happy nine years

Trav really wanted to go to a BYU football game, his first since Grandma passed away (he got his BYU football enthusiasm from her). I tried to surprise him by buying some tickets at work, but the price ended up being too high for our budget. Then some coworkers of mine surprised me with free tickets - on our anniversary! And then I remembered some free birthday meal coupons I'd gotten in the mail, and THEN Nicole and Jeff offered to watch the girls for us overnight. Suddenly we had the makings of an awesome (and incredibly affordable) anniversary weekend. It included:

Tucanos for dinner, running to the stadium in the rain, a BYU football game, and a night of uninterrupted sleep! Loved it all, and especially love this hubs of mine.

 

happy birthday to my hubs

We had a great time with our friends and family who came out to celebrate Trav's birthday with us!

(Grandpa Keith, Yates, Abreus, Schvaneveldts, Oylers, Wallets, Simmons, and Gustafssons)

Happy 33rd To You, Trav!

Your three girls sure love you.

bouldering

A new bouldering gym opened near us, and Trav was counting down the days until it happened. The grand opening day offered free climbing to everyone, so we headed down as a family. It was pretty crowded, but Trav managed to climb several routes, and the girls tried it out too. They are little monkeys and have hopefully inherited their dad's natural athleticism and talent for sports.  (And if they haven't, we'll make sure they learn it!)

Bouldering is rock climbing on large boulders or low cliffs without a harness or rope. Typically you have a crash pad below you to land on if you fall and spotters to help out. However, I think falling without hurting yourself takes a certain kind of grace and agility, both of which I I don't have. Hook me up to a rope and I'll try it. Take the rope away and no thank you.

happy thirty two to you

My babe turned thirty two. (Not to be confused with my baby, who will be turning two in just a few short months.)

We are officially into our thirties and it's kind of disconcerting.

But birthdays still call for celebrations in my book because I LOVE celebrating the people I LOVE. So we invited Kjerstin, Jeff, and Mckay over for dinner and I made one of Trav's favorites: german chocolate cake. Kapria was so excited about Trav's cake and kept asking when we'd get to eat it.
"Can we eat the cake now, Mom?"
"Not yet. When Dad gets home, we'll eat dinner and then sing to him and then eat the cake," I said. (Repeat this conversation over and over and over.)

But it was just too much for her to take. She had to have some:

I fixed the cake as best I could. But did you know that one jar of frosting is not really enough to cover a whole round cake? I do now. So, if you ever make a round cake, be sure to either make a lot of your own frosting or buy two or more jars of it.

I did get a video of us singing to Trav (where you can see the lovely cake), but for some weird reason I ended it right before he blew out the candles. What was I thinking? Who knows.

Still, we had fun as a family celebrating my awesome babe. The girls loved helping decorate the house to surprise him when he got home (he was at an art workshop), and then were so excited to watch him open his gifts.

Happy Birthday Trav!

I love you love you and will forever be grateful you're mine.

Yep yep yep.

travis's project

When Trav said he wanted to build a climbing wall in the studio, I was a little hesitant. I know the climbing holds are extremely pricey, and I couldn't see how we would be able to afford enough for a whole wall.

Trav had a plan, though. He called up a local shop that creates climbing holds. He asked if they would be willing to trade - he could create some molds and they would pay him in product.

The manager was thrilled to have an artist helping. He asked Trav to carve the foam shapes for an ABC mold set. Trav delivered a few at a time so they could start the process. Once the first few molds were created, he got an email raving about what a great job he did.

So here he is, creating the last of the pieces (with moral support from Kapria):

It was a lot of hours of carving, but every time Trav climbs he gets to enjoy the benefits of it. It's pretty awesome. (Once we're sent the complete ABC set, I'll post some photos.)

happy thirty-first, daddy

On Sunday, May 2, we celebrated Trav's birthday with the girls and Jeff, West, & Tave. They were all so excited to watch Trav open his presents. As we were singing to Trav, Tave blew out the candles on the cake. He was so proud. We had Trav blow them out again, too.

We love you!

happy thirty-first, babe

Remember how my husband doesn't like parties and much-ados made about his day? Well, I am of the belief that every person deserves to be celebrated on their big day. I mean, you're here! You're wonderful! You need to hear it!

I decided to get a babysitter simply because on Saturday night we had a reception to attend, and the last time I brought a child to a reception, it was craziness. I did not want a repeat of that. Then, since we had a babysitter, we might as well make a night of it!

So I made our plans, then called up a few friends and invited them to celebrate with us (we had already celebrated Syanne's birthday earlier in the day with family). I was terrible, as usual, and didn't take enough photos. I even had the camera in my purse the whole night! Oh, well. Memories are good, too.

Dinner
We decided to splurge and go out for steak. So we went to Ruby Tuesday with our friends Rich and Rachel. The company was great. The food was great, though honestly Trav and I agreed their steak was not worth the price. (It was good, just not $[more than we could really afford].00 good. So please, leave a comment and let us know some good steak houses so that we're prepared for our next big splurge holiday...my birthday in August :0) What was fantastic were their bottomless drinks. Rachel will have to remind me what the drink was called that we loved the most, but it was a type of fruity lemonade. Sooo delicious.

Reception
After dinner, Trav and I stopped by a wedding reception. It was for Lauren, a girl I used to babysit. (It still feels weird to say that. Kids I babysat have been going to college for several years...or even graduated. So bizarre.) But I was so excited to see Lauren and her sister, Brooke, and their parents. It was a quick stop, but I was so glad we made it! We were able to say hi and give hugs and do the fast-as-you-can-in-the-reception-line update. We'll definitely be having Lauren, her new hubby, and her sister over for dinner soon.

Activity
We left the reception and headed to a tumbling center where we met up with Matt, Ashley, and Nick (Laura stayed home since they couldn't find a babysitter. We missed you, Laura!). Trav had heard about this place where there are trampolines and a foam pit and rope swing and wanted to try it out. So I was excited to see what it was like. It was awesome for the guys, but I was a little intimidated to try. Instead, I chatted with Ashley and filmed the guys doing their thing. I was just too uncomfortable to try things in front of a line of strangers watching me.

(Side note: You can rent the place for a 1 1/2 hour private session if you have at least 15 people to attend. So Trav and I are going to plan a big group date next month. That way we can just be goofy with our friends, without 50 kids who all know gymnastics watching us. I know I'll be more comfortable with that, and I'll be happy to try everything out then. Why didn't I do that for his birthday? Because I just didn't plan enough in advance. Oh well. If you want to join us - leave me a comment. We'd love to have you!)

I had been filming most of the guys' jumps up until my camera battery died (about 20 minutes before our session time was over). So I put my camera away, then sat down to chat some more with Ashley. Unfortunately, I didn't pay attention any more to what Trav was doing. As everyone was filing out at 9pm, the guys came over to get their shoes and head out as well. I looked at Trav, and his forehead was really red and looked scraped. I said, "What happened?" He said, "I don't know. One minute I was doing a back flip, the next think I know my face hits the tramp. Twice."

He doesn't know if he underrotated or overrotated, but somehow he hit the trampoline , and then nearly hit the cement wall, except that Matt was standing in the way and he hit Matt instead. Sorry and Thanks go to Matt! The bummer is, neither Nick nor Matt saw what happened, so we have no idea. And what's weird is, Trav is really good at backflips and jumps (he's a natural at sports; I hope our kids get that from him, and not my awkward coordination). The only explanation we can come up with is:

He's getting old.

And now he's got the burst blood vessels and sore neck to prove it. Oh sad day!

Dessert
The night ended with dessert at a local cupcake shop. I had my doubts about it, since I don't like cake, and I'm kind of tired of the whole cupcake trend. But I was wrong to have doubted. We got a coconut cupcake that was DEEEE-LICIOS. And a strawberry shortcake one that was great, too. But that coconut one had us both wanting more. We agreed that it's the best cupcake we've ever had.

Our celebration continued on Sunday with the girls. Stay tuned!

Saturday 05.01.2010

trav-dad

Kapria loves taking photos now. Whenever we pull the camera out, she will invariably say, "My turn, Mom."

So here are a few photos she took on her last turn (with only a little help to make sure she could see something in the view finder).

She said, "Smile, Dad."

painting

Trav worked pretty much our entire vacation to finish a job. Shawn had hired him to do a painting that he wanted to give to Abby for her wedding present. With the crazy work schedule Trav ended up having before our vacation, he wasn't able to get as much of it done as he hoped. Shawn was willing to wait longer, but Trav really wanted to have it ready for him. So he worked nearly every day in AZ and CA to get it done. I love the style. Does anyone recognize what famous painter's style he based it on?

My Artist

His Work

Trav was disappointed that he didn't have time to completely finish it. But I think it turned out beautifully. He's planning on bringing his paints with him next time so he can finalize it the way he wants. I hope he doesn't mind that I'm showing it off anyway.

Oh - and Shawn made a frame for the painting, which looks great.

Now I want a portrait on my wall!

Graduation!

I know, I know. I haven't posted in ages. I've got some catching up to do, so here goes!

Trav graduated at the end of April from UVU - wahoo! It was so exciting to see him finish school. He has worked incredibly hard to accomplish this goal, and we are so proud of him. His senior show has changed dates a few times, but we finally have the official date. His opening reception will be held on June 13. I'll send postcards & emails out with all the details.

The weekend of graduation was wonderful. Trav's family came up from Arizona, and Keith and my parents flew in from California - so all our parents were there! Nicole & Weston and Chelsea & Syanne also came for the actual convocation (we missed you - Jeff and Rob).

Graduated!

Kapria loves her Daddy

Abreu Family

Grandma Anthony - Trav & Kapria - Mom (Kristen)
(This is the only Pardini/Anthony picture I got, so as soon as someone sends me one with Dad, Kyndra & Kimball, I'll post it. I was so sad there wasn't one on my camera with them.)

Keith - Trav & Kapria - Me
(and lots of other folks milling around)

It was a busy day. After convocation we all went out to lunch. Then in the evening we had a graduation party for Trav, held at Jeff & Nicole's house (more space). Lots of family and friends came - thanks for helping us celebrate! We ate cake, played some games, and talked. My favorite part was "Pin the Brush on the Artist." There was a lot of debate about who actually won. I think the most honest winner was Nicole. :o)

All in all, it was a great day. Thank you especially to Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad, and Dad - for taking off work, traveling, being supportive, and loving us. We love all of you!

Happy Birthday Travis!

here are 29 reasons why you are amazing:

YOU

1. like to have fun
2. help me laugh every day
3. are good at everything
4. are willing to teach me all those things you're good at
5. like to go climbing together
6. let me climb at my own pace and don't put any pressure on me about it
7. have sexy legs (especially seen when climbing)
8. clean up a lot around the house
9. mow the lawn & take out the trash - thank you!
   
10. cook dinner... a lot
    
11. don't get mad when you get home and dinner isn't ready - you just start making it
12. believe in me and my goals
13. encourage me to accomplish those goals and think they're important
14. are an incredible artist
15. work hard for our family
16. are the best dad ever for Kapria
17. make sure to play with Kapria and spend time with her every day
18. honor your priesthood
19. use your priesthood to bless our family
20. love God and serve him
21. respect both your parents and my parents
22. call me just to say hi
23. have the most beautiful green eyes
24. make me smile
25. are awesome with little kids - especially as an uncle & dad
    
26. asked me to marry you
27. took me to the temple
28. help me be a better person
29. love me and tell me every day

and one to grow on: you keep working hard every day to be a good dad and husband.

Happy Birthday Babe!
love you forever & ever

Stitches

Many of you have asked, so I'd thought we should post a Trav update. His leg is healing great. He was on crutches for a couple days afterwards, but by the weekend was walking without them. It's still sore and by the end of the day it usually throbs, but that's to be expected when someone digs around in your muscles I suppose. He'll see the doc next week to get the stitches out and the official prognosis.

It looks like the incision is the full length of the bandage. We'll be able to tell better next week.

He wasn't supposed to take the bandage off for 10 days (doctor's orders). But does that mean anything to Trav? ha ha!

All that anticipation over a pea...

Trav's surgery went extremely well. We got to the hospital at 7am and we were home by 1 pm. The tumor was located under the muscle, which is what caused the bump and the constant aching. It was about the size of a pea - who new something so tiny could cause so much pain?!

And the best news: the doctor is confident in saying that the tumor is benign. YAY!! It still has to be tested, so we'll hear back from pathology in about a week. Hopefully they will just be confirming what the doctor already told us. He also got a look at the second one (still deep in the muscle tissue, so it's staying there) and said it looked the same. I forgot to ask him how they can be certain that if one tumor is benign the other is as well. I'll have to ask that at the check up this week. Unless any of you know...

So now Trav just has to stay off his leg and elevate it and ice it for the next couple of days. The worst part was him getting sick from the medication...but we got some new stuff that makes him very happy.


Thanks to everyone for your prayers and emails and phone calls. We have felt much peace with the whole situation and know your love helped.


Hooray! Hooray! Daddy's Okay!
Here's to harmless peas!

We'd rather be in Hawaii

I think it's safe to say that just about at any time we'd rather be in Hawaii (Trav especially, so long as Kapria and I were with him, since he's had a taste of the Island. I want to go once I can fit in a bathing suit again). But this will be most true tomorrow morning at 7am when we are at the hospital.

So here's a picture of Shawn in Hawaii - can I just say
WE WANT TO BE THERE WITH YOU!


I love this picture because it is perfectly Shawn. He used to climb everything he could when we were growing up. Apparently he still does.









Anyway, I'll keep everyone posted on how the surgery goes. The tumor is close to the surface, so it really should be a pretty fast process to get it out. We've been told not a big deal at all. I am going to ask if I can watch. That would be sooo cool!

My awesome sister Nicole is watching Kapria at our house, which is made even more wonderful by the fact that we don't have to leave before 6:45 am to take her to a babysitter. I LOVE you, Nic!

Also, thanks to everyone who has offered help tomorrow. We appreciate it so much and are just grateful to feel strength from your prayers.

And here are a couple more pictures of what Travis and I will be dreaming about tonight:

of bumps and bruises

Many of you already know, but Trav has been having some pain in his right leg for quite awhile due to a bump that we thought at first was just a knot that would go away. However, it's gotten bigger and more painful, so he went in to see a doctor. The doctor couldn't tell what it was, so he sent Trav to get an xray. However, the xray didn't show anything. We most definitely knew it was something because many days it would throb and hurt. Trav's doctor referred us to a specialist who thought it could be 1 of 3 things:

1. scar tissue
2. the muscle popping through a tear in his faschia (spelling?? meaning??)
3. cancerous something

He thought #2 was most likely, and #3 was least likely.

Trav had an MRI last week, and today the specialist told him that he has two tumors in his right leg.

Now - don't go panicking on us. The good news is that most likely the tumors are benign. The largest one - the one that is causing a bump on his leg and all the pain - is going to be removed next Wednesday during an out-patient surgery. The smaller one is deep in the muscle and is so small that the doctor feels that if he were to try to remove it, he could cause some permanent damage to the leg muscle. So he is going to remove the larger one, send it to pathology to test it, and we'll see what the results are.

This is where you come in. We feel very calm and peaceful about the whole thing, and really feel that there is nothing to worry about. However, we would love to have some extra prayers to help that feeling continue. So we are asking all our family and friends to pray for Travis that:

1. the surgery will go quickly and without any complications
2. the doctor will be able to remove the entire tumor and will be steady as he works on Trav's leg
3. the outcome will be positive - a benign tumor and a healthy leg and a healthy Travis

Since this is coming during the most stressful part of Trav's semester as he prepares for his senior show and graduation, I would also ask that you pray for him to be able to complete all his work well and to continue to feel peace and calm.

This Sunday, March 30, we are asking anyone who would like to join our family in fasting and prayer to do so.

We love you all and appreciate your love and support!