Easter with the Cool-Murffs

Good times are inevitable when the Cool-Murffs come to town. Our families have as much fun together as any family should be allowed. And when did these kids grow up? Seriously, when they came in the door, these little boys had become the size of men! And these little girls, well, Bailey anyway, was a woman. The only kids in the house were my own. Even Maegan isn't a little girl anymore.

The pool had warmed to a balmy 74 degrees, but the kids didn't mind. So swimming was done by all, except the adults (who are too wimpy) and Austin (who's still "maturing" his dreads). New games like wiffle pool ball were invented. (Wiffle Pool Ball is where wiffle balls are thrown into floating pool rings.)

When we weren't at the pool, the big kids were at the Skate Park, or playing basketball out front. When night fell upon us, we enjoyed the magnificent Arizona evenings on the back porch and told "Knock Knock" jokes. Cooper got a huge kick out of them and before we knew it, he was the "teller" and often made up his own. For example:
Knock Knock.
Who's there?
Trampoline.
Trampoline who?
Trampoline. Time to jump on me.
Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-HA!!!
Cooper and Barik AND Debbi and Brent would laugh hysterically about those silly Knock Knock jokes.

Easter morning was here before we knew it. All 9 baskets were hidden...in the hall closet.

Here's Cooper bringing the baskets out...(NO. His basket is NOT purple.)

This youngster was sent back to the starting line by his father.
"We must all start at the same time."

Ready. Set. GO!!!

219 eggs divided by 9 "hunters" equals 24.333 eggs each.

"...I love my Easter basket." (said with a mouth full of candy)

Water Balloon Baseball

It's kinda hard to see, but the water from the balloon is flying at me...

All too soon, the time for the Cool-Murffs "Good Bye" has come again. The only comfort I find in their departure is the sweet note Debbi always hides. She's so thoughtful. This years note was no exception.
The hardest part of these trips is the end! We all love coming to stay with all of you and we feel so sad when the time comes & we load up in our van to go home. BUT we all know we can't stay away too long and "we'll be back"! We love all of the new memories we create with each other. The love & friendships that continue to grow stronger. The love that our children feel from all of you. We are so grateful to be loved by such an incredible family. Thanks for more good times, great food, awesome company, much laughter, new games, fun pool time, chatting under the stars, knock knocking, easter egg hunting, nummy food for easter (and daily), more laughter, birthday celebrating for "old" people, more knock knocking, chatting, playing, laughter and all around Great time was had by all! We love all of you! Love, Brent, Debbi, Austin, Brayden, Dillan, Bailee &n Maegan :)

A surprise from Surprise

Debbi and I have shared a love of running for a few years now.

We talk running.
We run races together (Dam Good Run in AZ and RAGNAR in UT).
I've watched her go from a good runner to a great runner.

About a year ago, Debbi set a goal to run a half marathon for her 40th birthday.
The Salt Lake Half Marathon happened to fall 2 days before her 40th birthday.
My heart longed to be there.
Could I pull it off?
Would the flights be expensive?
Would Paul be available to be home with the kids?
Who would pick me up from the airport?
Where would I stay?
How would I surprise her?
At her home?
At work?
At some point along the half marathon?
At the finish line?

I didn't want the surprise to get spoiled.
I only told people who absolutely HAD to know I was coming.
Of course Paul knew.
I called my mom to see what the plans were for the weekend in question.
I called Brent to see what Debbi's schedule was like.

Mom leaked the news to Dad who leaked the news to Lori.
OH NO!!!
Stop the leakage!!!
I have a terrible time keeping secrets!
They are a heavy burden to carry.
And I hate to place that burden on unnecessary people.
Fortunately, the leakage stopped there.

I'm so glad Lori found out I was coming into town.
You see, it was her birthday on Sunday.
And this was a perfect opportunity to spend a little time with my favorite little sister.
Lori, Maddi and Ashton picked me up from the airport.
Then it was off to the Skolmoskis for a night of frozen Dunford Donuts and chatting.
6 a.m. (5 a.m. AZ time) came very early.
But alas, it was time to pull my pillow marked face off the couch and into the shower.

Emma and Josh accompanied Lori and I down town to the Gateway where we all waited in great anticipation (amongst the thousands of other "waiters") for Debbi and Brent to cross the finish line.
Lori was prepared with poster board and markers for signs.
She also bought Debbi a dozen beautiful red roses and treats for Debbi AND Brent.
Lori is so thoughtful!

Finally the moment we had all been waiting for came.
Mom and Dad had joined up with us by this point.
Along with Debbi's close friends Kari and Jenn.
We heard their names announced over the Loud (VERY LOUD) speaker as they were approaching the finish line.
Many couples were holding hands as they crossed.
I wondered if Debbi and Brent would do the same thing.
So, I was looking for a cheesy couple, holding hands held high in the air.
But this is not what I saw.
Instead, I saw Brent breaking away from Debbi sprinting toward us (and the finish line).
We yelled and cheered as he crossed.
He was so excited to see us there.
So where was Debbi?
She was right behind him.
Beautiful.
Accomplishing this amazing goal of half marathon.
Just days before her 40th birthday.
She had her eye on the goal...
The finish line.
She didn't see us.
She didn't hear us.
We were ALL cheering SO loud!
It wasn't until she saw Brent pointing BACK at us that she noticed us.
~
(I'm laughing and crying right now at the memory of that amazing moment)
~
As she craned her neck back to see what/who Brent was pointing at, she burst into tears.
YES!!!
Mission Accomplished!!!

She was TOTALLY surprised and shocked to see us all standing there.

Of course my dad was the one behind the lense, so he's the only supporter not shown in this picture.

Leslie, Lori, Brent, Debbi, Jenn, Kari, Mom
Josh, Emma

Mom, Dad, Lori, Emma, Josh, Jenn and Kari all went their separate ways.
I got to tag along with Debbi and Brent for the rest of the day.

Because this amazing day fell on the last weekend of tax season, Denice was unable to make it to the finish line.
But we met up with her for lunch.

Where Debbi and Brent went, I went also.
So, home for showers...
I was there too.
Off to Park City for shopping...
I was there too.
Dinner for 2?
No, make it 3.
I was the tag along.
I was the 3rd wheel.
But you know what's great about these 2 amazing people?
I didn't feel ONE BIT unwelcome.
I was a little worried about crashing their party.
After all, this was an accomplishment Debbi and Brent made...
TOGETHER.
But we all had a great time.
The 3 of us.
~
Sunday morning marked the end of my 36 hour visit.
I was amazed at all the family I was able to see in that VERY short space of time.
Especially considering the TOP SECRET nature of my visit.
~
I sure love spending time with family.
I love the friendships we share with one another.
I love the support we show to one another.
We're not JUST siblings.
We're FRIENDS.
~
And of course,
none of this could have happened if it wasn't for the amazing love and support of my husband.
They all survived.
The boys actually had a lot of fun while I was gone.
I'm not sure they even noticed I was away.
I didn't even tell THEM that I was leaving.
So, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Paul.
I love you!

Pinewood Derby, 2011

It's that time of year again! The Pinewood Derby!

This year, all 4 boys decided to make cars. Let the carving, painting, sanding, lubing begin! We were sure Team Boley would have another winning car this year. I decided to race Andrew's Top Dog from last year. Surely, we would create some pretty stiff competition.

I mean, look at this line up!

Andrew's new car "Fire Ball"

Drake's car "Hope it's straight"

Cooper's "Police Chaser"

Barik's "Surf's Up"

Andrew's last year, Mine this year "Return of the Stinger"

Intimidation was ours. I almost felt bad for the other racers. We (OK, Really Andrew) won the whole thing last year. It wouldn't be fair if he won it AGAIN this year. How are we supposed to act? Humble? How do you act Humble TWO years in a row?

The day of truth finally arrived! The cars were READY! Carefully placed in their shipping container.

Ready for the weigh in.

The Track was almost "Ready"

The cars were in the "garage"

Cooper was "ready"

Lanes 1, 3 and 4--Team Boley (which one will win?)

What's that you say? NONE of them won?

That's right. Not a single car from the Boley fleet won the Piston Cup this year. We humbly accepted our defeat. Glad to share the glory with our fellow racers.

Truth be told, I was really worried about how Andrew would react to not taking 1st place again this year. Last year left us with High Hopes and expectations. But I was super impressed with his sportsmanship. He genuinely had a really great time and cheered on all his buddies. He's a pretty competitive kid, so his reaction was a nice surprise. Barik, on the other hand, was in tears that his car wasn't winning.

But get this twisted turn of events...Drake's car, the car that was "doctored" the least, if at all. The car that had factory wheels (no sanding on those wheels). The car he played with(dropping it, ramming it, driving it) in the parking lot moments before the race started. Yup. That's right. The "Hope it's straight" car took 3rd place in the family division. CrAzY! When his name was announced as a winner, I laughed out loud. Oops! Guess that goes to show...what? Not to care and have fun anyway...

Funnies...By Drake

The other day, Drake and I were in the backyard sitting in the grass when he found a tiny feather. This tiny feather scared him. I picked it up and held it in my hand and we watched as the slightest breeze would lift this tiny feather into the air. I caught it again and again. Still, Drake wouldn't touch it. The final flight of the tiny feather took it soaring quite high. Drake said to me, "You get it ma. I too small." He has told me many times since "I too small."

One of his other favorite phrases right now is "No, I do it!" I'll bet you can't guess how old he is. Yup. Two. Typical traits of a 2 year old.


He especially likes to get himself dressed. He goes through his drawers and puts together some pretty interesting outfits. Plaid shorts with a camo long sleeved pajama shirt with a short sleeved truck pajama shirt over top. And don't forget the striped undies on OVER the diaper.

Yesterday he came down stairs in a 0-3 month onesie I've used for the boys blessing outfits. We'll just call that one a muscle shirt.

He is still our most enthusiastic ball player. It doesn't matter what kind of ball. If it's on the ground, it's a golf ball and he swings at it with any "stick" like thing he comes across. If it's orange with stripes, it's a basketball and he dribbles it AND shoots it. If it's white he throws it up in the air and swings a bat (or anything else that may or may not look like a bat) at it. And usually hits it. Drake's desire to play ball even surpasses Paul's desire. That's a LOT of desire.

I have a dream...

that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by [their religious preferences], but by the content of their character.

Thank you for your inspiration, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.This seems to be our theme lately. It started with a couple families that live in the circle near our house. They won't let their kids play with our kids. Those same kids won't look at or talk to us. Do we have the plague? No, we're Mormon. We believe differently than they do. We've only been friendly and kind to them. We've never pushed our religious beliefs on them. And yet...we are the victims of prejudice. I don't like it. It makes me feel sad. And angry. I can't wrap my mind around why people would treat us this way. We're good people. Paul and I even fasted last week for a softening of hearts...ours AND theirs.

We're being taught something. I think it's love. So, we were given another opportunity to learn...

Andrew came home from school yesterday and immediately shared a class discussion with me. Strange, huh? Usually it's like pulling teeth to get him to tell me ANYTHING about school. "How was school?" "Fine." That is the extent of our conversations...

The class was discussion religion. Christianity in particular. Andrew reported Mrs. Graham as saying, "Don't go to the gray church by the school. That's where the Mormons go." Later that day at recess, Andrew asked Mrs. Graham what was wrong with the Mormon church. "Why would you ask that? Are you Mormon?"
"Yes."
(pause) "Nothing is wrong with Mormons."
"But you made it sound like Mormons were bad."

After recess, in class, Mrs. Graham explained to the class that nothing was wrong with Mormons. In fact, most of the Mormons she has known have been very nice. They would help you even if they didn't know you very well.

I am so proud of Andrew for standing up for what he believes. Especially to his teacher! An adult. An authority figure. Someone who SHOULD be teaching tolerance and acceptance. NOT prejudice.

Paul and I were shocked at Andrew's account. This was inappropriate and unacceptable. So, what do we do now? If taken to the Principal, Mrs. Graham could be in a LOT of trouble! Maybe even lose her job. That's not what we want.

So, what DO we want?

We want acceptance. We want tolerance. We want understanding.

How do we go about achieving those goals?

We let Paul talk with her.

He will be kind. He will be understanding. He will be respectful. He won't be emotional. And in the end, we hope for a teachers heart to change. Her heart can only change through love and respect.

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend."
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy 5th Birthday, Cooper!

FIVE YEARS OLD!!! I really can't believe it! Cooper was super excited about his birthday! Counting down the days until he would be 5 and could go to Kindergarten. (yes, we addressed that issue)

After being so excited for his birthday, I thought he would be up at the crack of dawn. I wanted to be here when he woke up, so didn't go for my usual Saturday morning run. We waited, and waited and waited. I had the pancake batter ready to go. I couldn't take it anymore! I had to go in his room to wake him up! When I got in his room, he had just gotten out of bed and was getting his clothes on. I asked him if he knew what today was. He got that best "Cooper smile" on his face and gleefully exclaimed that it was his birthday and he was now 5!!!

Every birthday kid in our family gets their Letter Pancake. It's something that ONLY the birthday child gets. They know they won't get their letter on their brother's birthdays. Only theirs. It's something special that they each love. And seriously, we can't have a birthday pancake that's not COVERED in whoopin' cream!

(and if a little accidentally gets on the birthday boys nose, that's OK too)

I guess 5 is old enough to have your own "em pee fwee" (even if he can't really say MP3 yet)

Saturdays are very busy days around our house. And Cooper's birthday was no exception. Coop and Bear had their first baseball game today. We signed them up through NYS (National Youth Sports) so they could be on the same Coach-pitch team. While the costs are higher, having them on the same team (only 1 practice and only 1 game per week) is a huge savings of our time. And Coach Nick is phenomenal! He coaches a local High School team and also teaches Special Ed. He is knowledgeable and amazingly patient!

At the end of the game, Coach Nick put Cooper up on his shoulders while the team sang "Happy Birthday" to him. I'm SO sad that I didn't have my camera there to capture that moment! I was so touched (almost to tears) at the love shown to my little guy on his special day. Coach Nick even bought Cooper a gift. Seriously?! He's amazing!!!

Wait! This post isn't about Coach Nick! This post is about Cooper! OK, back on task...

(do you see them holding hands? too cute!)

After a great first baseball game, it was pArTy time!

"Bes Fwens" Barik, Laney, Parker and Austin

This ended up being the funniest thing ever! We put some water balloons on the trampoline and told the kids to do "bummers" on them to pop them. But those darn water balloons WOULD NOT hold still! The kids would put them in place, bounce up and by the time they landed, the water balloon would have moved. The harder they bounced, the further AWAY the water balloon went. Andrew and Nic (being the very mature and extremely intelligent 9 1/2 and 10 year old's that they are) had it all figured out. They told Paul (and all the little kids) exactly how to pop the water balloons. But guess what?! They couldn't pop them either! You see, the key was not how hard or high you bounce, but just the opposite. The smaller bounces kept the water balloon in the most opportune popping position. This, my young and old friends, is the KEY to popping water balloons on a trampoline. And OH, was it FUN to watch them all TRY!!!

After decorating cupcakes, eating cupcakes, opening presents, and playing 5 water balloon games, 30 minutes had passed. Are you serious?! What are we going to do with these kids for another HOUR?!?! Swim? I think YES! The kids didn't care that the water was only 70 degrees.
It was such a crack up watching this little gal. The only girl "fwen" at the party. While all the boys were jumping, karate chopping, and flailing all over the water, this little princess delicately swam around. She was so quiet. So dainty. So lady like. One day, this will be Cooper's wife. They have known each other since birth and have adored each other all their lives. I don't care whether or not they think they'll marry one another. Their mothers have already decided it to be so.

Laney

Austin

Parker

Cooper's Sunbeam teacher, Dena Inman stopped by to wish Cooper a Happy Birthday and give him a gift. What a sweet woman! She is an inspiration to me!
Rewind 5 years and 1 day.

Because of my QUICK delivery of Barik (and me being a Strep B carrier), I didn't want to take chances with Cooper. I wanted to make sure we were at the hospital with plenty of time to get the necessary medication to assure Coopers safe and healthy arrival. Induction was a great option. That way I knew there would be enough time to have 2 doses of antibiotics for Coopers protection. It didn't hurt to have a plan for the other 2 boys either. That put my planning mind at ease.

April 1, April Fools day we went to the hospital. It was General Conference weekend. Dr. Oland knew I wanted to try natural delivery again. So he started off slowly. First the gel. Ugh. Uncomfortable. And NO improvement. Then the pitocin. Started slow. Still trying to have a natural delivery. About 5 p.m. Dr. Oland discovered that Cooper had gone sideways. APRIL FOOLS!!! (not funny)

Stopped pitocin. Started a complete muscle relaxer to stop all contractions. Dr. Oland adjusted Cooper back into position, and decided to break my water to hopefully lodge that little baby head into the proper birthing position. That would be DOWN! And increases the pitocin. A LOT! My body needed to get some serious contractions going to get that baby D-O-W-N.

Still trying to go without an epidural. Paul and Dr. Oland were watching sports and laughing about whatever was on TV while I was having some pretty painful contractions in the bed just next to them. "I hate to break up the party, but could someone PLEASE pay attention to ME?"

For months, Paul and I had been practicing natural birthing techniques to help with another "natural" delivery. The opportunity was finally here for him to put these practiced skills to use. He finally pulled himself away from the TV long enough to encourage me to "go to your happy place". "SHUT UP!!!" was all I could say. No happy places were found. UNTIL...the blessed epidural!

April 1 came and went. Without Cooper. APRIL FOOLS!!!

April 2, 12:40 a.m. Cooper joined our family. What was his hold up? Well, his VERY long umbilical cord was wrapped around his belly like a yo-yo. The contractions would push him down, and the umbilical cord would pull him back up. Ay! The things these little guys have to endure to join our families! Dr. Oland reported that studies had shown that long umbilical cords led to very intelligent individuals. I'm sure this will be the case. If nothing else, he's got a great sense of humor...it's been with him since BEFORE birth. What a jokester! We sure love our Cooper-Man!

5 Things Cooper LOVES:
5. Always wants to "westle" (wrestle) with his Dad
4. Fwens. He always wants to have friends over.
3. He loves "pwetty giwls" (oh man, are we in t.r.o.u.b.l.e.)
2. He loves to dive in the pool. For anything!
1. He LOVES to swing!

Mother/Son Olympics

Am I a lucky Momma, or what?! These 2 very handsome boys accompanied me to their Mother/Son Olympics.

Sporting our matching Argentine Soccer Shirts (thanks Adrienne), we were off for some fun "Minute to Win it" Games sponsored by the schools PTO. What a fantastic idea! I mean, dances are fun and all, but what BOY would choose dancing OVER shooting, throwing and dribbling balls? I dare say, none.

As always, Team Boley scored big. At least as far as we were concerned. And what more matters?

After an exhilarating evening of fun and games, I treated my handsome lads to some local Thrifty ice cream. I love nights like these!!!

NCAA Tournament

On Saturday, Paul got to take Andrew and Barik to an NCAA Tournament Basketball game in Tucson, AZ. Paul was just as excited as Andrew & Barik. They packed up and made the 2-hour drive down to Tucson. It didn't take long for Barik to fall asleep. On the way to the basketball arena, the boys got to walk through University of Arizona's campus. Paul took the time to talk to them about the different colleges and the different career options available to them. The boys just soaked it all in.

Inside the arena, thousands of people were cheering on their teams: San Diego State University vs. Temple University. They found their seats and got introduced to some of the people that Paul works with. Immediately after that Andrew and Barik started asking for food.

Paul started with cotton candy. Andrew ate the pink and Barik ate the Blue.

Somehow Barik got blue all over his face.

Obviously, cotton candy was not enough, so Paul went back to get pizza, water, and popcorn. The boys downed this fairly quickly.

Somehow Barik got pizza all over his face.

After the popcorn was gone, Andrew started asking for a hotdog. Done. Paul took the boys for hotdogs and soda at half time.

Barik didn't eat any hotdog, so none to report on his face.

Right when Paul started to get into the game, Barik looked at him with big eyes and a smile and asked for licorice. Why not? When Barik asked for a cookie, Paul drew the hard line and said no. Way to show some restraint.

The boys loved the game. Double overtime and the team we were cheering for won - San Diego State. The boys got to walk back through part of the campus to the car. Along the way, Paul could see how happy the boys were. What a great day!

Thanks to The Hartford for the tickets!!