Our first adventure

So I have been telling Holly and Sam all spring that we are going to have a summer adventure. So far we have had a lot of fun but today the adventure started.

Rob and I got here in St. Louis Park, Minnesota yesterday. Today has been our lazy day. We ventured out to get groceries and explore a little but mostly we have spent the day reading and playing inside. About an hour ago I was washing the dinner dishes. Rob was watching a program and the kids were running around the house like crazy people. Rob came into the kitchen and asked me to turn off the water. I did and we began to hear a strange wailing siren outside. Not being from here we were unsure about the siren but immediatly thought tornado. Rob got online and sure enough our area was in the middle of a tornado warning. We kinda stared at each other for a minute. We have no idea what to do in a tornado. We started looking for answers online. Meanwhile I should say that everyone outside looked like it was a perfectly normal thing. There were people leisurly unloading groceries from their cars. We closed the blinds and sat Holly and Sam in the hall then turned on the news and waited. The tornado warning was eventually cancelled but as I listened to the news broadcast I heard the anchor say that St. Louis Park was experiencing hail. At that moment I heard little plunks on the window pane. I ran to the window and Nickel sized hailstones were pounding down. I mean if you played marbles as a kid and had some grannies these were pretty close. It was very cool. So cool in fact that after watching with the kids for a minute we decided to move away from the windows. After the storm moved on Rob and I went outside to check for damage on our car. There were small leaves and branches everywhere; it looked pretty messy but our car was fine.

Our adventure turned out to be mostly show which is just fine by me. I am not anxious to ever experience a real tornado. It surely was something unexpected and a memory fun to have especially since nothing happened.

Shiny floors

I think I mentioned in the last blog that Sammy loves to run away from me. I am pretty sure that it has become a game for him.

"Oh look! If I run out into this busy street my Mom freaks out and chases me."

I really am at a loss. Friday Sam asked my permission to walk to the dumpster and throw something away. Of course I didn't let him go alone. He is only two. Actually I didn't let him go at all. He wanted to throw my bathroom soap container away. Since then though he doesn't ask. He just makes a break for the door and runs.

There is one exception though. Sam is terrified of shiny floors. The ward gym? Not a chance. Even a ward gym covered in children running and screaming will not entice him. Grocery stores? My little heaven. He is probably the only kid there that will stay near his mom. Shiny wet sidewalks? Terrifying.

I actually have tried to help him conquer his fear. I tried to help him understand that the floor is stable. It will not fall out from under him. It is not too slick to walk on. Like trying to prevent him from running away from me nothing has worked. But then again maybe I should count my blessings and be grateful that there are a few places I know Sam will not cause me anxiety.

I just wish the streets were a bit shinier.

Change

Holly's last week of school and the beginning of our summer are approaching and I thought I was ready for both.

Holly has loved Kindergarten but I have to admit a little summer break is needed by me. I miss having her around. The only problem is that once she graduates from kindergarten she will be moving on to first grade. I don't think I can handle it. Kindergarten was fine. She was away only half the day. She had a small part of her life that was not shared by me. Now she will be gone all day from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. There will be other people who are a huge part of her life and I can't manually screen them or stand up for her when someone is mean. I know I need to let go a little more. It is a good thing we don't have to completely let our kids out on their own until they are 18. I can already tell each year is going to be a growing pain for me. Boy do I have a lot of growing to do.

Summer.

I have been excited to go on our adventure since this fall when we found out which company we were working for. This is a whole new place that I have never experienced. Holly, Sam, myself and sometimes Rob will get to explore and play in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The only problem is I am now starting to get nervous. I know nothing about Minnesota. I have a difficult time keeping Sam from running away in Provo where I have spent several years of my adult life. What do I do when he runs away in the land of a thousand lakes?

Oh well I am not going to dwell on how scary change is for me. I think that I will just invest in a good leash.

Courage

My little girl is growing up. She is so courageous lately. More so than I ever was at her age.

We were at a cabin with some friends of ours. Holly was playing on a table and Rob and I were sitting near the campfire talking. I kept checking on Holly just because I do that. I would listen over my shoulder to make sure she was o.k. While I was checking Holly slipped off the table top and landed on her bottom on the bench. I expected her to start crying but she looked stunned and then said "whoa, that was awesome!"

She also went Kayaking with Rob and not with me because "Daddy goes faster".

The other day Rob took Holly to church. I stayed home with Sam because he was hacking up a lung. During sacrament meeting Holly wrote down her testimony and asked Rob if she could go up and say it. Rob took her hand but halfway up to the pulpit Holly hesitated and then turned around and sat down. Rob of course had to keep going. But later on in the meeting Holly passed a note that said "I have confidence back". She got up and bore the testimony she wrote down. She wrote that Jesus taught people to be nice and that she wanted to follow Him. She also wrote "I want to open my life". We are not sure what that means. Rob thinks it is a "new age" testimony. Anyway, I am so glad she got up the courage to go again.