1/2 score and 0 years ago . . .

Dateline: April 29th, 2000. A wide-eyed, naive young woman and an older and wiser lad take their vows for time and all eternity in the Las Vegas Temple. He had just returned from faithfully serving the Mexican people as a missionary while she "faithfully" waited at home. They could not have been more sure of their decision and excited for what would lie ahead. 'Twas a day that will n'er soon be forgotten in the minds of those two youngins.The time that has passed hasn't been too shabby either.

As this day has been approaching, I have been quietly reflecting on all that has gone on over the last 10 years. I thought I would share some of the highlights (and maybe one or two lowlights) of our time together . . .

• Living in the dungeon in Provo included sleeping with a fan and water spray-bottle at our sides during the hot summer nights. We went out to buy an air conditioning unit, but it would not fit in our window. We turned it on in the house, but the exhaust from the back only made things more unbearably miserable. We had to sleep in the front room on the couch cushions because new asphalt had recently been laid in the back parking lot, thus raising the temperature in our bedroom to a balmy 90 degrees or so.

• We moved up in the world by sharing a house with Mandy's sister and her husband, Rachel and Kala. It was a beautiful place, but we never got comfortable enough living together to walk around in only our garments (kind of a bummer, but without the bums). We did enjoy being with them though, especially as they welcomed their first daughter Mele into our home. Highlights included gas drops and the pacifier stabilizer/TV remote.

• We had a great time spending lots of money that we did not have during our college years. It was not until 4 or 5 years after being married that we finally were able to pay off that dinner at Chile's and the throw pillows from Target (among countless other worthless items that we would buy with reckless abandon, such as our brand new car that we were privileged to continue payments on for a full year after it was totaled). Thank goodness that Mandy finally took the budget bull by the horns and whipped our finanical behinds into shape.

• Part of that whipping into shape included an early morning paper route for a time when I first began working at Enterprise. We would wake up at around 3 AM most days (1-2 AM some mornings), pack Simon into the car (he was an infant at the time), and head across town to the newspaper place. Even though sleep was in low supply, it was some of the most fun that we have ever had together. The "m in the n" and the "sbd tubes" especially provided us with some much needed laughs.

• Together we have gained and lost 50 and 100 pounds respectively. Mandy had the pregnancy excuse. I had the "my wife is/was/will be pregnant, so pass me another doughnut" excuse. Fortunately, I am at the lighter end of the fluctuation for the time being. Mandy, on the other hand, is a real fatty right now.

• We bought our first house in 2005 in West Valley City, UT. We loved our home, neighbors, being in a place that was ours . . . that neighborhood and ward still feel like home to us in many ways. Mandy did have a scare once, however, when a man tried to break into the house while she was inside bathing the kids. Fortunately, she came downstairs and he ran off when he saw her. It took her a long time to feel comfortable being at home alone again.

• We have been extremely blessed to welcome 3 beautiful, amazing, wonderful children into our lives since 2003. Ever since Simon was born, we have often asked ourselves how we ever enjoyed our lives before they came down to us. They are really the center of our lives now and that is the way that we love it! Number four is in the oven; we cannot wait to welcome him to the fold as well!
• Just over 2 years ago we made the move up here to Boise. What a wonderful thing it has been for us to experience something new and to meet so many great people. We have loved it here and have enjoyed so many things about this time in our lives.

Of course, there is much more that can be shared and remembered . . .
The day that we were married continues to be among the best days of my life. Our experience in the sealing room of the temple was something that I am not sure can ever be surpassed in greatness for me. I remember looking into Mandy's eyes and (1) never feeling as much happiness as I felt in that moment and (2) never feeling closer to heaven. To this day, only the births of Simon, Ava, and Brahm even come close to that moment.

Mandy, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am so glad that we have been together these 10 years. I love you with all of my heart and cannot imagine my life without you!

Do any of you have any memories about us from that day or the proceeding years that you can share with us? We would love to read about them!

Kiddie Crafts

My kids make me laugh.

They refuse to play with any of their "expensive," store-bought toys.

Instead, they raid my pantry.  These little scavengers of mine play with anything they can get their hands on: straws, plastic cutlery, and in this case- paper bowls.  As you can see, they've personalized their own turn-of-the-century bowler hats. 

Lessons Learned

Ava is my second child.  She catches onto things very quickly and easily.  For instance, last summer at age 3 she had Jess remove her training wheels from her bike.  Ever since then, she has been riding a two wheeler with ease.  The same is true with swimming lessons.  She has inched her way up to Simon's skill level.  This little girl knows no fear. 

Ava practicing her backfloat.

Simon, on the other hand, is much more timid and fearful when it comes to trying new things.  This could be my fault.  Because he is my first, everything that he tries is new for me too.  I am a very cautious person, and that has probably rubbed off on him.  I'm new to the world of 6 year olds.  I need to let Simon move at his own pace.  I feel like I am the one who is holding him back.  Whereas with Ava, there are no limits. 

Simon and Ava in the water.

With all that being said, Simon and Ava are doing wonderfully - both in the swimming world and outside of it. 

Quietly Coloring

Every Mom can appreciate a quiet evening of coloring.

Race to Robie Creek

Can you spot Jess?  Hint: He is near the front.

This past Saturday Jess, along with 2,400 runners, competed in the Robie Creek Half Marathon.  Jess was the 280th runner to cross the finish line at 1 hour 57 minutes making it into the top 12%.  Race to Robie Creek is different than most half marathons in that there is a 2,100 ft.climb in 8.4 miles to the top of a mountain.  This race has been dubbed "the toughest half marathon in the Northwest." 

Having run in a handful of races, Jess always reports back to me on food and goods that are given to the runners at these competitions.  At the 8 mile marker of this particular race, there was a "Temptation Station" set up with cookies, brownies, cheesecakes, cigars, and alcohol for the beleaguered runners.  More food tents awaited the runners at the finish line with pasta, breadsticks, and stuffed potatoes.

Our favorite race (as a family) has been the Pocatello marathon.  Not only did Jess receive running equipment, but there was cotton candy, Great Harvest bread, Texas Roadhouse meals, ice cream novelties, and gatorade galore served at the finish line.  Music blared over loud speakers, and the kids enjoyed playing in the bounce houses.  It was like being at a carnival but for free!  Well, almost for free.  There is the actual fee to run in the race. :)

Strains of the Stomach Flu

This past week has been horrid with a capital “H.” Let me begin my “adventures in hell” by backtracking a week ago when I (very heavy with child) had the crazy idea of taking my children to the YMCA indoor aquatics center. The kids loved it, and I would have loved it more if Brahm wasn’t so darned confident in the pool. He observes my oldest two in swimming lessons and thinks that he can jump into 3 ft. deep water and perform back floats. It’s hilarious, but while I was trying to keep an eye on Ava and Simon, Brahm was sneaking his way into deeper water. He’s such a stinker! At one point during our playtime in the water, the lifeguards shouted and motioned for everyone to evacuate the pool and shower off immediately. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I later was told that a child had vomited in the water. The pool was “shocked” and left alone for 30 minutes. We spent the rest of the afternoon wading in the shallow water of the kiddie zone and eventually made our way back to the shocked pool.

The following day, I woke up to the sound of Simon throwing up in the bathroom. I didn’t associate it at all with the prior day’s vomitous pool fiasco. Simon seemed just fine with the exception of diarrhea. When Jess caught the stomach flu, I began to put two and two together. Brahm was the next victim. I don’t know what was worse- Brahm vomiting every 30 minutes throughout the night, or changing his explosive diarrhea diapers. I was next. I felt as if I had morning sickness all over again but 30 pounds heavier.

Ava has been our last to catch this weird strain of stomach flu. She threw up more often than Brahm during the night. This morning she has refused to eat or drink anything, but she has been pleading for milk. We have Gatorade, Sprite, and Pedialite to soothe her stomach and to combat dehydration, but all she wants is her precious milk. I am a stickler when it comes to the BRAT diet when my children have the stomach flu, and dairy products (with the exception of yogurt) are off limits.

As you can imagine, I have a laundry room full of dirty linens, rugs, blankets, jammies, and other clothing. I cannot say that my house is ever spotless or even close to clean, but it is bad news as I write this.

Surrounded by all of this chaos and sickness, I began thinking about how I would love to escape it all. A trip to a warm climate sounds enticing. A vacation, where a maid changes your linens and makes your bed and cleans your bathroom. I then started to think about all of the trips that I have gone on with my little family. We’ve been to quite a few places together. And, we have very fond memories of traveling with one another. And you know what? A lot of these trips included vomiting in the car, or vomiting on the plane, or vomiting on a boat. I guess you can never escape vomiting even when you are on vacation.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 2006.  Jess threw up on this scenic ocean boatride.  The crew offered him Mexican dramamine (Tequila) to which he kindly declined.

Hawaii 2008.  Ava threw up on the red-eye flight to Hawaii.  I didn't pack any extra clothes for her in our carry-on bags.  So, she ended up wearing an oversized shirt that belonged to her uncle.

Ava vomited not once, but twice on seperate car trips to Las Vegas (2008, 2010)

Howard, the newest member of our family

Our newest bundle of joy, Howard, joined the Warren family last night at 7:30 pm.  Because of his size, he was carried into our home by 4 able-bodied men.  The kids adore our sweet Howard.  In fact, they won't stop playing with him.  Oh, the noise Howard makes when the kids pound on him.  But, when Mommy tickles his sweet ivory keys, he is in much better spirits.