Sick Boy at Home

We got back from California in time for Landon to be sick for the rest of the week. If he thinks he was out of condition last Monday, just wait until tomorrow. . . .

We spent one more day in California on Monday visiting briefly with family before flying home in the evening. Hallie and her mom shared sometime hanging out with the Hopkin kids, and man, are they so much fun to play with!

On our way to the airport, we stopped by the Owens where our kids got one more chance to swing high in the air on the tire swing and to visit with Shep. The flight home was shorter than expected, but after waiting for our shuttle and making a couple of stops on the way home, everyone was exhausted by the time we rolled into the driveway.

Waking up on Tuesday we thought wasn’t going to be so hard, but boy, were we wrong. Everyone was so very tired, but we finally willed ourselves out of bed and got ready for school and work. It was quite a busy day for all of us by the end of the day. Hallie spent a lot of time getting Valentine cards ready for the kids’ parties the next day and getting the finishing touches ready for Eliza’s party. Landon was acting a bit crabby by the end of practice, and we couldn’t figure out why.

Wednesday started as a very unexpected day for all of us. Landon said he did not feel well and wanted us to get him a bucket. The flu? Please, no! Mike had all kinds of things at the university, so Hallie had to bow out of work and find someone else to do the party in Eliza’s class. Hallie is grateful for all of the folks at the school who are so helpful and understanding. Mike was supposed to attend a dinner for work but did not have to go at the last minute, and an amazing family in the ward brought us a plate of cookies.

Landon stayed home from school for a second day when, after we borrowed a thermometer, we saw that he was sporting a fever of 101.7. However, neither adult could really miss work. We crossed our fingers and left a cell phone with Landon while we were away. Nothing burned down, and everything was well when Hallie got home. When school let out, Hallie picked up Eliza and Gavin and took them to gym. Hallie stayed for a bit watching Eliza who sometimes gets slighted when it comes to the parents cheering for her.

Mike had fewer commitments on Friday, so he stayed with Landon for a bit until it was time for him to go and volunteer at the school.

It is fun for the two of us to see each other during Hallie’s work day. Hallie took Gavin and Eliza to gymnastics again and watched Eliza practice with the Level 3s, which she loves! For pizza and a movie night, we watched the Olympics.

The four of us woke up and got ready to go and clean the church on Saturday. Several families showed up, which was really nice. After finally tracking down Mike and Landon, Hallie noticed something wrong with Landon’s eye. Hallie remembered that the sister who was cleaning the doors we came in is a doctor. So Mom and Boy headed back to the doors and asked Sister Jackson if Landon had pink eye. Yup! So off to Urgent Care the duo went, with the result of antibiotics for the boy and of course some ice cream from S.O.S. when Hallie went to fill the prescription. The rest of the day was spent cleaning the kids’ rooms, which were really out of hand. They are a lot better now, and we won’t fall to our death trying to get to their beds.

On Sunday, Mike and Eliza went to all three hours of church, and Hallie joined them for the third hour when she had to lead the music in Relief Society. The meeting was very nice.

We all joined together and ate heart-shaped pasta for lunch. (We love ALDI!) The rest of the afternoon was spent reading books, watching Olympics (the kids are getting bored), playing Go Fish and Uno. Sundays are a hard day for our little nuggets that have so much energy!

Eliza’s Special Week

Eliza celebrated lucky birthday number 7, and we all traveled down to California for work, a meet, and a visit with family.

We celebrated the whole week as Eliza’s special week, starting with celebrations at school.

On Monday she took her All About Me poster to school and shared a bit about herself with her class.

Tuesday Eliza was asked to fill a birthday bag with things that are special to her, and that included a bear that her tummy mom bought her, a favorite book, and a few other special items.

After Hallie picked up the kids from school and headed to gymnastics, Eliza started to complain of being sick. So instead of going to gymnastics, Eliza had to run three hours of errands with Hallie because, well, that is what the mom had to do and was going to do while the kids were at gymnastics. There was going to be a meet on Saturday, and the fundraising momma had to prepare before she hit the road.

After work Hallie dashed off to Sam’s Club to pick up Eliza’s cupcakes to celebrate with her school class before she headed to California. They seem to be a big hit with the class.

We're leaving Ferg in good hands with the neighbors to look after him. 

On Wednesday evening, we flew to California, staying in Orange County near where Landon would be competing on Thursday. Everyone was tired, and it was a long day by the time we got into our hotel.

Thursday morning we went to Downtown Disney, meeting up with our friend Jenny for some window shopping and lunch at the Earl of Sandwich before going to Soka University in Aliso Viejo.

Landon put forth a great effort, gutsing through some tough faults to end up 19th overall in his category. He wasn’t happy, but he’ll keep improving. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Another coach approached Landon’s coach telling him how impressed he was with Landon’s attitude on the floor even when he knew he was having a hard time. Way to go, kid! Thank you for being a good example! We are so grateful for a hard working son and for coaches who keep working with him along the way.

We drove from Orange County to Ventura County in the evening, stopping in Huntington Beach to pick up Eliza’s birthday cake. It has a custom gymnast in pink, and her favorite color red in stars and as a ribbon along the base. Thank you Kim Roberts for making a beautiful cake both inside and out. Landon said he wants you to make him one now for his birthday. Too bad you don’t live in Utah.

Friday morning Hallie and the kids took to the beach while Mike went to Cal Lutheran for his student’s dissertation defense. 

Hallie was a bit cold, but it didn’t seem to affect the kids as they played in the sand and ran in and out of the water. If you ask Eliza what is one thing you could do in California, she will tell you, “Go to the beach!” So we granted her wish.

After everyone got home, we went to Build-a-Bear Workshop to have a little party with family and friends. Alie, Dietrich, Violet, Landon, and Eliza each made a little pal to love, and everyone gave Eliza’s puppy dog an extra heart and wish. Steve and Lois, the employees there, did an amazing job corralling the kiddos and making sure everyone had a good time. We are so grateful for those who came to celebrate with Eliza. Everyone was well-behaved, and we had a great time celebrating.

From the store we returned to the Maygren’s for pizza, cake, ice cream, and gifts. Yummo! We were super sad when the Hopkins all got sick and couldn’t party with us. Grandpa and Grandma O. surprised Eliza with a ukulele, and she is so excited!  

On Saturday, Hallie and the kids paid a visit to friends at Victory. In a short two weeks since Hallie and Landon’s last visit a bit has changed at Victory, but you know in gymnastics change is inevitable, so hopefully the next time we come we will get to see more of our friends.

Grandma and Papa M. had a garage sale in the morning, and we helped a little bit. Landon made sure to unload his heavy wallet at their yard sale. He is very happy with his new-found treasures. We were able to spend a little bit of time with the Hopkins, as they were on the mend, and they came by the yard sale toward the end.

Later, we stopped at ALDI on our way to Simi Valley. We spent time with Grandma and Grandpa O., and the kids had a blast in their backyard. Alie loves spending time with the kids and really could be Landon’s shadow. Badminton was the game of the afternoon, and Hallie even tried her hand at it for a bit. In the evening we had our favorite Red’s BBQ Chicken Salad and garlic rolls. A trip to California is not complete without a meal from Red’s.

Sunday we spent time in Carpinteria and ate lunch at a favorite Padaro Beach Grill. We even bought a little something at the A Frame Surf Shop – needed to help the local economy a bit after so much of it was weakened by the fire and floods in Ventura County. Afterwards, we spent time driving around the areas that burned and tried to comprehend how this all happened.

In the evening we had dinner with the Maygrens and the Hopkins. The kids played so well together and Eliza opened her last set of presents. Num Noms are a huge hit with Eliza, so Aunt Carly picked very well.

100 Days, 1 Museum Trip, and 2 Gymnastics Meets

The kids had their 100th day of school, Eliza and Mom went on a trip to the Museum of Natural Curiosity, and both kids had meets on Saturday. Overall, it was a busier than usual week for the parents.

We started off the week with the kids’ 100th day of school. Hallie got a prime view of the activities, which included the kids dressing up as 100 year olds and making items out of 100 objects. Hallie had put Eliza’s hair in curlers on Sunday night, so she had wild hair for the day’s festivities.

Eliza also made us a little love note.

On Tuesday, Eliza’s class went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity. Hallie came along as a parent helper.

The rest of the week revolved around school and gym. Fergus enjoyed going on the occasional walk. He also liked the cat trap we set for him.

On Saturday we all went to Eliza’s mock meet. She got above 36 overall and made solid improvements.

Later, Ms. Freeman and Hallie’s visiting teacher joined us at Landon’s meet in Lindon. He placed in several events and improved over his performance in San Diego. Hallie, the unofficial team mom, had cookies made for the boys.