Summer Updates...Better Late than Never!

I know...you're all probably suffering heart attacks right now due to shock of an update. We're still alive and well, I promise! Here's what we've been up to and it might explain the lack of blog updates.
(and in case you were wondering, I temporarily changed the blog to un-private so people could see we updated...I'll change it back soon)

Summer:

School ended in April, and we closed on our house on the 28th. We started painting and moving as soon as finals were over. In early May, I took a long weekend break and went to visit my best friend who lives in Pittsburgh. She has been one of my best friends since 3rd grade and she had a baby in March. I took the long and chaotic plane ride with Navi and another good friend, and besides the awful rides to and from Pittsburgh, we had a great time just visiting, meeting cute baby Trey, and laughing a lot!

May and June were a blur at our house. We finally settled into our new place and we both started summer school. I felt like a bad mom during the first part of the summer, but we made it through. I’ll even pat myself on the back a little, and brag up my grades from spring and summer semesters...I got 5 A’s and 1 A-. But the A- was in Physics so I  kind of count it as a full A, and was mainly thrilled to have made it out alive!

I also spent much of the summer jumping through all the hoops needed to get into the Elementary Ed program at USU. I don’t know if any other majors require as much work, but after all background checks, written exams, and interviews, (just to name a few)...I got in! I was told I could start the Level II program this fall, but after thinking about it for ALONG time, I decided to take the last 3 classes needed (besides all the student teaching semesters) to graduate, and then I will focus on the Level II, III, and IV after.

July:
We celebrated the 4th of July for a week, or so it felt. I’m never good at taking as many pictures as I would like, but here are just a few:

Watching the fireworks with Daddy

and with Aunt Tif

On the 30th I turned 24 and it was a pretty low key birthday. (I tell you, we’ve been SO busy, it was nice to just relax for the day) My family had a little celebration because it’s also my little sister’s birthday too. She turned 18 this year. The day after my birthday, Nate took my to my most favorite restaurant, Maddox!, and then we went to see Inception.

We were also able to squeeze in a day at Lagoon as well. Nate and I hadn’t been for 5+ years, so we made it a priority to go this summer. Navi did pretty good considering she had to stay in her stroller for most of the rides and the fact that she didn’t have a nap.

And here are some cute pictures of Navi at one of our friend’s little girl’s birthday party. She LOVED pool and had a great time with the other little kids.

Baby Jane and Navi

Cute Cache and Navi

It took a lot of coaxing, but she finally let Dad help her down the slide.

We also spent a Saturday at Bear Lake. It didn't last too long though. Navi did not like us telling her "no" when she tried to steal all the other kids' toys. The lame parents we are, we figured going to the lake would be enough fun. We learned our lesson though...next time, we will be fully prepared with beach balls, sand toys, etc.

Sweet farmer's tan Nate! ;)

August:
If you know my family, you know the Cache County Fair is one of the biggest and most important events of the summer. This year was no exception. Both my sisters did a very good job showing their animals and all their hard work over the past few months paid off.

Nice stance Al!

 (sorry Bekka, I guess all the shots I got of you were videos...whoops)

Four days after the fair ended, my family went to Salt Lake to pick up my little brother from his mission! Everyone told us that when we saw him, we’d start crying, and they were right! As soon as we saw him come around the corner, the tears started flowing! It was also really fun to introduce him to Navi. I made her a shirt that had a Chilean flag on it and wrote, “Hi Uncle Cade, I’m your niece Navi!” (but it was in Spanish) She was a little hesitant of him at first, but by the time we got home and he was unpacking his suitcases, she closed the door to his room and spent a good 10 or 15 minutes in there with him alone. He’s only been home a couple days and he is already her new best friend.

The shirt I made for Navi to wear. ("Hello Uncle Cade, I'm your niece Navi!")

Haha, the first time he tried to hold her. She warmed up quick.

Here's the proof:

And speaking of Navi, she has turned into a full-blown toddler! She is full of spunk, sass, lots of personality, and we love every bit of her. I still can’t believe how much she has learned and accomplished since she was born! She rules the house and my schedule revolves around her. (which is just fine most of the time)

Some of my favorite things about Navi:
(16 months)

Words she says:

- Da-ad! and yes, usually in that tone. My favorite is when he comes home and she runs for the door yelling, “Hi Dad!!”
- Momma – very rare however, the little stinker! It’s usually at times when she’s desperate, like wanting to get out of her crib or wants a drink.
- Bampa (grandpa) We’re trying to get Bamma for Grandma, but usually she is too stubborn to even try.
- Bekka – very clear and very often, like when she opens a cell phone she says, “Hi Bekka!”
- Al – for Allie
- Tade – I put of picture of Cade on the fridge a few months before he came home and we practiced saying his name all the time
- baby – she still LOVES babies whether it’s a doll, on TV, or a real baby (or even a little kid older than her, it’s still baby)
- Ayda – her cousin’s name. Ayda lives close to us and so anytime we go outside Navi starts yelling, “Ayda, Ayda!” because she wants to go see her.
- Breckss – for Brexton her cousin
- Ash – her aunt
- pease – please, she is very good at saying (and signing) please with anything she wants or thinks she needs. (and, let’s be honest, it’s pretty much everything)
- coke – yep, we start young around here! I blame this one on my sister though. She thought it would be funny to teach Navi to say coke. She gets a little confused sometimes and says coke for any drink, but if you try to give her water when you have a glass of coke, she definitely knows the difference! When she combines it with “pease” (and the sign language for please) it’s, “pease, coke, pease!” and it’s pretty much impossible to resist.
- cracker
- cookie
- duice - juice
- book
- Go-Go – which is really Dora, as in Dora the Explorer. Somewhere along the way she decided Dora was Go-Go, and it’s stuck.
- bye!
- cheese – as in the smile cheese. Whenever she finds a camera she holds it up in front of her and says, “Cheese!”
- shoes
- socks
- binks – binky
- banks – blanket, for her little comfort blanket she sleeps with and also loves to smell. It’s very funny because Nate has determined that smelling a specific blanket for comfort is genetic in my family. I do it with my blanket (yep, I’ll admit I still have it!) :) my siblings do it with theirs, and my mom had a little knotted ball of a blanket that she had and always smelled too. Ha! Too funny.
- Jesus – one of her favorite things is to point at pictures of Jesus whether it’s at home or at church. It is a nice distraction when she’s not being the best at church, we take her out and walk all around the halls finding pictures of Jesus.
- no – which is obviously my least favorite. I think we held out for a good amount of time, but now that she knows it, she isn’t afraid to sass it to you when she doesn’t want to do something. Of course my dad just laughs in my face and tries to get her to say it as much as possible.

Things she says because of Dora:
- backpack
- check! (what they say when they have accomplished something)
- “ooh-ooh aah-ahh!” – what Boots the monkey says
- Go-Go

Other things:
She knows the animal names and sounds for:
- lamb – she usually calls sheep “baas” and begs anyone who is at my dad’s to take her out to see the “baas”. (pulls them to the back door saying, “baa, baa!)
- duck
- cow
- horse - only sometimes

She also:
- blows kisses and gives great kisses and hugs
- loves coming up to you from behind and “tickling” you. She runs up and says, “kickle, kickle, kickle!”
- wastes baby wipes all day long and finds them no matter how hard I try and hide them. When she takes one out of the case, she’ll go to the nearest piece of furniture and say, “ceanin’ ceanin’” which is really, “cleaning, cleaning”
- one of the funniest things to me is when I go to get her out of her crib and she points at anything and everything as if to distract me and hope I won’t leave her in there. “Oh...baby! Baby! Oh...Jesus!” She exclaims as she points to every picture in her room.
- LOVES the "Baby Signing Time" DVDs and asks to watch them all day by saying, “ba-by, ba-by!” (which is how the theme song is sung)
- thanks to the DVDs she can sign:
    - please
    - thank you
    - more
    - water
    - cracker
    - baby
    - hat
    -hot
    - and a few others sporadically, usually when I try and show her a sign she just says something close to the word. I can’t complain about that I guess...?

She has a good routine for naps and sleeps through the night great. The only bad thing is she will ONLY take naps in her own crib. This isn’t too big of a deal unless I’m at my family’s helping or hanging out and want her to take a nap there. It won’t happen.

She eats pretty much anything but her favorite and most requested snacks lately are crackers (the goldfish kind) and cookies (oreoes – she is her father’s daughter for sure). She also loves mandarin oranges and olives.

Navi's Greats, Earthquakes, and Things That Keep Me Awake

Navi's Greats
- moments that is

This video was an attempt to catch her "dancing" to Dora. Instead, she decided to show off her walking skills.
So here's the proof:



Well, after looking through all the videos we took, I realized we did get an ok one of her dancing. This is mild compared to some of her great moments, but at least we got something.




Earthquakes

A few years from now we will all be able to look back and say, remember 2010 and all its earthquakes? Well, assuming we even live a few more years cause after all, 2012 is just around the corner. Who doesn't believe the Mayans? No but seriously, it is kinda scary.

Almost four years ago, I received the worst early morning phone call I have ever received. The one when my dad called me and Nate to tell us we needed to get to the hospital immediately. The one we got when we found out my mom wasn't going to be living much longer.

I will never forget the awful, gut-wrenching, too-horrible-for-words feeling I had when I heard the phone ring at 4:30 AM on April 17, 2006. I knew what the purpose of the call was before Nate even answered the phone. I can also remember the only words I could string together after he hung up. "So this is how it goes then, huh?"

Obviously the memory of that day isn't easy to talk about, and the only reason I mention it is because on the morning of February 27, 2010, I had a very similar experience. (for the feeling anyway)

I had 5 minutes left on the treadmill (another reason this morning was unique - it's probably the only time I've EVER been on the treadmill that early) and in the middle of my workout playlist (some sped up techno version of "Big Girls Don't Cry" - irony in its own right) my phone ditched Fergie and started playing Michael Buble's "Home". Aka, my family's ringtone. I hesitated to answer, thinking, I've only got five more minutes...I'll call them back when I'm done and not so out of breath...but something (more like someone - I think the Holy Ghost) told me I needed to answer.

Panting and breathing heavy, I answered the phone expecting to hear one of my little sisters with another one of their odd requests. So when I heard my dad's voice I was taken back, and his question took away any breath I had left. "Have you been watching the news this morning?"

I didn't know what was on the news or who it was about, but all of the sudden I felt like I was sitting up in bed at 4:30 AM, four years ago in the first apartment Nate and I lived in, just a month after our wedding.

Back in reality, my dad continued to tell me there had been an earthquake in Chile. One that measured 500 times stronger than the one Haiti experienced. (and we all know how bad Haiti's was) The phone call might seem odd considering Chile is a far away South American country I've never been to, but when you take into account that it's the country where my 20 year old brother is serving a mission, its significance isn't questioned.

I immediately turned on the first news channel I could find. Which was infact harder than normal because it was a Saturday morning. My shaking fingers finally found CNN and some of the first images I saw resembled this:



My dad asked me to check my email to see if by some chance Cade had been able to write us and when he hadn't, my dad said he was going to try and call the Church Office Building in Salt Lake to attempt to get some answers.

After waking Nate, we sat paralyzed in front of the TV while images of more crumpled buildings cluttered the screen. When one taken in Vina del Mar (the main city of Cade's mission) flashed on, it's fair to say I didn't take Fergie's advice.

The next 2 hours felt like 6 as we tried to contact someone who could give us an answer. Finally around 9:30 I was able to reach a woman at the Church Office Building. She asked what mission my brother was in and when I told her, there was a short pause as she replied, "All the missionaries in Vina del Mar are safe and accounted for."

After relaying the message to my family, I was able to breath normally again and we spent the rest of the day hoping for an email or call from my brother.

Later that afternoon we recieved this:

Hey People,

President called and told everyone to write their families to tell them that we are ok. We felt the earthquake at about 3:30 last night. It was pretty strong. It woke everybody up, and it lasted for about 30 seconds. It felt like I was on some kind of kids ride or something. But after it ended we just went back to sleep. We didnt even get out of bed. Nothing at all happened here. The power was off in the morning. Hey the zone leaders just called me, and said we could call you guys. I bet everybody and their dogs, are calling the mission office. Glad I`m not there. Talk to you in a few.

You have to know my brother in order to fully appreciate this email, but I'm sure you can gather that he is one of the most chilled-out, low-key, relaxed people you will ever meet. But seriously, "We just went back to sleep. We didn't even get out of bed." It's good thing there are thousands of miles between us or I might have slapped him.

However, Nate did remind me that for missionaries, experiencess like these are completely different when compared to a normal person. Since they don't have any form of communication to the outside world like TV or internet (in their apartment), they don't know the severity of the situation. So when Cade was lucky enough to experience a mild version of the quake; he had no idea that 5 or 6 hours later in the U.S., we were all watching the devastation from hardest hit areas and freaking out.

In the end, I'm so grateful that my brother and all the other missionaries in Chile were protected. Not a coincidence by any means. He was in one of the Northern most areas of his mission and about as far away from epicenter as he could possibly be. Which I like to think is also not a coincidence. I'm grateful he's safe and I continue to pray for his safety. And I'm also grateful I was spared of another horrific morning to add to my list.

Here is the email he sent us on the Monday after the quake:
(and no, he's never been one for greetings or salutations. It falls under his low-key personality trait, and for him it's the fewer words the better)

Hey,

So yeah this week was a little different. I cant even remember what day it was, friday I guess, that the earthquake happened. So we were sleeping, then I woke up and everything was just rocking back and forth, It was pretty strong, but not enough to do any damage. It lasted for about 30 or 40 seconds, which is quite a while when you think about it. In the morning the power was off, and that day the water was out, I guess for some damage, but nothing much happened here in La Serena. In the morning we were laughing, because we got a text in the morning that told everybody to stay in their houses. We didnt know it was that strong even in Viña. But I guess there was some damage in Viña and Valparaiso, and everything from there on south just got hammered. A member in our ward was at the temple that day, and the trumpet of the angel Moroni fell off, but that was all that happened to the Temple. I have only seen on news of what its like down in the south. People tell us all about it, but every story is different. So we dont really know that well. I dont think any of our mission will be helping in any major clean up, but like i said I dont know how bad it is in Viña. It was funny though, because yesterday there were about 20 innactive people that all came to church. It makes me mad sometimes how people dont need God when everything is fine and dandy. So we just worked normally the rest of the week. We had a baptism on Saturday, another 9 year old girl. There are so many children around here, that their parents want baptized, but we are just going to find families, and men who can help in the church. That is what the ward needs. We put a fecha yesterday with a 17 year old girl, who is excited to get baptized. She told us how she felt the spirit so strong in the baptism on Saturday. She said she couldnt stop looking at us when, we were in the font, and how she felt such a strong feeling when I actually baptized the girl. I love the ward I am in right now, I hope I stay here for a while. I have so many great experiences each day, I cant count them. I am so glad I have the chance to be on a mission right now. In my district we had 4 baptisms this weekend, so we are really doing well. Our zone is putting up the best numbers in the mission, so its great to have so much success.

We were supposed to have changes today, but it looks like they will be postponed until next week, because the new missionaries cant land in Santiago, because the airport isnt working for a few days, is what I hear. So maybe next week, we will have changes. Well have a great week.

(love you little brother)

Things That Keep Me Awake

Which could also be traded out for Yellow Cake and Tummy Aches

This section is mostly because I like to rhyme in 3s and I couldn't just leave they blog title with "Navi's Greats and Earthquakes". But also to remind myself of the things that have been keeping me up at night lately, in hopes that I won't let them happen again.

Note(s) to self:

- On days when you go to school on campus, try and at least eat a few HEALTHY snacks throughout the day. DO NOT by any means let yourself go from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM with only a pack of Hostess crumb doughnuts and Diet Coke to sustain you. You might be tempted to pig out around midnight and shove yourself silly with chips and salsa, pasta with spaghetti sauce, and a big piece of yellow cake (with chocolate frosting) even though common sense tells you it isn't such a good idea. As a result you WILL be up all night with a horrendous tummy ache and at 6 AM you won't be able to sleep anymore. (Hence, the writing of this blog post)

- Also, during any semesters proceeding this one, when you get the urge to complain about homework or writing a paper, just try and place yourself back in the spring semester of 2010 when you had nightmares containing little beauties like these:

KE = 1/2mv^2 , kg m2/s2 = J , GPE = mass x g x height above zero

or

"How many Joules of GPE does a 5 kg cat have when it is sitting on a tree branch 5m above the surface of the Earth?"

Yeah...remember that when you want to complain.

Especially since you missed the day on KE (kinetic energy) due to a sick baby, only to find out that is one of the most important parts of your exam...NEXT WEEK. Remember.

In other words, if anyone reading this is a Physics scholar, I'd take any help I can get. Preferably by next Tuesday....please.

A Sad Day at the Wallentine House

Elder Wallentine has packed up and left us...for 2 years! Last Sunday Cade gave his farewell talk and Wednesday, August 13th, we took him to the MTC. That was my first MTC experience and I hope it was my last! I'm sure everyone is semi-familiar with the whole routine. (Sitting through a short welcome, attemtping to sing "Called to Serve", and saying the ever dreaded goodbyes) Not fun for anyone!
Lucky for me, I was blessed with a comforting calm feeling throughout the day. Meaning, I still bawled, but I was also very excited for Cade to begin his missionary experience. I have no doubt he will work hard while he is teaching and serving the people in Chile.
Our family will miss him lots but we know he is serving a greater cause!
This nice old guy could tell we needed help.
Trying to hold back the tears. :'(
For anyone wondering, Nate wanted to be there, but I'm a ditz and booked his flight back to Virginia right before we had to be at the MTC. (my fault, my fault)
A guy there asked me what mission my son was going to...seriously? Do I look 40?
My favorite picture. It still makes me tear up a bit... :)
Still no word from the greenie Elder W... a preview of the next 2 years I'm afraid. Ha. We'll miss you Cade!

Called to Serve

Just thought I'd let anyone who is interested know, my little (but actually bigger) brother Cade got his mission call today - to the......(drumroll??)
Chile Vina del Mar mission!
He doesn't leave till August 13th but he seems to be pretty excited. (As much as Cade ever shows)
I was oddly more wound up about it than he was. I was waiting for the moment the mailman came. He, on the other hand, had left to do his choring duties. I pulled it out the of mailbox, I called him repeatedly until he answered, and the conversation went as follows:
Me: "Cade it came!"
Him: "What? Talk louder."
Me: "Cade, it came!"
Him: "Alright."
Me: "I have to go to work so don't open it without me. Or, maybe I'll just save it so you can't open it."
Him: "Alright."
So as you can tell, he possess all the calmness in the world. He proceeded to do his work and "hurried" home to open it 4 hours later. Crazy kid. He is excited though, and we're happy for him. Congrats little bro, I know you secretly read my blog!