking with T&B and kids, Kristy, and Bryton the last night and getting frozen yogurt while chatting about the week we'd had.  Yummy and fun.

-The fact that the whole time I was there, I felt a reassurance and personal revelation again that I am doing the right things for me and my family at this time.  That TSFL was a gift that came into our lives right when we needed it and has continued to bless us in ways I can't even explain.  It has brought us some of our dearest and valued friends and experiences we wouldn't have had otherwise.  I love that I help people do things I am absolutely passionate about and that I am able to focus on the things that matter most to me in the order they matter.  The whole week was incredibly uplifting.

-Zac picking me up at the airport and just hugging him and kissing him so hard.  I missed him.  I know two of our babysitters fell through because of unexpected circumstances and he handled it and made it work.  He was a great Mr. Dad and loves our boys.  He appreciates me and tells me often.  He was dressed up and I am so in love with him.  We drove straight to St. Luke's to see Matt and Jen who had had their baby boy, Landon, 12 weeks early.  I'd been praying for her all week and helpless at not being here.  When we got to St. Luke's we realized we were at the wrong hospital, but it turned out our friends Nic and Kayla had had their little boy Bentley 6 weeks early and were there, so we got to see and love on them for a minute.  Then we headed to St. Al's, where we loved on our sweet friends and got to peek at baby Landon, too.  He is so tiny and we are praying like crazy that Heavenly Father's will-whatever it might be-happens and that Matt and Jen are strengthened throughout this journey.  Zac and I visited on the way home and I told him about my trip & he told me about his week.

-Getting home to two boys I'd missed very much who were very happy to see me.  We had a great night all together and I am so thankful for their happy spirits. 

23rd: The boys and I ran to meet a guy with some paperwork in Ontario for Zac & while we waited we shared a Spunky Monkey smoothie from Jolts & Juice and the boys shared a cookie.  Afterward we ran into Tasha at Purdum's & Gray snapped a picture for us.

That night we ate dinner at Pete's place. Yummy & fun.  Grandpa, Talon, and Uncle Bruce played with water balloons & the launcher-the boys, especially Grayson, thought this was absolutely fabulous.

Hot husband award goes to him.

25th: Follow up with Dr. Burk.  Foot is still hurting pretty bad, but I'm doing everything I can for it, so he was pleased about that.  It's not a fun thing!

Blowing bubbles with fun machines I got for $2 on the clearance rack at Target.  Best purchase ever!  They LOVED it and played and laughed for well over an hour.

We skyped with Amber & girls today.  Miss them more than words can say, but technology takes the edge off.  She completely cracks me up and still-even over the Internet & 1500 miles away-has the power to make me almost wet my pants.  Love her for that.  Our kiddos love skyping, too.

Zac had surgery to remove a mole on his leg today.  Ouch!  They put stitches inside & outside.  Yuck.  He is so good about paying attention to his skin because skin cancer runs in his family.  I'm thankful he's aware and proactive.

Pre-bedtime fun with blocks.

The boot.  Named: big bootie.

26th: Max invited Grayson to go to Settler's park with him.  He had a blast!  Max is a great friend to Grayson and Courtney is amazing to me.  So glad he had such a fun time.

27th: Library trip.  Grayson goes right to the place where the Lorax resides & picks it every time now.  So adorable.

Grayson made his own bed in preparation for a babysitter to come over. 

Zac was already in Nampa, so I left the boys with Laynee & drove over to meet him at the theatre.  Tony & Brenda met up with us for a double date.  We ate at Wings first and it was yummy.  Then we saw the new Batman movie which was awesome!  We loved it.  It was cracking us up because we sat Zac-Tony-Me-Brenda!  We didn't realize till it started, but we stayed because the guys were chatting & Brenda and I wanted to chat.  They are such incredible friends.  I love that age doesn't even matter at this point in our lives & am thankful for their listening ears, and unconditional love for us. The boys loved Laynee and she is a doll and did a great job.

28th: Today was stressful and not our best parenting morning, but we were all excited because Brian, Candace, and their kiddos were coming into town on their way to the Coast!  We drove over-lots of meltdowns by all of us-to Meridian and met up with them at Jabber's.  It was perfect because the kids played and the adults visited.  I love that place, seriously.  Grayson was especially patient with the younger girls which surprised me and made me happy.  They all played awesome.

After Jabber's we went to TGIFriday's to eat and totally enjoyed ourselves there.  The kids loved each other and we so miss our favorite college next door neighbors.  So thankful relationships & friendships like these stand the test of distance and time.  What a gift.  We said our goodbyes & drove home much happier than we'd been going over. (;

Sidenote: I have to figure out how to parent without threatening with consequences I'm not really willing to go through with.  Haha!

29th: Grayson and I attended Treyce's birthday party today while Zac and Bex napped.  We love our little Treyce man and are so thankful he's a part of our lives.  I know he & Grayson will balance each other out as they grow, much like Zac and Tom did.  They look like little mini mes of their dads.  So adorable.

Beckham LOVES apples.  He'll eat an entire big apple by himself.  Cut up or whole, he doesn't care.  And, add a little peanut butter on the side?  Even better.

Spent time playing at Cleaver's and the boys got a HUGE kick out of Acey chasing their bubbles.  It was actually quite hilarious.  Dad Cleaver and I laughed just watching the boys responses, too.

31st: Grayson had an appointment with Dr. Lee and did awesome.  No tears {partly because it wasn't dilating time} and totally chatted with Larry.  He was awesome at the vision tests & has improved another line, so the patching-however sporadic it sometimes is-is doing its job.  Dr. Lee is so great with him and he loves her.  She said if he keeps up the patching for another three months we will most likely be able to stop at that point.  Yay!

Afterward we stopped for lunch & then to look at Zac's new office space.  He had to get out of the house-it was too distracting for all of us and he is much more efficient in his office.  The boys loved it, especially the projector on the wall.  Grayson ended up staying to watch Curious George while Bex and I ran to Walmart for groceries.

That night Zac set up the projector in their room and let them watch a couple episodes of Backyardigans.  They thought it was Christmas!  Such an exciting and simple pleasure.  He's a great dad & they are great boys.

We sometimes get focused on the things that are hard or not going right in life, but when we re-focus, we remember how blessed we are.