Soccer Season

I love soccer season. I love the cool, crisp mornings. I love the sound of shoes meeting shin guards.

I love the adrenaline rush I feel watching my kids do something they love. Something I loved too.

I love the way my kids have their weeks planned out by what they have going on - practice, game, etc.
I love that Brandon and Brock's coach loves them so much and that he has really made an effort to know them individually and not just as "the twins!"  Very often I look over and see him full-out belly laughing at them and their crazy antics! I love it!

I love that Kaitlin is the "go-to" girl on her team.  Whenever there is a throw-in or a big kick - they have her do it.  Good grief, she can boot the ball half-way down the field - of course they want her to kick it! I love that she is really good this year.  She worked hard all year so that she would be.  I'm glad it paid off for her.

But mostly, I love this...sitting and cheering together. This is something our family will be doing lots of.

And I couldn't enjoy spending my time doing anything else more.

Brandon lost a tooth during his first game.  Poor kid, that is his 4th tooth that has come out in a freak thing.  At least this one was actually wiggly.

I guess I probably shouldn't have given them both haircuts just before their first game!  They are a little harder for people to tell apart when they both have buzzed heads! ( I honestly don't know why. I don't even think they look that much alike!)

Look at that smile on Kaitlin's face. I'm telling you - the girl LOVES this game.

Captains - you should have heard their lamentations when they didn't win the coin toss! You would have thought they died!  I actually had to go tell her (during the game) that she needed to quit screaming.  Any time she would miss the ball or do a bad kick or anything - she would scream! It was funny, but annoying!

It never fazed her though!  She still had a blast!  (Even though their team has lost every game so far!)

Spring Break and a Birthday

Spring break usually isn't that big of a deal around our house.  We head over to Zion's for the day or take a trip to feed the ducks, but mostly we just stay home and hang-out together.  This year, Cole and I decided we should go somewhere.  We decided this clear back in January and boy am I glad we listened to that little prompting;)  We had such a fun get-a-way together.

Initially we had planned on going to Arizona or the beach or something out of the ordinary, but when it came right down to it - who has the $400 extra it costs to get there and back in gas?! We headed to Vegas instead.  Let me just say - I HATE Vegas.  Every time we go, I swear that I will never go again. And more importantly, that I will NEVER take my kids.  But, we got a timeshare off the strip and thanks to the help of some friends who live there, found some fun things to do that didn't involve all the negative aspects of Las Vegas.  I still don't like Vegas. We had a horrible experience on the strip (at 3:00 in the afternoon trying to get to the M&M factory.) Imagine me huddling my poor kids in my arms bawling at the street corner. (Yep, it was that bad.) Anyway, the kids and I retreated to the water show while Cole (my hero) ran back to get the car.  He picked us up and delivered us at the M&M Factory and then picked us back up when we were done.  No more walking the strip for this family. *But that is a story for a whole different time.

Brandon's favorite M&M - the yellow one! Never knew that before, but I think he was glad he picked it because it was the only one we saw to take a picture with!

Kaitlin saw the girls in front of us making crazy poses - aaahh, so impressionable.

Thursday morning the Leprechauns had paid a visit.  They have never visited us before, but this year we actually decorated a little bit. (It was so much fun to decorate the timeshare!)  In the morning they had left each kid a specially marked $5.00 bill with instructions to save it all year and put it back in the pot next year for a special surprise. There was gold coins and some gold candies for Kaitlin and tons and tons of beads!

Cole and I were right in the end of training for our 5K, so we couldn't afford to take a break.  We started out the mornings with a run on the treadmill and then swimming.  I have to say, it was the perfect start to a vacation (which is so cool for me to say;)

Oh they melt my heart!  I think my favorite part of the trip was just hanging out in the pool!

I wish we had a picture of all of us decked out in green!  We were quite the spectacle!  Even Cole wore a green shirt and holy moly did we get the attention!  We went to Olive Garden for lunch and I'm not exaggerating when I say that every person that walked in or walked by us stopped and said how cute our kids were. It's funny to be outside of Utah with 4 kids.  It's like we are a novelty! haha! (Especially in matching green!)

Thursday night we headed over to Las Vegas Grand Prix for an early celebration for Kaitlin's birthday.  It was nice because we practically had the rides to ourselves.  Their 1 hour wrist band went a REALLY long way!  Kaitlin was the only one big enough to drive the Grand Prix cars.  I'm pretty sure that if they realized she was only 8, the wouldn't have let her drive, but I guess that is a perk of being so tall for your age!  At first, she was SCARED to DEATH!  She timidly drove around the track and plugged the whole thing up for all the cars behind her!  Then, all of the sudden, fear was gone and the girl was NUTS!  She was driving like a pro!  I'm a little scared of what we've awoken inside her, but it sure was fun!  She got to go on the cars over and over again and even had the track all to herself on her last race. 

The boys got to drive these pokey little things!  They sure thought they were fun though and it was so funny to watch their differences show up again!  Brock was so busy grinning and flirting with one of the girls, while Brandon was all business.  Brandon was very intense, while Brock had fun and especially had fun when he blocked Brandon from passing for a while! 

Friday morning was Kaitlin's birthday!  I can't believe I have a 9 year old.  I can't believe it has been a year since she was baptized.  Oh my! Where has the year gone.  She informed us that if she is like her mom, she will be married in another 9!  Eeek!  I wasn't really sure what to say about that!;)

After we checked out, we had Kaitlin's rainbow cupcakes on the patio by the pool!  It was beautiful outside!

Then we headed to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.  (I have to say, this is definitely something I wouldn't do again....but, we had a bunch of people tell us how cool it was and so it was what Kaitlin really wanted to do.  Sigh!) There were some fun things to see and the kids had fun touching the Sting Rays, but overall, I thought it was a little disappointing. 

This was the coolest thing! Should've just stayed out here and saved ourselves the money;)



This is exactly how we all felt by the time we got home - wiped out!

We had such a great trip together, but as always, whenever we vacation, I am reminded of what is most important. The things we remember the most and the things that were the most fun were the simple things.  It doesn't matter where we are, it's just making the time for just each other.  We toured the airport (our kids had never seen a "REAL" airport), watched planes fly in and out for hours, watched the BYU game together on the king-size bed, toured the candy factory, played PAC-MAN wars, and swam and swam and swam.  It was just right.

I sure do love these guys and was sad to have to head home and have them all go back to school and work.

He Lets it Rain

I can't even begin to describe the month that has transpired since my last post.  I am thankful that much of it is documented in my journal, knowing that the majority of feelings, impressions and miracles of our private journey will never dot the posts of this very public blog.  Someday, my kids will look back on this month in awe and will connect the dots of the many trials and blessings that simultaneously occurred.  Until then, I will continue to utilize this blog for what it was created - my outlet, my reminder of the wonderful life I have been given and created, and my connection to friends and family who love and support me.

I feel like a whirlwind has encircled us.  In the center of every storm there is an eye - a place of peace and calm.  Cole and I are there right now.  Huddled in the middle, tightly clinging to each other and to our family. The winds are howling, the debris is flying all around us, but we are safely gathered in, safe and protected in a peace that shouldn't be found.  And for that...I am grateful.

I love Hillary Weeks. A few days ago, I was listening to "My Favorites" on iTunes and watching a slide show of all the pictures I have taken this year.  As I sat and stared at all the beautiful images of this life of mine, a Hillary Weeks song came on.  One of my favorite. One that has strengthened me many times before.  As soon as I heard the first few words, I knew it was just what I needed.  It was an answer to a prayer, comfort during a plea for peace. The words go something like this:

"She sees the storm clouds gather,

the sky is turning cold and gray.

She knows that some thing's coming,

when she starts to feel this way.

She pleads for intervention,

but heaven offers no relief.

And she would understand,

if she could only see...

Sometimes he lets it rain,

he lets the fierce winds blow.

Sometimes it takes a storm

to lead a heart where it can grow.

He can move mountains of grief and oceans of pain,

but sometimes he lets it rain."

This is just the first verse and the rest are just as poignant. I am so grateful for the knowledge that God loves me.  He has carried and shouldered the weight of my grief and pain during so many moments when I honestly wondered how I could go on. I wish he would simply remove this storm rather than bringing us peace in the middle of it, but I know enough about him to know that I can't just escape the easy way. Darnit!  This journey and this trial will make me stronger.  It will make my family stronger and despite what it may feel like right now, this is a blessing.

I'm know that what we are experiencing is small in comparison to so many others around the world right now, but for us it is very real and very consuming.  I can see the future and I know it is greater than we could ever imagine right now, but every step towards that reality is hard and painful and real. I can't say enough about how grateful I am for my best friend and husband that walks this journey with me everyday.  I count my lucky stars every night that he is mine.

We are blessed; I know that.  In fact, the reality of exactly how blessed we are is humbling and staggering.  In my moments of reflection, the magnitude of our tender mercies overwhelms my mind's comprehension.  I am grateful. I am uncertain. I am clinging to my faith that God does not give us anything that we cannot overcome and that he has a plan for us that is far greater than our ability to see and attain.  I am trusting a God that I know loves me. A God that has always led me to blessings far beyond my own comprehension.  I am trusting that God knows best and that he will carry me through to the light at the end of this tunnel.  I can't wait for conference.  In my moments of greatest need, greatest help is offered.

I hesitate posting this on my blog, where who knows who reads it.  Those of you who read this blog either read it because you love me and you love my family or because you are curious and enjoy judging us from what I post.  I pray that if any of you fall into that category, you move on to better things to do with your time.  This blog is my outlet and my stress relief.  This blog connects me to family and friends who have loved me for as long as I can remember, who I work with, who I live by, who I couldn't live without and family who doesn't ever get to hear all the day-to-day details of our life. I love the comments I get from those of you who are just like me - trying to do the best they can to be good moms, wives and women of God. I need you and I feel like there are times that you need me. This is a time when I need you.  I hope that you will respect our privacy, but know that we need all the support and love we can get!  We need prayers and we need strength. We do not need judgement, gossip, or curiosity. We will be fine; I know that, but pretending like this doesn't exist is wrong.  For those of you that know what is going on, now you know how I feel about it.  For those of you who don't know what is going on, I'm sure we will let it all out eventually.  And for those of you who have seen us and think that something is "off" - now you know you are right! We all go through difficult times and face things that seem insurmountable.  The Roundy family is no exception, despite the many blessings of our day to day life. The sad thing is that when many of us have trials come, we retract and deal with it all on our own.  We never let people in and we never let others carry the load with us. We feel alone, judged and cling to our fears and insecurities. That is wrong; it is what we were doing.  The point of this gospel is to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those in need of comfort. It is what gives us hope and peace and strength.  It is what makes us face the trials ahead with hope.  It is what replaces fear with faith.

It is what reminds us that we are all in this together and that this life and all it's happenings are not chance.  We are all in this together, all striving for the same thing, all serving and trying to be like the Lord that we love. I am grateful for that knowledge and for everyday that I am able to see more clearly the path that lies ahead. I know this storm is here for a reason.  I hate it. But I know that it will lead us to something better. I believe that with all my heart.

A Memerable FHE

We had one of our best FHE's ever this week.  It evolved as a result of 2 things which coincided and I do not believe it was simply by chance.  On the 4th Monday of each month, we hold our family home evenings out of the Preach My Gospel manual.  This was a recommendation from our Bishop and has been a huge blessing for our family.  I love that I feel like I am doing all I can to help my boys prepare for their missions now and I feel like it helps us always stay focused on what is expected of them at the age of 19. 

Well, on Sunday, we had an awesome lesson in Young Women's that talked about the Plan of Salvation.  It equated our time on earth to a plane ride.  The teacher even had cute boarding passes that she handed out.  I loved the lesson and really wanted to use it for a FHE someday.  Well, imagine how excited I was when I looked up which lesson we were going to be on in Preach My Gospel and it was ALSO on the PLAN OF SALVATION!  How much more perfect can it get?! It was obviously "meant to be" for our family to have this discussion that night!

I had SO much fun planning this one!  I gave them each boarding passes on "Celestial Airlines" and when they entered the room, it was set up like this.  I welcomed them aboard the flight and told them where we were boarding from (pre-earth life), that we would have a brief stop on Earth and then would continue our journey to our final destination (eternal life)!  I reminded them that this week's lesson was from the Preach My Gospel manual and that this was also the week we focused on missionary things.

After that, I served peanuts and sparkling soda with ice and we had some "in-flight entertainment." We watched the Tyler Haws video - the PERFECT video for our family.  Our boys' dream of playing for BYU and yet, I want them to always remember how important it is for them to be good, well-rounded boys and to never forget  that they have a responsibility to serve their missions above all else.  This video summed up my feelings perfectly and was the perfect start to our missionary FHE.  After discussing the video, we moved on to the discussion the boys would teach - The Plan of Salvation.  We talked about how silly we would feel if we showed up to Hawaii in snow suits and big coats and jackets and compared this to how we would feel if we "pack" the wrong things on our journey to the Celestial Kingdom.  Then we discussed what we would want to have in our "suitcase" when we make it back to live with Heavenly Father again. I was so impressed with the kids' answers - even the Young Women didn't come up with answers that good!

After that, each of the boys committed to do all that they can to prepare to serve a mission and Kaitlin committed to keeping herself worthy to enter the temple.  Then they each signed and dated this certificate from LDS.org, which I laminated and hung on their bathroom mirror.

After that, we gave them each their $5 to put in their missionary fund. (We give them a specially marked $5 bill after each Preach My Gospel lesson.) and worked on memorizing our quote for the week.  I made this quote up using the concepts and a phrase from the Tyler Haws video.

This family home evening was special for us.  I do believe that our boys will have to make a decision very similar to the one that Tyler had to make.  The are gifted, they really are.  They each have been given an innate athleticism and they've been given each other.  I firmly believe that they best way to help them keep their focus in life is to help them decide right now that serving a mission at the age of 19 is what they will do.  I really can't imagine it and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea of not only having them away from ME for 2 years, but also away from each other. I do think that it will be a challenge for all of us, but I believe that it is the most important thing they will ever do with their lives and know that if we begin preparing ourselves mentally, spiritually and financially NOW, it will make it that much easier to actually do when the time comes. 

I am so grateful for so many young men, like Tyler, that set such great examples for my boys.  There really are "heroes" out there for them to look up to. Since Monday night, we've watched this movie again at least 3 times.  They are fascinated by him! During the movie, they always have so many questions about where he is serving his mission and where his family is and when he'll come back and play basketball for BYU again and if I think he's sad that he isn't playing basketball right now.  I answer the ones that I can, but decided that they better just ask him some of those questions themselves.  I've gotten his mission address and the boys are working on letters right now.  We promised them that we would definitely go to the Marriott Center to watch Tyler play when he gets off his mission.  And you know what...they are thrilled with that.  There isn't anyone else (not a pro athlete even) that they would rather see...and I LOVE that!

Finally, Another Baby!

Haha! I'll bet that got a few of you scared!

Oh, I only wish he was mine!  My brother-in-law and his wife had another little boy and over President's Day Weekend, we all ventured to New Mexico to be there for his blessing and to FINALLY get to see the little guy!  It was such a fun getaway and so nice to all be together!

I love the way Allison is looking at Taylor in this picture! She liked him, but she was always a little reluctant!

Love these girls and how much they love each other!

And there he is!  Isn't he just the cutest little thing ever?!  He's such a great baby and such a little miracle baby.  His momma worked very hard for him and he is perfect in every way!

The cute family.

Shanna and Taylor

The whole crew! It was so much fun all being together and playing games.  Totally worth the horrible drive through the snow to get there!

This silly Rubik cube! One of the kids found it and from then on, we were ALL obsessed with it!  None of us could figure it out and the longer it went on, the more we were convinced we could!  It was pretty funny to watch all of us competitive, obsessive adults try to figure it out!

Kater and Grandma Roundy

I just thought this picture was cute.  She looks like a little school girl!