In Pictures

I don't have much time to write so I'll post our life in pictures.

Farrah was so cute with Brooke on her birthday

Lindsey did all the birthday planning and did a great job.

Brooke knew her birthday was coming for three months. I taught her the date and she had it memorized. It was fun to finally tell her that her birthday was going to be the next day. On her birthday she kept saying, "Last night I was two and today I'm three."

It's a fun surprise to see a hot air balloon out the window. Usually you can hear it before you can see it.

 Easter Egg Hunt with the cousins. My mom always goes all out for the kids. Brookie with her cousin Eva

Brooke learned to count just recently and suddenly she wants to count everything

 Easter Sunday was such a beautiful day!

 Here's the kids and Christian doing some kind of pose. Love it!

And last, these are pictures of the morning after a big storm this week. My mood that night mirrored the bad weather outside. When morning came and it looked this gorgeous I couldn't help but be lifted and I was grateful for a new start.

P.S I did not do anything to change these pictures. It was really that green and beautiful outside. I love spring.

A couple of stories

#1
Yesterday at lunch I asked Brooke if she wanted any leftovers. I knew when the word came out of my mouth that it was new to Brooke. We eat leftovers for lunch all of the time, but I always just call them what they are, spaghetti, potatoes, chicken, etc.  For some reason yesterday I called them leftovers. She looked at me with a confused face, scrunched up her nose and said, "Leftovers?  No, that's usgusting!"
And she wouldn't eat the spaghetti.  What a funny girl. I'll be sure not to use that word anymore!

This is Brooke eating her Valentines breakfast. She had no idea it was Valentines Day or what Valentine's Day was. She just woke up and came down to this scene. It was so cute to hear her say "Valentimes" for the first time ever. I know, this is old news, but I love this picture.

#2
A couple of weeks ago Brooke and I went grocery shopping to a store by one of our old houses. I don't think I've been shopping there since then which is over ten years. Anyway, when we were all through I  was putting my groceries away and being careful with the cart. The parking lot was on a hill so I had to put the cart in the right spot so Brooke and the groceries didn't just sail away. After I was through I wondered whether I should push Brooke in the cart over to the place where you put the carts and then carry her back to the car or if I should just put her in the car first. I decided to just put her in the car and then take the cart back afterwards.
However after putting Brooke in the car I completely forgot about the cart and just jumped in my seat and started up the car. As I pulled forward five feet I suddenly remembered the cart that was still propped against my car and I stopped. Looking out the window I watched in horror as my cart slammed into the parked car just two stalls down. Oh No!  As I studied the scene I noticed the other car was a big long boat and the hood ornament told me it was a Cadillac. It was a beautiful white color without any blemishes. I imagined it being a rare collector's item.

It looked something like this

Oh man! What should I do? Surprisingly the thought came to just take off. It wasn't that big of deal, right? No, I couldn't do that!  I got out and assessed the damage and put the cart away. As soon as I did that I thought that maybe I should have left it there for evidence. Should I take a picture? Should I write a note? There were two dents in the car that weren't huge, but they were bigger than dents caused by opening your door too hard and hitting the car next to you. Especially since there weren't any other dents, they stuck out.
I got out my insurance card getting prepared to pass along information when the thought came to me that the damage done to the other car was not from my car. It was from a grocery cart so does that mean no insurance would cover it and it would come out of my pocket? Out of my husband's pocket? And who owns this car? It was probably the prized possession of some car enthusiast. These were the thoughts running through my head as I sat and waited for the owner to appear so we could talk. More than once the thought came to leave. Can you believe it?

To my relief and amazement, a cute friendly 80 something year old woman that I had passed in an aisle in the store and one who I had thought looked just like my friend's grandma named June, walked up to the car as if it was hers.  I took courage at the sight and jumped out to ask if it was hers. When she answered positively I told her the whole story. I apologized and offered to pay, but that sweet lady said, "Oh, I've had that car for over 30 years. I would have never noticed the dent until I washed the car. It's no big deal. Thanks for your honesty."

Oh, the mercy! What a relief and what a sweet lady. I drove out of there so grateful and also mindful that I needed to show mercy to others, especially my family members. I'm still working on that. I love sweet grandmas!

#3
Family Home Evening is such a good thing. Our family has had so many good ones over the years, especially when Aaron gives the lesson and even when the kids have given lessons. They come up with good stuff. We've had some fun times and also some good learning and bonding times.  But, on the other hand there have been some really hard times too.  A wise older couple we know said with a laugh, as they were reflecting on their days when the kids were growing up and they were having FHE, "some times we probably did more damage than good."  I can completely relate to that. I can remember times especially recently when no one was paying attention or they were being too loud and I just said "go to bed" and we ended FHE right there.

This is Pat Sajak:

And Vanna White:

Taken in an FHE lesson 3 yrs. ago 

FHE has been hard lately and I think this week we sank to a new low.  Let me explain.  It didn't start out well because it wasn't planned. Christian was filling in for another family member at the last minute and I was scrambling to help him find a lesson. After thumbing through the Friend magazine he found a lesson that was a read-the-story-and-answer-questions type lesson and that was going to have to be good enough.
The day had been cold and snowy. We had stayed inside by the fire all afternoon and when it was time for FHE Brooke was already asleep on Aaron's lap on the couch and he was drowsy himself. Lindsey had come downstairs and fallen over on top of me on my chair telling me how tired she was.  I said to her, "Lindsey go find a place on the couch and be attentive and respectful." It wasn't until later that I realized she had never made it to the couch, but instead had plopped herself face down on the floor.  Emma had taken the couch across from myself and was basically lying there which is probably why Lindsey never went over there. She couldn't find a spot.
Here we go, we sang a song, said a prayer, and Christian began to read his story which was about bridges.  His voice wasn't monotonous necessarily, but it wasn't full of expression either and as I listened I was finding it hard to stay focused.  I felt so bad when I realized my eyes had been closed and I must have fallen asleep momentarily.  Not to worry, Christian hadn't see me and I was more determined to listen better this time. But the next thing I know Christian is yelling out, "IS ANYONE AWAKE???"  We all wake with a start and look around realizing that we had all fallen asleep during the story. Each one of us tries to act like we were in on the details of the story mumbling stuff about bridges. Luckily his questions at the end were not about the story but about basic gospel principles so we were able to answer them. We all apologized and then a few minutes later we were all able to laugh about it, including Christian.

Later on that night after the kids had gone to bed and I was reflecting on what had happened I laughed so hard I was crying.  Especially when I thought about what I had said to Lindsey, "Be attentive and respectful. Sit up straight on the couch." And what Christian had said, "Is anybody awake?" Can you imagine he's reading along and finally looks up after the end of two pages and doesn't see one eye open?  Oh Boy...


I'm hoping next week will be better.

Good night!

Screamin'

We took the kids to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago. I should say Aaron took us to Disneyland. Since I am a drowsy driver who can't drive more than a half hour before getting sleepy, he does all the driving. So, he drove 12 hours there and another 12 hours back. He's quite a guy.
There were lots of good times and some hard times too and I could explain it all in detail, but since I've already done that in my journal I'll just share a couple experiences with you. I'll give a high, a low, and another moment I'll call the low-high-low.

First a high. Going to Laguna Beach after three days in Disneyland. From pulling up and seeing the beautiful view of palm trees against the blue sky and ocean to watching Brooke run all over the beach to hearing the powerful waves crash to watching the kids squeal in delight as the water was inching ever closer to feeling the warm air and sunshine. It was awesome.

Constantly running.

Then a low which happened a day earlier when I was waiting around in the car for Brooke to wake up from her nap. That was actually really nice for a half hour. We had just gotten back from an excursion to LA to see the space shuttle and Aaron left with the kids who were anxious to get back to Disneyland. Since Brooke wasn't getting many naps and was so turned upside down with our exhausting schedule we decided we should let her finish her nap. So I enjoyed a quiet half hour to myself while I was waiting.

So cool!!!

Combined video of all space flight takeoffs and landings.

The trouble started when she woke up. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard a literal gushing sound coming from her car seat. She has been potty trained for 6 weeks, but we're still dealing with frequent accidents and other difficult moments. I knew there would be accidents on the trip, but this just seemed so hard.  It was difficult getting her out of the car and keeping her close so she didn't get run over in the parking lot while I got her car seat out. When I did get it out it was dripping. How could I bring it into the hotel like that? Well, it eventually stopped dripping and I took the car seat, diaper bag, and Brooke up the elevator to our room. After sloshing the cover in the tub and getting all ready we headed down to catch the shuttle. As we headed out of our room I realized that the stroller was locked in the car and Aaron had the keys. Sometimes we hide a key under the car so I hoped for that, but it wasn't to be. While I was figuring out what to do I missed the shuttle that wouldn't be back for another half hour.  For the rest of the night Aaron and I took turns carrying Brooke around Disneyland. It was an exhausting day.
Let's just say Disneyland was 6 days of complete exhaustion. Am I getting old or what? What's my problem?

Wind blowing through Brooke's hair on a ride

And finally the low-high-low.  A few times at Disneyland, especially when times got tough I thought of my parents and what they must have gone through taking us to Lagoon all those years and to Disneyland too. My mom never rode the roller coasters and only a couple times did my dad. But those times with my dad were important. Having a parent do something with you makes it so much cooler.  (Note to self!) I remember thoughts like "Whoa, I can't believe dad's riding the roller coaster!" and "Whoa, I can't believe dad came to the ward swimming party. He's got a serious farmer tan, but look he's here and now it's so much better!"
 I could sense from the kids after a while that they wanted me with them. Aaron was the one going on all the scary rides while I was always the one on Dumbo with Brooke. I was totally fine with that. I don't know what happened to me, but I can't get on a swing at the park and sway more than a foot without feeling completely dizzy.
Well, I decided it was time to be the cool parent especially for Emma my thrill-seeking teenage daughter. I agreed to go on Screamin' over California though it was the very last ride I felt I could survive. And that state of mind is what caused me trouble in line. I literally felt like passing out as I imagined myself on that ride. I even started praying and singing my primary song(in my head) that I sing when I'm afraid. Other times I've sung this song include when in the dentist chair and when experiencing severe birthing pains in childbirth. Yeah, it was right up there with the most fearful times in my life. I was feeling light headed and I had to do all I could to keep my mind on something else so I could make it through. After we got inside and I made sure my seatbelt was tight enough we took off at 60+miles an hour up the first hill. To my surprise the faster and higher we flew the happier I got. I couldn't contain myself and I screamed out and I think I even put my hands up. This went on for a couple of turns and it was so much fun! Then just as fast as the thrill came it went again and I had to hang on for several more turns before the beast of a ride finally stopped.   I survived the ride, thankfully, and it was actually fun for 20 seconds so that's the high.  But, I was done the rest of the day. I drew a line at going on the Tower of Terror. My head was still spinning.

Scene in Cars land

Finally asleep

So many cool scenes in Disneyland

Good memories, hard memories. Next vacation we're going on a lovely hike in Moab or something less exhausting. Although going on vacation with four kids can't ever be a piece of cake!

Despite the exhausting trip I'm so grateful we had the means to go. The kids had a lot of fun and we made lots of memories.

Galloping Horses

Do you ever get kind of looney in the middle of the night or when you're just trying to get to sleep? It's finally quiet and your mind starts to wander and you start to worry.  You think you're hearing things that you're not. There's been so many times that I've woke Aaron up to ask him about a sound or even a smell in the house. He usually thinks I'm crazy and turns over and tells me to go to sleep. Other times he actually goes and checks it out for me. Well, this happened to me recently

I had stayed up late one night writing a talk for Sacrament meeting and I was really tired and exhausted when I finally got in bed.  As I lie there trying to get to sleep I heard a sound that baffled me. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was. It was really loud though and the more I listened the more worried I got. Was it a low rumbling thunder? Was it galloping horses? Was it someone walking through the snow right outside my window? Or was it big flames consuming the kids' room upstairs? I couldn't smell smoke, but I was sure I could hear a raging fire. This thought terrified me, but in my exhaustion I couldn't will myself out of my warm bed to check it out.  For sure the kids were dead by now. I woke Aaron and he didn't know what I was talking about.  I was so tired and weary that I decided to say a prayer to ask for help. I had to get some sleep and I wouldn't be able to unless I could figure this out. After the prayer I was able to focus better and my mind became clearer. I realized the sound wasn't continuous but would stop every once in a while before starting up again.  Then it hit me. Emma's hamster runs on her wheel all night and it is located in her room directly above our bed. That was it.  Oh, I was so relieved. I could handle the noise as long as I knew the kids weren't burning up with the house.  I was able to get to sleep soon after.

This story is so funny for me, but it also taught me again that God cares about even our smallest most insignificant problems and will help us when we ask.


p.s. Don't you think it's funny that a hamster running on a wheel can sound like galloping horses? It does when it's right above your head. From now on Emma moves the cage at night so we can get some sleep. Somehow the girls sleep right through it.


Buenas noches

Blessings and Challenges

Having a new house is such a blessing. It's the house of our dreams and we couldn't be more happy with it. But having a new house has some unique challenges too.

Everything's new- yeah!! Well....except for the furniture. I think when you envision a new house it has new furniture in it. Then you move in with your old furniture and it isn't quite what you pictured. But, that will come. The appliances are all new though and it's great, well, except for that I have to read seven owners manuals to figure everything out. It's great having more options, but simplicity is wonderful too. Put the clothes in, push start. Easy. Ok, there's a little more to it than that, but not much. My new washing machine has probably 30 different options of ways I can wash clothes and I can't help but push the "normal" cycle every time. Once I get through that owner's manual maybe I'll learn what the other buttons are for.
My washing machine sings to me. At first I thought, "ok, that is over doing it. Do I really need a singing washing machine?" By singing I mean that it doesn't make a loud buzzer sound but plays a tune when it's done.  At first I had a hard time connecting the tune with the fact that my laundry was done, but now I get it. Hey, why not?

One of the hardest things about having a new house is trying to balance keeping the house clean with normal living habits. I think I spent every waking hour of my first 3-4 weeks here just cleaning. You want to keep this perfectly new house well, perfect. But, it's impossible to do with 4 kids and two adults who have bad habits of leaving stuff out, tracking stuff in, not hanging stuff up, etc. We're the same family in a new house.   I've been upset with the kids over their messes and I've had a hard time knowing how upset to be over it. On the one hand, we need a place where we can feel at peace and organized and happy, but on the other hand we need a place where we can kick up our feet and feel comfortable. We don't want a cold place where dust and clutter are nonexistent, but we do want a place where the spirit can dwell.

I was discussing this with a friend recently and she told me something that helped me. She said to just make sure that my kids knew that I loved them more than I loved the house.  That made a lot of sense to me. Since then I've fallen back into my normal cleaning habits which weren't that great to begin with, but at least I feel more balanced. And, I still get upset with Christian every time he walks through the house in his wet boots, but hopefully things will improve.  I think you all have great advice on this subject so feel free to leave comments. It will help me.

Another blessing is having a wood burning stove. It's so warm and it's so fun to watch. But, now I'm blaming my inability to get off the couch on it. Who wants to get up and do laundry when you can sit by the fire and get warm. Dang!!

One of the greatest parts of having a new house is having a reason to invite friends over. We've had my parents over for dinner and another time a group of friends w/families came over and it has been a lot of fun.  I love to get together with people, but I get so scared to have them over at my house. I just need more practice so it won't be so scary. And, I could use some more dishes, ya know.  I just need to buy a few things to help me feel more confident in entertaining guests.  We've got another family coming over in a couple of weeks and soon after my grandma will come for dinner.

On another note, one of the new things I got was a new phone. I got a smart phone for Christmas and it has changed my life. I don't know that it has improved, but it has changed. Aaron and I took forever to join the Smart phone generation if you will. That's just how we do things.
One thing I like about my new phone is having my camera in my pocket. All of the pictures from my last post  are from my phone. It struggles with action shots and in low lighting, but so does my point and shoot camera.  I'm impressed with it. Right now my SLR camera is collecting dust. Yikes!

If any of you are on Instagram I joined that . Instagram is interesting. I can see how I could really waste time on it and I can also see how it could be good. Right now it's neither good nor bad for me. It's just there.  Maybe some of you have opinions on that too. Feel free to share. For now I'm posting pictures and if you want to "follow" me I'm at nikwolthuis.  I'm still learning how to use it and Emma and Carly help me all the time.


Sorry for the rambling.  Have a wonderful week.   I'll leave you with a scripture I read in a Friend magazine yesterday,



"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
-Psalms 118

Iceskating with friends

New Views

You know how much I loved the views from our rental house, but I'm finding new and beautiful views here too.

Outdoor....

And indoor...

Brooke and baby Savanna

I'm here

I'm here. We're here. We're having so much fun in our new house. It's so beautiful and light and just what I envisioned. It's the house I've always wanted and it's just so much fun. Remember a month ago I wrote how people kept asking me if I was excited and I never was.? I was so focused on the day to day duties and the work that needed to be done to actually move. Then there was the uncertainties ahead. What about being in a new neighborhood and new ward?  I really never once got excited. That is, not until our first night in the new home. It really hit me how beautiful it was and how cool it was. I was giddy with excitement and I kept saying to Aaron, "This house is so cool!"  There were so many hard times getting to this point. So much stress. But, I can now honestly say it was worth it. I never want this new house feeling to go away though I know it will.

Another difference has been having Aaron around. Everyday he is still there and not over at the house working. Of course he is still working because there is still more to do, but he is here and so are we.

Christmas was fun. I'll post more about that later. Thanks to my mom we had a tree to decorate.

Front window at night


Here's some of our boxes that are still not quite unpacked.  This picture shows how light it is in the house.  It's so wonderful!

Here's the old house. There's no comparison.

I'm so grateful for that old house though. We had some good times. Some really hard times too though...

As for moving we had so much help. It just kept coming and coming and coming in the form of help packing and lifting to cleaning and meals and babysitting. We LOVE our friends and family for getting us through this tough time.

Ok. Back to the house.

This is a picture of our first dinner at the dinner table.

Because Aaron wasn't around much and because the table was in the other room we got out of the habit of eating at the dinner table. New house, new start. We're not only going to actually eat dinner, but we're going to eat it at the table as often as possible.

Being in this house especially around Christmas time has been so magical. What more can you add to that?  How about a Hot Air balloon landing in the neighborhood. For real????

Lindsey spied it from her bedroom window and ran down to get us.  So cool.


On Christmas Eve we took a walk through the new neighborhood. I think we're really going to like it here. Though we miss the old neighborhood. Waaaa...

Ok. Ok. So we're the same family with the same problems, but this is such a good feeling. I really haven't had this kind of a feeling for a long time.

It's like having a baby and you want everyone to share the joy.  So, come see us everyone. We would love to have you in our home. It's so much fun!!!!!