Standiford Family

Well we’ve been back from vacation for almost a month and still no posts about our trip.  I think the reason nothing is done is because the task seems to overwhelming.  Today I decided to break the trip up into smaller segments and post a little bit at a time.  This first post will cover the first two and a half days.

On Friday, the 23rd, we packed the van and started the first leg of our eastern road trip. It was a struggle to get out of the house as the kids were using all of their extra energy to try their parents patience. We finally got on the road about 5:30 pm, stopped at Dairy Queen for supper, and arrived at our first stop, a Holiday Inn Express in Newton Falls, Ohio, around 10:30 pm. The girls were still up, but Kade had fallen asleep about 15 minutes prior to arriving at the hotel. We checked in, found our room, and finally got the kids to settle down and go to sleep.

Saturday morning we woke up, had our free express breakfast, put our diving suits (Kade’s word for bathing suits) on, and went for a morning swim in the pool. Megan seems to be learning how to swim, Mattey enjoyed floating around using two noodle floaties, and Kaden really got into jumping into the pool. We then headed back to the rode. After about 20 minutes Kelly realized she had forgotten her pillow. So it was back to the hotel. After getting the pillow and taking a bathroom break, we were back on our way to Virginia. We stopped at a rest stop in Pennsylvania. Megan thought it smelled terrible. I guess it did since there were about five different foods being made, coffee, and the bathroom right there, not to mention all the people inside. There were a lot of motorcycles parked outside. We guessed they were going to something for Memorial Day. We arrived at the Karren’s house around 5:30. Abby and Emma (and Jack) were waiting for us. We were happy to be out of the van.

John and Michelle were gracious hosts and let us use their basement apartment for the week. If you have to stay in a basement that’s the one to stay in. We had dinner on their deck and the kids loved being with each other.

More pictures from our first day in Virginia are available here.

Sunday Kelly made our favorite Cinnabon coffee cake to share with the Karrens. We went to church at 1:00. After church we came home to change and have an early dinner and then we went to the National Zoo in DC.

The only animal that was still out was one elephant. She was quite entertaining. Then we stopped by the visitors center at the DC temple.

We looked around a room that was all about the life of President Hinckley. Later we took a walk towards the temple to take a closer look. Kade said the temple was broken. We asked him what he meant and he said it wasn’t shooting fire. I wonder what gave him the idea that Moroni was supposed to be shooting fire on top of the temple. I might have to question what he’s being taught in nursery. The girls took turns driving with each other, Megan with Abby and Matttey with Emma. They really enjoy each others company. Poor Kade was stuck driving with us even after he protested.

More pictures from day two available here.

Megan just got done having one of her best softball games, at least defensively that is.  She started out by playing four innings at catcher.  Our “normal” catcher decided not to come to the game as well as her backup so Megan jumped into duty.  She played really well, stopping most of the pitches and hustling around after the wild pitches.

Then, in the fifth inning, she got her chance that she has been waiting for.  Coach sent her out to warm up in the top of the fifth and when it was time to go out in the field she said, “where am I going?”  I told her she was going to pitch and her face lit up.  She got the first batter to ground out to her, so far so good.  One of the next batters scored on one of those plays where the girls just through the ball around the infield, not much you can do about that.  She then made it through the rest of the inning with no runs scored.

To top it off, Megan and I rode our bikes to the game which she has been dying to do.  It was a really good game and Megan played really hard.  Way to go girl!

The last few months Mattey has had this little cough and clearing of the throat thing going on. Thinking it was allergy related she’d been given Claritin and Zyrtec, not at the same time of course, without getting much relief. I took Mattey to the doctor (not her normal doctor which she hasn’t actually seen yet, it’s a long story) about a month ago because of the cough and I didn’t want her reactive asthma to start up. The doctor checked her out and said she didn’t hear any asthma and that her problem was allergies. Today Mattey had her first allergy doctor appointment. I made Mickey take her because if she had to get all those shots in her back I couldn’t handle it and he’s got experience taking that test.

They didn’t have to do shots. For kids they do a “pinch” and then leave the stuff on the surface of the skin. After waiting for a couple of hours they were given the results……She’s allergic to NOTHING! Now we know. She was diagnosed with mild to moderate asthma. She was given 3 different prescriptions: 1) to take everyday, 2) to use when the coughing starts up, and 3) a steroid to take when it gets bad like in the fall/winter when she’s usually sick. Now we know the truth behind the coughing.

Every since Mattey was this little…

…she’s had trouble with asthma. Now that she’s this big…

…we finally know the truth and how to treat her asthma. Here’s to no more coughing.

I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up but catering/food service might have made the list of options for me. A few days ago I was asked to make a fruit plate for a funeral luncheon for some friends of ours. I was happy to do it. I really enjoy making things, especially food, for other people. I rarely, if ever, hear complaints. It’s also another way I like to be creative. I went to the store last night to pick up some fresh fruit. The blueberries were gone. How could that be? I picked up some grapes (green and red), pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and watermelon. I was trying to find different textures as well as colors. I would have loved to use banana and apple but as everyone knows they don’t look so great after 10 minutes. I ended up not using the kiwi because there wasn’t room. Here’s my creation. Doesn’t it make your mouth water?

I know it’s June already but there are a few things that haven’t been covered from May yet. (I’ve taken a break from blogging and then the internet didn’t want to work right. So I’m finally getting around to it.) May was a very busy month and it just flew by for us. We had a few birthdays, Mother’s Day, a Spring concert, softball practice and games, 2 field days, septic work, last day of school, and a week long vacation. This post will cover a few of these things. The vacation is big enough it will get it’s own post after I’ve gone through the hundreds of pictures we took.

I can now show the first rag quilt I made. My mom got it for Mother’s Day.

One big event for May was Mattey’s 7th birthday. She was very excited to turn 7. We had her party the Sunday before her birthday. We had it at Nana and Papa’s house because ours was a mess in preparation to have septic and plumbing work done. Mattey got some great gifts. She wanted a white and chocolate cake but wouldn’t let me put the raspberry filling in the middle. Here’s the birthday girl (I can’t believe she’s 7 already):

Megan had a Spring Concert for school. This is her second concert being in the school choir (it’s only open to the 3rd & 4th graders). The music teacher gave her a CD with all the songs on it and she practiced her songs all the time. By the night of the concert the whole family knew all the words. Here’s Meg at the concert. She did great. They aren’t good pictures but what can you do without a huge flash? (She’s supposed to look like that in the second picture. She’s a soldier for the Battle of New Orleans.)

Another huge thing we had the unfortunate opportunity to experience was having our septic system replaced. This is such a mess. First you have to find someone who you can count on to do the work, then your yard and sometimes your home can be torn apart, and then you have to pay big bucks for it. The first step, finding someone to do the work, took us a while. I should really say Mickey since he did all the leg work but we decided together. We went with A&R Wastewater Management. They did a good job as far as we can tell but what do we have to compare it to? Everything is working and it passed inspection by the county so I guess it’s good. To prepare for A&R to work I had to move hundreds of flower bulbs. I gave a lot of them away since I don’t have room to plant them anywhere else. (Mickey did make me a flower bed beneath our tree. It looks great. I’ll post pictures when the flowers are really blooming.) Mickey had to remove the fence, take down the swing set and move it, take down the basketball hoop, move the shed, and the really sad part, cut down the grape vine. (Sometimes it’s nice to have a bad back.) I wanted to move it but the roots went too deep so there was no way without using dynamite. And I couldn’t take cuttings because it’s the wrong time of the year and I didn’t have anywhere to keep them safe while I was gone on vacation. I’ll have to get a couple new ones and wait for a good crop. That was a lot of work.

We decided to redo some plumbing while we were at it since our water left the house in three different locations and at three different levels and the old septic tank, which collapsed, was buried under the garage. We had to do a lot of work for this project too. We moved almost everything out the laundry room and the storage room or the dark room as the kids call it. Everything was piled up in the toy room and office. Mickey had to remove the ceiling in the laundry room, cut pieces of dry wall from the wall and ceiling in the toy room, and remove some tiles from the office ceiling. The plumbers from Frog Plumbing, Inc. were good. The owner made sure not to leave us with a huge mess. He had his sons do clean up. We also had them plumb in a half bath in the basement. We are looking forward to having this done. A second toilet is a good thing for five people, especially when some people like to take a long time in the bathroom. I won’t mention any names, girls. Oops. Mickey has to frame in the walls before they can come back and finish this work.

I just wanted to publicly wish my wonderful wife a Happy Anniversary.  It’s unbelievable to think that this is a celebration of our 15th year of being married.  Where has the time gone?  According to tradition, I should be buying you something crystal, glass, or a watch.  I think I can accommodate all of those in one purchase.  What could I buy that would have a liquid crystal display under glass and be able to display a clock (well that’s as close as I could get to a watch)?

Seriously, I am lucky to have someone like you and I am thankful for all that you do for me.  I love you!

On Friday, Kade and I went, with my dad, on a Father and Son Campout.  Our church does this annually and this is the first one that we all three have attended and Kade’s first camping experience.

It was held at The Res in Mishawaka, IN.  Kade and I got there a little after 6:30 pm, grabbed our gear, and headed down the trail towards the camp site.  We then helped my Dad setup the tent.

Next it was time to build a campfire.  We all helped build the log cabin of twigs and with the help of some dryer lint and one match, we had a great looking fire.

After a quick trip to pickup some breakfast supplies, we took a three generation picture and then it was time for some dinner.

We had hot dogs and dad and I topped them off with some chili and cheese.  Towards the end of dinner we had a few small sprinkles of rain but nothing too bad.

The night came to an end with a spiritual message about the commemoration of the Aaronic Priesthood, which is the basis for the Father and Son Campout.  It was getting quite late so we headed off to our tent while others stood round the campfire telling stories and jokes.Kade slept through the night in his new Lightning McQueen sleeping bag while I on the other hand didn’t get much sleep at all.  It rained on and off through the night, but we stayed warm and dry inside the tent.  Unfortunately we had to leave a little after 6:30 am to get home in time for Megan’’s softball game so we missed out on breakfast.We had a really good time together and oh yes, this story would be incomplete if I didn’t tell you about Kade’s favorite part.  He got to pee in the woods and thought this was the funniest thing.  I guess the camp site did have a restroom but that was too far away and they always smell really bad, so Kade helped water nature. 

On Thursday Mattey’s class, well really all the first graders, went on a field trip to the South Bend Chocolate Factory.  Mattey was so excited to go on a field trip since Megan’s gone on a few already this year.  She really wanted me to go with her but I didn’t think Kade would be very good.  Mickey said he would go.  I guess there were LOTS of kids and they had to squeeze in the factory for the tour.  They also got a sample to bring home.  I think it was a good trip.  I don’t have a lot of details since I didn’t go but there are pictures.

Here’s Mattey with her friend Hayley (who also happens to have the same birthday) and then with Mickey.  Nice hair nets.

Next is the all important chocolate, first being stirred and then coming off the line.

Next Mattey is getting a taste of the chocolate and then she’s just being cute.

Here’s Mattey with a group of her friends.  From all the smiles I think they had a good time.

She’s got another field trip on Monday.  I guess it’s the end of the year or something.  Oh, we only have two more weeks!  What am I going to do?

In March Megan was called in for tryouts for the Major league.  Thankfully the coach thought she needed another year in Minors.  (Mickey and I didn’t want her in Majors yet.  She’ll get more playing time in Minors.)  She’s with the same coach as last year and Mickey is again helping out with the team.  The first game was last Saturday.  Megan is a good player.  She made a few plays from second base and was 2 for 3 at batting with one RBI.  Her team won 4-0.  I couldn’t believe how well both teams played defense, especially for the first game of the season.

The next game was on Thursday night.  This one was good too.  Meg went 4 for 4 with two doubles.  (She likes the high ones.)  She had 3 RBIs and scored 4 times herself.  I could hear her loud mouth in the dugout singing chats and songs.  She’s really getting all the other girls into the game.  She played second base and catcher.  She had a close play at home but didn’t get the tag but the important thing was she caught the ball.  How many people can do that at 9 with someone running at them.  Her team won again 18-3.  Mickey said the other team’s fans were getting ugly.  Come on it’s only a game.  I have forgotten the camera for both games so I have no pictures to post.  I think I’ve been doing this subconsciously so I won’t have to scrapbook them.  Maybe the next game I’ll remember.  By the way her next game is Saturday at 4:00 pm if anyone wants to come.  Then the Saturday after that it’s at 2:00.

This post has been a long time coming, sorry!  I already posted about the first half of Spring Break and this is what I did during the second half.  We got home from Ohio on Wednesday late afternoon and Kelly helped me pack up my stuff that night.Thursday morning, I picked my parents up around 6:30 a.m. and we drove to Midway Airport in Chicago, IL.  After watching my Dad get patted down (we talked about taking his picture during this), because he looked so much like a terrorist (or maybe because he has heart stints), we found our Southwest gate and waited for our plane to arrive.  The plane ride was fine, we had one of the flight attendants who like to sing behind closed doors, and the flight only seemed a tad bit too long.  We landed in Salt Lake, with this view from inside the airport,

found our rental car, a very nice Chrysler 300 Touring,

then stopped downtown to tour the Conference Center.  The tour guides there are so knowledgeable and helpful and though we only took the short tour it was really nice.Then it was on to Rexsburg, Idaho with this being the view most of the way

The drive was long but not unbearable.  We found Amanda’s apartment at BYU Idaho and met a few roommates before running over to The Pita Pit for supper.  Next was a short ceremony where we watched Amanda receive her diploma, well at least the blank diploma holder, and then some photo time.

We then met some more friends of Amanda’s at Frontier Pies where I had some good Lemon Meringue pie.  Finally about 1:30 a.m. (SB time) we finally crashed from a long first day of travel.On Friday morning Dad and I were treated to a good continental breakfast at the Comfort Inn where we stayed.  My Mom stayed with Amanda for her last night at her apartment. We took a load of stuff to the local DI before walking over for Commencement.  We were lucky enough to hear from Elder M. Russell Ballard for a second straight day.  He gave a great talk on using the Internet to influence the world and let our opinions be heard.  We then toured the campus, ate at Gandolfos Deli, and then back on the road.  This time we were headed for Bountiful, Utah to have dinner with the Coltons, who used to live in South Bend.  Here is the view from their balcony.

After dinner we talked for a little while and watched their daughters perform ballet and play the violin.  Then Mark Williams came and picked me up and I was back on the road, this time heading towards Provo.

I arrived too late to see the girls, although Janel tried to wake Sage up to say hi.  We talked for a little while and then I was ready to crash after another long day of travel.

Saturday morning Janel scored a new swimming pool for the girls and here is Sage and Eliza trying it out (minus the water).

The Williams took me to BYU campus where we spent a lot of time in the bookstore and then looked at some art in some other building (failure to store that name in memory).  Then we stopped at another LDS bookstore, where I got one of the books that I had bought at the campus store for half the price (we would go back later to return the more expensive one and then spend that money on sweets).  All that shopping made us hungry so we grabbed some food from Cafe Rio and took it to Janel’s parents house.

With some more energy it was on to the next activity, the zip line in the backyard.

What we don’t have any pictures of, was the ensuing activity.  Mostly because I didn’t want any incriminating evidence of my dirt bike riding.  I did spill the beans, once I got home, so as not to get into trouble, since I was worried that Janel might squeal on me.  * Update - before I had a chance to actually finish this post, Janel sent me some great pictures.

We stopped and picked up “I am Legend” on the way home and since we hadn’t quite had enough activities for the day, Mark and I headed off to go hike to the top of the Y on Y Mountain.  It didn’t look that far or difficult as we started out, but it was actually a nice challenge with a huge reward.  The hike sometimes seemed pretty steep and I must admit that I had to stop for quite a few breaks along the way (I think it was the altitude, it had nothing to do with my physical shape - HA).  After reaching the top we sat down and just looked out over Provo and the beauty that God has bestowed upon our land.  It was so peaceful and as we climbed down, we had a good time talking with one another and watching the sun set, what seemed like almost faster than we could hike down.

We finished the night by setting up a theater in the living room and watching I am Legend.  This was a really good and thrilling movie, although some people got quite scared during certain parts.

Sunday morning we went to Sacrament meeting and then Mark found someone to play the piano for him in Primary so he and I could see a few more sights in downtown Salt Lake before I had to leave.  We said goodbye to Janel and Eliza (and made the huge mistake of forgetting to say goodbye to Sage, who was still at church) before Mark chauffeured me again.

We made it just in time to see one of the showings of the Joseph Smith: Prophet of Restoration movie and I am really glad that we did.  It was a very moving movie.  We walked through the old Tabernacle and the Museum of Church History and Art.

And then on to the airport and my flight home.  No problems there and no singing flight attendants either.  Back at Midway, I walked over to where my car was parked, paid, and headed for home.  I was glad to be back home after a really long week of traveling but I had a really good time.

Thanks to everyone who made my first visit to Utah memorable!  I look forward to a return visit and maybe this time Kelly and I can visit at the same time.