The Giving Tree Sequel

"I don't need a stump anymore," said the boy to the tree. "I just want to use the space for grass now."

"Well," said the tree, "I will tell you where the chainsaw is so that you can make me flat."

And so the boy did.

And then he got some Roundup to finish the job.

The end.

Goodbye, once-wonderful, recently diseased, now deceased cherry tree.

Replacement Fun in New Haven

Before we moved to Connecticut, people encouraged us to visit as many places as we could in the short time we were there.

And, you know, we did pretty well. We hit all of New England and all of the mid-Atlantic except Delaware (sorry Delaware . . . we sure thought about you a lot!). We went to national parks, state parks, beaches, plays, concerts, and playgrounds aplenty.

But we didn't hit everything we had hoped to while we were there. So in true Moon fashion, we found replacement fun closer to home that (hopefully) gave us a similar experience with less work.

For example:

The Mansions of Newport: To be totally honest, I've been a bit opulence-d out ever since we went to Versailles in 2013. But I still heard really great things about the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, especially the Breakers, so it was always on our to-do list, especially during Christmastime. But the weeks surrounding Christmas were consistently 0 degrees and we didn't want to go outside if we didn't have to, and then other things came up. Plus it was far.

Replacement: In June we drove about an hour over to Gillette Castle. It was a quirky building built by a quirky man who loved cats, trains, and Sherlock Holmes. It might not have been as resplendent as the mansions in Newport, but he definitely got lots of points for creativity when it came to doors.

Other replacement: We looked at Google Images to see pretty pictures of mansions. (And we've also spent a lot of time looking at McMansions to know what not to do in a house, haha.)

Eric Carle Museum/Dr. Seuss Museum: We have a lot of Eric Carle books, and many of them mention the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was about 1 hour 45 minutes from New Haven, so I thought it would be doable sometime. I was mostly interested in the gallery of picture book art, but other parts like the craft room sounded good too. While we were at it, I thought we might be able to swing by the Norman Rockwell museum, the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden, and the newly-opened Dr. Seuss museum.

However, it kept getting pushed back and pushed back. It eventually seemed like a lot of work to drive all the way up there, so we opted for different outings.

Replacement: We read picture books and admired the art in them. (Looking now at the pictures of the museums, I sort of regret not going, and I think the kids would have enjoyed the exhibits well enough, but oh well. Maybe someone else we know can go and live it vicariously for us.)

White Mountain National Forest: We would have to loved to spend some time in the beautiful mountains of New Hampshire, but then we realized that

Replacement: We were moving to Utah, which also has beautiful mountains.

Albany Tulip Festival: I marked this on my calendar months in advance (also figuring we could see some mansions in the area while were there), but when the time came I had just come back from my trip to Michigan and I was exhausted. So we stayed home and went to carnivals in the rain but at least we weren't in tulip festivals in the rain.

Replacement: We went to the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point last year. And I'll hold onto my dreams of going to a tulip festival in the Pacific Northwest.

Professional sports:  I'm sure there were plenty of opportunities to go to baseball games, basketball games, hockey games, and football games in the area.

Replacement: I took Joseph to soccer and spent the whole time trying to keep Matthew from joining in and chatting with friends.

We also visited this track sometimes. 

Bronx Zoo -- We knew our kids would love this incredible zoo. We knew we wouldn't love the price.

Replacement: Last year we got library passes to the Bridgeport Zoo one time so we paid $15 to get in, which seemed about right for the variety of animals there. Joseph then went there this year on a field trip, and Matthew was eager to go to a zoo too.

So we tried to count a Saturday visit to the Ansonia Nature Center as a zoo. I think he could tell the difference but he liked it enough.

Splash pad: We tried several times to go to splash pads that promised they were open after Memorial Day. Each time ended in bitter, sweaty failure.

Replacement: Rain worked okay.

Children's Museums: After we got a museum pass from the Providence Children's Museum, we hoped to use it at several museums in the area. However, we didn't realize that a) Providence is more north than east on I-95 so that it's less than 90 miles from most of Connecticut and b) my address on my driver's license wasn't 90 miles from those museums either. So after going to Stepping Stones I decided I was done with museums in the area. (For some reason I'm just not a children's museum person that much . . . you have to drive somewhere, park somewhere, meet up with friends, abandon friends while you chase your respective children, share toys with unfamiliar children, drive home, and then later catch whatever cold was left by those children.)

Replacement: People were kind enough to watch my kids at their homes during the last few marathon days of packing, and my kids got to play with their toys. Besides the water exhibits and interactive game projector, that's all they really ever want from children's museums.

(Oh, and since being in Utah we used the museum pass at Thanksgiving Point. I still had to drive somewhere, park somewhere, meet up with friends, abandon friends while I chased my children, share toys with unfamiliar, children, and drive home, but at least it was free!)

Statue of Liberty: This is one of the most iconic sites in New York City, and it definitely would have been cool to visit it. But based on past experience it would have also involved a lot of waiting in lines.

Replacement: We waited in lines at the airport when we moved.

(okay, that one is really lame. Someday we'll go when the kids are older!)

Grove Street Cemetery: I'd seen this one recommended a few times because it is old and has famous names in it. It was close to our church so I thought we could stop by sometime on a Sunday.

Replacement: I just looked up the cemetery on Wikipedia for my cemetery blog post the other day, and I guess that will have to count.

Brooklyn Botanical gardens: We had a few friends go down to visit the stunning gardens in Brooklyn, and if the traffic hadn't scared me I would have gladly joined them. (I think it was okay to be scared of a 4 hour drive home, to be honest.)

Replacement: I was sure to visit the Pardee Rose Garden at the back of East Rock Park in June. We also liked trips to Edgerton Park and walks through various colleges at Yale.

Good old Edgerton

How God does June in Connecticut.

Camping: You know us. We have never done a proper camping trip in all of our years of marriage, and as tempting as it sounded to camp at Hammonassett Beach (ticks don't live on the sand so much), we just never did.

Replacement: We had s'mores behind the Divinity School right before loading all of our boxes and bedding into a trailer so that the next few days felt like camping.

Looking back, one of the great things about Connecticut was just how much there was to do there. I felt like I had to drive 20 minutes to get anywhere I wanted, but then within a 40-45 minute radius there were all kinds of attractions, both rural and urban.

Logan is different. It's a half hour away from the freeway and almost another hour past that to Salt Lake City. Much of what I came to love in Connecticut just isn't here.

But I'm not worried one bit. We're always good at finding replacement fun.

Things I never thought I would have to explain to my children, #451

451. How VHS works.

I turned a video on for them and a few minutes later they were complaining it wasn't working. What I had assumed were opening previews were actually trailers after the movie, so I needed to rewind the whole thing. It was no big deal, but it sure baffled my kids who haven't been exposed to VCRs except at grandparents' houses and are just used to DVDs and video streaming.

It'll be fun to see what other vestiges of my childhood they'll get to experience next. I wonder if they'll ever get a busy signal.

Cemetery

Last night I was able to meet up with some New Haven friends down in Provo. While we were there, someone asked, "What is there even to do in Logan? Like, the only thing you've got there is a cemetery!"

I mean, I kind of get his question. As we were driving down we saw all kinds of billboards for  exhibits at Thanksgiving Point and aquariums as well as stores like IKEA and Cabela's. And there's none of that in Logan. There is a cemetery right next to the USU basketball court, so if you were guessing that everything exciting in Cache Valley was in that couple of acres there, you would be right to assume that cemeteries were about on par with basketball in terms of exciting Logan venues.

Obviously, that's not really all there is. I mean, today we went on two different hikes in Blacksmith Fork canyon and Providence Canyon, caught candy from a cannon at Willow Park (as well as other crafts and activities there), got shave ice, and went back to Willow Park in the evening to watch a National Parks concert. In the summer there are lots of concerts, plays, festivals, art exhibits, and even food tours (rereading that made me remember that I decided to boycott Aggie Ice Cream back in 2012. I think I can break the boycott now that I live here again). And yes, there are even bowling alleys, which he was also wondering.

But besides all of those options, if you're looking for something to do, you can always go to a cemetery. There are more famous names in the Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven that I meant to visit but never did than there are here, but there are still interesting headstones and names in the cemeteries here. My family would go visit on Memorial Day, and sometimes we would have service projects there for Young Women's.

The most memorable time I went to the Logan cemetery was when I was 10. We were there for Achievement Days looking at names and maybe doing a scavenger hunt or something. My mom was planning to pick me up early so I could take an exam for the music program I was in. When I saw her minivan pull up, I told my leader, "I see my mom, so I'd better go." They all said bye and I ran over to catch my mom.

And then she started driving the wrong direction. I continued to run after her, calling and waving my arms to catch her attention. Each time I got close, she turned away again.

I had an idea. I was going to stop chasing and just be sure to beat her to wherever she would drive next. I hopped over gravestones and darted past trees to the spot I thought she would come next. I saw the car turn the corner and got excited. She would see me now! I wouldn't be late to my exam!

And then she didn't. I saw her frown a little as she looked around and then drove the wrong way again. I started my chase after her again, this time with tears running down my face. Would she ever find me? Would she go home without me? Would my Achievement Day leaders go home without me? Would I be stuck in the cemetery?????

Again I tried to be in her line of sight, and again she didn't see me. I kept on running, and running, and running. And then finally, after minutes of the worst game of hide and seek ever, she finally made eye contact with me. I sprinted toward the car and hopped in.

"Why couldn't you find me????" I cried.

"I was looking!" she said apologetically. By this point we were already late to the exam, so we hurried over to the examiner's house, my mom doing her best to calm me down and help me forgive her so I could actually play without being a bundle of nerves.

And it was fine. The examiner wasn't upset that we were late. I played the scales and arpeggios as well as I ever did. Most importantly, I wasn't abandoned in the cemetery.

So if you're ever looking for an exciting, somewhat terrifying venue, I guess the cemetery would work after all.

Rep-Utah-tion

Today marks three weeks since we moved to Utah. Most of our previous trips to Utah were two weeks or less, but there was one Christmas where I stayed for a whole three weeks. So, I've been in Utah longer now than I ever have been since July 2012. When I logged into LDS Tools on my phone it finally made me switch from the New Haven ward to the Providence ward, so I guess you could say things really are official now.

So far, it's been good, especially since we finally bought double-ply toilet paper (my parents believe in soft tissues but not soft toilet paper). Days have been pretty simple, and for the most part my parents and Kevin and I just try to live regular lives, except that I am never outnumbered 3 to 1 by kids anymore.

Much of the time so far has been spent doing what I call kin-keeping -- back-to-back family reunions, meeting up with old high school friends (for both Kevin and me), figuring out times to see BYU and Ann Arbor and New Haven friends, and so on. It's different and nice to move to a place and feel like I already have friends, even though in some ways I feel like it's perhaps harder to do "new person things" like find a pediatrician and play groups. That will all come.

Our first Sunday as our membership records were being read over the pulpit, the bishop explained how it was that Kyra Moon was the daughter of the other Moons in the ward, and that Kevin was the son-in-law. "Well, we got that over with," we all muttered to each other. It was one of those funny moments where my reputation preceded me.

There have been several instances like that -- not just of the last name thing (though that has come up a lot) but also times where it feels like people know a lot more about me than what I could have ever told them personally.

Take, for example, the family reunions I went to. These were the first family reunions I've really been to in years, and it was a little funny seeing all the great-aunts and cousins-once-removed that I have known through social media but have rarely interacted with in person. Since I post often on social media, they knew me pretty well, and many of them I felt like I knew pretty well from their posts . . . but it wasn't quite the same as knowing them from normal conversations and normal life. So some of the conversations felt like a funny little dance since we didn't need to learn any small talk details but didn't quite know what to talk about next.

Or there are the interactions I've had with the people I've known my whole life. They knew me as a toddler who didn't want to be reverent during Sacrament Meeting. They knew me as the little girl who was terrified of dogs. "And are you still scared of dogs?" my neighbor asked me as I was on a walk with Matthew and Jacob.

"No," I said, and I petted her dog to prove it.

What has been most surprising is how okay I have been with all of it. It can sound so appealing to be able to move somewhere where no one knows you and have a fresh start. Nothing embarrassing you did in the past matters, no one knows that you've typically been the shy one or the loud one or whatever.

But at the end of the day, I don't think any of that matters. It really is okay to see people from high school again, and it's even okay if you don't remember everyone's names. It really is okay to start forming friendships with people who were once your friends' moms. It really is okay to recognize people at Walmart. I mean, it happened most every time I went to Walmart in New Haven, so it's no different here. Life isn't about skirting through semi-anonymously, waiting until you're perfect to become public. It's about forming relationships now, wherever you might be planted.

And if your reputation precedes you, well, at least there's always the possibility that you're no longer scared of dogs. Reputations can change.

What Chatbooks would look like at our house

There's a new Chatbooks ad that just came out, and it's pretty funny.

I do wonder how they knew though what our chatbooks would be made of.

And so on.


Actually, since moving to Utah the boys have used regular Legos a lot more than duplos, which has come with its own set of challenges. But the picture-taking phase seems to be done at least.

Flooring isn't boring

Kevin and I spent a while this morning looking at flooring. The last time I was in a flooring store was approximately 1996 when my parents let me choose the carpet for my room in the newly-finished basement. I gravitated toward a purple-pink-gray carpet that was pretty terrific.

We're not going to dwell on the fact that when I was 10 I played a Connect-Four tournament with my stuffed animals and handed out Reflections ribbons to them. Life really did get better.  

This time around though, I wanted more serious-looking carpets for some reason. After years of almost defiantly not caring about aesthetics, I suddenly want to actually make things look nice.

Kevin convinced me that we ought to register for them anyway for our wedding . . . but we haven't done too much since in the decor department 

So while we were at the wholesale floor place (does the word wholesale make anyone else think Holstein? Now that would be some carpet in a town that gives out string cheese at parades -- some synthetic white shag with black spots. But I guess every time I walked on it I would think of 101 Dalmatians [which we just watched, and Matthew calls it the Marshall puppies movie] and it would make me sad) we learned about all kinds of floors -- laminate, vinyl, tile, etc. It was a lot of fun, even if it was a little bit stressful trying to make sure things would look okay next to each other.

And then we looked at carpet swatches. And I realized that most everyone has a huge gap in our education when it comes to colors. I mean, look at this:

Every single square is a different color, yet all we have are vague qualifiers -- brown, tan, blue, gray, lighter, darker, slightly greener, etc. 

Why don't we have standardized names for all of these colors? I'm sure the names exist somewhere. I mean there's a list of about 20 in that Joseph's Coat song, but no one learns them. And I figure, if kids can remember the names of dozens of dinosaurs or tell when a sandwich looks slightly different than it did yesterday, they can learn the difference between aquamarine, turquoise, and teal. 

So then I scoured the internet. There are about a million videos that teach babies red and yellow and blue over and over, so surely there could be a video that taught kids about puce and ecru. 

So far, no luck.

With so few color descriptors at our disposal, it's no wonder we can't agree on the color of the dress.

Come to think of it, maybe I should see how white and gold would look for carpet.

The more things change . . .

. . . the more they stay the same.

Our cousin picture was taken in fall of 1994 before digital cameras were a thing, so we got a picture or two of shell-shocked children, and that was what we were stuck with.

But frankly, the photographer reminded me of the scary short-haired lady on Sesame Street, and apparently she scared everyone but Leslie too. So I don't think multiple takes would have helped.

At any rate, we can file this away in "pain is temporary but the funny picture lasts forever." Especially when we get to remake it.

MVP objects

We've been in Utah now for almost two weeks, and it's been great. We've seen tons of family and friends and will probably see even more in the coming weeks.

Since the 4th was a holiday and then we had several family reunions all in a row (more on that later), our stuff hasn't arrived yet. So, all that we have is what fit into our suitcase and backpacks that we took with us on an airplane. (And all of the toys and books and furniture at my parents' house, so really we're not suffering at all.) 

While we've been living firsthand the Life-Changing Magic of Not Having Most of Your Stuff, there have been a few all-star items that we have had that I want to pay tribute to.

1. Vacuum

Okay, so we didn't pack our vacuum with us . . . but it was the very last thing that went into the moving truck. I took a picture of my mom's, but mine is the same brand. And it is glorious. If you like sweeping better than vacuuming then you have been kept from the truth because you know not where to find it. And where to find it is here. These vacuums are practically celestial. They just work so well!

Years and years ago, my family made a similar cross-country move and we lived without our stuff for two weeks before we moved. It was pretty intense -- the only furniture in the house was the toilet seat. But the vacuum stayed, and it was even packed in the minivan for the drive back. (It probably helped that Leslie and I flew so there was more room in the car.)

Anyway, it was great to have the vacuum on hand for the days in between packing and moving, and we're pretty excited to add it to the mix when we can finally unload the truck. You can never have too many Simplicity vacuums around.

2. Umbrella stroller

We first received this stroller from our friends 3 years ago when they moved from Michigan, and they first found it at the dumpster. Our low expectations for it have been exceeded a thousand times over.

Unlike many umbrella strollers which have been designed by rogue chiropractors who want to stay in business by making you hunch down while you walk, this stroller is tall enough and sturdy enough to push with ease. It has been a perfect place to put Jacob when we're out and about, even if he just sits there looking exhausted instead of sleeping. There are worse fates.

3. Red skirt

When Kevin and I were engaged, he was kind enough to go to University Mall with me to shop for clothes. I found this red skirt and instantly fell in love with it just like I had just fallen in love with Kevin.

And, after 8 and a half years, I'm still wearing it! I'm not saying I have fit in it every single day of those 8 and a half years, but it's gotten a lot of use. The fact it's lasted this long is still a miracle to me.

As an added bonus, it hides messes pretty well. Like, you wouldn't even know unless I told you that 10 minutes before going to church this morning I splashed orange juice all over it when I was taking the seal off the bottle. (This is not to be confused with the time two days ago at a family reunion when I shook a dressing bottle that actually didn't have a lid and ended up with a mouth and hair full of dressing because I'm cool like that.) I didn't have something to change into, so I kept the skirt on and it was fine. This skirt is a winner.

4. Breath mints

We haven't been a breath mint family until recently when Kevin got some to have on hand during plane rides. When I went on a trip I decided to take them too, and ever since there have been breath mints in my purse.

They've served a wide variety of purposes -- small incentives (I'm curious to see if they'll get us through potty training), entertainment (I once went to a tag sale with Jacob and he was happy to shake the container for the whole time), and keeping kids quiet while they suck on them.

During a reunion program this weekend, my kids were getting a little antsy so I gave them breath mints. Then, my niece asked for one too. Less than a minute later, a great-aunt spoke of how my great-grandma always had mints on hand for the kids. My heart was definitely turned to her in that moment!



We didn't pack quite perfectly. For example, our boys have probably been okay wearing sandals to church, but it'll be good to have their regular shoes back. But overall, it's been just fine living without most of our stuff. As long as you have a few high-quality items available, you've got what you need.

And breath mints. It helps to have breath mints.

It's all about the wordplay

Matthew says a lot of funny things these days, and a lot of the funniness comes from how he twists ideas and concepts around from their normal meanings. For example:

Me: "Do you want some edamame?"
Him: "No! You have edamame. Daddy has edaDaddy. I don't want edaMatthew."

(I often talk to Matthew during the Sacrament to keep him from rolling around and shouting. I whisper stories of Jesus to Him. This was today's conversation.)

Me: "When people were hungry, Jesus gave them lots of bread."
Him: "No. He gave them peanut butter sandwiches."

(Reading a picture book about animals.)

Him: "Look! A Marshall dog!!!" (like from Paw Patrol)
Me: "Do you remember what it's called?" (I had explained the day before that it was a dalmatian.) "Dal . . ." I prompted.
He looked at me cheekily and said, "DalMarshall."
Me: "It's a dalmatian. Can you say dalmatian?'
Him: "DalChase-in!"
(Chase is not a dalmatian.)

Him: "I want my Superman shirt!"

Me: "It's in a box in Illinois right now!'
Him: "No! I don't want Illinois to play with it. It's mine!"

And during scriptures a few weeks ago, we had this exchange:

Kevin: And they gave

Matthew: And they gave

Kevin: an account of

Matthew: an account of

Kevin: one Coriantumr

Matthew: TWO Coriantumrs

Oh, and speaking of scriptures and Superman, sometimes he doesn't want to repeat what we say, so I throw in references to Superman and then he'll repeat the rest of the verse.

It's all about the wordplay.