My parents were kind enough to take us in when we arrived in Indiana to begin looking for a home (Dwayne didn't come permanently until 6 weeks later). This might not seem like a big sacrifice, but the whole time we were there, they were trying to sell their house (and still are), so they/I had to deal with cleaning up after 3 little boys whenever there was a showing. Fortunately there really weren't that many, but I think it was always living in anticipation of one that got a little stressful. The boys were great considering all of the transitions they'd been through. Here they are dressing up as some sort of superheroes.


One of my survival mechanisms was PBS Kids. The concept of continuous TV was new to my boys, and once they realized that the shows just kept coming (we only had DVDs and videotapes in CA), they got pretty hooked--which was easy to do with a tired mother of a newborn who was happy to have them sitting in one place instead of potentially messing up a "showing-ready" house. We didn't let it get too out of hand, but they got really excited when a family friend gave us VIP passes to a special breakfast before "PBS Kids in the Park," an annual event in downtown Indianapolis. They even got their pictures with Super Why and Wonder Red. We've enjoyed lots of activities and games on the website since.

Starting at the beginning of the year and later, while Dwayne was apart from the rest of the family for several weeks in April, May, and June, he trained for and ran a half-marathon with his friend, John Chamberlain. (Note: Cheerios was not an official sponsor). He was pleased with the progress he made over several months of training. Watching him run freely made me a little jealous during the final, semi-mobile stage of pregnancy and the confinement of the newborn stage, and I almost resolved to start running once I was a little less tied-down with a baby, but somehow I haven't made it to that point yet. Exercising just for the sake of exercise has always been hard for me, unless of course it's modern dancing or a fun tap routine. I'm still waiting for an adult beginners modern dance class to be listed in our community ed catalog. Then I'll have no excuse.

"Frontrunner," the new commuter train that runs from Ogden to Salt Lake City, had its opening day while we were in Utah. They were offering free rides, so the boys rode south with Grandpa Draper while Kara and Daniel took the van on I-15 and met them in Salt Lake. We enjoyed being able to visit with family in friends in Utah. Eventually it was time to load up the car once again, however, and head to our next destination, Colorado Springs. We were able to see several dear friends, attend our old ward, and enjoy the company, meals, and hospitality at Dwayne's grandparents'.

Next stop was Kansas. Dwayne's parents always put so much thought and effort into making their time with the grandkids meaningful and memorable. Dwayne's dad took the boys to the dollar store to pick out a toy, and they came home with these "water-squirters." A well-spent dollar, if you ask me. They entertained them for hours during that visit and for weeks later as we spent time at the pool.


Riding the go-cart was probably the highlight of Simon's summer. Stuart was a little less enthusiastic at first, but warmed right up to the idea after a couple of rounds in the church parking lot.