Summer of Change: Part One

Preface: I am one of 6. Number 2 of 6, to be precise. I have always loved my family and been very close to each of my siblings and parents. When John and I got married, my family was spread through out the world. (In birth order) Cami was in Colorado where she'd been since she married her husband Brandon. John and I were in Provo. Timothy was on his mission in Chile. And my parents, with the 3 youngest Todd, Cara, and Jonathan were in Costa Rica. Since then my parents have come home and moved to Orem, Utah. Timothy also moved back to Utah, found a rare girl that actually fits right in to the family and they now have 2 boys. Todd left for a quick 2 years in Spain, but came back to us, somehow found another girl that can keep up with us and they now have a baby boy. Cara graduated from high school and has been at BYU. 2 years ago the gravitational pull to Utah was too strong and we sucked Cami and Brandon away from Colorado. They moved into a house 2 blocks from mom and dad. Todd lives across the street, Tim lives about 3 miles north. With Cara and Jonny still at home, that puts us living the furthest away, a whopping 6 miles! This has been a dream. We've shared graduations, weddings, pregnancies, babies, birthdays, holidays and on and on. And if that wasn't enough, my mom has hosted dinner for us every single Sunday. We see each other at least once a week. Between the 4 married siblings there are 10 grandchildren. Pure heaven, I tell you. Being one of the oldest I get to watch the others go through high school, serve missions, go to college, find spouses, find careers, have babies. It's like this front row seat to your best friends lives.
I knew it wouldn't last. Every Sunday for the last few months I would look around and burn the images in my brain...pregnant bellies, newborn babies, teenagers texting, toddlers dancing, big kids riding bikes, never ending conversation and laughter (provided by me of course- if I can't be the pretty one, I have to be the funny one! See you're laughing right now). There's just nothing better than these bonds.
So getting to the whole change part...Timothy has a great opportunity to get into the health care industry and really get his career going. We are so happy for him, but this great opportunity is in Arizona. So they're gone. I ignored my feelings about them moving and barely wanted to talk about it, but as we drove to their house on Tuesday to help pack the van, I just started to cry. I had to dig my sunglasses out of my purse (even though it was over cast) to cover my red eyes. When we got there and I saw the empty house, I started to cry again. After one last All-You-Can-Eat wings meal at Winger's, I hugged my little brother, who is bigger than me, and I hugged his wife who is as much a sister to me as my real sisters, and the tears flowed freely again. I cried all the way home and had a couple more bursts through out the day. I went to bed with a massive headache! I am so sad that Hudson won't be in on the Sunday night dance parties. Tim won't be telling us his hysterical stories where his incredible memory comes into play. The "mothers lounge" will be minus a mother and baby. And when I think of how big these boys are going to be when I see them next, I want to cry more. But I'm just being a big ol' selfish baby because this is such a great thing for them and their little family, so I really really am happy about it. Don't let the tears fool you.
I guess I did leave a little cliff hanger for you last week, so I had to explain myself and why there were so many tears from a gal that really isn't a big crier.
Jonny leaving on his mission to Bolivia is another part of our summer of change. There are also a couple other exciting things that are too premature for me to say anything yet.
I will tell you this...The John and Kimberly Jonas family are not going to add to this Summer of Change thing (You're welcome, Mom). We're staying put!

Forgot to Tell You

This cute guy has a name

Gavin Ryan
(Ryan is after Todd's good friend that was killed in a car accident last summer)

Aren't they a sweet little family? Mom and baby are doing wonderfully!

What was this all about?

K, So I haven't been into Idol this year because of that month of at beach far far away, but I did watch the finale last night.
I've always been embarrassed for Paula because she's just so- UGH! But last night was an all time low. It was cute that they got some video of her saying a nice farewell to Simon and it was even ok that when the curtain went up she was standing there live. I thought she would sing and dance. I'd be ok with her reliving a few glory days. Instead she just went on and on in an incoherent, seemingly unscripted monologue.I felt like I was watching a real, life, female Michael Scott. I just kept cringing as my jaw dropped lower and lower.

Booo Paula Boooo!

Virginia Beach

We had such a great time...

Aquarium with our dear dear friends








A beautiful wedding with lots of fun family time on the beach





And all of Sunday with the Bennions (the only other woman in the world I can compare to my mom, old beauty pagent videos, dessert before dinner and two more after, and an old man you could mistake for my dad). We stayed forever.
But we had to come home to the "summer of change"...

You'll hear all about that when I stop crying!

Off Again

This time to John's sister's wedding in Virginia Beach



My kids are super travelers.
The captain on our second flight let the kids come into the cock pit and push some buttons.





It was so super cool.

I'll keep you posted on the rest of the trip.

Night at the Opera

On Saturday night I "made" John go to the Opera with me. Our good friends were in it, so I wanted to go. We dragged along Todd and Laci too.
We started with dinner at a place in Midvale called Epic. It came highly reccomended but did not meet up to my expectations.
We killed a little time by walling around Temple Square. The tulips are amazing! This is where Todd proposed so we tried to get him to reinact it but he was being a wimp.


Seriously, I LOVE the tulips.


Off to the opera, which was not as awful as John thought it would be. I think if they would translate it and sing it in English instead of doing subtitles, I really would have loved it.





Afterwards we went to Denny's and pigged out on dessert!


Thanks all for "enduring" the night with me.

A Baby For Alexis

My cute little brother Todd and his amazing wife Alexis just had thier first baby tonight (on their first anniversary).





Baby Boy Claybaugh (name to come)
6 lb 15 oz, 19 in.
May 16, 2010
7:26 pm
Tiny bit of blonde hair, webbed toes (like his daddy) , and so beautiful.

All You Can Eat Wings

At Wingers.


Our favorite place

The Ones Who Made Me

I did not spend this Mother's Day with the people who made me a mother but I did spend this Mother's Day with the people that made me the kind of mother I am.





I wish there were words for these ladies. My mom gave me a card today that said "it's been pure joy raising you." I think she's smartly supressed the 90's.
Let me talk about my mom for a sec... When I was a 20 year old college student my family moved to Costa Rica to preside over the mission there for 3 years. When they came back I was a 23 year old wife and mother. I was nervous about them coming home. I wasn't sure what the dynamics of our relationship would be. I was still insecure about my mothering skills (ok fine, I still am) and I didn't know what my mom would think of my clumsy, scatterbrained ways. I knew I could never live up to her and would she judge me for that?I can only laugh at my fears now. They were so empty. I apparently did not know my mother well enough. I have never felt inadequite in her presence. In fact, it's been quite the opposite. She is my loudest cheerleader, my greatest support, my favorite example and now that we have been so close for so many years, she is my best friend. When I decided I want to come along on this trip to California and told John my idea he said "what if your mom doesn't want you to come." That thought never crossed my mind. Why wouldn't she want me along? As far as I can tell she thinks I'm the greatest person on the planet. I think there are probably 400 other people that would say the same thing of her. I have never ever once in all my life seen my mom put herself ahead of anyone else. That is my mom.
My Gram is the cloth from which my mom was cut. When I hugged her good bye tonight she said to me "my favorite!" I think she says that to us all. She will never forget a birthday or special event. Her life is for 2 things and 2 things only... The Lord and the family. She does nothing unless it invovles those things...NOTHING.
Because of these women I have all that I have and I am all that I am. How do you repay that?





Oh and I hope that not only I can serve and love like them, but that I can do it as beautifully as them. Truly, how gorgeous are these mothers of mine?

I have a lot of work to do!

On Our Way

I'm tagging along with my mom on a road trip to California. I need more sunshine than Utah has to offer



I swear her hands have not slipped from that 10 and 2 position since we left at 5am.


My bro Jonny and his friend Nick are in search of sun too. Do you think they'll be awake long enough to enjoy it?

Just passing through Vegas. Eyes on the road and speed right through this awful place.

Elder Claybaugh

Where do you think he's going?


Cochabamba Bolivia!!!!!


Leaving September 22. We're so proud of our newest elder!