Kirblog

Valentine Bedroom Makeover

2012-02-16T21:36:00.001-08:00

I redid our bedroom for Valentine's Day and surprised Ben when he got home from work. I got a headboard, new duvet, sewed some pillow covers, rearranged furniture and covered the lamps with fabric! Everything is gray and green. I have been wanting to hang out in my bedroom all week!

I Love Lucy!

2012-02-10T17:26:00.001-08:00

I just love this baby girl of mine! I love that she is the "unifier" of the siblings; urge kids usually have someone they aren't getting along with, but never Lucy! Everybody loves Lucy. We are so happy she is part of this crazy family.

Warm January Days

2012-01-28T15:43:00.001-08:00

I LOVE it when it is warm in January. Ben took the boys to Legoland and I took the girls to the zoo.

What did you do for Christmas?

2012-01-04T21:32:00.001-08:00

One of our Christmas traditions: going to see crazy Christmas lights.

Not so traditional: swimming on Christmas Eve.

Utah Fun

2012-01-04T21:24:00.001-08:00

Spent a great week in Utah visiting Ben's sister in Mt. Pleasant, seeing both sets of grandparents and 7 siblings, catching up with old friends, and ringing in the New Year with some sweet puzzle action, playing 2011 charades and Just Dance on the Wii. Good times!

Halloween, again.

2011-11-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, yes, it's been a while. I have a whole list of excuses, but really, I'm just busy. But for now, here are some Halloween pics from this year:

Lucy on the porch with pumpkins, our jack o'lanterns, our front-yard spider, and an awesome family of Angry Birds.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-10T21:37:00.000-08:00

I get a kick out of the Socal Pumpkin patches that are smack in the middle of the urban sprawl. Just lay out a bunch of pumpkins, put up a few hay bales, decorate with some corn, and VOILA, you've got yourself a real-life pumpkin patch. Throw in some ponies, goats, and a haunted house and it's a fair! The downer is that the pony rides cost $5 and the bounce house is $2 for five minutes! But this year we took the kids, and had ourselves some fall fun.

This is Halloween, this is Halloween...

2010-10-31T15:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween to all you boys and ghouls!

From:

Mario

Pac-man

Princess Peach

and this little ladybug!

Baby Update

2010-10-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

Lucy is already five and a half months -she has grown so much! I feel like she needs an update.

Lucy continues to be a happy baby and sleeps 8 hours at night! She rolls over both ways and can pretty much roll anywhere she wants to go. She even does a pretty good job entertaining herself. Two teeth have broken through and rice cereal is a hit! She loves to grab the spoon and "feed herself."

Lucy listens intently if you say Mama or Dada and wants to join in any fun her siblings are having. She has these big baby blues and a smile that just melts you!

Can you even stand how adorable she is?

Back to School

2010-10-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Now that I got the summer post out of the way (phew!) I can move on to other stuff. My kids started school at the beginning of September -about six weeks ago- but it's still blog-worthy.

Ian is in fourth grade now and rides his bike to school. He started playing violin as part of the music program at school and loves it! He's still doing swim team, and was moved up to the older team. They swim two hours every day!
Jacob is in 2nd grade and is getting used to a stricter, home-work lovin' teacher. It's good for him! He's playing soccer and enjoys being a defender.
Kate started preschool two days a week and looooves it. She insists on taking her backpack, even though she doesn't need one. Her favorite thing to do is play in the playhouse!

Summer Recap!

2010-09-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

I have to crank out this post so I can be free and move on to others...you understand, right?

Summer was a sleep-deprived blur...I guess that's what a new baby does to you! We did manage to do some fun things I had to report on the blog, though.
In July, we celebrated the 4th with a bike parade and breakfast at our church. The kids decorated their bikes and zoomed around the church parking lot. Here's our bishop announcing the beginning of the parade. "This is not a race, okay?" Riiiight....

A week later, we had a family reunion with Ben's family in the Redwoods in Northern California. The drive was long and the stay was way too short. I married into an incredibly fun and united family!

Redwood National Forest

Getting ready for the the famous races! Cousins in each age group race each other.

Ian won his division!

A day at the beach. It was definitely not sunny Southern California, but still a blast!

The "outlaw" in-law picture. We're sooo bad!

Our sweet baby Lucy was blessed on August 1st. Notice the new suit...Ben had to buy one to be in the bishopric!

My mom made Lucy's beautiful dress

We did not go to the beach enough! My favorite beach trips were the 3rd annual Three Arch Bay Mom's Beach Retreat...

We missed getting a picture with the later group

...and our first trip to San Clemente Beach on Labor Day. It was relaxing just hanging out with friends, and the waves in San Clemente were perfect for boogie boarding...even Kate gave it a try.

Hope you had a great summer yourself!

Girlies

2010-09-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Here are my girls, each at about three months, in the same outfit! Can you tell them apart? DO you think they look alike, or different?

Lost and found

2010-08-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday night I took my children to a farewell dinner at a community park for friends who were moving. Ben was at work-related meeting and I was glad to take the kids to free dinner! I told them we'd have to leave just before 8pm to go and pick up pictures at Costco for a church camp they were all participating in that week. While at the park, my kids seemed to be playing happily. Jacob and Ian had brought their Razor scooters and Jacob was taking full advantage of riding the many sidewalks at the large park. I have to admit I checked on my boys only every once in a while, since Kate is usually the one I worry about. This park also had a clear perimeter, so it’s not like they could just wander off. I even remember saying to someone that night, "I have to check on Kate all the time, but I don't worry as much about my older boys."
About 7:50pm I started picking up our things and getting ready to go. I looked for my kids to tell them we were leaving, but could only find Ian and Kate. I got the kids and stuff in the car, thinking Jacob was around somewhere, probably on his Razor, since I couldn't find that either. I would look for him after I got the baby and stuff in the car. I sent Ian on the other Razor to look around the park, to see if he could see Jacob near the perimeter of the park. It was getting dark at this point and it was hard to see that far. Ian didn't find him so I left all the kids in the van and headed out on the Razor myself to look for Jacob. I told some of our friends who were still at the park that Jacob was missing and they helped me look. I was a little worried, but not too much, knowing he must be hiding in some bushes, or in the bathrooms.
Just after 8pm I started to really worry. We had exhausted all possibilities at the park. A police officer was routinely circling the parking lot, and I approached him to help. He got out of his car and began peppering me with questions. He notified his unit. I called Ben to come home from his meeting. Friends were still looking around the park. The officer kept asking me if he could have gone home, but I didn’t think he would know the way home. Plus, it was pretty far. I was holding back tears as I answered endless questions and began calling people (at the request of the police) who had been at the park, especially Jacob’s friends he had been playing with.
During that first fifteen minutes, some men who had been playing soccer in an adjacent field came to the police and told them they had seen a strange man hovering around the park that evening. They said they may have seen him taking a little boy away from near the bathrooms. At this point, I broke down. Just the sheer terror of the reality that someone could have taken my child swept over me. The officer tried to keep me calm by telling me that most likely, that had not happened. They detained the witnesses, however, and they remained there throughout the search, as an embodiment of that very real, horrifying possibility. Others who were at the park began calling members of our ward and stake. Our bishop’s phone was ringing off the hook, he told me later.
The search shifted as we got a call from a member of our ward who said that his wife, our Relief Society president, had seen Jacob near our neighborhood pool. She had happened to see him while driving by and noted the time. Her husband called her a few minutes later and told her we were searching for Jacob. She told him that she had seen him. We told the police and our search moved to our neighborhood. I was detained at the park, but we all felt relieved that someone had seen Jacob, that he had made it home on his scooter. But the search was still on. In the meantime, Ben was told to go home instead of coming to the park. The police wanted someone at home, waiting, with the lights on, so Jacob would stay there if he went home again. We called all of our neighbors and church members who live close by to begin looking. Emails went out and more people responded to those. Police were sent to any locations we thought Jacob might go to…friends, the school, etc. Finally the police officer said he had been found. Seconds later, we found out that a church friend who knew Jacob had found him and he was safe.

Jacob’s story:

Jacob left the park because he had soiled his pants. He was embarrassed and didn't want to tell anyone. He took matters into his own hands and decided to go home on his Razor, take a shower and change. It was three miles, and he crossed at least two busy streets to get there. He did make it home, but no one was there and the doors were locked. So he decided to ride to Costco, since that is where we had planned to go after going to the park, thinking we would be there. That is when Kim, our Relief Society president, happened to see him as he rode past our neighborhood pool. Jacob rode another two miles to Costco, but it was closed. Then he headed back home. By this time it was dark and he was really scared. He stopped and said a prayer that he would make it home. A few blocks later, as he was crossing a very busy six-lane, 50 mile-an-hour speed-limit road with oncoming traffic, our dear friend Jennie saw him. She didn’t know we were looking for him. She got him in her van to take him home. She dropped him off at the pool where many people had gathered to help search for him.
Jacob rode a total of 7 miles and was missing for an hour. He could have been kidnapped. He could have been hit by a car. But he is safe. He is safe.

I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am. First, for prayer, and for those who answered those prayers. I am grateful to police officers, who do their job every day, who use experience and training to help efficiently in times of crisis. I am amazed by the network of the church, how fast we were able to find Jacob, how many people stopped to pray and moved into action at a moment’s notice. I believe that angels were there to help us that night, both angels on earth, who stood by our side, who searched, who watched my other children, who held my baby, who called and mobilized others, who drove me home, and angels in heaven, who I believe watched out for Jacob on his journey. I also know it was through my relationships with two church sisters, whom I would otherwise never have met, that Jacob was found. They knew him, recognized him in the dark and helped him find his way home. The Lord also knows us, recognizes us and helps us to find our way home. It is through others that He does so. I realize things could have turned out differently, if that had been the Lord’s will. But it was not, and for now I am grateful for my family and having my son safe at home.

Babies and purple Jacarandas

2010-06-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

In the spring, Ben was telling the kids that our new baby would be coming when the Jacarandas bloom. The Jacaranda is an otherwise boring tree, but come May, it suddenly turns into this gorgeous purple wonder. Our neighborhood is lined with them, so it looks pretty spectacular. Hey, it's really the only sign of spring we get around here. So here's Lucy, about one month old, in front of the Jacaranda trees.

One Month

2010-06-11T16:14:00.001-07:00

Baby Lucy is one month old! We are truly enjoying every minute with her. You can't help it...she's adorable, smells delicious and has a captivating smile. She is also a ravenous eater and therefore growing up way too fast. She weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. at two weeks and 10 lbs. 7 oz. at 1 month. Bring on the cheeks and fat rolls!
What do the sibs think of her? The boys like Lucy, but only pay attention to her about 15 seconds a day. Theyhad two days off school this week and experienced a lot of *crying baby.* Their thoughts:
Ian: "Can we take her back to the hospital now?"
Jacob: "Can she go back in your tummy now?"
Sorry brothers, she's here to stay!

I was a little worried about Kate's reaction to a new sibling since she demands so much of my attention, but she could not love her little sister more! Kate always lets me know if Lucy is crying, wants to hold her, helps with diaper changes and is excited about every little thing she does.
"Look baby sister is moving her head!"
"Look, baby sister has eyelashes!"
"Look, baby sister smiled at me!"

We sure love our little Lucy!

one week

two weeks

three weeks

4 weeks

one month

Baby Lucy is here!

2010-05-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Lucy M-
born 12:04 A.M.
On Thursday, May 6th
7 lbs. 7 oz.
19.5 inches

We couldn't be happier with the newest addition to our family!

All by himself...

2010-04-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

My child learned to make cookies. Good cookies. All. By. Himself. All that chocolatey deliciousness without lifting a finger. Maybe I can get him to start making dinner, too...

It IS an easy recipe, if you want to try it.

Quick-Mix Chocolate Cookies

1 box devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix all ingredients with spoon until dough forms.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Store tightly covered. Makes 30 cookies.

Easter Photo Shoot

2010-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures. I love my kids. I love Easter clothes. I love spring flowers. For all these reasons, I must take pictures of my cute kids, in their cute Easter clothes, in front of cute flowers. The question is, "Why is this so hard?"
Seriously, out of 160 pictures I snapped -in about 10-15 minutes- I got *10* pictures where all three were actually looking at the camera -looking, not smiling, or being cute.

I guess it is hard for kids when the following don't make the cut:

The yawn
The pirate face
The tongue
The crazy pose

The fake smile

not to mention the pushing, whining, yelling, scratching of crotches and closing of eyes that goes on.

But once in a while I get lucky...

and realize that photoshop can help...

and that sometimes kids don't have to be looking at the camera.

March Catchup

2010-04-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

Ready for some catch-up? Here's what's been happening with us since we last tuned in...
The boys enjoyed their annual school jog-a-thon where they run to make some money for the school PTA. And oh, how we need it. With the terrible California economy, they have made all kinds of budget cuts. Increased class sizes, furlough days, cut programs...why don't the big people see the value of education? I should just be happy helping the government bail out those who bought homes they couldn't afford, or refinance their homes to get money to pay for other things they didn't need, and then decide that they don't want that house they bought after all, because, oh, they can't afford it. But the government can, right? Okay, I'll stop now.

The naughty leprechauns came to our house on St. Patrick's day and made a horrible mess, even riding our bikes in the house! They did leave some awesome candy behind.

However, I had to settle for my favorite flavor of SUGAR-FREE Orbit gum since I failed my routine glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. I had to take the dreaded three-hour glucose test! One nasty drink, four blood draws and three hours sitting in a busy waiting room was not fun, but I did it!! No gestational diabetes for me!! But I think I'd better slow down on the Cadbury Mini Eggs anyway.

At the end of March, I was released as Young Women President in my ward. I cried many tears, but know that it's right, too. I will miss participating in awesome activities with awesome youth, even CAMP(!), feeling the power of the Lord's love for the youth of our church, saying the YW theme every Sunday, having a perfectly good excuse to act like a teenager, working with an awesome bishopric and amazing YW leaders, being so involved in the lives of my dear, dear Young Women, who will be amazing mothers and leaders, and a force for good in the world!

St. George trip

2010-03-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

We had an excuse to go on a short trip to St. George at the beginning of March...my sister Stefanie and her husband Adam blessed their little baby boy, Noah William, on March 7. He is darling and the blessing was beautiful.

Since St. George is halfway between Salt Lake City and Socal, it turned into an opportunity be to get together with my family...all of them! A rare occurrence indeed.
We went to this awesome park while we were there...my kids loved! It's called Cottonwood Cove Park, if you are ever in St. George. (This picture doesn't do it justice!)

We went on a hike the red cliffs right above St. George.

Muscly Men of M-----

Kate and my adorable baby sister Julie

Kate was mostly interested in the caterpillars

M----- Meerkats

Why I Love You

2010-02-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, and because I am loving just hanging out with my kids, and because the craziness of a new baby is fast-approaching, I thought I'd share what I love about each of my kiddos right now.

Ian: thoughtful, obedient, honest, swimmer, ocean-lover

Jacob: funny, cuddly, silly, friendly, helpful, book-worm

Kate: girly, playful, creative, social, happy, fun, animal-lover

Oh, and I love that Ben, too. Something awful. Thanks for the flowers.

I LOVE YOU!
Happy Valentine's Day!

Kid quote

2010-02-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

Setting: Sacrament meeting at church, during the sacrament
Characters: Ben, recently ordained to be a high priest, just because, and Jake, six-year-old funny kid #2

Jake: You're a high priest, dad?
Ben: Yeah.
Jake: Then how come you're not doing anything?

The Rain

2010-01-25T08:38:00.001-08:00

We've had a week of rain. Not just drizzle or the occasional shower, but a torrential, week-long downpour. I have to say I enjoyed the change from our usual "warm and sunny" so-cal forecast, the opportunity to just lay low at home, and the urge to bake goodies. I even marveled at the amount of flooding that occured in our yard, creating a temporary wetlands, complete with various species of birds. Maybe I could have done without the three-inch puddle in the front yard that prevented anyone from using our front door, or the less-than-pleasant, stir-crazy children, or even the tornado warning and 5-hour power outage, but it all made for an exciting week! We've had two days of glorious sun, which I truly appreciate much more now.
It's supposed to rain again tomorrow and I actually look forward to an excuse to curl up in my bed and read a good book while the wind blows and the rain drops tap on my roof.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

2010
Is it twenty-ten or two-thousand ten? Or maybe MMX? What's the consensus?
We celebrated the New Year in Utah and experienced some of the coldest temperatures I can remember--it got down to the teens during the day. Brrr. Living in California as turned us soft. My favorite part of the trip -seeing family and meeting new nieces, Lydia and Melia. My kids' favorite part of the trip--playing with cousins and playing in the snow!

Happy New Year!

Snow Sandman

2009-12-20T22:26:00.000-08:00

What do we do in Southern California when we get a hankerin' to play in the snow? We head for the closest thing we have to snow--the sand!

This was our first year making a sand snowman and in my humble opinion, it turned out pretty good. I can brag since I really didn't do anything except collect sea shells. There were lots of friends to help out -which is what made it so much fun. Some In-and-Out on the way home made it the true California experience.

P.S. For those of you who feel sorry for us, that we don't get to play in the snow, and make a REAL snowman, don't worry about us, we'll be okay. Sunny and 75 degrees in December does that to you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

It's a...

2009-12-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

We had our ultrasound this week and after an hour and a half of trying to get a good look, the technician finally determined that it's a healthy girl! We feel like this will even things up around here and bring balance to the universe...okay, at least for us. We're thrilled!

Reactions?

Ben and I were kind of hoping for a girl and were quite pleased with ourselves when proven right.

Kate has been calling the baby "brudder" since she found out I was expecting. She really wants to be the only princess of the family. She seems okay with having a sister, though.

The boys were betting on another boy and were only disappointed to lose the "kids vs. parents battle."

We feel blessed to have another baby come into our family and to feel a sense of completion. Most likely this will be the last. (Phew!)

Thanksgiving Gratitude

2009-12-01T10:01:00.001-08:00

Every year in November we go to Bakersfield to enjoy Thanksgiving with Ben's grandparents, his Bakersfield aunts and uncles and cousins, and with his sister, Heather and her family who also drive down every year from Sacramento. With all the fun we have talking, eating, shopping, playing, watching movies, I am most grateful to be able to spend time with Ben's grandparents, and to have them be a part of our lives, in these closing chapters of theirs. I am happy knowing that my children will have memories of their great-grandparents. Brent and Rita Richards are in their nineties, very spry, funny and loving. I think we break something every time we are at their house, but they always welcome us back with open arms. Each time I say goodbye, I hope that I will get to see them at least once more.

Here is a part of a letter I recently wrote them:

I have really enjoyed living (somewhat) close to you and seeing you on a regular basis. I am so grateful for your examples and the influence you have on me and my family. I only ever had one grandparent, my Oma in Germany, who was really part of my life. Because I have not lived near her since I was a small child, I have not had the opportunity to spend as much time with her as I would have liked. I have sweet memories of her and the time I did get to spend with her is so cherished! Sadly, she now suffers from dementia and doesn’t remember any of her loved ones or those memories we shared over the years. That is partly why I am so happy that I have had the opportunity to get to know you and to spend so much time with you!
None of my grandparents are active members of the LDS Church or any other faith, and I am continually grateful for a strong gospel heritage through Ben’s family. I often think how blessed I am, how blessed my children are to know you, and more importantly, what kind of people you are, and I hope they understand the legacy you have left for them. Thank you for the faithful lives you have lead and continue to lead. I t makes such a difference to me, to Ben, and to my children.
Love, Kirsten

No, I am not 16.

2009-11-25T10:59:00.001-08:00

Yes, this picture was taken at 2:30am after seeing New Moon.
Yes, I went with these three Laurels AND about 30 of my friends.
Yes, we made T-shirts in line while we waited for two hours to get a good seat.
Yes, I am pregnant and need sleep.
Yes, it took me two days to recover.
No, This is not my favorite movie/book.
No, I do not endorse the Twilight books to the YW.
Yes, I am the best YW president ever.
Yes, the movie was cheesy and therefore hilarious.
Yes, Stephenie Meyer is Ben's first cousin.
Yes, she was on Oprah and is a gazillionaire.
No, she has not given us any money.
No, she won't speak at your fireside.

Will I go see the midnight showing of Eclipse?

Still undecided.

"What are you having?"

2009-11-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

I was at Costco yesterday and a woman behind me in line asked me, completely out of the blue, "What are you having?"
Caught off guard, since I thought I wasn't yet showing, and a how-on-earth-did-she-know blank stare on my face, I replied, "I, uh, don't know."
Stranger Lady: "Oh. You're not finding out? It seems like everyone finds out these days."
Me: "Yes, I'm finding out. In another 5-6 weeks since I"M ONLY 14 WEEKS PREGNANT!"
(I did not shout out that last phrase, but I wanted to.)

So this could mean any of the following:

a) I've had one too many McDonald's plain hamburgers/Wendy's baked potatoes/KFC mashed potatoes and gravy/Taco Bell bean burritos, all my current stand-by lunch option.
b) I'm actually having twins, maybe triplets
c) fourth pregnancies are just that bad
d) some people are extremely rude and have not had the unspoken rule
"Don't assume anyone is pregnant and don't say anything to that effect" explained to them.

What do you think?

Happy Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

From:
Purple Fairy
Ron Weasley
Gryffindor Seeker
and Amazing Race Married Couple

The big old recap

2009-10-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 7 months since I blogged? Well I feel like I have to catch you up on our happenings in order to get into blogging again. I'll try to make it quick and painless.

April - 30 days hath September, April, June and November...
Out of those thirty days in April, we had 23 days of visitors -we tried to pretend we weren't on vacation, but had our fill of Disneyland, the beach, Yogurtland and In-n-Out burgers while trying to squeeze in our regular activities, like baseball, not to mention planting a garden (thanks for the help, Ben and Nettie!), celebrating Easter, getting pulled over by a cop on a youth activity, and keeping Kate out of the make-up bags of house guests.

May - It's mah birthday, it's mah birthday...
I finally got the camera of my dreams after saving up some pennies and foregoing gifts for, like, the last four years. Thanks for your prudent budgeting, hon.
The Nikon D60 has been nothing but fun. I knew I liked taking pictures, but I didn't realize how much. I also didn't know that pictures could actually turn out how I pictured them in my head.
I also got my YW medallion a second time, as a leader. It's silver and shiny...oooooh.
It was an amazing experience, mostly because I was able to share it with six Laurels in my ward.
Ian got two awards in May - one was an art award. A picture he drew at school was chosen to represent the school district at a local art show -who knew he had a creative side! All I ever see is the dominant, Ben-like, engineer side. He also received a trophy for swimming in a meet -where he swam a 100m IM -that's an individual medley, one length of each stroke. We were proud of him just for finishing the race. He keeps improving!

June - Summer, here we come!
We've got two June birthdays in our family -Kate turned three on the 16th and Jake turned 6 on the 21st. The summer officially began on June 18 and I promptly went to YW camp. So much fun! Jacob lost his first tooth. Like Ian, his teeth come in behind the existing one, resulting in two rows of teeth. DUH-nah, DUH-nah, DUH-nah...

July- Road trippin'
We went on a big Western Coast road trip! We stopped in Sacramento, the northern California Coast and the Redwoods, Vancouver, Washington, Crater Lake, Oregon, and San Francisco. We managed to see most of Ben's family, the Bjarnasons, the Blakes, and the Bettingers.
Later that month the boys had hero camp - I made memory books for 130 kids- and we saw some of the biggest waves ever seen in SoCal.

August- Kicking back!
A great month to enjoy our beautiful surroundings. We went to the beach often, played with friends, went to parks. I organized my second annual Mom's beach retreat at Three Arch Bay, enjoyed a day in LA for a Youth temple trip, and headed to Bakersfield for two days of Youth Conference. We went river rafting and after bracing myself for 120 degree weater, it was surprisingly cool!

September - Back in the saddle -almost.
We went on a quick trip to Utah to visit family over Labor Day weekend because school started so late this year. A few highlights were meeting our new niece, Claire, and going to Swiss Days in Midway - one of my favorite craft fairs (I do enjoy the atmosphere, too, although they take the Swiss theme a little too far by serving such delicacies as Swiss Tacos), and a trip to Pace's Dairy Ann in Bountiful. The boys started school on September 10 and Kate started an all girls "Princess Academy" the week after.

And now that you have read my big, boring review, I shall reward you with the reason for my failed attempt at blogging again in September, even though the kids were at school and I should theoretically have loads of free time. Wrong! All I'm doing these days is thinking about food, trying not to think about food, taking naps, and eating more food so I don't throw up. Yep, I'm pregnant!!! We're having number 4 in May!

Eleven

2009-08-21T11:37:00.001-07:00

Since I came out of my blogging shell last year around this time, I couldn’t let the streak end.

As we have been explaining to our children, today is our family’s birthday. Happy 11 years M- family!

Thank you, Kirsten, for being the wonderful woman that you are. You truly are amazing! I am so happy that we are married and am excited for the many, many years to come. I love you!

For those of you who are still watching this blog, Kirsten is planning on returning soon after her long blog absence. She has been working hard with the Young Women in our ward and loving it and had to slow down on the blogging for a while. But I have heard rumors that she is returning to the blog soon.

For a quick update, summer has been a blast, with a vacation to the Redwoods, Vancouver, WA, Crater Lake, San Francisco, and many family and friends along the way. Add to that Girls Camp, Youth Conference, Hero Camp for the kids, Cub Scout day camp, Girls Beach Retreat and lots of family beach trips and swimming, it has been one fun summer. Stay tuned...

The Sibs

2009-03-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

I spent a weekend with my family in Utah. It was fun to hang out sans kids and enjoy some adult time together. My siblings have turned into some of my best friends. They are all such great people.

Janine (in pink) is kind, loyal, creative, a great photographer, and an excellent mom. She has a knack for decorating and an eye for beauty. One of my favorite memories about Janine is her obsession with all things rich and beautiful. She loved shiny pennies and you could trade her a shiny penny for an old dime any day. She'd b-line it to the fur coats in the department store while my mom shopped. she still loves to shop and likes everything purdy.

Stefanie (in purple) is gracious, a fabulous housekeeper, and very unselfish. She runs marathons, which is an amazing accomplishment all by itself. She is also one of the funniest people I know! I remember little Stefanie thinking she was Battlecat from He-man, growling at others and running on all fours. She still runs fast and occasionally growls, and although she has a little bit of Cringer inside her, Battlecat comes out when it's time to get tough.

Ryan (we call him "the boy") is hard-working, smart and a true gentleman. Maybe he should have been born 100 years ago, but then he would not be my fantastic brother would he? He made my trip possible with a sweet Delta buddy pass...thanks, Bro. I'll always remember him with an umbrella in hand, a top hat and a fake mustache, pretending he was some kind of wizard. And that was pre-Harry Potter. And did I mention he has the cutest little dimple ever?

Julianne (in jewel-toned blue) is generous, happy and cool. She's always up for a party! She works at a boutique and knows how to get her fash ON. Recently she accidentally ended up in a Salt Lake Magazine modeling a local designer's new line of clothes...and she was the cutest person in the photo shoot. I remember when she broke her arm and had that adorable little pink cast put on. Somehow she made it look cute and almost started a trend.

What's grosser than gross?

2009-03-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

I'm having nightmares. I have to hide the library books we got for my son's insect report.

I've got a serious case of the heebie jeebies!

I learned the nastiest, most disgusting word I have ever heard.

Ootheca.

The hardened egg case of a female cockroach.

Can you believe my son chose the COCKROACH for his insect report?

Aaaaaaaah!

Tell me you don't have the heebie jeebies right now!

Happy St. Patty's Day

2009-03-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

Hope you wore green and no one pinched you, and if not, that a really cute guy did.
Hope you ate some form of cabbage, corned beef or potatoes, or at least something green.
Hope you find your pot of gold at the end of your rainbow, or at least some luck comes your way.
Hope the leprechauns came to your house and left a mess and some yummy gold and green and rainbow candy, and if not, that you ate something chocolaty and sugary today.

MIA

2009-03-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

Big Stake Split + being recalled as Young Women's president = no time for blogging

It's been about 3 weeks and things are getting organized and a little less BUSY. I'm loving working with the youth and other awesome leaders.

Totally rad 80's danc-o-rama...

2009-02-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

Last week this stud-muffin...

asked me bodaciously...

to go here on a most fine Valentine's Day...

with the rest of our way cool church group...

who were as stoked as we were...

to rock it...

...with crucial moves like the running man, the cabbage patch, the worm, the robot, moonwalking, some sweet slam-dancing and a wicked weave.

(That's Ben's foot as he's doing the Three-Man Weave with Yuppy Ted and Jimmy Simmons.)

It was, for sure, most radically righteous to the max!

Ian's Baptism

2009-02-10T22:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a big day for our little family. Ian got baptized! Thank you to all of those who were here to make the day so special.

Thank you, Sister Corbin, Ian's primary teacher, for making him this beautiful quilt.

Thank you to Noel, Grace, Josh and Dean who shared this day with Ian.

Thank you to all of those friends and family who attended.

Thank you to all who helped with the food.

Most of all, thank you to Ian for making the decision to be baptized.

Way to go, son!

Queen Mary

2009-02-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

We went to see the Queen Mary, an ocean liner that sailed the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 and is now a hotel located in Long Beach, CA.

It was *FREE!* during January for California residents and I'm glad it was, because it would not have been worth the usual $24 entrance fee! Yes, I am cheap.

10 Things I learned from our tour of the Queen Mary:

1. People used to be much shorter. Or they were just okay sleeping in tiny beds.

2. The captain's quarters were as big as my old condo.

3. I'm creeped out by giant underwater propellers. I think I would rather die than be a deep sea diver.

Creeeeeepy!

4. Those big orange smoke stacks aren't really smoke stacks. They just cover up a bunch of little pipes and exhausts.

5. Jacob is the only one in the family who actually wants his picture taken.

6. Those boat horns up there, on the fake smokestack, are EXTREMELY loud. Warning: Do not stand under them when they go off. Exact time of horn blow: unknown.

7. Loud noises bother Ian. A LOT.

8. Most young in the animal kingdom have an innate sense to stay close to their mothers. They sense the danger as they wander too far. Kate...not so much! She's the adventurous, independent type.

9. Ben loves a good exhibit, in particular those that feature the historical or mechanical. He was very patient with the rest of the family who just wanted to speed through the self-guided tour. "Daaaaad....c'mon!"

10. Do not allow your children under the age of, say, mmm, 16, use your camera. They may drop it. Again. And then the lens won't work. You may need to get a new camera.

Scouting...

2009-01-26T08:15:00.000-08:00

Yup. We're heading down this road now. Ian's pretty excited about Scouting because he gets to hang out with his buddies once a week and he has awesome den leaders! I'm glad he likes it but I feel a little intimidated by the whole thing...I'm still trying to wrap my brain around all the patches, bobcats, cubs, wolfs, beads, belt loops, den, troop and the rest of the Scout jargon. Ben and his four brothers are all Eagle Scouts so the pressure is on!

Big Old Recap

2009-01-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well, blogging has been at the bottom of my to-do list and since the holidays aren't officially over until the boys have had their joint birthday, I'm entitled to my extra-long blogging break, right?
Thanks, readers.

Well, here's what we've been up to since last time y'all tuned in.

T'was the Night Before Christmas

We decided leave for our Utah on the Eve of Christmas Eve since the weather forecast predicted snow, snow, snow for almost the entire week of Christmas. We stopped in St. George for the night at my sister Stefanie's, and ate breakfast at the best breakfast place EVER...the Bear Paw Cafe. They serve everything you could ever want for breakfast all day, every day. YUM!

We surprised Ben's family on Christmas Eve and my family on Christmas day. It was great to see the stunned look on everyone's faces when we showed up two days early!

Once there was a Snowman

The kids had a blast playing in the new-fallen snow. Even though it was 17 degrees. Kate and daddy made a snowman.

I'll be home for Christmas

For the first time all year my entire family was together including my parents, my 4 siblings, 6 grandkids, 3 in-laws, one boyfriend and the cat, Samantha.

What Child is This

Every time I see my baby sister Julie, we have to compare feet. Not mine, Ian's. Yes, my eight-year-old has about the same size feet as my 23 year-old sis. In fact, they are officially bigger for the first time.

Happy Birthday to You

Ben and Ian celebrated their joint birthday at Disneyland. The promotion this year gives you free entrance into the park, or a gift card in the amount of the entrance fee! Ian got $59 to spend and Ben got $69.
And we saw this starlet up close and personal hanging out with some friends by Tomorrowland. She even smiled at me!

Auld Lang Syne

Because we left early for Utah, we had to come home early. We spent our first New Year's Eve in California! Ben and I rung in the New Year at home, all alone, for the first time since we got married.
New Year's Day our kids begged us to go to the beach. The weather was cool but sunny, but when we got to Corona del Mar, it was foggy and freezing. We explored the tide pools, saw a seal and the kids got in the ocean even though the water was less than comfortable. Crazy kids!

Working Hard on those Christmas Cards

2008-12-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

Do you know the best thing to seal envelopes...even hundreds at a time...at an amazing speed, without getting even one paper cut on your tongue or any stickiness at all for that matter, giving you the peace of mind that you will never suffer a Seinfeldian death due to cheap adhesive on envelopes?

The aquadoodle pen!! It works like magic.

Chocolate!

2008-12-11T15:55:00.000-08:00

14 friends and I made chocolates for Christmas this year. I think I gained ten pounds just smelling the delicious aroma all day. We made about 50 pounds of chocolates and a huge mess at my friend Amber's house. (I didn't do my hair or make-up that day!)
A big 'thank you' to our friend, Windi, who set it all up and shared her recipes and chocolate making skills with us!

My favorites were the Taffy Cracks, or as we have nicknamed them at my house, Chocolate Ritzis.

Here's the recipe:

1 bag caramels
1 box ritz crackers
1 bag white, milk, or dark chocolate
Cookie sheets lined with parchment paper

On a paper plate, place 8-12 Ritz crackers. Place an unwrapped caramel on each cracker. Microwave 20-30 seconds until the caramels soften. Place another cracker on top of each caramel and squeeze gently together to make a sandwich. Set aside.
Melt chocolate in double boiler. Dip Ritzi into the melted chocolate using a fork. Tap the fork on the side of the pan to allow the excess chocolate to fall back into the pan. Place on a cookie sheet. Cool in refrigerator until chocolate hardens. Drizzle with opposite chocolate color.
Place in plastic container for storage.

Happy Who-bilation!

2008-12-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

For our church Christmas party this year we had a Who-bilation, complete with a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus, kids crafts, the ever-so-convenient Christmas card exchange, roast beast dinner and Grinch Play!

We had a great time!

Thanks for taking these pictures, Amy.

99 Life Experiences

2008-11-24T16:15:00.000-08:00

For my 99th post here are 99 things to experience in a lifetime. I bolded the things I have done!

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world (I've lost count!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo (On my mission to some elderly people who I hope don't remember)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Been in the Southern Hemisphere
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch -or craft? painting furniture, jewelry
15. Seen the Taj Mahal
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (3 times!)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Learned to surf
23. Given a stranger a hug
24. Built a snow fort (Slept in it, too!)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Done a real triathlon
28. Seen the Alps
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset -both from the same beach on Oahu!
31. Hit a home run -but I rocked at base soccer in Elementary School)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language (No, but I've learned to speak 4 fluently in my lifetime!)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied -this changes...it all depends on my outlook.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a real movie or TV show
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - not a super profitable or professional one, but way fun! Eek to Chic
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies -but I've bought my fair share!
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (But I've tried...they don't like my blood)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (my china kitty from Copenhagen)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (Yuck! What's the big deal?)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Eaten a meal that cost more than $100
75. Learn to type faster than 70 WPM
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone -that's a good thing, right?
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem (Oooh, this is my dream!
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Nast!)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one (my great-grandma)
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (see 26) Missy!!
97. Been involved in a law suit (No, but Ben sued AT&T for a thousand dollars and won!)
98. done a doughnut in your car in the snow
99. Been stung by a bee

Thank you, Leslie, whom I stole this from. I changed a couple.

Twilight Anticipation Ended

2008-11-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

I went to see midnight showing of Twilight with a group of friends...and the anticipation of the event was not quite the reality of the event.

Anticipation...
I expected some serious crazies in line, dressed up as vampires, hysterically hyperventilating at the thought of Edward on a gigantic movie screen, maybe some Bella-like melodramatic teenagers staring at the group of moms I was with, wondering what was wrong with us.

Reality...
Not even one good person to people watch in line! Most of the crowd were 17 year old teenage girls with a couple of boys, unhappy husbands and old ladies in the mix.

Anticipation...
That I would be really scared of the "bad" vampires and/or vampire scenes and that there could be a movie-goer or two dressed as one of the creepy creatures. (Okay, yes, irrational fear of vampires..I know!)

Reality...
The scariest part of the whole thing was a preview for some insanely freaky horror show about a lost twin...the Unborn? I couldn't even look at the screen. The whole audience was screaming and covering their eyes.
Oh, and me, pretending to be a vampire:

Anticipation...
We'd get bored or tired waiting for three hours for the movie to start.

Reality...
I had so much fun with my mommy posse and YW and no kids, and chatted the hours away!

Anticipation...
Cheesy romantic vampire story featuring melodramatic teenagers falling irrevocably in eternally deep love in a matter of days against impossible and unbelievable odds.

Reality...
Cheesy romantic vampire story featuring melodramatic teenagers falling irrevocably in eternally deep love in a matter of days against impossible and unbelievable odds.
I also found it rather funny!

Backburner Bacon in the Oven Blog

2008-11-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

This is one of those posts I put on the back burner for a rainy day. Well, it's not really raining, but I can't think of anything to blog about. So here it is...how to make bacon in the oven. These directions are usually on the package of bacon you buy at the store, but I never tried it until a little while ago. I was happy with the results.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Place strips of bacon in single layer on a cookie sheet with raised edges.
Cook bacon for about 10-12 minutes for cooked bacon or 18-20 minutes for crisp bacon. No turning necessary.
Drain on paper towels.

The beauty of this method is that it makes less mess, I can cook it all at once, I don't have to vigilantly watch the bacon cooking to make sure it doesn't burn, I don't end up reeking like bacon, and I never get burned when the oil "spits."

Try it next time you make bacon.

Prop 8 passed!

2008-11-04T22:39:00.000-08:00

I'm sure by now you've heard that Prop 8 passed, that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California." I feel like we have reason to celebrate! We have worked so hard here in Orange County to make this happen and I feel that all of our efforts paid off, especially since it was so close. 52% to 48%! It's a victory, for now, and I'll take it.

I want to share some things for posterity, things that I learned by supporting Prop 8.

My faith in a modern-day prophet has been strengthened. It was my belief in the prophet that initially began my support of prop 8. I struggled at first to come to terms with hurting people who are gay who cannot be happy unless they marry, mostly because I know and love 3 men who are close to me who struggle with same-sex attraction. I imagine how much I am hurting others, and those I love in particular, by standing up for something I believe might hurt my children and will eventually hurt society. It was hard for me to justify simply by reasoning it out, even taking into account all the legal ramifications. It was my faith in the prophet that helped me know that this was the right thing to do.

I was strengthened by stepping out of my comfort zone. I have never been this involved in politics and I'm not really gung-ho about getting into any political discussions with anyone. Over the last months, I learned that I can do scary things like calling or knocking on a stranger's to ask them how they are voting, to wave a sign on a street corner and listen to the angry shouts of those who oppose my views, go to voters' homes to ask them to please vote. In fact, it makes me stronger!

Our country is awesome! I am so grateful to live in a country where my vote matters, where we can worship as we please, express our opinions and fight for our rights!

I am part of an amazing community. I was awed by the incredible efforts of my friends and fellow church members during this campaign. People have rallied together and have given countless hours to fight for this cause. One example: we made 9,000 phone calls on Election Day to get voters out! I felt part of something important, and because we worked together, supported one another, we found strength in each other and I believe we have grown closer as a community of saints.

Children are smart, faithful and courageous. I had to explain to my kids why we had a Prop 8 sign in our yard, a bumper sticker on our car, why we went to rallies and made calls and worst of all, why there were people who opposed Prop 8. They not only understood clearly, but accepted it immediately and had the instant desire to help out. They cried when I told them they had to be 16 to wave signs. One of them snuck out of the house to wave our yard sign at neighbors passing by while shouting, "YES on 8."

Satan is the master of deception. He works slowly and carefully to forfeit and eventually destroy what is most sacred. Marriage. Family. The divine roles of men and women. The right of children to be raised with love by the two people who created them. He is hard at work!

The Lord's purposes will be accomplished. I know that no matter the outcome, it was the Lord's will to have us stand and fight for traditional marriage and the family. No matter how hard Satan works, the Lord will win eventually. I know that!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hope your day is filled with fun, spooks, and candy!

Because I also love Stephanie...

2008-10-28T16:36:00.001-07:00

I'm doing this tag, too.

Copy and paste and pass it along!

Joys:
1. Eating food someone else made
2. Reading
3. Travel

Fears:
1. That my kids could possibly not embrace the gospel.
2. Vampires.
3. Being YW president. Oh, wait a sec...

Goals:
1. To not hurt any of my friends' feelings by not doing their tags. :-)
2. Get organized, keep my house clean!
3. Learn to be a fantastic photographer

Collections/Obsessions:
1. I used to collect ceramic cats. My mom still has my little collection in her curio cabinet.
2. Being on time. I hate not being on time.
3. Not wasting anything.

Random:
1. I could eat an entire giant Costco jar of jelly bellies. I actually haven't tried, but I think I could.
2. I regularly have that dream where you show up to math class and you have a final and you haven't even been to the class all semester and everything hangs on how you perform on this one test.
3. I love my friend Steph, who I have known since my Freshman year at the BY. We have had some good times as friends and roomies. And I love her blog. Don't you love this picture of her?

Just 'cause I love Leslie...

2008-10-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

I'm doing this tag.

If you feel like doing this tag, you can. Especially if you haven't blogged in a while...Matt, Nettie, MK, Sally, Kim, Funkweiler...game on!

You have to answer the following questions with one word, one word only...

1. Where is your cell phone? Busted
2. Where is your significant other? Working
3. Your hair color? Blonde
4. Your mother? American
5. Your father? Busy
6. Your favorite thing? Tiramisu
7. Your dream last night? Nada
8. Your dream/goal? goodness
9. The room you're in? Messy
10. Your hobby? Blogging
11. Your fear? Alone
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Settled
13. Where were you last night? YW
14. What you're not? Supermodel
15. One of your wish-list items? Nikon D-90
16. Where you grew up? Europe
17. The last thing you did? Email
18. What are you wearing? Comfort
19. Your TV? Clunky
20. Your pet? Kids
21. Your computer? Slow
22. Your mood? Relaxed
23. Missing someone? Family
24. Your car? Minivan
25. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
26. Favorite store? H&M
27. Your summer? Schedule-free
28. Love someone? Ben
29. Your favorite color? Aqua
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday

And just for the record, Leslie is one of those high school friends I still stay in touch with and adore and will never break up with. And she has a hilarious blog.

Oh, so naughty and oh, so cute.

2008-10-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Kate is...

Oh, so naughty when she colors on the floor and walls with crayons.
But oh, so cute when she is coloring in her new princess coloring book daddy got her FROM Disneyworld.

Oh, so naughty when she draws on Ian's homework with a marker.
But, oh, so cute when she exclaims, "I do homewahk!"

Oh, so naughty when she runs away at top speed down they hall at church.
But oh, so cute when she you finally catch up with her and she gives you a big squeeze and a pat- pat on the back.

Oh, so naughty, when she rips six keys off daddy's laptop while he's out.
Oh, so cute while she is watching me fix them and saying, "Thassa P, Mommy!"

I'd give you away, Kate, if you just weren't s'darn cute!

I Heart YW!

2008-10-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

I have been serving in the YW program in my ward for just over a year and now I'll be serving as the YW president. I'm a little scared but also excited and just filled with love for these girls!

This picture was taken at the Newport Beach Temple with six of the best girls in the world: Nory, Jolie, Kiara, Hannah, Rachel and Channing.

Scholastic-Schmastic

2008-10-10T18:32:00.001-07:00

I love books. I always have. I remember being Ian's age and just wanting to devour books. You know, in the non-literal sense. My grandpa once sent me a whole set of Trixie Belden Books for my birthday and I read them in two days. I still love curling up in bed with a good book, reading late into the night.

My favorites in 3rd grade were The Neverending Story by Micheal Ende -you remember the movie- and Momo by the same author- both originally in German. (If you didn't know already...I grew up speaking German and didn't learn to speak English fluently until I was about 7 or 8 years old.)

Both of these books really made me think.

I remember going to the book fair at school during fourth grade after I moved to the States and wishing with all my little heart that my mom would buy me those books on display in the library. I remember Judy Blume books like Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing, and the Ramona Quimby Series by Beverly Cleary. My mom neverl et me buy these. But she did let me ride my bike to the library all summer long to check out as many books as my library card would allow.

Although I am cheap, and Ben is cheaper still, I decided two years ago when Ian got his first Scholastic Book Order Form in Kindergarten, that my kids should have the privilege of buying "those books" just because I didn't. So we became fans of Scholastic! At first Ian was choosing cute books by Dr. Seuss and Eric Carl, and other favorites like Magic School Bus and Magic Tree House books.

Over the years, Scholastic Book Orders have become a little more annoying. The boys started wanting books with Star Wars and Indiana Jones and Captain Underpants in the title. While not the best choices, at least these books have a plot. However, the latest requests have been Pokemon Guidebook and Test your Video Game IQ! The latter was Ian's choice for this month. I a) tried to talk him out of it, b) refused you pay for it, c) tried explain to him that this does not necessarily qualify as a good book and d) conceded when he insisted on using his own hard-earned allowance to buy it!

Side note -I think Video Game IQ is my new favorite oxymoron.

And don't even get me started on the non-book junk they offer. They even sell video games, which, to me, are the complete opposite of books - neither educational or imaginative, frying brain cells left and right.

This item was truly alarming...

Because...

1. How early do we really need to introduce texting? Ian is in 2nd grade and is still learning how to actually spell words.
imo txtng isnt the bst thng vr to hapn 2 the englsh lngj

2. It costs $20! It would take Ian four months to earn that kind of cash.

3. It's practically encouraging kids to text each other in class. What teacher wants that going on?! in second grade!?

"Shhh...this pen really writes but it's also a texting device!"

4. It only works up to 10 feet away??? Can't you just talk?

5. It looks like a pregnancy test.

I'm ready to quit Scholastic. Maybe my mom was on to something.

Okay, really there still are a lot of good options with Scholastic and there's always the library...
Please share your favorite children's books in your comments!

Playing with Words

2008-09-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

I discovered WORDLES! This is an amazingly fun cool invention! I think I could do this all night.

My family wordle:

The wordle that wordle created from my blog URL feed:

Try it here.

Happiest Place on Earth

2008-09-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Disney just announced their 2009 promotion...here's a link to the story:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080918/ap_tr_ge/travel_b
rief_disney_birthdays

The bottom line is that you get in FREE on your birthday during 2009! Just a valid ID and proof of birthdate required.

If you already have a pass, you can either get a free ticket for next year, a bunch of Fastpasses, or a gift card worth the price of admission that you can use to buy merchandise!

The happiest place on earth just got happier!

And with free room and breakfast at the Hotel M., what are you waiting for?

Learning about Diversity

2008-09-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

We live in a state with a very diverse population. Really, it's one of the things I love most about California. My kids go to school and realize there are all kinds of people who speak different languages, have different beliefs or have a different color of skin.

Just look at this wall I saw today at Back to School Night, filled with little self-portraits of culturally diverse children, all in Ian's new second grade class. How beautiful!

Only, I'm not sure what race Ian thinks he belongs to.

Wacky Wednesday

2008-09-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

We are involved in many activities this fall. Like the perfect storm, today they all fell on the same day.

Mom: Go to her first scripture study class at church, lead music for the first time at Music Makers (a co-operative music program I go to with Kate), plan and attend YW activity--we tie-dyed T-shirts

Ian: swim team, piano lesson, Lights on Broadway practice (Stake Broadway review)

Jacob: soccer practice

Ben: coach soccer, practice for Lights on Broadway

Kate: trying to go to the potty

This does not include our regular daily tasks such as school, work, homework, carpools, chores, reading, practicing the piano, grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, laundry, not to mention squeezing in the things we enjoy...exercising, reading a mommy book, taking pictures to blog about, playing at the park.

Are you tired yet?

I am.

The Morning Rush

2008-09-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

6:05am - My alarm goes off. I pull my body out of bed and get ready to go swimming. My goggles are missing. My brain finally turns on enough to remember they are in my swimming bag.
6:20am - I get in the pool. It's a little chilly today. My friend Audra and I have a great discussion about Prop 8 (see left sidebar).
7:00am - I get out of the pool. My thoughts turn to the upcoming whirlwind. Last year did not always go well, but this year will be better even if I have two boys to get off to school. I might even squeeze in a shower before they leave!
7:00am - The boys' alarm has gone off - hopefully they are eating breakfast.
7:08am - I get home. The boys are not eating breakfast.
7:10am - I get the boys their breakfast, I start making lunches. At least Kate isn't awake yet.
7:12am - Kate wakes up - she asks to watch Curious George -she can't watch TV right now because it will incapacitate the boys. It will render them motionless and cause them to completely lose all control of their senses. Kate doesn't get it.
7:15am - I'm still trying to make lunches and urge the boys to eat faster. My brother, who is here visiting, wakes up and I get him some breakfast.
7:20am - The boys are done eating breakfast but the lunches are not done. I send the boys upstairs to get dressed. Their clothes are laid out so it should go fast.
7:25 am - I finish the lunches. I want to get out of my swim suit and take a shower. I go upstairs to find the boys playing with their Legos. I gently urge them to get ready faster. Maybe I had better not get in the shower.
7:30am - I see Ben off to work. I put the lunches in the back packs and clean up the mess I made, all the while shouting at the boys upstairs to continue getting dressed and brush their teeth. My brother wants to take a shower. I ask him to wait until the boys have brushed their teeth.
7:35am - Ian has taken his pajamas off, but is still not dressed. Jacob is going #2 on the toilet which could take a while. I warn that they only have ten minutes left.
7:40am - Ian is almost dressed. Jacob brushes his teeth and is just starting to get dressed. I give them a lecture about being on time and that I will just let them take their sweet time tomorrow and take them when they are ready and THEY can tell their teachers themselves why they are late.
7:42am - I yell at Ian to get his socks and shoes on. I yell at Jacob WHO IS STILL NOT DRESSED and tell him he has 3 MINUTES until Sister B---- is here and that he'd better get busy fast.
7:43am - I'm combing Ian's hair while he is brushing his teeth and hoping that Jacob is getting dressed. Kate is following me around crying for breakfast.
7:44am - Jacob IS dressed and I'm throwing on Ian's shoes, getting a comb to do Jacob's hair and trying to fend off Kate.
7:45am - Ian says a quick prayer while I am praying in my heart that I can be forgiven for yelling at my kids, that Sister B---- won't wonder why I'm wearing my swimsuit and cover-up, and that my brother is having a fun vacation and won't think I'm insane.
7:46am - I sigh in relief.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Huzzah for School!

2008-09-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

The boys started school today! I wasn't quite ready for the summer to be over - we really had a fun time this year doing whatever we wanted when we wanted. I will miss that. BUT it's also nice to have a schedule and actually be productive and learning. So huzzah for school!

Jacob, who I swear was just a baby, started Kindergarten today. He was all smiles. He couldn't wait to go and try this new adventure and just about burst when he put on his new Star Wars shirt he's been waiting to wear for a week. How did I do, you ask? Well, we had a little bit of a hectic morning (Kate was not feeling too well and had the biggest, wettest blow-out of her life!) The whole taking pictures and walking-to-school-to-avoid-the-parking-mess didn't really work out. Luckily, we at least made it in time. I kissed boy 2 goodbye and he walked right up those steps to his teacher who was waiting to greet him while I got a little teary-eyed. Then he turned around and waved and gave me one of those big smiles and I almost lost it.

Ian, the veteran, began 2nd grade. When I asked him if he was nervous or excited, he said, "Kind of in between." He stood in line and waited for his teacher and I couldn't resist giving him a big smooch on the cheek as he was about to leave. He gave me one of those looks that said, "Mo-om, not in front of the other kids I just met!" mixed with "Okay, you can kiss me...but this is the last year I'm letting you do this."

Jacob has morning Kindergarten and is only in school for 3 hours 20 minutes, which I like. I always enjoy the one on one time with my kids. So when Jacob got home, we opened his Schultüte (German tradition: all children receive a cone thingy filled with school supplies, treats and gifts in celebration of that first school day ever!) When asked for his opinion of the day: "School is way better than preschool." Hopefully he enjoys the next 180 days just as much!

Just for fun...here are the boys two years ago when Ian began Kindergarten.

Mom's Beach Retreat

2008-09-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

We had a beach retreat just for the gals in our ward. It turned out to be a fabulous get-away! I feel like I went on vacation.

Here's why:

We went to my favorite beach -Three Arch Bay- it's private, clean, not crowded
The company was unbeatable - love you gals!
We went boogie boarding as long as we wanted to
We had yummy food - the best part for me was the gourmet s'mores
We made a fire and talked into the night
There were no kids to worry about!!!!!!

This is definitely going to become a tradition!

Equation for Misery

2008-08-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

1 almost-kindergartener
+ 1 kindergarten check-up
+ 1 active two-year-old
+ 1 doctor we didn't know because ours went out of town
+ 1 brand-new nurse
+ 1 new, very slow, not-so-easy-to-use computer system
+ 3 shots
+ 1 finger pricking blood test
+ 1 TB test -OOPS- given as a shot in the arm instead of under the skin
+ 1 extra shot because someone miscounted the number of shots because they administered the TB skin test AS A SHOT!
+ 1 mom who keeps saying this is the last prick and that it might not hurt so much this time...
_____________________
= 3 hours in the doctor's office
= 6 pricks
= 1 sad mistrustful little boy
= 1 miserable mom

Sorry, Jake.

Established 1998

2008-08-21T08:32:00.001-07:00

While Kirsten has been a star at keeping up this blog, I have not. If there were ever a good day to post, today is the day. You see, 10 years ago today, Kirsten said yes and my life has been forever changed for the better.

I’m not sure if I have the same witty creative talents of my beautiful wife, so this post may not measure up to her standards. I do have to say that Kirsten is a wonderful person, and I couldn’t be a luckier man to be married to her for time and all eternity. She has always been there for me, through the good times and the bad. We have had many great experiences together, and we have been blessed with three outstanding children.

Thinking back on that day 10 years ago, I don’t think that I could have imagined where we would be today. The time truly has flown by, the kids are getting older so quickly, and I expect that even on our 50^th anniversary it will seem like we just got married yesterday.

Thank you Kirsten for everything that you are, and everything that you have helped me become. I love you.

(For those of you who understand German, you’ll love this song. For those who don’t…well the music is nice. There is a line in this song that played a role very early on in our story, “Einsamkeit traegt sich leichter zu zweit”, which means “Loneliness is easier to bear as two”.)

JUST married

2008-08-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Utah to attend Ben's youngest brother's wedding. Justin married Sarah on August 14th and we think they are very cute together. Their wedding was a lot of fun and it was good to see all of Ben's 7 siblings and all of their spouses.

The wedding really had an impact on Kate. She loved Sarah's dress. She loved the chocolate fountain, she wanted to devour the cake. But I was touched one night, after we returned home and I told her a favorite princess fairy tale. I ended with, "...and the prince took the princess to his castle and they got married and lived happily ever after." Her response was, "In the temple?"

That's what it's all about.

Thank you Justin and Sarah for living your lives right so that you could marry in the temple and for being such great examples to my kids.

***I have to give credit where credit is due...these great photographs were taken by photographer Scott Jarvie.

Just finished...

2008-08-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

reading:

Thanks for the escape. Thanks for making me forget my kids and my housework for the last few days. Thanks for helping me get one step closer to overcoming my fear of vampires. Thanks for being an inspiration: even busy moms can follow their dreams. You rock!

True Californians

2008-07-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at 11:42 am we were hit by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake. It wasn't the first earthquake I have felt, but it was certainly the biggest and the longest.
Here's my story. I was just closing my garage door when the house began shaking. The car looked like it was rocking. Other earthquakes I've experienced were over in a matter of moments, so when this one kept going I started to get a little nervous. I got even more nervous when I swayed as the ground under me rocked back and forth.
"It's an earthquake," I said to my kids, "C'mon, let's get outside." I grabbed Kate and we hurried into the backyard. By then it was pretty much over. It lasted 30 seconds! Our reactions? Ian and Jake thought it was fun. Kate used her scary deep voice to say, "Quaaaaaykake!" all afternoon. Ben, who lived through the 1989 San Francisco earthquake congratulated the rest of us on becoming true Californians. I have two feelings on the subject:
1. I'm grateful that it wasn't any worse.
2. I need to be more prepared in case it ever is any worse.

Blogging about not blogging

2008-07-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

Why, oh WHY have I not posted anything for the last 5 weeks?? I love to blog! I also love realizing I am in a situation that I can blog about. I love reading other people's blogs and get annoyed when they haven't blogged for, say a month!

Well, I've been busy. BUT you should always make time for the things you really love to do, right? Right. Maybe I just needed a break from blogging.

So, in an effort to catch up, I'll share some summaries of posts that have been floating around in my head while I've been busy with life.

1. Girls Camp. I had such a blast. I know as a leader, it can be a dreaded occasion, but really, I had a great time. Oh, I did sleep far less than usual, but we were in cabins and ate in a cafeteria, so I can't complain. Not even about the three bear sightings.

2. Double Play Date. This was classic. It deserves more than a summary.

What others can learn about play-dating from two adorable girls, both of whom I would love to have as my daughters-in-law. Photos have been altered to protect the innocent.

Wear great clothes and accessories. Ask boys, "Do you like my bracelet?" Don't fret if they grunt.

If necessary, bring a weapon: "I brought my sword. Just in case."

Define the relationship. "Sister M_____, I have to tell you a secret. My sister is in love with Jacob and I'm in love with Ian."

Have fun! "Can we come to your house every day?"

When getting dropped off again at home, bust a move at the door. Hug them and say:
"You have to stay here!"

2. Trip to Utah. Trying to find the perfect balance of fun and sanity with 38 people in the same house: including a visit to the Copper Mine, Seven Peaks, BYU, Donut Falls, Thanksgiving Point...also, several late nights of Perler Beads and Mafia. Oh, and I forgot to take my camera. On our biggest vacation of the year.

3. Post Vacation Costco Trip. Big trip to Costco with all three of my kids. Jacob forgets his shoes. This is not the first time that has happened. Kate won't sit in the cart. She can get out of those cart seat belts in a flash. As the cart gets filled with groceries, Jake can no longer sit in it, so he's now walking around the store in his bare feet. Ian gets lost twice. Check-out actually goes smoothly - amazing! Finally, while I am buying hot dogs --since we have nothing to eat at home-- Kate begins shredding the receipt (you know, the Costco receipt without which you cannot leave the store!) into little pieces! I bring these little pieces of paper to the exit. I try to explain to the receipt-checker-lady, who looks at my shredded receipt and says, "Well, I only really need to know how many items you bought. Can we find that piece?" We find it and she puts a little check on the little shred of paper while eyeing Kate wiggling her way out of the seat belt. I'm hoping she doesn't figure out that the shoe-less five-year old also belongs to me. She hands me back the "receipt" and as I'm leaving says, "You know the next time this happens..." I am halfway to my car before she finishes. I never want to go to Costco again.

4. Favorite day at the beach so far this year. I think it had to do with the fact that I was at my favorite PRIVATE beach -Three Arch Bay, with some of my favorite friends, the Behunins. We caught some great waves on our Boogie boards, and we watched Ben rally a troop of kids to remove half a ton of seaweed out of the ocean so we could surf without getting all tangled up in the stuff.

5. Girls Camp Revisited. 14 + High adventure camp--Surfing for the first time! Finding a very long snake right in the middle of our camp site and trying to fall asleep to the sound of the I-5 and the Metrolink train within 200 yards. Good thing it was an overnighter!

6. First time to Old World in HB. It's like a little German neighborhood with a great German restaurant. The best bread ever! Isn't Ben cute in Lederhosen? (Maybe this will make him leave a comment.)

Jake is 5!

2008-06-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that this little guy is five years old! He is a special kid. He loves to learn, work out in the garden, is great at sharing and has a sense of humor. He knows how to have fun!

Here's his favorite joke currently.

Where do sheep get their hair cut?

At the bah-bah-shop!

We had a Mario Party this year...

Happy Birthday, Jacob!

Happy Birthday, Kate!

2008-06-17T14:17:00.001-07:00

Two years ago this little bundle of joy joined our family.

After having two boys, and then Kate, I really have come to appreciate her girliness. She loves all things pretty and all things princess. She wants to wear a dress EVERY day and don't forget matching shoes and accessories. Everyone is her "fend" and she definitely knows how to get her way. I love you Katie-Kates!

Birthday breakfast with Snow White and Kate's other "pincens" friends

Happy Birthday, pretty princess!

I like this tag...

2008-06-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

I'm not the biggest fan of tags...wait I have to qualify...I'm not a fan of too many tags. However, I really liked this one on my friend Anisa's blog. It's creative and fun, so I'm doing it.

Reality Tag

Rules: You have to take a picture of the following in your house, AS IS, right now. Then post them!

1. Fridge. You can't see...but it's not really that CLEAN.
My favorite thing in it: Naked Juice. Mmmm.

2. Closet. Our master bedroom closets in this house are huge! Love it. Except the mirrors.

3. Sink. Yeah, dirty dishes...BUT we just had friends over for a big breakfast...two of my friends from high school and their spouses. Between us we have 7 kids, almost 8 degrees, 6 blogs, two minivans, and 147 wrinkles.

4. Toilet. As it turns out, I just cleaned this toilet. It gets sprayed with pee every day by Jacob, who usually runs in there at full speed, barely gets his pants down in time to relieve himself. No time to aim! Love Clorox wipes.

5. Favorite shoes...any kind of flip-flops. We wear them year-round.

6. Favorite room. Today: the kitchen. I love the counter-tops, the room I have to cook, bake, create, and the view of the yard. (Remember we just had that big breakfast?)

7. What my kids are doing...

Kate: trying to take a nap.

Boys: playing Wii.

Ben: fast asleep.

8. The laundry room. Too small. And it doubles as the entry way. It's always a mess in there.

9. Self-portrait. I don't like pictures of myself. But I had some fun with these.

10. Dream vacation. A trip around the world with my husband. I especially want to see China

and New Zealand.

TAG, you're it! (Only if you want to, of course)

Memorial Day 2008

2008-06-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a great Memorial Day! Ours was great! We did this last year (click here for the post) and plan to make it an annual event while we live in CA. The best part this year was being with 5 out of 8 of Ben's siblings!

Creativity Channeled

2008-05-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

As a little girl, I loved to draw. (Yeah, that's me in that awesome yellow coat!) The only problem was that I drew on everything...walls, dressers, cabinets. My mama finally put her foot down and told me I was no longer allowed to use the walls and furniture as my canvas. She must have been very adamant because I sure listened. I drew inside the drawers instead.

Kate seems to take after me in this arena. She's creative. loves to draw, but keep the pens and pencils out of reach! Kate has made a pretty picture on many a wall and table. And floor.

However, her favorite place to "cawah" is on her arms and legs. Yeah! I think it's fabulous when she finds a Sharpie right before we are getting ready to leave for the day.

Kate's latest is "do homework" at Ian's desk.

It's about the cutest thing I ever did see, especially since she's drawing on PAPER!

1 year of blogging!

2008-05-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging for a year! My reasons for starting a blog were:

1. To keep (something like) a journal to make me feel like I'm fulfilling that "Family History responsibility"
2. To post some pictures and happenings for my mom
3. I could be cool like my other blogging friends

366 days later, here are some things I've discovered about blogging:

1. I've stayed in better touch with friends than ever before...especially those who also blog.
2. Many have been inspired to start their own blogs
3. I've been writing and taking more pictures...it's a creative outlet! I'm all about creative outlets.
4. Lots of people "spy" on me...they read but don't leave comments or have their own blogs.
5. I like being funny! And my life is pretty funny!
6. I'll NEVER be as cool as Jessica Romney
7. Ben is 2 cool 2 blog
8. Who knew I'd really like getting a Bloggie Award?
9. I've learned a lot about computers and HTML and such
10. I can actually stick to doing something for a year!

Thanks to all you readers out there. Love you. My fans....keep the comments coming!

Wacky Week in Review

2008-05-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Monday: Rained all day. Decided not to go to Disneyland as planned. Just chilled inside.

Tuesday: Weather much improved. Went to Disneyland with Spencer (Ben's bro), Hillary and Miles who are staying with us for a long vacation.

Wednesday: It's getting warm.
Thursday: My birthday. The weather is warming up nicely. I got a new *pink* bike. Jake and I go for a ride around the neighborhood in our PJ's.
Later, we all go for a ride on the big, orange waste-of-tax-dollars balloon in the new Great Park of our city. I have to say, it was kind of fun.

Went to Claim Jumper for dinner. Their portions are huge. Their desserts are even more huge. Have you seen the desserts? My favorite is the I Declair: a giant sized eclair that looks like a small poodle. My cell phone stopped working so no one can call me (on my birthday!), but I get a new one I really like. The best part is the color: heather grape. Love it!
Friday: It's getting hot. My bro Ryan comes for a visit and we head for the beach to cool off a little. That night all the boys go to the Stake Fathers and Sons camp out. It's actually not much of a "camp out." The only thing between the tents and the freeway is an In-N-Out. Where, of, course, they eat dinner. Every year. They also make a fire in a portable fire pit and make s'mores. (Last year the fire was actually in a wheelbarrow which caught fire because the handles where made of wood!?)

I digress...Hill, Kate and I had a fabulous GNO: ate at Chipotle and Yogurtland, then watched two very girly, but only okay movies: Becoming Jane...which should be changed to Becoming Depressed, and 27 Dresses, which was actually pretty hilarious.

Saturday: It's stinkin' hot! Our day was packed with sports, volunteering, guests and 2 parties. I seriously thought I was going to melt...or explode. The best part of the day was getting into the cool pool at our hosts for the fab Brazilian party we went to! Thanks Matt and Tonya!

Sunday: I can't believe how hot it is in MAY. Things seemed to heat up AND get busier as the week progressed!

I'm ready for another rainy Monday with NADA to do.

What makes a mommy a mommy?

2008-05-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

My darling child Jacob drew this cute picture at preschool of himself and mommy happily playing Wii together. Apparently he needed a way to show which is the mommy...

Happy Mother's Day!

Before and After...or Just After!

2008-05-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

I like to paint furniture. It's been a while since I have braved a painting project with three kids, but here it is, my latest makeover.
I got a hutch on Craiglist for $12o from a real OC housewife in Coto de Caza. ( No, I don't watch that show!) It was built in the 1950's in Vermont. Nothing really special about it, but it had potential.

You'll just have to imagine the "before" picture. Old wood split in several places, flaking varnish, and a slightly musty smell that said, "You can just leave me in the garage." Which I did.

About two months, some serious gluing and sanding, two coats of primer, some more sanding, two coats of off-white paint, one coat of burnt umber glaze and a topcoat later, it looks like this:

It holds some dishes, my place mats, tablecloths and all our games. I'm really happy how it turned out!
(Thanks for your help Ben-honey and Benny-B.)

Anybody want a Peanut?

2008-04-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a visit to Denver. I took The Princess Bride with me, which is what I am currently reading for my Book Club.

I find it full of romance, high adventure and humor. Especially Fezzik's rhymes. Limes.
So back to my trip. Dip. Mindy and Matt, my dear friends from our stint in SoJo, UT, just had a baby, little Tessa. It's girl number 3 for them. Tessa is a cutie pie, as are her sisters. I love these girlies. Whirlies.

Who can resist this little imp? Chimp.

In the short time I had there we managed to squeeze in some fun stuff. Enough. First we went to Helga's, an authentic German restaurant, where we ate Schnitzel and drank Spezi (Coke mixed with orange Fanta) and enjoyed a festive band night along with a slew of old German folks. I got this free *beer* glass. Pass.

I slept in the cute blue and white guest room in a comfy bed...it must have been because I slept until 9 am!!! Okay, it was still 8am PST but it sure beats 6:15 at home! Shalom.
We went to some garage sales and Mile High Thrift. Snow Drift. Really it snowed. Blowed. Didn't find anything *fabulous*...but did score some cute shoes for Kate, ribbon, a Bundt pan and a Baby Ben Clock that turned out to be a little fast. Blast.
It was a great time, except the part when I threw up on the plane. Pain. No, I'm not pregnant, I just get really motion sick when I fly. Why?
The best part was coming home to 90 degrees. Geez! I kid you not. Hot.
Now back to reality. Normality.

Savior of the World

2008-04-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ben was recently in a production of Savior of the World, a musical produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (available on the church's website, lds.org) for any Stake to perform. It was really amazing. He had rehearsals for about 2 months, 4-5 days a week on average. Somehow we got through it! I am not a fan of single motherhood. But it was all worth it to me because of one sweet experience.
My children and I decided to surprise my husband with lunch at one of his Saturday 6 hour rehearsals. We also wanted to see for ourselves what dad has been up to at all this time at Savior of the World. We sat down to watch the second act, just as the stone was rolled away from Christ's tomb by angels and somber music filled the room. The angel choir sang, as did Mary Magdalene. The Savior spoke to her. I noticed that my oldest son, who is seven, was crying a little and trying to hold back more tears. I asked him if he felt sad and he said no. I asked him if he was feeling happy and warm inside and he said, yes, but that he also felt like crying. I had one of those defining experiences, telling him that he was feeling the Holy Ghost, that what was being represented on stage and the music he heard were of God and that what was being presented on stage was true! Jesus is the Christ, He was resurrected and loves us! Since then Ian has been able to identify the Holy Ghost and his testimony of the gospel has grown much. I will ever be grateful for this experience and Ben's participation in this production.

Club 33

2008-04-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

The highlight of our week was going to Club 33. What is Club 33, you ask? You may know the answer if you are a Disneyland fan, or if you have ever lived in the OC. It's an exclusive restaurant in Disneyland you can only get into if you "know somebody." Usually a company buys a membership and can entertain guests and clients there. There's a little door kind of tucked away by the Pirates of the Carribean ride with a door bell that you ring only if you have an appointment. If you stand around long enough you can catch someone going in or out of the restaurant and catch a glimpse of a richly decorated hallway, some stairs and a French elevator. It's one of those things my Disney-obsessed in-law family dreams about going to.
So Ben's brother and sister-in-law were here for a visit and I thought I'd see if anyone we knew around here had an "in." We were lucky enough to get a lunch reservation thanks to Ted and Eliza! (You rock!) We really had an amazing time! It was pretty FAHncy and the food was delish. My favorite was the dessert buffet (check out that rasberry truffle thing with gold leaf!). And the fact that every time we left the table, someone folded our napkins again. And the Evian water refills every ten seconds. No, the bathrooms with throne toilets were the best!
We finally left with full stomachs and full of ourselves as we walked again out of that secret door, and people were actually watching us, trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious luxury they only wish they could attain. :-)

Spring in SoCal

2008-03-30T21:40:00.001-07:00

Spring has always been my favorite season. My birthday is in the spring, I love that sudden burst of warm sunshine and flowers, the fragrant air and spring rains, especially after a long winter. Spring in sunny Southern California isn't quite the same; we don't really get distinct seasons. Here, I have to look for signs of spring, or even buy them.

It's warm enough to go to the beach (although the water is still pretty cold)
We trade our sweatshirts and shoes for shorts and flip-flops
Daffodils at the store for a dollar a bunch
Strawberries go on sale
All things Easter: hunts, dresses, candy, baskets, Cadbury Mini Eggs
We start getting visitors again -14 so far!
Spring baseball
fragrant Star Jasmin and flowering hedges
we break out the sunscreen
I get the urge to go on a road trip -next week!

Hope you're enjoying your spring wherever you are!

URL change

2008-03-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Dear readers,

I changed the URL and title of this blog yesterday. I' ve been meaning to do it for a while now and found out that it is a lot easier than I thought...i.e. I didn't have to abandon this blog and create a new one. (Yes, I am technically challenged.) So, why the change? Two reasons:

1. I got a Sitemeter recently ( it tracks hits on your blog, frequency, where from, etc.) and I realized that there are people looking at my blog who I don't even know. In the interest of keeping my children a little safer, I have removed anything with our last name on it.

2. When I started this blog, I had high hopes that my dear husband would also blog, even if it was every once in a while. The realist in me has won and I am officially taking over the blog and revoking Ben's privileges as a contributor. (No offense, Ben. Since I know you read this blog faithfully, you are welcome to comment ANY TIME. I will give you back your contributor privileges should you feel like posting something. However, you will have to be a guest writer on MY blog. I also reserve the right to blog about you:-)

So no more ____________Mania. There will still be plenty of mania, so keep your socks on.

Thanks dear readers.

Sincerely,

Kirbell

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

What's not to like about Ireland, rainbows and green? My husband says this is now his favorite holiday after Christmas...why? Leprechauns have begun surprising us on St. Patrick's Day morning. The wee rascally men break into our house at night and leave a trail of destruction and yummy treats.

This year they entered through the front window, tipped the couch on its side, dumped out the basket of shoes, knocked over Kate's high chair and left again through the back door! They sure left a mess but who can resist Belgian chocolate coins, Haribo Gold Gummi Bears and Andes Mints??

And just to make the morning complete, we had green pancakes and spinach eggs for breakfast!

Not ready for a teenager

2008-03-14T13:15:00.001-07:00

I think I got a glimpse into the future this morning...of Ian as a teenager!

Hoping his friends won't be quite this wacky...

Happy Crazy Hair Day!

Swimming in Success

2008-03-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

I know I keep talking about swimming, but it is one of the few things I feel I am succeeding at right now.

Other things I am succeeding at:
Writing blog entries every week or so
Keeping up on email
showering every day
Making sure three kids are fed and healthy and happy
Keeping things out of Kate's nose and ears
Supporting Ben as he rehearses for a church musical 6 days a week! (more on that later)

Things I am not succeeding at:
Keeping my house clean
Finishing my 30 day challenge of reading the Book of Mormon started Jan. 3
Getting ready for the stream of spring break visitors we have lined up
Folding the darn laundry!
Reading books I want to read
Finishing a hutch I started painting...oh...three weeks ago?

Although it's sometimes hard to get up at 6:15am, go outside in the cold and the dark (again-thanks daylight savings!) there is something relaxing and centering about swimming back and forth, watching the sun rise, a few minutes of adult conversation, and getting a good start to the day. Here's to swimming!

Me doing some rockin' breaststroke!

Audra's amazing butterfly!

Here's to the kick 'n' chat part of the work-out!

Mad Skills

2008-02-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

The inevitable happened. I took Kate to the urgent care this week to have a little rolled up blue hair elastic removed from her nose. Through Kate, I'm actually honing my extraction skills, and while at the urgent care, made a note of two items I might put on my birthday list:It seemed that the trauma of the experience actually broke Kate of her dirty little habit, but sadly, it only lasted two days. She tried some little tiny Legos up her nose yesterday. The second one was on Ben's watch. He got out a pair of tweezers and laid Kate down. (She knows the routine by now.) The thought crossed his mind, "If I can just get the Lego without touching her nostril...good thing I have MAD Operation skills!"

Funny Kid Quotes

2008-02-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

Ian has great hair. He has a lot of it. It looks kind of like Louis's from Meet the Robinsons. The natural thing to do with his hair would be to spike it, but NO! He hates gel.
We have a deal that I do his hair HIS way during the week and MY way on Sundays. That means gel. Last Sunday, we were running short on time and Ian said: "No time for hair creations!"

We went to St. George not too long ago for a baby blessing. We stayed one night in a cheap motel room we reserved over the internet. We checked in and took a look at our rooms before unloading the van. They were okay, at least for one night. Jacob came to help take some things to our room. He started loading up the snacks, food and drinks.

"What are you doing, Jakie?" I asked.
"I have to get some food."

"Why?"
"We need food when we are staying in the jail."

On our way home from St. George we stopped in Vegas for gas and In-N-Out. Jacob got out of the car and took a look at the casinos on the strip. He yelled out:
"What's this cwazy town!?"

Jacob makes the same sound for his L's, R's and W's. He's also learned about words that rhyme. One day he came running up to me and exclaimed, "MOM, WIZard wimes with WIZard!"

We went to our favorite wholesale store on Saturday night and Kate surprised us by pointing and saying, "Cah-co!"

ER, Here I Come

2008-02-19T20:53:00.001-08:00

Did you ever, as a kid, stick something up your nose? How about your kids, have they stuck things up their noses? Ha ha, so funny. How about their ears...do they stick things in their ears? My kids never have. That is, my boys never have.

Kate has a real problem. It started with cereal in the morning. Something about those squishy, mushy cold Cheerios felt just right in her ears. We sternly told her "NO!" every time and took her food away immediately. We cleaned out her ears, while she screamed bloody murder and told her again..."No cereal in your ears!" With time other food ended up in those same cute little ears...a shred of lettuce, a macaroni noodle, bread, chocolate, oranges...you get the picture. It got to the point where we couldn't leave her alone with food for fear she'd stuff it all in her ears instead of her mouth!

Then she discovered her nose had holes, too! Oh joy! Remember those fun little foam shapes from my last post...she got one of those up her nose. The entire thing. It was a half-inch circle all folded up nice and neat all the way up her nostril! I managed to remove it myself, but not without a battle.

Now anything she finds is game. When I catch her in this dirty little habit of hers, and call her on it, she changes the subject. Today I noticed that guilty look on her face. She had taken out her pigtails, stuffed one mini elastic up her nostril and the other in her ear. I checked her other ear, just for fun, and found a crumpled piece of candy wrapper in it! It's getting ridiculous. I know I'm destined for a trip to the emergency room with this little girl! What am I supposed to do?!?

The Day we Made the Valentine Box

2008-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

Ian had to make a box for Valentine's day at school. It was due Friday. Thursday was the last day to get it done! First, I make sure we have supplies to make a box that is cute, yet not too feminine:

old shoe box...check
wrapping paper...check, we've got some red wrapping paper left over from Christmas
tape...check, three rolls!
decorations...we have tons of foam shapes, including hearts!

I do a little celebration dance inside my head for NOT having to go to the store.
"As soon as daddy gets home we will make your box, Ian," I say to my son. He has been bugging me for a week. He hasn't figured out that I am procrastinator yet. I have to wait until the husband gets home so he can take care of Kate. She's in that "seek and destroy" stage.
Husband calls at about 5:53pm.
"Umh, I have a lot to do at work with my project being due and I didn't get it all done...blah...bu-blah...blah...I'm not coming home until later."
I HATE these calls.
"How much later?" I ask.
"Probably after bed time." (The KIDS' bed time...this means I have to get them ready for bed and put them down by myself.)
I start formulating a plan for the BOX. We have to get it done...TONIGHT. Kate had a late nap because we went to Disneyland so she's in no way ready to go to sleep. In fact, she is in SUPER seek and destroy mode.
"Okay," I think, "If I put a show on for Kate, she'll just sit and watch that (Jacob, too) and Ian and I can get started on the box."
I get out the tape, the box, and run upstairs to get the paper and scissors.
I come back and the tape looks like this:

Thank you Kate! Now go and watch your show. However, she's no longer interested in Elmo.
I tell Jacob to play with Kate and keep her out of our way. I go to get more tape. I come back and the boys have unrolled paper across the room AND smashed it up! It's unusable. I trash it.

My blood pressure goes up. I remind myself it's just a Valentine's box. No need to get upset. Exhale... Luckily it's a long roll of paper. We get started on covering the box. We discover the shoe box has a FLIP lid. I failed to notice this little detail while giddily checking off my list of supplies. We don't have another box. I refuse to go to the store to get another box!!! I try numerous configurations before coming up with something that will work. By this point, I'm not letting Ian anywhere near the paper or the box. I put him in charge of the tape. Jacob wants to help with the tape. Jacob pulls off a gigantic piece of tape and of course, he scrunches it. The bright side: we're not out of tape yet tape and Kate is back into Elmo.
We get the thing wrapped, cut a slit in the top without too much ado. It's a pretty ugly box. Martha would cringe at my wrapping job. We begin to decorate. I'm actually letting Ian do it, too! We are glueing foam shapes on the box and monster baby comes back and wants to help.
"Heeya go, heeya go..." (she says things over and over until she gets what she wants) ...she's handing us shapes at an alarming rate. She's smashing them on the box. I try to put her down, she's kicking and screaming and the entire *huge* edition container of foam shapes falls on the floor. I let her play with them because it is keeping her out of my way. She sticks one in her nose. (Wish I had a picture, but I was BUSY!) The shapes are all over the house in a matter of seconds. How do things get messed up so fast! We found these after cleaning up.

In the end, we did it. It was a stressful hour or so...looking back, I could have planned it better, done it differently, but I'm glad to say it's over. The box is not great but it will do! Mission accomplished.

ABC's on ME

2008-02-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

A - Attached or Single: Happily Attached
B - Best Friend: Ben. The man. He's patient, kind, open and fun.
C - Cake or Pie: Cake, especially tortes and layered cakes. I could live in a bakery.
D - Day of Choice: Friday. Because I know the weekend is coming and because Ben has every other one off.
E - Essential Item: I can't live without the computer, good face wash and my toothbrush. That's three...
F - Favorite Color: blue, although I don't really like to wear it as much as I like wearing brown or pink or teal. I used to hate pink in my tomboy days, but now I love it!
G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Love Haribo Gummi Bear. I love anything Haribo.
H - Hometown: Irvine, Salt Lake City, Lichfield (England), Bad Vilbel (Germany)
I - Indulgence(s): Mountain Dew, Wii Lego Star Wars
J - January or July: Who likes January?
K - Kids: 3 very busy, very cute, kind of crazy, smart and good kids.
L - Life is Incomplete Without: Family. Even though they sometimes make me insane (mostly my kids) I cannot imagine life without them.
M - Marriage Date: August 21 - 10 years ago.
N - Number of Siblings: 5. I'm the oldest. And the bossiest.
O - Oranges or Apples: Pink Lady Apples.
P - Phobias or Fears: Vampires. Which is why I am doing this tag. I can't have the guy who tagged me (Matt, who has vampire-like teeth) after me. Yikes!
Q - Quote(s): Some favorites off the top of my head because I'm too lazy to look one up...
What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.
Stand a little taller.
You can't give from an empty well.
Einsamkeit traegt sich leichter zu zweit. (Loneliness is easier to bear together.)
R - Reason to Smile: Kate. She is just so darn adorable.
S - Season - love spring...except there is no real spring here in CA. It's better in Utah, after a long winter!
T - Tag Six: Sally, Cami, Anisa, Amy, Leslie, AND Missy- you're it!
U - Unknown Fact About Me: I am a little obsessive about wasting stuff...I can't stand it. Food: I hate it when kids just throw their food on the floor, or take a huge helping of something they know they don't like and then refuse to eat it or when kids take a whole bunch of trail mix and pick out the M&M's and throw them on the floor. I love to recycle, and makes things out of old re-used materials, but I have to force myself to throw useless things away...scraps of paper or ribbon or fabric, buttons, beads and rubber bands, broken toys and worn out shoes. You'd think I'd grown up during the depression or WWII, but no. I'm just a little OCD in this respect.
V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: There's a little story about me going to a restaurant at a very young age with my family and my German grandparents. I could barely talk. A waiter was passing by with a large platter of meat. I turned and said, "Meeeeeeat!" rather loudly. (It was in German -"Fleiiiisch!",but that should answer the question.) Okay, I'll spell it out: I'm a carnivore.
W - Worst Habit:biting my nails even though it's crude and disgusting and I've quit so many times and started again. Help!
X - X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Broken bones or babies?
Y - Your Favorite Food: Spicy and foreign.
Z - Zoo: Favorite animal: 9I changed this one from zodiac, because I REALLY could care less about zodiacs.) I totally love goats and dolphins. They are quick, fun and lovable.

So, there you have it. Now you know all about me. Tags are fun, but one about me is sufficient. (I also hate being the center of attention.)

Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-01-29T21:45:00.000-08:00

Beloved prophet President Gordon B. Hinckley passed on to the next life on Sunday evening, January 27th, 2008. I met him once, when I was a teenager in England. He shook my hand briefly and smiled. I only remember that I felt power in that handshake.

This is one of my favorite pictures of President Hinckley, taken at BYU at the renaming of the stadium. It seems to me to capture the essence of a great man, but also a simple man. To me, he embodies a well-known phrase from the Book of Mormon, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." He loved his wife dearly. He raised his children in a humble home, worked hard his whole life, was educated and served faithfully in all capacities. He had a testimony of Jesus Christ the Savior, of Joseph Smith as a prophet of God and of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. He lived the gospel of Christ. He traveled the world, served the Church late into his nineties and moved the work of the Lord forward in an unprecedented manner. All of these small and simple things added up to one great life lived. I am grateful for his example, for his legacy, for his spirit that touched so many, that touched me.
I will miss you, President Hinckley, and hope to be able to shake your hand again one day.

A Day in Seattle!

2008-01-29T21:37:00.001-08:00

I had the pleasure of visiting the Northwest this weekend. I took Kate along and Ben stayed home with the boys.

I flew to Seattle with my newly acquired flying benefits, courtesy of my brother, Ryan who works for Skywest. This means I can fly anywhere Delta flies for pretty cheap.

We flew into Seattle, and had two days of gorgeous weather. It was very ironic since it was raining in Orange County when I left.

We went to Pike Place Market and then to Kerry Park for a great view of the skyline.

Flip-Turn...check!

2008-01-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

I have always loved swimming. I never swam competitively, but I grew up going to the pool with my family often. At age 17 I became a lifeguard/swim instructor at Steiner Aquatic Center. Yeah, picture me in a red swimsuit, glasses and a tank, a killer tan and sun-bleached hair...that was me! I have always liked swimming breaststroke best and I have learned to do freestyle pretty fast over the years. BUT, to my embarrassment, I have never been able to do a flip-turn! I tried learning a couple of times, but to no avail. Mostly I felt like an idiot trying. You can look pretty stupid doing flips under water, kicking off into the pool nowhere near the wall and coming up coughing and choking on water that streamed up your nose while you were flailing around. This was especially embarrassing with my fellow lifeguards watching from the lifeguard stand. I gave up.
I have been swimming with my friend Audra since August three times a week at 6:30 am. It's been great! We're amazed that we are still going, even swimming through December and January with temperatures in the low forties. There aren't any people to impress anymore... and I got over the embarrassment and practiced. This week I mastered it - I can officially do a flip turn consistently. Flip turn...check!

Love the 80's

2008-01-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

As part of Ian's Spirit Week at school, he had to dress up in 80's gear today! I was way more more excited about it than he was. So this is what happens when you are a child of a child of the 80's.

7-33

2008-01-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

We celebrated another double birthday on January 8th. Ian turned 7 and Ben turned 33. Happy Birthday, boys! There are numerous other people with this birthday...The Blake twins, Elvis, Ian's school principal and his friend Dean, Ben's cousin and a brand new baby in our ward!
I was recounting to Ian about the day he was born, that it was Dad's birthday and I had gotten him DVD player for a present and started making a cake when suddenly, I started having a feeling that he wanted to get out (yeah, I toned that down A LOT) and a couple of hours later, there he was. Ian threw in this comment: "And then you gave dad another present...ME!" The DVD player stayed in the trunk of the car for a few days and Ben got a little jell-o and cream dessert with a candle and song from the nurses at the hospital.
We celebrated with Sprinkles cupcakes for Ben and a Lego cake for Ian. My take on those $36 per dozen cupcakes - really, really good, but not a whole lot better than homemade. The red velvet flavor was the best one...hands down. I think who enjoyed them most was my brother Ryan, who graced us with a 5-hour visit.

Holiday Recap

2008-01-02T22:34:00.000-08:00

We had a great holiday this year! We started December off with a visit to Santa. Ian asked for a Wii and Jacob asked for a Nintendo DS. Kate wanted her pacifier.

We had a German Advent at our house with some members of the ward familiar with the tradition. On the four Sundays preceding Christmas we light a candle; on the first Sunday one candle is lit, the second Sunday two, and so on. We sing songs and eat treats, sometimes they are German, sometimes not.

We did Christmas Pixies... we secretly gave gifts and treats to a family in our ward. we all giggled and raced to our car after we door bell ditched our family, even when they weren't there.

We scurried and hustled, worried and bustled to get everything ready for Christmas before we left for Utah...in time to get there the Saturday before Christmas to watch the BYU bowl game on Dad's big screen hi-def projection surround sound TV. We did some last minute shopping, I got a $13 Utah hair cut (!) and got ready for the big festivities.

Christmas Eve we were at Ben's parents in Draper. We did the traditional Nativity re-enactment - Ian was a stylin' Joseph, Jacob was a cow with a tinge of mad cow disease, and Kate was the cutest little Christmas angel ever.

Just a bit of M--- family history: this tradition had to be banned for a while when the favorite character of the nativity became Haste, the guy the shepherds came with. Usually clad in sunglasses and silly wigs, he wasn't exactly the spirit of Christmas.

Then grandpa read the letter from Santa, recounting all the goings-on of each grandchild over the year, if they've been good or bad and that he's bringing them an....oops almost told! Ian was pretty dumbfounded that Santa knew he scored a goal in soccer this year. He exclaimed,"Yes, I did!" He got even more excited when Santa mentioned he didn't know what all the excitement was about the Wii this year. Ian took this as an indication that Santa had indeed heard his pleas to bring him said Wii and proceeded to cheer and do a little victory dance. Luckily, Santa did indeed bring him (and his family) a Wii. Phew!

We watched lost of movies: my favorite was Stardust...a fun fantasy flick. We ate lots and lots and lots of treats and goodies: my favorite was black licorice caramels. We played games and did puzzles and went shopping, and ate at Cafe Rio, La Frontera and the Bonsai -all delicious and fun.

We braved the cold and went sledding and saw the lights at Temple Square. Kate was truly amazed. Some of the pieced together winter/snow clothes were pretty good...Kate's ghetto hat went nicely with Jacob's old coat and mittens, Ian looked fine in his girl cousin's powder blue snow pants and Jacob was divine in the neighbor's two sizes too small one piece snow suit. I didn't think you could get a wedgie when there was so much padding in a snow suit, but turns out you can. The Winnie the Pooh snowflake boots completed Jake's ensemble.

What I love/hate about this Christmas Season

2007-12-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

What I love about Christmas this year:

Not shoveling snow.
Going to Utah to see snow.
Caroling without freezing.
Christmas shopping online.
My kids wanting to be good so Santa will bring them a present.
That Ben and I didn't fight about the Christmas tree this year.
Christmas Pixies: surprising a family in our ward every couple of days with Christmas treats, messages dinner, etc. and the way my kids giggle when we knock on the door and bolt.
Having Jacob ask me a million questions about Christmas, baby Jesus, the origins of Santa, etc.
Ian and Ben singing in the Christmas Choir Festival.
The smell of gingerbread.
Cadbury's Christmas balls!

What I hate about Christmas this year:

Putting plastic ornaments on the top half of the Christmas tree because I have a one and a half year old.
Already gaining weight because I am craving treats and candy.
That my pumpkins are still out on the porch.
That Ben's work Christmas party is scheduled at the same time as our Relief Society Christmas dinner.
Having my advent wreath be used as a frisbee.
Sooooo many ads in my mailbox.
Having a kid at church tell Ian that Santa is fake.
Ian's teacher telling him that Santa is not Christian.
The post office.

Family Pictures

2007-12-04T22:30:00.001-08:00

We had a lot of fun taking family pictures this year! Not usually the case. We even got a couple of great shots of the whole family. (You'll just have to wait to see it in your Christmas cards!) Here are some of our favorite shots. Thanks to Luci, our photographer. She made it quick and painless.

Happy Thanksgiving 2007!

2007-11-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

We went to Bakersfield for Thanksgiving again this year. Third year running! We all love seeing great-grandpa and grandma Richards, our cousins and second cousins and going to dinner at Uncle Sam and Aunt Kathy's. Here are some of the highlights:

Uncle Sam baked the yams at 500 degrees for 45 minutes. The marshmallows were black, but the rest was delicious and caramelized! Mmmm...

My dinner assignment was rolls, which I stressed about all week, since I don't (or didn't) have a great recipe for rolls. The one I used to make in Utah has never really worked here in California. Everything is always home-made and delicious at the Bakersfield Thanksgiving, so I couldn't just cop out and get rolls from Costco! I was feeling the pressure. I tried a new recipe (Thanks Amber!) and the rolls turned out fantabulous and everyone loved them! Grandma said to me on the way home from Uncle Sam's that she was impressed that I made home-made rolls and that she thought I could just go to Costco to get rolls since we had a three hour drive!

And now for the kids' take on Thanksgiving...

Ian liked playing with his cousins and in grandma's yard and picking her beautiful roses.
(although he looks pretty UNhappy in this picture.)

Kate took a liking to grandpa Richards. She held his hand for a little stroll outside and went to sit on his lap a couple of times. He was pretty tickled.

She also enjoyed the jelly belly appetizers -- a little too much!

The biggest hit for Jacob was great-grandma's "fluffy" potty. He cracked up every time he went.

Huzzah for Thanksgiving!

Don't try this at home

2007-11-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

I spent the other night blowdrying Ben's year books. Why?

Because they got wet. Why?

Because they were in a box in the garage which got thoroughly soaked by the water coming out of the water heater. Why?

My landlord told me to drain the water heater. We were running out of hot water at an alarming rate every day. He made it sound easy enough--put a hose on the drain valve, open the drain valve, turn off the water to the water heater-- that I could do it by myself. In theory, the water should drain out, along with any sediment that may have collected over the years. I'm pretty handy, as girls go, and Ben was out of town, so I tried it. I was actually successful. I swear, no more water was coming out of the hose when I checked! Then I tried to get the hose off. It was stuck on there pretty hard, so I had to get a wrench. Suddenly the valve popped out of the water heater completely, and a strong spray of water hit me in the stomach, soaking me in seconds. Holding in the screams, I tried screwing the valve back in (it's still attached to the darn hose), saying a lot of silent prayers and spraying water all over the contents of the garage, including the box of Ben's yearbooks. I finally got the drain valve back on. Turns out I don't know the difference between the water shut-off valve and the gas shut-off valve. Oops.

I felt a lot better when the plumber came the next day and the drain valve popped off for him, too. At least I didn't swear like he did.

The Many Dresses of Kate

2007-11-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

I have been on a mission to find the perfect dress for Kate for the holidays and family pictures. I posted the prices because I am a bargain hunter!

Here are the choices:

Scalloped Brown Wool with Pink Bow - H&M $16.90

Red Velvet with Satin Bow - Target $11.99

Brown Tiered Ruffle -Children's Place $11.99

Red Bow Cardigan -Children's Place $9.99
White Eyelet Lace Skirt - H&M $12?

What do you think? Vote in the poll!