Thanksgiving 2014

Tevia did a great job of documenting Thanksgiving on her blog, but I thought I would put some words down as I am currently on a plane from Phoenix to Chicago and have plenty of time to kill.

I love Thanksgiving as it is an opportunity to spend time with family, eat some great food, and typically is the longest holiday in the USA. This year I took an extra day off to give us time to drive up to Lakeside and go the long way and spend time with Kathy and Jimmy. It was a great idea and we had an awesome lunch there. I also love the drive up 89A north of Sedona. Oak Creek Canyon is gorgeous any time of year.

Last year we actually were in Sedona for Thanksgiving. It was a great time except a few of us, including myself, were a little sick. This year we only had one person sick (Risa's husband Mark) and hopefully nobody will catch what he had. I knew I had a business trip the week after Thanksgiving, so I really wanted to get in some good rest and enjoy the time with family. Mission accomplished. Here were some highlights:

- Enjoyed playing football with Jacob Webb and Jarek and Enok. I missed not having a Turkey Bowl so this was the next best thing.
- Had fun playing Tetris Attacks with Jarek. I don't play games with the kids as much as I used to and Jarek is getting pretty good at this game.
- Enjoyed watching some football games
- The trip around Lakeside with Tevia and the boys was actually more fun than Tevia suggests.
- The lunch at Annie's was fantastic and loved having cheesepuffs again after so many years
- The dinner at Pizza Time or whatever it was called was fun, even though the service and food wasn't all that great. It was fun to sit and talk
- Shooting guns was fun
- Loved playing games as a group. It always makes me laugh and this was no exception.

The drive home was the fastest we've ever done it in. Mark - who drove home with us as he had a plane to catch today, too - said it was because of him. He still wasn't feeling that great and the faster trip worked out great for him.

I am truly grateful for many things in my life. But mostly I love my family. Tevia is a wonderful woman who is a great example and is such a great mom to my boys. My boys bring me so much joy. They each are unique and they all make me proud to be their dad. I was touched today when Enok ran out as I was getting in the car to go to the airport and he said "just one more hug, father!". It made my evening as I knew I would spend the next few hours on a plane and rental car to the hotel. Beyond my family I have health, a good job, and many more things. It is great to remember that on Thanksgiving.

Long Weekend

I took off last Monday and Tuesday to spend some time with the family as I've been traveling a lot and the boys had off of school. It was a great idea. I had a lot of fun. Monday night we had a lot of fun going to the movies and we saw Big Hero Six, which was great. We then did dinner afterwards at Chick-Fil-A and got the peppermint shakes.

It was great to just be able to spend time with everyone and relax. I practiced some soccer with Enok, spent time with the other boys, and just enjoyed the days. It is always great to remember how wonderful your family is. My wife and kids are the reason I do everything I do. And it is good to slow down once in a while and remember why. They are great! And they bring me joy.

Kathy joins the family

   After having 2 surprise C-sections, Kathy's planned C- section seemed easy.  We were able to choose the day, and be totally prepared, since we also knew it was a girl.
I think we chose the date based on the doctor's suggestions, and a deer or elk hunt, but I would have to look over  my old diaries to check that.
   We had yearned for another child, and I had really wanted a girl. I had 2 very special spiritual experiences before Kathy was born- both confirming she was the daughter we were hoping for.
   Yes, it is true, after waiting over 3 years, we were thinking of adopting, and I was actually in the doctor's office for a physical during the application phase when he asked me if I could be pregnant, and told me I was.
   All my pregnancies were easy, and we were thrilled.
   Financially, she was our most expensive baby.  We also still had only a 2 bedroom apartment, so we had to put all 3 kids into one room.
   Bret and Jacob were thrilled to have a sister. Bret was a big help, being old enough to babysit. We spent the next year still in Salt Lake, and enjoying family and friends and fun. We moved to NY right before she turned 1.  We gave her a pink donut with a candle in it for her birthday that year.
   Unfortunately, she was what they used to call, colicky.  Every night, from after dinner to about 11pm, she was fussy, and then cried for hours.  We tried rocking her, cuddling her, swaddling her. I was advised to watch  my diet, I gave up chocolate, dairy, cucumbers, broccoli; basically one thing every week or so, till I realized it wasn't helping at all.  When we got really frustrated, we would put her in the car and drive around to make her fall asleep.
  She even started out crying more than she should right after she was born,  and at her 2 week check up, the doctor told me she had 2 ear infections. I felt so guilty that I didn't know that, as she was too young to pull her ear. Poor little thing.
   She had very little hair, blond like the Wall side,and chubby.  I would get so upset with Ralph when he would tease me about her weight, yet, I was only nursing her, with no other foods.
   I made so many cute dresses and jumpers.  It was fun having a girl.  As she grew, she disliked them all, wouldn't keep a clip or headband in her hair, and only liked frilly dresses and slips for a phase.  One year she wouldn't wear pants, then she switched to not wanting to wear dresses.
   She was stubborn and whiny, but when she turned 3, she changed into a pleasant, fun little girl. She loved to help me, and she adored her baby brother.
   I can still picture you dancing on the coffee table, and watching Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh over and over.  You loved your bunny, which you were given to help you stop sucking your finger.
   Kathy, you have brought much joy to our family. I love have a daughter.

Halloween 2014

Beckham was Cosmo the Cougar this year for Halloween.  He wore it well!  Holly made him this costume and she did an excellent job.  Beckham really loved trick-or-treating.  He got to go to a BYU sponsored activity, a ward trunk-or-treat, a mall sponsored trick-or-treat, and he got to do a little bit of trick-or-treating on the street where Boomer's in-laws live.  I'd say he had a great year this year. Here are the pics.

Beckham turns 2

Beckham had a very low key birthday party this last Thursday (His parents aren't the biggest party people in the world).  Sadly I had to go into work all day and I didn't get home until around 5:30 but I was told by Holly that he had a pretty fun day.  For dinner we had the Hawks over and Holly made a new chipotle chicken quesadilla recipe that she had found.  They were pretty good.  Then Beckham got to unwrap a couple presents.  It wasn't the biggest haul I'd ever seen, we actually regifted him a fire truck that he had gotten for Christmas last year, but never played with.  He loves it now though. We also got him a bag of new bouncy balls.  The Hawks gave him some new cars and a coloring book.  Earlier that month mom had given him a home-made city with roads for cars.  He still really loves that gift.  He also got a cool car ramp from the other grandparents.

After opening presents, Beckham got some cake and ice cream, both of which he really enjoyed.  We played with his presents for the rest of the night (He even got to stay up an hour later than normal) and then it was off to bed for him.

I think he had a good day and we were pleased with how it went.  I can't believe that he is already turning two!  It just seems crazy to me that he is already that old.

Beckham and Mia

Beckham has really taken to having a baby sister.  We cannot lay Mia anywhere without Beckham trying to get as close to her as possible.  He loves to give her kisses and he's always getting up close to her and saying, "Hi Mia!"  He also likes to try to give her lots of toys for her to play with. I'm not sure that Mia really loves all the yelling, poking, and prodding and when Beckham gets too close he gets his mother pretty nervous, but it is cute to seem them interact.  I thought we would share a couple pictures of them.

Mia's Baby Blessing

On October 12, 2014, we had Mia's name and blessing.  Sadly, because our ward was doing no exceptions for baby blessings not on fast Sunday the Wall family was not able to be there.  However, Jim and Debby Christenson were able to attend and we were lucky to at least have some family there. We're sorry we couldn't do it while mom, dad, Jimmy, and Kathy were here.

The blessing went great and Mia was blessed with many things.  She was blessed with health and strength and with love for those around her.  She was blessed to be especially aware of the strong examples of all the women who came before her.  She has a great heritage and I thought that this was a special blessing.

Here are a few pics of Mia in her dress.  The blanket in the background was made for her by mom. Also, Mia is wearing the same dress that Holly was blessed in.

UK Trip October 2014

Unfortunately I had to go to the UK again this year.  Not that I don't like the UK, but I am a little tired of traveling.  I would much rather have been home with my wife and kids.  But I get paid to do a job, so I do.

I took the regular direct flight on BA to London from Phoenix which I've taken many times.  I arrived at the airport earlier than usual as it was an international flight.  As I approached my gate, I noticed a lot of young people.  As I got closer I noticed they were clean cut and dressed like missionaries.  And sure enough, there was a group of nearly 30 LDS missionaries on my flight.  This is always a good sign as it made me feel safe.  I was able to speak to a few of them.  They were all going to either Norway or some other country.  As I boarded the plane I was happy to find that there were two free seats between me and the other person on my row of four.  He was a missionary and we chatted for a while.  I don't sleep well on planes so set up for a long flight.  I watched a movie, at my dinner, and then felt a little tired. With the missionary having gone to sit with someone else in the plane, I now had the entire row to myself.  So I laid down and tried to sleep.  I tossed and turned for a while and used my eye cover I used on Lake Powell. How surprised I was that when I woke up, the lights were on.  This meant we were nearly to London!  I had slept most of the flight.  It was awesome.

I had decided to try something new on this trip.  My company's office is about an hour outside of London and it is expensive to get a taxi or even take the train (which takes even longer as you have to go to downtown London to catch the train). So I decided to rent a car.  It would save the company a bunch of money and give me something new to try.  I've never driven on the other side of the road.  Even though we lived in Hong Kong, I never actually drove a car; just drove in cars.  So I headed to rent the car and began my adventure to drive in England.  Thankfully I got to my hotel safe with no issues.

My days at work the first few days were long.  My jet lag wasn't too bad, though I did have difficulty sleeping one night.  I knew I had a weekend with some free time so I tried to decide what to do.  In the end I decided to spend Saturday in Bath.  Bath is about 30 minutes away by train, so I decided to take the train instead of drive as it was pretty cheap.  All I knew about Bath was that it was a site of an ancient Roman Bath.  A few people had said going to Bath was a great choice.  And upon arrival, I was so happy.  It was a beautiful city.  It reminded me a little of Paris.  It definitely is a tourist town as there is tons of shops for shopping (not why I was there).  But this meant some better food.

I walked around and enjoyed some of the sights and eventually ended up going to the Roman Bath.  This is a museum on the site of the natural hot water spring that the Romans set up as a Bath back in about 40 AD.  Though a little pricey, the museum was very cool.  You are provided a "phone" where you can enter numbers to hear about certain parts of the tour that you want.  It was amazing to see something so old.  The original pools are still there - nearly 2000 years later.  And it is still hot.  I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.  It was good weather so I decided to walk around a bit more and stumbled upon a river tour.  This tour was between two "weirs", which I didn't know what those were before my tour.  Basically they are like mini dams to raise the level of the river a few feet. This was pretty cool as we went along the slow river watching life go on along the banks.  We saw rugby games, people doing archery, gorgeous homes and even a couple of boys who had just caught a huge pike (it was nearly 2 feet long).

Afterwards I had a quick dinner (at Nando's - one of my fav chicken places) and took the train back.  Then I spent most of the evening binge watching Arrow.  This was a cool trick I figured out.  Netflix is blocked in the UK.  Arrow season 2 had just been released and I had watched a few before traveling.  While here I had an epiphany: I use a VPN when working when I need to access certain things.  The VPN would show a US ip address.  I wouldn't want to use it on the weekdays as people are using it and it might slow down speeds, etc.  But on the weekends hardly anybody is working, so I was able to stream Arrow.  (Loving it BTW).

Sunday I got up and got ready to attend church.  I was lucky my boss (also Mormon) warned me that they aren't currently meeting in the local chapel as it is being expanded.  So they are meeting in a school.  The LDS website does not mention this, so it was lucky for him to tell me (he had just been here a few weeks ago and actually used to live here).  I made it in time for sacrament meeting.  It was ward conference.  The speakers (audio system) weren't working, so it was a little hard to hear.  But there were a lot of people.  And the speakers were excellent.  The bishop and the entire Stake Presidency spoke.  They all spoke about "being alone".  I was touched most by the bishop's talk and the Stake President's.  Tears...

I then took a quick drive down the road to Avebury, which is a site with stones similar to Stonehenge (I considered going to Stonehenge, but felt like the hour drive wouldn't be worth it).  Though this site is one of the largest stone circles and quite old, I only stayed like 30 minutes and went back to the hotel as it was just a bunch of stones.  Cool to see for a few minutes, but beyond that not much else to do.

The rest of the week was just spent waiting to go home.  I wasn't thrilled about being in the UK and just wanted to be home.  The days were busy and went fast.  Going home was going to be fun in hte fact that I decided to pick the cheaper option of flying into LA (as opposed to the direct route to Phoenix) so I could fly on an A380, the world's largest plane (for people).  It was pretty cool.  Besides being so big and having two decks the entire plane, I was impressed with the quietness of the plane and it seemed a little more roomy than usual planes.  The entertainment screen was also quite large.  It was packed, so no luck sleeping on the way back - and I then had to wait for the flight back to PHX from LA (which, BTW, I hate the LA airport), but I was happy to take it.

I got home safe and sound having learned to drive on the wrong side of the road.  I took Friday off to recuperate, which worked out great as I was able to recover quickly.

BYU vs. Virginia

Some of our friends with all-sports passes (now called ROC passes) were going out of town this weekend and offered us their tickets to the game.  We decided it would be fun to go and bring Beckham.  Beckham was excited to get all geared up for the game.  He looked good in his BYU uniform!

The kids actually did pretty good.  It was sunny that day and probably over 90 degrees, but we were able to find some seats with just a little bit of shade and that helped a ton.  Mia made it through the first half and Beckham an I stayed through the 3rd quarter.  He was getting a little bit tired by then and the shade was all but gone, so we left.  It was a fun game.  Too bad it didn't go as well 2 weeks later...

BYU Swag

The BYU Bookstore recently changed its name to the BYU Store.  To advertise the big change they held a grand-reopening and as part of the reopening they were giving away old BYU Bookstore bags to use as material in a fashion contest.  The contest was to make some fashionable clothing out of just the old bags.  

Holly decided to take on the challenge and below are some pictures of the result:

The entire suit is made from the just the bookstore bags.  Holly did an excellent job and as part of her reward we won one of the prizes: a 7-piece twin bed set.  Kind of a random prize, but hey, its still pretty cool to win it!

Kidney Stone

It was Monday morning and a holiday.  I was excited for the day off of work and  looking forward to a relaxing day.  I had decided to do the dishes that morning and suddenly felt a major pain in my side as I leaned over to put a dish in the dishwasher.  I thought I must have pulled my back.

Annoyed, I moved to the other room where Jarek was and the pain got worse.  I laid on the ground and tried to find a position to relieve the pain, but no luck.  The pain kept getting worse and no longer felt like a pulled muscle or back pain.  It was in the lower back area just beneath the rib cage on the left side.  I think I began to moan a little and Jarek got worried.  "Should I get mom?" he asked.  I told him no, that I would be fine.  After a few more minutes he said "I'm getting mom".

We had Jacob and Millie over and Jacob, being a physical therapist, asked some questions and moved my body in ways to see if he could figure out what it might be.  He decided it wasn't a muscle or bone, but most likely something else, like an organ.  After some more looking while the pain finally began to subside, we decided it must be a kidney stone.  Tevia's mom had one a few years ago and after talking to her it seemed to fit the description.

We quickly looked up kidney stones and saw that most pass within a couple of days.  I had heard they were painful, but decided to try and bear it and avoid going in to the hospital.  By the next afternoon, we decided to change that strategy.

I went into the hospital in a lot of pain.  The pain had come and gone several times, but this time it was lasting much longer (more than an hour) and constant pain.  They took a CT scan and confirmed it was a kidney stone.  They tried some meds to ease the pain (didn't really work), ordered some prescriptions and sent us on our way.  Seeing as it was almost two day since the pain started, I was hoping that with the Flo-max they gave me it would pass quickly.  I was still working (when I wasn't doubled over in pain).

By Friday nothing had changed.  I went in to the urologist who changed some meds and suggested I come in the next week with an x-ray.  He said some stones take longer to pass and to give it patience.

By early the next week I was getting desperate.  Life seemed just a constant wave of pain.  The pain meds did little to help ease the pain and I was getting less and less sleep.  I also had become constipated (first time in my life - a common side effect of kidney stones) adding to the discomfort.  I got meds for that too, but they did little to help.  I was able to see how many people must feel that live in constant pain.  You have little desire to do anything.  Even watching TV was painful.  Fear that I would never feel "well" again crept into my mind.  I felt like I was a burden to my family, my company, my church.  I felt my prayers were going unanswered.  I felt alone.

I went into the urologist again and with an x-ray it showed the stone was almost to the bladder.  Wednesday morning I was able to get some sleep and when I woke up Tevia said "today it will pass".  We focused more on getting me moving to try and force the stone out.  I drank as much as possible (I had done this the whole time and it was miserable as I was constipated and constantly nauseous), went on several walks, ran in place from time to time,and prayed a lot.  By late afternoon I finally felt the feelings that the internet had said I would feel when the stone made it into the bladder.  Not much longer the stone passed and I saved it to show the doctor.  Within an hour or so the pain had completely stopped and I was basically back to normal.

It took a couple more days to get my digestive track back on track and feel energized and rested.  But now it is like the thing never happened.  9 days of pain and frustration.  During this time I had learned that many people have had stones.  Each of them talked about how painful it was - and almost all the women said it was worse than childbirth.  I can't comment on that, but I can say that it was a new level of pain that I didn't enjoy.  I learned a lot and hope it never happens again.  They say that once you've had one, the chances of having others increases.  It seems like a week of my life just disappeared.  That I wasn't even there.  That I was just observing me in pain.

And once it passed, life was suddenly wonderful again.

My Mother

We have an incredible mother in our family and recently I've felt a desire to write a quick blog about her and some of what she has done for me in my life.  I feel like I don't ever show her enough appreciation or gratitude for all that she's does.  I hope that this helps her understand what she means to me.

The most important thing that she had done for me in my life has been being an example of love, Mom has always been and still is someone who really loves and cares for those around her.  I have memories throughout my entire life of her trying to help those around her, whether it was a fellow relief society sister, a young woman, her children, or anyone else in her life.  Dad once told me this about mom: "Most people walk into a church meeting thinking, 'who do I want to sit by.'  Your mother thinks, 'who needs me to sit next to them.'"  I know that sounds like something small, but in my entire life, I have never really come across a more simple example of someone caring about others above themselves.  My mother truly loves others.  

Mom is an amazing cook.  I loved every meal that she made me.  Sometimes it is hard to appreciate cooking talent until you are exposed to cooking that maybe isn't quite the best...  Holly and I have two children.  When both of them were born several ward members were nice enough to bring us dinner for a few nights.  I have to say, I am still very surprised by the low quality of some of those meals.  I am spoiled when it comes to well-cooked meals.  For the first 18 years of my life, it was my mom who did the spoiling, although, now it is Holly who does the spoiling.  Holly's cooking never ceases to amaze me.  I hold that she is the best cook in the family even though she would be mad at me for saying that.  Mom's cooking is still some of the best I've ever had.

Mom is also incredibly smart.  When I asked grandma what mom was like as a child, one of the first things she said was that  she was always wanting to learn something new.  As the youngest I was still home when mom started taking college classes from Dutchess Community College.  I am impressed that she even wanted to go back to school, but I am especially impressed with how good she did in her classes.  Mom didn't have the same opportunities that we (her children) did with education as a child, but she still excelled when it came to new school work.  I am grateful for the brains she passed on to me.  

Mom is a dedicated Latter Day Saint.  From my observations, if you give mom a responsibility in the church, whether it be a calling or assignment, she simply magnifies it.  The job will get done, and it will be done well.  She has always been an example to me of true faith.  I don't know about the rest of her kids, but I used more stories about my mother while teaching on m mission than I did of anyone else, and the competition wasn't even close.  The most significant story I used was her story on tithing.  

There are many more things that I could write about my mother, but I will just end by saying that I believe I had the best mother of all.  She did so much for me and she still serves me today.  I enjoy talking with her on the phone these days.  My family receives a package with something nice from her almost daily.  Well, maybe not daily, but its often enough to impress me.  I look forward to seeing her here in Utah soon.  Thanks mom for all that you've done and who you've been for me in my life.

Thomas turns twenty-five

Tom, you were so loved by all !  Each brother and Kathy welcomed you, played with you, babysat you, and were perfectly willing to bring you anywhere they went.   They included you in games they played, from make-believe to board games to sports.  Kathy made you dress up and be the father, boyfriend, and who knows what else.  Jacob was teaching you Nintendo and Monopoly and Risk and how to hang Tigger.  Bret took time out of his busy schedule to play cars and Lego and take you places.
You were dragged along to baseball, dance,trumpet recitals, dentist appointments- you name it.
You did not have any technology to keep you busy. You just made the best of it and played.
You were an easy baby, easy toddler, easy child.  If every mother had kids like you, they would easily choose to have more.  You loved learning and school. You even 'liked' the 'mean' teachers, because they kept better order in their classrooms.
I remember when we found out we were expecting you. We had had a very difficult time getting pregnant, and were even starting adoption processes when Kathy finally came along.
Dad graduated, and we bought our very first brand new car, which seated 5.  We had no idea we would be blessed so soon with another child.  We were all thrilled!
I thought it was great having children all different ages. It kept my busy, but young and active.  I loved how you helped each other.
You never wanted to be 'in trouble'.  (That's how I was as a child)
You listened, obeyed, cared, shared, and smiled all the time.  You were smart and athletic, cute, and hard-working.
You have brought me and Dad great joy!  I hope you find the same joy in your posterity that we have felt with our children.

Trip to Utah August 2014

Last week I woke up at 4 AM to drive to the Mesa airport to take a cheaper flight up to Provo.  The drive was uneventful and after just over an hour flight I was in Provo, UT.  I had planned this trip originally to meet up with my dad, Jake and Jacob Webb to do some fishing in the Flaming Gorge reservoir.  But that part got cancelled a few weeks earlier.  So now we were going to spend some time in the valley and get to see Tommy (Tom).

Tom picked me up at the airport and that morning we walked over to BYU to see the new changes on campus, buy some chocolate milk, and remember days gone by.  We then went to JDawg's for lunch, which was fantastic as usual.

Jacob and my dad got back later that afternoon after having spent the previous few days in the Uintas (like my trip last August).  It happened to be Jacob and Holly's birthday, so that evening we went to Happy Sumo for some sushi and stayed up late talking (and got some shakes from Iceberg).

Friday we went golfing at East Bay golf course.  It was the 4 Wall boys.  This course gave us the option to play 12 holes, something I hadn't seen before.  It was a lot of fun.  I didn't play too great, but ended up getting 2nd place behind my dad (who I think beat me by a stroke or two).  Tom played great considering he hadn't played in years.  We were all hot and thirsty and tired after that so we hit Sonic on the way back for happy hour and got some drinks.

That afternoon we were still thirsty so Tom mentioned a place down the street called Sodalicious.  It was literally a tiny shack on the side of the street, tucked behind/in a barber shop.  It was packed.  People were lined up in cars and on the street.  They have various types of drinks and flavors they will put together for you.  We ended up going back again we loved it so much.  The first time I got some Dr. Pepper with vanilla, coconut, and half and half.  The second time I got a drink called "Lucky" that had Mtn. Dew and passionfruit and pineapple.  Both were amazing.  I was happy to see such a little place be so successful.  It was fun.

That evening we headed to Tom's choice for dinner at Slab Pizza.  It was also very cool and you could choose various types of pizzas.  We tried one with spam and pineapple, another with thai red curry, and another with goat cheese and green chilis and BBQ sauce.  They were all good, the last one was amazing.  From there we went to the BYU football team scrimmage at the stadium and it was fun to see the players and watch some football.  Let's hope it is a great season.  We finished the night seeing Guardians of the Galaxy (which Jake and I had both seen, but nobody else).  I loved it even more the second time and I think everyone liked it as I heard them laughing the whole time.

Saturday we played tennis at a new place that Tommy knew about that seemed almost on top of the mountain.  We did three sets to 4 and switched teams each time.  These guys were nice and let my team win each time.  It was fun.  We then did a later lunch/early dinner at JCW's for some burgers.  From there Jake, my dad and I went up to Sundance to ride the ski lift and hike around a bit.  I loved it.  It was beautiful and fun.  Later that night we watched a movie and headed back to the hotel.  Sunday Jake and I were flying back to AZ.

...Or so we thought.  We got dropped off at the Provo airport and got on the plane.  But after a few minutes on the runway they said some indicator light was on and they had to de-plane us.  We then sat in the tiny gate room at the airport for the next few hours.  The airport had literally closed so there was no security for people to leave and come back or sit outside, etc.  We were forced to sit in this tiny room and get updates once in a while saying they had no idea what was going on.  And this is where the difficulty of flying on a tiny airline becomes evident.  With no other flights out of Provo, there were no flights to divert us on.  Needless to say, they eventually gave up and sent us to a hotel for the night with hope to try again the next day.  So we grabbed a quick dinner at IHOP (not much open on Sunday nights in Provo) and luckily made it out the next day.  But it was a frustrating time.  I have flown A LOT in my life, and this was my first time having to stay in a hotel.  I've been lucky.

The trip was still fun.  I enjoyed golfing and playing tennis and all the other stuff with my brothers and pops.  I always love to visit Provo as people seem so nice and happy.  Don't love the winters, though.

Beckham's Letters

Here are two videos of some of Beckham's favorite things.  As you may have heard, he loves his letters.  He can recognize and say all of them and he can also draw many of them.  Enjoy the videos!

Summertime Blues

Next week school starts.  It is crazy how quickly this summer went.  It was a great summer with an awesome Lake Powell trip, some camping up in Big Lake, a trip to NY, and next week a quick trip to UT to spend time with the Wall boys.

It has also been a crazy busy summer for work.  So much is going on.  These things combined made the summer go by way too fast and I am already sad that days are getting shorter and temperatures will soon be cooler.  It seems we didn't get to spend enough time at the water park, or swimming in our pool, or hiking in 100 degree weather.  Soon the house will be quiet as I work with the boys away at school and Tevia doing her regular busy stuff.

But there are great things in the fall, right?  BYU football, more hiking, cooler nights.  I love summer and every year I am sad to see it go, even here in Phoenix.

So not many posts with awesome pics (Tevia does a great job of that on her blog).  But I did want to document that it has been a wonderful summer.  I got to see lots of our family.  We had great health.  The summer wasn't all that hot this year.  And it was fun to have the boys at home, when they were here and not at camps or grandma's house.  So let's hope fall is just as great.  Most people would say Phoenix doesn't really have a fall.  But I know it is coming when I wake up at 5 to play basketball and it is dark.  That's what happened this morning.  And that's when I knew summertime was coming to an end.

A View From our Backyard

I decided to write a blog listing as many of the animals as I could remember in no particular order, that have visited our yard in NY over the years.

Yesterday, dad trimmed right into a white-faced hornet nest hidden in our Taxis bush.  The unhappy hornets swarmed out and dad ran like crazy.   He was only stung one time but those white faced hornets are lethal.  A sting from them is always noticed and remembered.   Dad got even.  He is usually up to a fight if properly enticed.  Did you guys know that about him?  He readily and hastily destroyed that giant nest and most of the hornets are nesting in heaven now.  That same morning in the same garden dad found a pretty cool snake skin.  

It is perfectly intact.  Every detail.  The eye holes, the nose hole, the jaws, the tail, everything perfect.  It is hard to figure out where the snake could have possible crawled out of it.   It is a mystery.  How does a snake crawl out of his skin?

We had two other intriguing and almost comical animal experiences that day; thus I decided time to write them all down in one place.

A few mornings ago, at exactly 5:20 am, I, (being the light sleeper that I am), heard a tapping noise on our outside gutter outside our bedroom.  Knowing it was not supposed to rain, I investigated.  I could not see anything from the angle of our bedroom window, so I quietly went downstairs and without turning on a single light, ( I only mention this to impress how brave I was being), I peeked out of our back patio door. The culprit- bats, quite a few, diving all around the drainpipe.  The sun had not yet risen, but it was that peaceful early morning light that seems heavenly. I sat with a blanket wrapped around me and watched.  I could not see exactly where they were entering, or what- the drainpipe, downspout, gutter, or siding.  I said a sweet early morning prayer just thankful for our home and yard and its beauty, and went back to bed.  No reason to wake dad; he had gotten to bed at midnight.  I told him about it, and we were too busy to do anything that evening. I heard them the next 2 mornings.

Friday night: Quote from Google +

we had a sweet date last night, sitting on our back deck at 8, cool enough for blankets wrapped around us, eating popcorn, and waiting to see when the bats came out, or rather, where they came out of.  THEN, we see one fly out, we creep down closer,  another, closer.... and we watch as one at a time, 8 more come down out of the corner of our house siding, and fly away.  We were about 3 ft from the opening. It was pretty cool.  

This was not our first experience with bats trying to get into our house. We do see them flying freely each night after the sun goes down, and they do a great job keeping our bug population down.

Sparrows, bluebirds, and swallows-Oops, we did it again…

Our children all know how much I love the bluebird house that Jacob made me years ago. It has been a pleasure to me year after year. I wish I had the binoculars dad bought me this year for my birthday years ago.  I can see all the birds so much better.  

Pics from Tevia

The bluebirds return every year. I pay close attention to their habits, and even used to write down when they came, nested, and fledged.   For some reason, the last few years, some predator has destroyed or eaten the eggs right before or after they hatched.  I have not been able to confirm if it is a raccoon, snake, hawk, or other.  It always makes me sad.  And I have not been able to prevent it.

This year it happened twice; first with the swallows that nested there, then again a month later with our loyal bluebirds.  Darn it anyways. I felt like an enabler of some sort- giving them a safe home, watching the ever diligent father keep watch over the nest and mother, and then, to have them taken.  So sad.

Well, people tell bird watchers if sparrows nest in your bluebird houses, remove the nest.  They were our third couple this summer. I didn’t get out to remove the nest, and didn’t really worry about it.  The Saturday morning after the bats, dad was out working in the yard, and I remembered to tell him that we should remove the nest. He hastily and obediently did, and quickly realized his mistake.  When he threw the nest on the ground, it had 5 live baby sparrows in it. He called me over and they looked so helpless.  Some were getting feathers, and one was so skinny and tiny. He felt terrible.  Now we were directly involved in the death of these poor nesting birds.  Then I thought, use something to scoop them and the nest up and return them.  So he did.  The sparrow mom returned immediately, and so far, so good.  At least we did not see her throwing them out or anything.  I didn’t have time for pics, and figured my camera wouldn’t really be able to catch it well anyways, as they were laying in the straw in the grass.

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I suppose one hint of what could be our local predator is the magnificent hawk that has been hanging around our backyard lately.   I could not find the photo of this amazing bird, and I have no proof it was him. 

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Sounds:

Each summer, we are treated to the sounds of nature.  From the echoes of tree frogs, to various kinds of birds, they start at dusk and change throughout the night into early morning.  It is also here I heard my first real owl, and was a good enough spy to sneak up on one and confirm it was truly him who was creating the unique sound.  Once in a awhile we can hear the barking of coyotes, although not every summer.

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Cycles

Which brings me to cycles.  We have been privy to learning about nature by observing what animals are around each year. Some years we have more rabbits, like this year.  When the rabbits are around, we don’t see the foxes. When the foxes are around, we don’t see any rabbits.  We can even hear the horrible cry of baby rabbits losing out to the foxes some springs.   This is also true of the turkeys, some years we see them often, some years, not so much. 

A side note- we always liked watching the foxes, and I never really thought of them as a danger. They were often seen during the day. When our new neighbors across the street moved in, a fox stalked their little girl, watched her sitting on her back steps, and before you could say Jack-sprat, ran up and bit her. They called for help, the fox was caught, and the girl needed rabies shots. 

Other years, we saw the cycles of insects, from the year of the moth caterpillar, to ladybugs everywhere, to the locusts, and the june bugs.  Some years we get tons of wasps, other years, hardly any. Same for Japanese beetles.  

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We watched an eagle fly overhead as Kathy was learning to drive and hit the bush with the car. 

We had a duck adopt our pool, and a pond in our back yard from heavy rain.

The deer are a continual sight, which I love, fawns, bucks, and doe.  

With Daisy and Bugle being gone, we have noticed more animals close up to the house

We have accidentally and purposely trapped raccoon, an opossum, a squirrel, a skunk, and lots of chipmunks and ground hogs.  

Some years we see skunks all over, even early evening as we walk, and the smell is observed weekly.  This year, I have not seen nor smelled one at all.

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Bret sent me a hummingbird feeder, and since then, we get them yearly.  So from the tiniest birds to the most colorful, we get a plethora of fine feathered friends: a delight to me. I also love to watch the squirrels hang and dance and try as they might to get to the bird feeder, now that I have a “squirrel-proof” one.  For years, the squirrels outsmarted even dad’s best home made efforts to thwart them.

This past winter brought so much snow, I seldom trooped out to my birdfeeder, so I started putting crumbs and seeds and nuts on my deck.  That brought the squirrels, which I didn’t mind, and I ‘trained’ one with peanuts so that when my grandkids came, they could see it. He came daily, and loved his peanut.  

I am very grateful for a beautiful yard, porch, deck, and home to live in for so many years,