the rucksack

week in review

2008-08-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Would you like fries with that?

Monday morning we sent Bailey off to another week of scout camp. This is the National Youth Leadership Training [NYLT Silver Bear] camp for the boys.

So it's been a quiet week. :) The silence ends tomorrow night.

Been doing LOTS of swimming. We are Fish, after all.

And the flower garden is still going strong. The ants appear to like the flowers as much as I do, so I had to organize a massive ant extermination. So far so good.

I had fun re-organizing our family picture wall to incorporate our newest family picture. I have so much fun with black and white photographs.

Next photo project: filling up two collage frames with fun family photos. Now I just need to find a good place to hang them . . .

buddy's big 4

2008-07-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

Summer birthdays at our house are the best! We have cake and ice cream for breakfast, to start the day off right, and then have presents right after. I got up early this morning to finish frosting Collin's cake before he woke up. And not a minute too soon, either! I had just gotten the last candle into place when Collin came downstairs, thrilled to see his Kung Fu Panda cake. I couldn't resist taking a picture right away-that's why he looks so sleepy here.

Time to make a wish and blow out the candles.

Nothing says happy birthday like a brand new red scooter! Finally, a way to keep up with those big sisters and brother around the backyard and cul-de-sac . . .

Collin in action in the backyard. Next stop: the front yard, but definitely with the helmet!

Happy 4th Birthday, Collin!

family picture

2008-07-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

The Fish Family

July 2008

twilight brain

2008-07-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

Anyone? Anyone?

Yeah. Thought so.

memory game

2008-07-21T03:22:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs to play--this is fun!

The rules:

First, as a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember--it can be funny, weird, awkward, random, etc.

Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

a crazy collinism

2008-07-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

As the youngest of four children, Collin is constantly being told not to do things that are perfectly acceptable for his older siblings to do. Like using a knife at dinner. I don't put a knife by his place setting because frankly he isn't able to use it well enough to even bother, and I didn't want him to injure himself while sawing away at something. I didn't realize how much Collin was actually paying attention to my dinner table admonitions until the following incident occurred while dining out at a restaurant.

We are being seated at our table, which has a knife and two forks rolled up into the napkins at each seat. As we are getting settled in, I notice that Collin has unwrapped his silverware from the napkin and is staring at his utensils. Suddenly, he picks up his dinner knife and wields it proudly while exclaiming, "Mom, LOOK! It didn't kill me!"

I don't remember telling him that the butter knife might actually kill him, but apparently whatever I said made a pretty big impression!

more photographs from the great escape

2008-07-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

Bailey & Libby boogie board together . . .

. . . while Collin enjoys the sun & surf at Avila

Collin makes a friend at the Coastal Discovery Center in San Simeon

Searching for sea treasures . . .

. . . and rock climbing at Morro Strand

Collin takes a break to enjoy the view

Climbing the cliffs at Spooner's Cove in Montana de Oro

Feeding the animals at Avila Barn

scuba scouts

2008-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our scouts met at the indoor poor at Sports Chalet to complete their scuba training for the Boy Scout Scuba patch. Owen had been scuba certified back when he was a Boy Scout, so he was anxious to get a refresher course in. They had a blast!! [Bailey is towards the back, to the right of my hang-tenning husband. Click on the picture to see it larger!] Next stop: open sea dive!

We are so lucky to have such a great scoutmaster-he really keeps the fun stuff coming for these boys and does a great job motivating them to learn as much as they possibly can in the scouting program. Just in the last month or so, Bailey has done his swimming merit badge, his snorkeling patch, Boy Scout camp with its attendant merit badges, and some other camp-outs and service projects. During camp he passed his Board of Review for his Life Scout rank, so now it's onward to Eagle! I was glad that he had his last Board of Review with someone other than his dad and mom [assistant scoutmaster and troop committee chair, respectively] so that he could have some experience interviewing with different members of scouting staff. I guess they're pretty tough on those Eagle Boards of Review. He's pondering possibilities for his Eagle project now. So exciting!

the great escape

2008-07-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

At the Baywood Park pier/boardwalk. All 20 feet of it!

Exploring tidepools by the breakwater along Morro Rock.

Beachcombing along Morro Strand.

Last week we escaped the valley heat and headed to California's central coast. What a relief! Some pictures I took of the kids together.

4th of july 2008

2008-07-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

A birthday girl, swimming with cousins @ Grammie's, berry 'n cream cheese frosting cake, and fireworks in our cul-de-sac.

Another great Independence Day with all our favorite family traditions!

independence day

2008-07-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

the stone garden in july

2008-07-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

the par-tay

2008-07-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

Are all these candles really for me?

Why on earth did my silly mother try to fit them

all on this tiny little gluten-free cupcake?

The girls gather around as Libby opens her birthday gifts.

The gang gathered together in the pool.

It was a great day to swim! A special thanks to Grammie for letting us crash her backyard for the birthday party! Libby celebrated entering double digits with a splash. Of course, her real birthday isn't until the 4th of July. So, we'll be celebrating again as a family! And naturally we're making her wait until then to get her presents from us. And naturally she totally can't wait.

miss libby

2008-06-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

Libby grinding corn for homemade tortillas during La Purisima Mission Days.

My group at the La Purisima Concepcion Mission in Lompoc, CA.

Libby at the Millionaire's Club party for 4th grade [dinner portion of the evening]

Libby with her flute, also the same flute my sister & I played! We're getting our money's worth out of it.

You may have noticed that recently I had an almost two-month gap between blog entries. This gap was caused by many varied and sundry reasons: school field trips, school papers and projects, boy scout meetings and camp prep, PTA meetings, 7th grade parent meetings, school volunteer work, last week of school festivities, an extremely sick 7th grader who missed the entire last week of school, and, the bane of my summer, the assignment of PTA Fundraising Walkathon Committee Chair. ***Sigh*** It's been busy.

So, I have made it my mission to [slowly] fill in some of the gaps by updating you on some of the highlights. And this entry is devoted to my Libby!

Libby has had an extraordinary 4th grade year at her new school. She earned straight A's again, much to the delight of her family. She has worked so hard and we are all so proud of her efforts!

Libby also received a letter from her music teacher stating that she has been accepted into the school's Advanced Band class next year. This is quite an achievement, since not many 5th graders get into Advanced Band, so we are all very pleased. She will be learning the same music Bailey is playing [only for flute] and will also be marching in all band competitions next fall, including the band review in Pismo Beach. Go Libby! I'm still trying to figure out how those huge band uniforms are going to fit her.

This week she is attending a Summer Music Workshop in the morning for 5th - 8th graders and is enjoying the challenge. She is learning new notes and new music and will get to perform this Friday night in a concert for the families. We are looking forward to it! Meanwhile, she is still keeping up her piano studies and is advancing in this area as well.

Before school let out for the summer, Libby was invited to a very special "Millionaire's Club" activity put on by all of the fourth grade teachers. In order to be invited, you had to have read at least one million words over the course of the school year. Libby read somewhere between four and five million. It started after school with a Wii competition, then they repaired to a special Millionaire Clubhouse. While at the Clubhouse, they swam, played pool [or billiards, for all you other millionaires], and were served a very special dinner complete with Martinelli's sparkling cider. Just perfect for the junior millionaire set! Libby had lots of fun and played so hard that she was very tired when I picked her up that evening! I think all of the other kids were as well.

I should have some fun pictures of Libby after this weekend when we have her swimming birthday party. Her birthday is actually July 4th, so we're doing it a week early. And hopefully we'll have fun 4th of July pictures to share as well!

the big "1-3"

2008-06-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday, June 19th, two things have become official around our place.

What is the first, you query? Well, we now have a bona fide teenager in the house. Although he is not literally in the house at this moment, as the aforementioned teenager has been away at scout camp with his dad for the week.

And the second? I am now officially old. Huh. I had a feeling it would happen.

We celebrated Bailey's birthday before the guys left for scout camp last Saturday, and I think Bailey was pretty surprised. He had been asking for a particular Nintendo DS game, which he has been wanting for awhile.

Here's the birthday boy with his much-coveted Legend of Zelda game. He's all about the Zelda.

But wait, is there something else in the bag?

Seriously, people? Are you kidding me?

I don't have to borrow my sister's or my mom's DS anymore! Suh-weet!
And the birthday boy en route to give his camera-holding mom a heartfelt thank-you hug.

I so love surprising them! He's been wanting one forever, but I'd been reluctant to drop well over a C note for a handheld gaming system [Libby actually bought a used one with her own money several months ago, and mine was a gift]. I figured you only become a teenager once. And thank goodness for that.

Official 'Twilight' Trailer Released by Summit

2008-05-06T08:59:00.001-07:00

Yay! Brand-new official trailer for "Twilight." You know how I love me some vampires. Enjoy!

big art contest

2008-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

My mom is a high school art teacher, and several of her art students have entries in an art competition called the Big Art Contest. Winners are selected by popular vote via internet, and she is hoping to spread the word around a little bit so that more people hear about the competition and subsequently vote.

Click here to visit the website and to cast your votes-you have ten [per browser].

And please, please, PLEASE vote for either of the two entries from Redwood High School! If you're so inclined! ;) The artwork above is from one of her students, Rey S.

vernal bliss

2008-04-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of weeks we have been enjoying gorgeous weather! [Although it is supposed to rain today-but it might not!] While we wait for the older two kids to get out of school, Julia and Collin have enjoyed romping around the school playground.

Of course Julia has to do her reading to me beforehand and is then free to roam, leaving her other homework for the kitchen table. But both kids really look forward to their romps in the mild sun and light breeze that we've been blessed with recently. Absolutely perfect weather. And it's nice for me as well-I stow a book away in my bag and read as they play. It makes for a nice relaxing break in the middle of an otherwise hectic day.

Of course, now that I've posted this, it will most certainly rain today!

did you know . . .

2008-04-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

. . . that April is National Poetry Month?

Last year I found a fun way to get into the spirit at poets.org. You can sign up on the website to receive a poem a day via email.

The poems are modern ones, so you won't be sent any by Emily Dickinson [pictured to left] or other poets you may have studied, but the website also features an archive, with access to poetry written by both past and modern poets.

One of my favorite poems by Emily Dickinson:

There is no frigate like a book

There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away,
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry –
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll –
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears a Human soul.

aisha's picks

2008-03-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

Do you love "Anne of Green Gables?"

As I have enjoyed the "Anne of Green Gables" series since I was a young girl, I was excited to hear that a prequel was out. However, I am always wary of books about beloved characters NOT written by the original author. So, I was prepared not to get too emotionally attached from the get-go.

I needn't have worried. Budge Wilson does a tremendous job of showing us Anne's early upbringing and marrying it with the "Anne with an e" we come to know and love in the "Green Gables" series. If you love the Anne-girl, you will fall in love with this prequel as well. And as soon as I finished it, I must admit that I immediately reached for "Anne of Green Gables" to continue along with one of my most beloved stories!

I also passed it along to my nine year old daughter who has read the first novel in the series [and has watched my DVD with the adorable Megan Follows] and she enjoyed it as well.

And if you've paid any attention to my reading list for the past couple of months, you will have noticed that "Bleak House" has steadfastly remained as many other novels have been finished.

I am pleased to announce that I have finally finished it! I must confess that I wasn't sure if I would, but I persevered and am so glad that I did! It was a little heavier read than am used to, so I had to mix it up with some lighter diversions along the way. Dickens is such a master of creating scenes and characters. He's amazing. For awhile I wondered how all of his many and varied characters would come together in the end, but Dickens ties everything up seamlessly.

The themes of irony, passion, and secrets makes for a compelling tale, the most compelling being that of Lady Dedlock. Her icy exterior is a most convincing mask for the passion that lies in her past, a passion she would die for.

And now I am going to treat myself to the 15 episode BBC miniseries! I've been waiting so long to watch it, but I made myself finish the novel before watching it. Fortunately our public library is so good-they already have it en route to me. Can't wait!

julia's pick

2008-03-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

This is one of Julia's favorite books, given to her a couple of Christmases back. The title is "Adele & Simon" and it was written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock. It's a sort of "Where's Waldo" set back in 19th century Paris and is just adorable.

Adele is charged with picking up Simon and school and getting him home. However, much to her chagrin, in the process Simon is wont to leave his various possessions all over Paris! The reader must search the illustrations to find each particular item left behind by the hapless Simon. It's extremely fun to see all the different landmarks and locales of the City of Light along the way. All's well that ends well, since Simon manages to end up with all of his belongings--but you'll just have to read the book to find out how!

neighborhood watch

2008-03-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

Photo taken just this morning of our neighbor's garage door. I have no idea how it happened, but with this particular neighbor, there's really no telling.

Sadly, this garage door is likely the least of his problems.

tagged: the memoir

2008-03-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

THE RULES:

Write your own six word memoir. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you like. Link to the person who tagged you in your post. Tag six more blogs with links. Don't forget to leave a comment on the blogs you tagged inviting them to play along!

Aisha's memoir [tagged by Melissa]:

Love given and found; books abound.

Now for the best part! I tag Megan, Laurie, and Jennifer!

little pea

2008-03-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun book for your little ones! The last time we went to story time at the library, one of the librarians read this cute book to the kids.

It's about a little pea who has to eat all five pieces of candy on his dinner plate before he can have his dessert-which turns out to be spinach! Very fun. The kids really got into it.

Fun note: Collin just came up to me while typing this post and got very excited when he saw the book cover picture! He even remembered about the book when I asked him to tell me about it. A winning testimonial from a pint-size reader!

new shoes

2008-03-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

Found these little babies as we were leaving Morro Bay. We had just finished dinner with my parents and had stepped into a little shop nearby so the kids could have a look around before heading home. And there they were, tucked away into a little corner of the shop. And they're even size 5.5. My ultimate, perfect size. Many people do not even realize how difficult it is to get shoes in a size 5.5.

I think these shoes were meant to be.

day trip

2008-03-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Just before school ended for spring break, Libby was assigned the California mission that she is to do her report on this trimester. And the funny thing is, she is doing the same mission that Bailey did three years ago! It also happens to be the very same mission that all of the 4th graders will be visiting next month for their field trip.

The mission is La Purisima Concepcion, located in Lompoc, CA, right by Santa Maria [which is just above Santa Barbara]. So, with a full week of freedom stretched before us, we decided to take a day trip over and visit the mission as a family. Grammie was already staying over at the coast, so we picked her up on our way down so that she could join in the family fun. We had lots of fun learning and exploring, especially since La Purisima was a large and fully functioning mission back in its heyday.

Libby and Collin investigate the mission's irrigation system. There were extensive field crops to be watered at La Purisima, not to mention water to run the various chores inside the mission walls.

Libby peeks out from behind the doorway leading into the courtyard outside the main church building. It was previously used as a cemetery [insert spooky chills here] but they must have moved the bodies some time ago. There is now only one main headstone to memorialize those who were buried there in the past.

Here is our gang gathered together and perched on the edge of some ancient looking brickwork along the colonnade of the padres' residence building.

Bailey and Collin goofing around in one the courtyards of the shops and quarters buildings. I'm trying to remember what made me drop the camera to an angle when taking the shot.

Is it time for lunch yet? Collin was getting pretty hungry by the end of our tour! Julia as well-I kept reminding her of what I'd packed for our picnic to keep her motivated to stay with us. We lunched in the van, then headed back up the coast to Pismo. We stuck our toes in the sand and puttered through the shops until dinnertime, when we picked up Grandpa and headed into Morro Bay to find some killer garlic fries. After dinner, we changed the kids into their pj's and headed back home!

When Libby goes back with her class next month, the mission will be putting on its annual Mission Days. The docents dress up and show the kids what mission life was like, complete with candlemaking, weaving, livestock and such. That will definitely be lots of fun-hopefully I'll win a seat by lottery to be a chaperone and go with them. ; ) To see more pictures of the mission, check out my photos on flickr!

special topics in calamity genetics [a.k.a. 5 down and 1 to go]

2008-03-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

Libby sporting her new spectacles

Libby has made it [nearly] unanimously official: we are indeed a family of myopics. We are just waiting for the day when Collin needs glasses as well.

Thank goodness for vision coverage.

good news

2008-03-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

Last week before the kids got out of school for Spring Break, I had their teacher conferences and got their report cards. And they were awesome!

Libby earned a 4.0 for the trimester-we were all really excited for her! She has been working super hard at school and it has paid off. Bailey did an excellent job as well, earning A's in all of his classes except for math [B]. Which is silly, because he is actually very good in math [unlike his mathematically challenged mother]. He didn't hand in some assignments at the beginning of the trimester, but soon wised up and started getting it done. And Julia, who is scored with E's [for excellent] and S's [for satisfactory], earned lots of E's and S+'s. Plus she's reading at an Independent 3rd grade level [or above, since they only test up to 2 grades higher than their current grade-whatever]. She has really made a huge jump in her reading over the last month or so.

Plus, this past Sunday Bailey played a hymn solo [from the hymnbook] in Sacrament Meeting. He did a really great job. Our ward music director heard he was playing in Priesthood and at Mutual and wanted to give him some experience playing in front of a larger group. I missed out on seeing it, because I actually got sick while getting ready for church and didn't make it. It was a good thing I had sent Bailey to church that morning with Owen at 7 am [for Owen's early morning meeting] to practice on the grand piano in the chapel, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get him there in time. I also missed Owen's talk in church that morning, but heard that went well also.

another bevy of blossoms

2008-03-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

There is a rather small orchard on the way to the kids' school that has been in bloom for the past several weeks. I see it in the morning as we drive past and I yearn to stop and wander a bit for some pictures. However, since our standard route leaving school is a different one and I am such a creature of habit, sadly I always miss getting out into the orchard to take some pictures. [I would never have time in the morning anyway, and I just can't take good pictures under pressure!]

Until yesterday, that is! I made a conscious effort to take the other way home so that we could pass by the orchard. It was perfect: the day was clear, balmy, and breezy and there was no pressure to leave before I felt like I wanted to. Even when the kids asked me if technically I was trespassing as we drove away. I gave a rather vague "no" in reply.

Not sure what kind of blooms these are, but even I can tell that they are different from the other pink blossoms I captured several weeks ago. A variety of stone fruit, I presume.

get yer irish on!

2008-03-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Remember the "Elf Yourself" web campaign by Office Max for the last couple of Christmas seasons? Well, the manufacturers of Irish Spring are getting in on the crazy act.

In the spirit of the upcoming St. Pattie's Day , I decided to get my Irish on at their "Turn Yourself Irish" website-for a great laugh check it out here! And for even more fun, check out Collin's! He's a natural in a green suit!

i. hate. daylight. savings. time

2008-03-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Anybody else with me on this?

It messes with my sleep, and worse than that, it messes up my kids' sleep. Which in turn messes up my sleep even more. And don't even get me started on the sheer tedium of having to scour the entire house [both levels] and garage and even our back patio for every possible timepiece just so I can change it by one hour. Only a man could have come up with something this ridiculous. Thanks a whole bunch, Benjamin Franklin. You're a real smartie. Obviously you never had to raise kids or manage a household.

Maybe we should move to Arizona.

Nah. Way too hot.

new first presidency portrait

2008-03-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this picture of the new First Presidency, so I thought I'd post it for all to see! Shown are Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Check out http://www.lds.org/ for more information on the new official portrait.

my fella

2008-03-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

Collin atop his favorite perch in the mall playground!

We were planning on going to story time at the library this morning, but when we got there we found that the children's librarian was sick today. Poor Miss Valerie! So, after we collected the books and DVD I had on hold, we decided to go have some fun. I had a couple of errands that needed running at the mall, so that's where we headed.

After making my stops, we made for the playground, Collin's favorite place to hang out at the mall. His favorite thing to play on is the yellow VW bug-he especially likes to jump off of it [that's where he's perched in the above photo]. And of course we had to have lunch at the mall while we were there-we shared a huge plate of nachos. Collin loves his chippies. Since no trip to the mall would be complete without the requisite visit to the See's Candy establishment, Collin giddily picked out a small chocolate rabbit and sat down on a nearby bench to relish it.

All in all, a good morning!

happy leap year day!

2008-02-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

Picture circa London 1884

Happy Leap Year Day!

Some fun facts about Leap Years:

In older times in England, February 29 was ignored and had no legal status. This custom also migrated over to the United States during that time. You probably wouldn't want to close escrow on your house on a Leap Day back then.

This is even better: a Leap Year was the only time that society permitted a woman to ask a man for his hand in marriage. And if he declined a proposal in a Leap Year, he owed her a silk dress and a kiss on the cheek!

Leap Year Balls were all the rage in both England and America. They were given all throughout the Leap Year, and the women were the ones to ask the men to dance. They could even cut in on other women during dances, just as men are wont to do. To learn more about the picture above, check out this link to make sense of it all!

And finally, here's a link to a funny little story about Leap Year that appeared in the Washington Post today.

Enjoy your extra day!

blossoms in the orchard

2008-02-28T08:33:00.000-08:00

blossoms detail

busy bee

reflections

Yesterday I stopped at this orchard in bloom after taking the kids to school to get some fun pictures. And the orchard smelled so good! I'm not sure what kind of stone fruit these blossoms will become, but it smelled heavenly. It was buzzing with bees as well, as you can see from the second picture!

pretty blossoms

2008-02-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

When I took Julia's glasses in to get fixed, I couldn't help but capture theses lovely blooms on camera. I've always had a fondness for tree blossoms, and the tall, graceful orange iceland poppies always stand out in a crowd. I am loving spring right now-I feel that if I don't take my camera with me everywhere that I might miss something great!

little bitty gets glasses

2008-02-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I took Julia in for her scheduled eye exam. She hadn't mentioned any vision problems to anyone, but it soon became obvious during her exam that she was having trouble seeing the smaller letters! Sure enough, Julia is following in her parents' and older brother's footsteps and is myopic just like them! I was about the same age as Julia when I started wearing glasses, so it shouldn't have been such a surprise. She was really excited about wearing glasses and picked out her favorite pair at the doctor's office. For the next few days, every time the phone rang she asked me if it was the eye doctor, telling her that her glasses were ready! I'm really glad that she is excited about wearing them. It sure makes my job as the mom that much easier. Now my biggest concern is that these glasses stay intact until our insurance pays for another pair: she's been wearing them for almost a week now and we've already had one repair made on them!

in the backyard

2008-02-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

Some pictures I took on Saturday while goofing around with the camera in the backyard, in between rain showers.

star wars according to a 3 year old

2008-02-25T11:33:00.001-08:00

This little girl is so cute! And she only saw the movie once!

what would you do for a klondike?

2008-02-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

This weekend Owen and Bailey participated in the annual Klondike Derby with the Boy Scouts. It's all about the snow! They built a sled to mush their gear into camp [since it's all snowed in] and they spend all weekend in the snow. Brrrrrr. They had lots of fun, though, participating in all the activities and finishing up the day with a massive snowball fight. Even Owen, who never gets cold, said that sleeping in the snow was "a little cold." Almost makes me feel a wee bit guilty for having that nice, warm bed all to myself Friday night. Almost.

girl's night out

2008-02-14T17:32:00.000-08:00

Last night was girl's night out!

Julia, Libby, and I headed over to catch the Hannah Montana concert movie. Here are the girls in their humungous 3D glasses. Yes, I wore them, too. And it was pretty darn cool!

valentine 4 u

2008-02-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist this one. Hope you have a happy Valentine's Day.

sugar sugar

2008-02-14T17:30:00.000-08:00

My valentine bunny and See's Candy from Owen. Isn't that sweet? The bunny is from Build-a-Bear and was Libby's pick for me. Although it was Owen's idea to go there for my gift. I know! I'm pleasantly surprised as well. She's really soft and snuggly. Collin went with Owen to get it, and when it came time to name the bunny, he wanted to call her "Superman." The girl at the store cracked up over that! In the end, they decided to let me go in for the birth certificate myself so that I can name my own bunny. Maybe I'll go with "Supergirl."

Here are the kids having their Valentine's Day breakfast of chocolate and sugar. Why not? It's only once a year. Umm, except for Halloween, Easter, Christmas. . . OK, never mind. At least they don't have school today-they're off for this entire week.

happy valentine's day!

2008-02-14T05:29:00.000-08:00

a morning in exile

2008-02-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot about this experience last week until I was uploading digital photos to the computer and came across this picture and video. Let me explain:

Our story begins last week as I pull into the school parking lot to pick up the kids. A car that had been driving behind me followed me into the parking lot, where the occupants [good samaritans #1] informed me that one of my back tires was extremely flat. Fortunately a school bus driver [good samaritan #2] noticed me trying to pump it back up with a battery-operated gizmo I keep in the van and offered to pump it up for me in the school bus barn several yards away. Fortunately I was able to make it home just fine, but I knew where I would be the next morning: at the Costco tire center for a repair and an overdue tire rotation as well.

Collin and I dropped the van off and began our sojourn by wandering about town for the two-and-a-half hours that it would take for the job to be completed. We started off close to home by getting a bite at the Costco snack bar. Two hot dogs [sans buns], two drinks, and twenty minutes later, we decided to wander around the store for a bit. We found a new LeapFrog video for Collin's collection, but after 30 minutes or so, we were weary of perusing the warehouse. So, we buttoned up our coats and ventured across the enormous vacant field in front of Costco to check out the nearby shopping center. As we left I noticed our van still parked in the Tire Center Parking, the plastic yellow service hat perched woefully on the top. Hmmm. That doesn't bode well for us, I thought.

After picking our way through vast amounts of weeds, ruts, and other vacant field paraphernalia, we decided that some ice cream was in order. We headed straight for Coldstone Creamery, ordered our favorites, and settled in to kill some time together.

The above picture shows the contents of my bag by this point: my Costco work order, Collin's new video [it was either stash it in my purse or carry it around in some tuna fish box], a bow and arrow brought along by Collin to help pass the time away, Collin's partially eaten hot dog wrapped in foil, and my cell phone, which I checked constantly to make sure that Costco hadn't performed a miracle for me and called to tell me they had gotten the job done sooner than expected.

So, we hung out at Coldstone for awhile. Although Collin was being a real trooper, by this time, the poor little fella was getting pretty punchy! Watch the video to see him in action-he's pretty hilarious. He was having a good time being silly. We left a few minutes after taking this video to stroll around Michael's for a spell.

After meandering through Michael's, we headed back across the field to pick up the van. Mission accomplished! But, we weren't done with these tires yet. The next morning as Collin and I were getting into the van to run the errands that didn't get done the day before, I noticed that our troublesome tire was flat again. So, I flipped the air compressor on, filled it up, and headed straight for Costco for the second day in a row. This time the wait was only one hour, so we decided to stay in Costco the entire time. Neither of us had any desire to roam that day. We made our way to the DVD section, where we decided to just camp out on the floor in front of the flatscreen that was playing the BBC planet earth series. And there we stayed for the hour! Collin really loved seeing all the wildlife.

And I'm just glad our tire is fixed for good this time.

first sign of spring

2008-02-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I was gazing out one of the windows that look out onto our front yard, commiserating over how ugly and destitute our yard was looking. Except for removing the leaves during the fall [and winter-it's Cali, after all], we have basically deserted all forms of yardwork except for the occaisonal sweep of the concrete. As I stood silent watch over the barren landscape, I tried to motivate myself into spending this Saturday getting our yard back into shape.

Then out of the corner of my eye I noticed something. Something purple. Purple! All at once I remembered the crocus bulbs I had planted near the granite rocks about four years ago, which continue to take me by surprise when they actually bloom each spring. The crocus were finally up! Even better than a groundhog, here in mild-weathered California it means that spring is definitely here.

I dashed out the front door, camera in hand, to capture the evidence that our bleak winter is nearly at an end. Goodbye cold, bland, grey winter skies! Hello sunshine, flowers, and azure skies all around! Of course that also means an eventual return to another blistering valley summer, but I'm not even going to think about that for very long. Spring has come!

why bother?

2008-02-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

This morning Owen and I had a cleaning scheduled at our dentist. Although Collin had his cleaning done last month, he had the honor of accompanying us since he really has nowhere else to go! He came prepared with a backpack full of various cars and trucks to occupy himself, and as usual, was a very well-behaved little man.

Before we left the office, Collin was invited to choose something out of The Prize Basket for his stellar behavior. He chose the pictured paddle ball [with ball still attached at the time]. Within a few minutes of getting home, Collin informed me through the tears in his eyes that his ball had willfully detached itself from the string.

Of course I was prepared for the upset of having the toy fall apart, because they always do. But this time I started thinking. Why do companies even bother making stuff that can't even endure a few minutes of use? Has anyone ever had a paddle ball that lasted longer than ten minutes? I can tell you that none of my kids ever have! What is the point of making worthless cheap junk?

Don't get me wrong-I totally appreciate the fact that our dentist makes The Prize Basket available to our little ones to make a visit to the dentist more fun. It's just that it seems so useless to even produce stuff that promptly falls apart. Made in China? Most likely. Although the way things are going now, things coming from China are going to have to be more expensive just to bring them up to basic levels of quality control. Which probably will translate into less offerings at the dollar store and Oriental Trading Company. I love both of these places, by the way! It's not necessarily about how much you spend, it's about how you design and manufacture your product.

Anyway, I've had my fun. I've had my little rant and I'm over it now. It was fun feeling like Rush Limbaugh for a couple of minutes. I know in my heart that from the beginning of time, the concept of the paddle ball was probably never a sturdy one to begin with. It was a concept just waiting to get broken. Now I'm off to surreptitiously toss our paddle ball into the garbage before Collin sees it and remembers that it's broken!

boy scout merit badge fair

2008-02-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here Owen instructs scouts for the Electricity Merit Badge as a merit badge counselor

Scouts hard at work on the Art Merit Badge

[Bailey is in the foreground while Grammie, our Art merit badge counselor, is busy in the back]

Last month our ward hosted a merit badge fair. We invited all the wards in our stake, plus two other nearby stakes as well. We also invited several BSA troops from around town to join in the fun. As Scout Committee Chair, I worked closely with the Christensens, our scoutmaster and his wife to plan, organize, and carry out this event, and we're happy to say that it went very well! We had over 60 boys attend and they were all very well-behaved and worked hard all day. We were even written up in the South Valley Bee, a newspaper in Fresno that covers things that happen down in this end of the valley. And the best thing about the article was that my mom was on the front page of the newspaper! In the photograph she is shown instructing one of the boys in Art from one of our wards. Click here to read the article, although sadly the cover photograph isn't included. Although I have copies of the newspaper article, our scanner is now defunct and so I am unable to include it here. If you want a copy let me know and I'll get one to you via snail mail!

It was a really good experience for our family. We all helped set up and clean up, Owen and I did a lot of the legwork beforehand [although our scoutmaster's wife Valerie certainly bore the brunt of it, I fear], and the whole family came to stay for that whole Saturday at the church. I had them camp out in the nursery and I used our walkie-talkies to communicate with Libby who was in charge. They snacked, watched DVD's, and played with the fun nursery toys, and quite frankly surprised me with how well they behaved from 7:30 am until after 5:00 pm. It was great having my mom volunteer as a merit badge counselor for Art and Pulp & Paper-everyone said she was so organized that they couldn't believe it! I spent time registering scouts, checking on classes, getting scouts from one class to the next, organizing lunch, and just whatever needed to be done. We're even thinking about doing one next year, although our scoutmaster wants to do it again in just 6 months! We'll have to see about that . . .

need a new nickname?

2008-02-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Sawyer has got you covered. Head over to ABC.com and get yourself a new one! All you have to do is answer a few little questions about yourself and voila! A new nickname, Sawyer-style. Just don't be too offended if you don't like it . . .

proud mama alert

2008-02-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on some of the fun things the kids have been up to lately!

Last week, all of the 4th graders took a huge spelling test to find out who the best spellers are. The top two spellers win a trip to the spelling bee held at the end of this month to prepare them for entering the bee next year [they have to be in 5th grade to enter]. Libby was one of the top two and is going on the trip! They also go out to lunch afterwards, so she is thrilled at missing basically the whole day to have fun outside of school. The other top speller is also in Libby's class and is a friend of hers, as well as being LDS [although we're in different wards]. It will be a fun day for both of them!

In other news, this past Sunday was Bailey's first time playing the piano in Priesthood. He has been working on several hymns during the last few weeks and is really sounding good. He has played for opening exercises in Mutual a few times, but yesterday was his first time in Priesthood. He played [very fittingly, I thought] "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet." We're already putting those piano lessons to work! A special thanks to Grammie, who is Bailey's piano teacher [and the girls' as well]!

And here is an amusing incident from today involving Collin. This morning I was watching BYU-TV to hear the announcement of the new First Presidency. Collin was playing nearby. The name "Thomas" was being mentioned repeatedly as Thomas S. Monson had been called as the new president of the church. Everytime he heard the name, Collin would perk up, because for him the name Thomas is all about Thomas the Tank Engine. He kept asking me if Thomas was on TV. I told him that Thomas S. Monson the prophet was on TV and showed him the picture from our conference Ensign. He looked at it and repeated the name "Thomas S. Monson" with me several times, then seemed content with this particular Thomas. Funny little guy.

Julia has a performance tomorrow night at the school for Founder's Day. This being our first ever Founder's Day, I'm still not sure what it's all about, but as she has been learning a patriotic song, it's sure to be patriotic! Will have to let you know how it goes!

do you have all the missing pieces yet?

2008-01-25T11:36:00.000-08:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably already know that LOST returns to primetime TV next Thursday for a run of eight new episodes. You've seen the first three seasons. But, have you checked out all the "Missing Pieces" on the ABC website?

The missing pieces are short, two to three minute clips that have been newly filmed [well, at least before the writers' strike]. They are intended to give new info that happened in the past-no flash forwards here as of yet. You can usually tell about when they are happening since they will usually reference something that allows the viewer to place it in the LOST timeline. Right now there are eleven episodes, but I believe there are supposed to eventually be thirteen in all.

Anyway-watch them here!

poetry & prose

2008-01-24T16:26:00.000-08:00

Libby grinning after the event!

Libby reciting the poem "Was It a Goblin?"

Each year the kids' school hosts a "Poetry and Prose" event for all the students. Students memorize and act out poems or other recitations, either individually or in groups, and perform their chosen work on the stage for the whole school. Libby was excited to participate in her first year at their new school and chose a quirky little poem titled "Was It a Goblin?" to perform.

After choosing and memorizing their selection, they first had to perform their piece in front of a group in the library to make the first cut. Libby [much like her mom] is somewhat anxious being in front of groups of people and was a little nervous about the whole thing at that point! But, she persevered and did just fine, making the cut for today's presentation in front of the school.

And she did a good job! Even though she was a little nervous [and a little too short for the microphone-check her out on her tiptoes in the above video!] she didn't forget anything she had prepared. Today they selected the winners to go on to the county competition, and even though she didn't get chosen for county, we are all so excited that she prepared well and got up there in front of the whole school to recite! That can be scary stuff!

Watching Libby up on stage reminded me of when I memorized and performed a poem I had written [I called it "Smiles"] for the equivalent of Poetry and Prose many years ago. I was probably in the 6th grade. I remember even performing in the county competition, and when I look back now, I don't even know how I did it. I would never do it now! I don't know-are we braver when we're younger?

"daycation"

2008-01-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

I've been so stressed out lately with Primary and scout stuff that this morning I declared a "daycation" for Collin and I. Since we had already put in our workday on Tuesday at the school, we didn't have any commitments today and were therefore able to put the day to its true purpose: having fun!

After the kids left for school, we started off our morning by setting up Collin's train tracks again, as someone had disassembled the entire thing several days ago. After accomplishing that, we decided to give Thomas the day off and headed downstairs to play on the Wii!

We started off with tennis. I took a few minutes to warm up, since the first time I had played tennis on the Wii was briefly on Monday during family night. Then, Collin and I played each other, and boy, he was really kicking my patootie! It's not so much skill [although he does have this uncanny sense of coordination and timing] as it was his funny way of continually jumping up and down and waving his remote back and forth so rapidly that earned him so many points! Even though I won [thank goodness for my ego], he was really impressing me with his skills!

We also managed to slip in a quick game of Wii bowling before we headed off into the rain just in time to catch story hour at the library. We met up with some friends there, listened to lots of great stories, and sang some silly songs. After Miss Valerie handed out snacks, we ran back through the rain to our car to get home for lunch and naptime.

After naptime [and before we left to pick up kids at school] Collin surprised me yet again. Since I'm filling in for our pianist for the next month [only for the beginning part of sharing time], I was practicing some Primary songs on the piano. Collin hears the song I'm playing and comes downstairs to inform me that I'm playing the "Hello Song," which he's only heard maybe twice! I was surprised that he knew it, since as a Sunbeam he hasn't logged much actual time in the Primary. And last Sunday the chorister complimented him on his singing of "I Am a Child of God," since he was the only Sunbeam singing. What a funny little fellow.

So, even though I did have to sneak in some phone calls to take care of Primary and scout stuff this afternoon, I thoroughly enjoyed my little "daycation" morning with Collin. We'll just have to make it a regular event!

parlez-vous?

2008-01-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

During our fog day on Tuesday I took a moment to browse amazon.com to see if the new DS game I've been crazy for was back in stock yet. Since it was, of course I amazoned it and it arrived on Saturday. [Don't you just love amazon? I especially love how "amazon" has become a verb.]

I've been having lots of fun brushing up on my French skills with My French Coach. I took French in high school and in college, so I remember a lot of the basics, but this program is amazing, because it lets you record your pronunciation and compare it with a native's recording. Unbelievably helpful! Plus, it has a lot of nice features that make it a bonus to travel with, such as a glossary and lists of helpful phrases in case you're in a pinch. [In France. Or maybe just in French Canada.] Anway, it has lots of fun training games and it's been fun to see just how much French I remember-and how much I've forgotten since BYU! Bailey started a file as well, so he's enjoying his French lessons with the DS.

And I'm still having fun with the original, My Word Coach. Bailey, Libby and I all have our files on Word Coach and I've been having them do some every day [give or take] so they can work on their vocabulary skills. I love how they're learning while they play!

yummy

2008-01-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

Tonight Libby and I made treats for dessert, and they're so yummy and easy that we wanted to share the recipe with you! We made these at Christmastime for our friends and family and they were a big hit. It's a great one to make with kids because it's simple and fast.

Chunky Mallow Candy

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 12 oz pkg chocolate chips [we prefer the milk chocolate but you can use semi-sweet]
4 cups [or more to taste] mini marshmallows

Melt together peanut butter and chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one. Give one final stir when all is melted and combined and allow to cool slightly, so as not to melt marshmallows. Stir in marshmallows until completely coated. Pour into buttered pan and chill. Cut into squares and watch them disappear! [You may want to double the batch!]

science fair 2007

2008-01-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

I've only had this video done for about two months now, so I finally decided to get my act together and post it for everyone to see!

In case you've forgotten, back at the beginning of school, all three kids had science projects due. Julia's class was only submitting collections [since they're so young], but Libby and Bailey each had to create a full-blown project to submit to the science fair. Here are some photos of their projects, of them working on their projects, and how they fared in the final judgement!

star scout

2008-01-17T08:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Bailey receiving his advancement to Star Scout from his Scoutmaster during last week's Court of Honor. Next goal-Life Scout! Congratulations, Bailey! He also earned about 5 merit badges that night, so I was busy sewing on merit badges and new scout patches to Bailey's uniform over the weekend. Our ward is hosting a Merit Badge Fair at the end of the month and I wanted to make sure I got these sewn on before he earned a whole bunch of new ones!

I'm just hoping to get through the Merit Badge Fair. I'm still the BSA Troop Committee Chair for our ward, so there's a lot to do to get everything ready. Fortunately our Scoutmaster and his wife are really organized!

fog day

2008-01-16T10:39:00.000-08:00

Some areas of the United States have snow days in the winter, where school and other events are cancelled due to an excess of snow that creates dangerous driving conditions. Here in California's Central Valley we have fog days. On fog days you may not even be able to see your neighbor's house across the street, even if you don't live in the country. Fog hovers over the ground in thick, unrelenting blankets, reflecting an eerie white cast on everything. On fog days you don't want to get in your car unless you really have to.

Yesterday we had a fog day. We awoke to a world bathed in white when we got the first call at 6:30 am to tell us that school was delayed for 2 hours. At 8:00 am another call came informing us that classes were now delayed 3 hours. And then again at 10:00 am came the final call to cancel school for the day.

Needless to say, the kids were thrilled! By ten o'clock they had already done their piano and instrument practice, finished their morning chores, and done the homework that they already knew was expected of them for that day, so they enjoyed plenty of free time. The kids read books, played games, did educational [and not] games on the Wii and DS, and in general had a nice, easygoing day. Fortunately for me, all of my kids have good imaginations and know how to use them, so it never seems difficult for them to find something to do. Which in turn helps me enjoy the day as well!

As for me, after I finished reading with Julia, I spent the day working on my knitting, piano, and getting busy in the kitchen. I made lemon bars using the first crop of lemons from our backyard tree [yes!] and whipped up some more of my gluten-free mixes that I use regularly to have them conveniently on hand when I'm in a hurry [which is nearly always]. All in all, a productive yet relaxing day for everyone. Of course, we have to make up the fog day at the end of the year when the weather is oh-so-pleasant, but I'm not going to think about that right now.

a word to the not-so-wise

2008-01-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

Apparently someone is worried about me spending too much time on my blog. Click on this link to get the whole story.

Know someone who could use some advice as well? Make sure you take advantage of the offer at the end of the video! I will say no more-now you have to watch.

LOST Season 4 - Sneak Peek - We're Going Home

2008-01-14T07:43:00.001-08:00

LOST is almost back! Get your sneak peek here.

what we did during vacation

2008-01-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

A few of the fun things we did during vacation, in addition to reading [we always do lots of that], playing outside, and mastering the video games!

Libby stirs the fudge up to soft ball stage. Yes, it does take forever! Julia, Libby, and Aisha all took turns stirring. But the end result was so worth it!

Julia has fun with her paper doll set. Julia and Libby have since spent HOURS with these adorable paper dolls and their accessories. Good call, Grammie!

Bailey experiments with origami and makes a star box to show off. He's also made several different birds and a funky color wheel. Again, props to Grammie!

Knit one. . .purl what? Libby poring over this great Klutz knitting set I found on closeout for about $6 at a local educational toy shop. And since Libby has been asking for ages to learn how to knit, so I thought it would be a wise investment.

Collin bent over his coloring book. He takes his art very seriously!

Some things I have been working on:

mastering My Word Coach for Nintendo DS. Insanely addictive, I love it. Because I love words.
a couple of days before Christmas I got an early Christmas present from our ward primary-a change from nursery leader to primary secretary! I've spent much time over the last couple of weeks updating and organizing records, gathering information, and in general acclimating myself to the job. I think I can get used to not being in the nursery!
new piano music! I used a gift card Owen and the kids gave me for my birthday to purchase some music from several of the Jane Austen films. Because I love to feed my Jane Austen addiction.

go now!

2008-01-10T12:02:00.001-08:00

Per my post on Monday, 7 January: if you haven't checked out http://www.marklivesinikea.com/ go there right now! It's hilarious! You have to watch the videos-use the sidebar on the right of the videoplayer to scroll down to get all the videos. What are you waiting for-get out of here!!!!!!!

little trackmaster

2008-01-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Collin enjoys his new train set

Here's a fun video of Collin playing with his new train set! Thanks to generous Christmas cash from Papa & Amoo and Grammie & Papa, Collin was able to add other pieces to the basic train set we gave him for Christmas to create a great setup. He had lots of fun making his choices at Target!

We set up the train tracks in the spare room, so 1] there's plenty of room for Thomas and James to meander along the train tracks and 2] we don't have to worry about taking it down since it's not in the way. Collin is quite the conductor-he handles the remotes for both of the trains, flips switches to change routes, and in general keeps things running smoothly. The other kids have a fun time playing with him as well, and Bailey has helped him set up his track a few times in a variety of ways.

american idol revamped

2008-01-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

Webkinz American Idol [by Libby and Julia]

A couple of days ago Libby asked to borrow the camera to shoot a movie. I just downloaded them today [there were about fifteen!] and I promised her that I would post one for your viewing pleasure.

Some background: In case you don't have kids that use the internet yet, Webkinz are wildly popular stuffed animals that come with a web account when you buy them. You enter a code online and it brings your Webkin to life in a virtual world, where they eat, play games, buy stuff, etc. Libby decided it would be fun to film a video in which her Webkinz are, in fact, the hosts of American Idol [which, by the way, she has never seen]. She got the idea when she stayed the night at a friend's house and they watched some on YouTube.

Anyway, this is the kind of stuff we're up to on this our final week of Christmas vacation! Although it I must confess that I look forward to resuming a normal schedule, I am savoring our last days of relaxation and sleeping in. Because let me warn you now: when your kids start school, your life is no longer your own!

have you heard about the guy who. . .

2008-01-07T13:03:00.001-08:00

. . . moved into his local IKEA store for a week while his NYC apartment is being fumigated? Yes, it's true! Read all about it at http://www.marklivesinikea.com/. He just moved in on the 7th [today] and is supposed to be posting a new video every day this week.

Whenever I mention IKEA to Owen, he gets this distant, irritated look on his face, put there no doubt by his harrowing first experience there about six years ago. It was my first visit as well, and since my mom was with us, together we explored the many wonders of the store for over three hours. With Owen and kids in tow.

He hated every minute.

Owen is not a shopper at heart anyway [unless we're talking power tools], so the fact that he made it through a three-hour-tour of IKEA is in itself no small feat. My mom and I still love to tease him about it, and he still adamantly refuses to spend time there. Although I was able to talk him into a brief stopover when we were passing through the Bay Area two summers ago.

Thinking about IKEA also reminds me that I bought some great prints there [during the aforementioned last visit] that I still need to get framed. Yikes. Talk about procrastinating. I should add "stop putting off house decorating projects that really should have been done years ago" to my New Year's resolutions this year. Hmmm. It's gonna be a long list this year.

pictures worth a thousand words

2007-12-26T09:33:00.001-08:00

Collin has a thing for trains, especially Thomas the Tank Engine. Check out these fun pictures in succession as he opens his first ever Thomas the Tank Engine set for Christmas!

Libby helps Collin open his Thomas the Tank Engine Set. Right now Libby looks more excited about it than Collin does!

This one is my all-time favorite! Realization dawns. Don't you just love the expression on his face! Classic little boy Christmas excitement!

Collin lovingly caresses the box while Libby helps remove the final wrappings.

This one isn't Thomas-related, but I still loved it! Collin desperately wanted a Spiderman from Santa. At the ward Christmas party, he confidently asked Santa for a Spiderman and was rather dismayed when Santa only offered him a candy cane! We had to explain to a somewhat confused Collin that Santa doesn't actually have the presents ready until Christmas Eve. Here he proudly shows off his long-awaited Spiderman to Mom with Julia.

a merr-wii christmas

2007-12-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

At last! Libby, Bailey, and Julia finally in possession of the coveted Wii! They were, in a word, excited. Bailey was the first one up Christmas morning at 5:00 am [not including when I told him to get back to bed after I heard him creaking down the stairs near midnight] and the rest were up at 6:00. They were allowed to explore their stocking fare, but the family rule is that we open gifts all together. Bailey and Libby had already scoped out a box that they thought might contain a Wii [we had told them we might not have it in time for Christmas, just to keep them in suspense]. Just as soon as it was opened, it was out of the box and Owen was getting it set up. They spent most of Christmas day taking turns playing the various games they had selected.

Here Libby practices along with High School Musical, with Julia wielding a Wii remote to perform the background percussion for her. She's getting pretty good at the songs now! I think I will have them all memorized myself before too much longer. Maybe when the kids go to bed I'll have to take over the mike and see how I fare. Actually, I will most likely have to wait until Owen beats the current Wii game he's playing. It was hard getting him to take his turns like everyone else yesterday! And when the kids went to bed he kept playing until bedtime. Fine by me-it finally gave me a chance to try out my new Nintendo DS [from Owen] with a really fun vocabulary builder game that Santa slipped into my stocking.

in the days before christmas

2007-12-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

Some things we've been up to while preparing for Christmas!

attended Julia's Christmas program [the above picture is Julia coming down from the stage with her class after their performance]
watched two adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" [a holiday favorite of ours-the kids swear that the black and white version is way spookier]
watched "Little Women" several times [a holiday and everyday favorite of the girls in the house]
Aisha spent two weeks scheduling for and running the 4th grade field trip fundraiser at school-Santa's Secret Shop and the kids came in every morning the shop was open to help set up and be my crowd control and price check assistants
getting busy in the kitchen making a variety of candy and treats for neighbors, ward members, and for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
driving around town delivering treats and treating ourselves to the beautiful Christmas lights around the neighborhoods
Aisha and Collin got to attend two class parties on the last day of school-we just went from one right to the next bringing treats
Libby and Aisha made pom-pom pets [by American Girl] for Libby's teacher and friends at school

how old is your brain?

2007-12-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

It all started with Libby. A couple of months ago, she earned and saved enough money to buy a used Nintendo DS. Since I don't allow unrestricted access to video games [whether or not they bought it with their own funds] the DS is stored in my closet until she has permission to use it. It sits right where I can see it every day when I walk inside.

One night I am running errands and Christmas shopping by myself at Target and suddenly I find myself perusing the video games. I stop in front of the DS games and right at eye level is Brain Age. I've heard about Brain Age before. Adults play Brain Age. I, too, am an adult. And I love brain teasers, games, and sudoku, all of which are included in Brain Age. I have access to a Nintendo DS. I decide to buy my first ever video game. I'm feeling younger already.

And I'm hooked! I love competing with myself [and other family members] for the high score. One game card allows you to have four files on it, so Owen, Bailey, and Libby have been playing as well. There are daily training segments, and the more days that you train, the more games and options that are opened to you. And of course there is the namesake Brain Age Check. I currently hold the household high score of 24 [not too bad for a 35 year old mom 'o four]. The best Brain Age is 20, because apparently when we are 20 our minds are as sharp as they're going to get. And if you think about that fact for too long, it gets a little scary! The lowest score is 80. I'm determined to [someday] get to that score of 20. And I'll make sure and let you know when that happens!

Find out more about Brain Age at their website. I've already got my eye on Brain Age 2!

the perfect family

2007-12-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Wishing You a Perfect Christmas! by Jeff Holmes Photography

My cousin Jeff Holmes [not to be confused with my brother of the same name] entered this photo in a holiday card competition and won in the Funniest category!

Congratulations to Jeff and his wife Chanel for a brilliant joint effort! As winners, their card will be sold in a pack of cards containing all the winning entries. So, basically their family's picture will be sent everywhere this Christmas! So awesome. It's making my Christmas cards look pretty lame.

I think my favorite part is the hilarious look on Lake's face! He's a total ham. And Libby looks very comfy nestled in the crook of her dad's arm. Check out Jeff's flickr link for more good stuff! And click on this flickr link to see all the winning entries and runners-up.

the annual cousin photo shoot

2007-12-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition in our family. Every Christmas we gather all of my siblings' children [including our own], dress them in coordinated clothes provided by Grammie, and have a photo shoot. This year we have The Big Twelve--12 cousins, all of varying ages ranging from just a few months to 12 years old. It's always an interesting event to behold, as the two and three year olds generally provide the most frustration and amusement! This year we had 3 two-to-three year-olds [Ruby, Barrett, & Collin], so the fun was, as you might suspect, non-stop.

Collin [3], Libby [9], Bailey [12], Julia [7]

We started things off with sibling groups, just for fun. Here's my favorite of our bunch. Isn't Collin quite the little man in his suit! [While he was getting dressed that morning, he kept talking about wearing his "soup." Well, at dinner time he's not too far off the mark!] We did everyone's families separately, then gathered the whole lot of them together for the Big Group Shot. And that's when things predictably started falling apart!

I was taking candids off to the side-the kids are looking at Grammie's camera. Everyone looks good here except the two little boys! They finally buckled under the pressure of the paparazzi and just couldn't take any more. They sobbed throughout most of the group shot [they're on either end]. Hopefully Grammie got some better ones than I did! I did manage to get Ruby [in the white dress] in the shot just before she ran off again. She was in and out the whole time-it was pretty funny trying to get her to stay put for long!

Over the years we've just learned that there's nothing we can do, so we just focus on the fact that we're just keeping things real by capturing them as they are.

Plus, there's always next year!

honor roll

2007-12-05T08:34:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Libby for making the Superintendent's Honor Roll at school for the first trimester! Way to go! By the way, the Superintendent's Honor Roll is a cut above the regular honor roll, so Libby is really putting forth her best efforts in school. We are very proud of her!

happy 7th birthday julia!

2007-12-03T23:16:00.001-08:00

Our little bitty Julia is 7 now! Here she is, gearing up for the big blow-out. We had chocolate cake and cake batter ice cream from Coldstone to mark the big day. Plus, I brought one of Julia's favorite snacks for her class today: chocolate chip cookies and milk! The kids really seemd to enjoy it. After school we headed over to the mall so she could redeem her Build-a-Bear gift cards! It was our first experience with Build-a-Bear and it was fun! We may have to do it again!

Step one: Choose your bear! Julia immediately fell in love with the koala bear-there was really no contest as to what the bear would be!

Step two: Stuff your bear! She even got to put a special red heart inside her bear that she kissed and made a wish on. Very cute. Then comes the fluff, and you can fluff as little or as much as you desire.

Step three: Dress your bear! Julia enlists Libby's fashion advice and selects an outfit, shoes, pajamas, and accessories for her bear.

And here's the finished product, all ready for Christmas! Her name is Alaa. You know, as in Ko-ala, and also the name of a friend in her class. [At least she didn't spell it a certain, ah, Islamic way and get herself in trouble with the government. Oh, that's right. We live in America!] Julia had a fun 7th birthday, spent just the way she likes! Except for the fact that she did in fact have to go to school and do her homework. I guess there are some advantages to summer birthdays after all. . .

today's quote

2007-12-03T23:05:00.000-08:00

Seen on a t-shirt worn by a toddler at the mall after our visit to Build-a-Bear:

"What happens at Grandma's, stays at Grandma's."

'Nuff said.

thanksgiving video by libby

2007-11-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

Since I was limited on picture/video space on the last post, Libby's Thanksgiving post is being presented in two installments!

Ambika in the kitchen, and Andrew kickin' it on the hearth!

A short video Libby took while chasing Barrett downstairs.

Warning: you may want to take Dramamine before viewing.

thanksgiving by libby

2007-11-23T20:29:00.000-08:00

After dessert I took a break from the kitchen and took advantage of the opportunity to hold baby Sammy. While he fell asleep in my arms in the rocking chair, Libby got a hold of my camera and got some amazingly good candids of the family! I thought they were certainly worthy of a post a la Libby.

Barrett finds a haven on the floor and in between the gamers.

Anthony gives Libby a sweet smile for the camera!

Libby catches Bailey in usual form.

Uncle Jubba[aka Jeff]-like a deer in the headlights! Seriously. The flash was really blinding everyone.

Grammie hams it up for the camera!

giving thanks

2007-11-22T21:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2007! As has been the tradition for the last several years, we gathered together at our home to celebrate Thanksgiving and have a wonderful dinner [and desserts!]. Mom and Dad, Ana and Ian, and Ambika and Jeff, along with all their children, were able to attend. As usual, we had way too much good food!

After we got the children served and situated outside, the adults retired inside to enjoy their dinner in peace! The kids really enjoyed their Thanksgiving picnic and had fun playing outside with their cousins.

Table for two, although I'm pretty sure cousin Barrett never actually sat down to eat! Collin enjoyed his dinner, though.

A nice, peaceful Thanksgiving inside! The baby bottle is where Ambika was sitting, although Sammy didn't let her sit for very long. He was having a fussy day and would only accept his mom's attempts at consolation. She ended up eating at the counter so she could hold him and use a fork at the same time!

Later, Sammy takes a break outside with Grammie and cousin Libby. Here, Libby is marvelling at Sammy's enormous jowls. They really are quite the sight! After dinner I finished cleaning up while the adults walked the kids over to the neighborhood park to shoot off homemade rockets brought by Ian and Anthony. Apparently they soared to a height of about 3,000 feet! I'll have to take their word for it-I was elbow deep in soap suds! When everyone got back from the park, we served dessert and the cousins battled each other on the GameCube.

go elf yourself!

2007-11-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas my sister-in-law Deana got me hooked on the OfficeMax "Elf Yourself" website. This year it's back and better than ever! Now I can have all four of my dancing elves on the same page! Check it out here for a good laugh! And if you make your own, you'd better send it to me, 'cause I want to laugh at yours, too! For even more laughs, click on this link to see actors from "The Office" getting their elf on.

coast getaway

2007-11-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

Over Veteran's Day weekend we spent some time over at the coast. It was a pretty lazy weekend. We didn't actually get there until Saturday just before dinner, so after we unloaded our stuff, we headed into downtown San Luis Obispo to get some dinner. After dinner we made our ritual visit to Coldstone Creamery for a half gallon of cake batter ice cream and took it back to the condo to enjoy.

Sunday we took it easy. Collin woke up in a foul temper and we decided against taking him to church. Instead had a quiet spiritual message in front of the fire. In fact, we kept the stove burning all day and just lazed about in front of it. In the late afternoon, after Collin's nap, we headed over to explore the nearby Elfin Forest. It is pretty, but I was worrying so much about the kids touching the poison oak that surrounded us on all sides [in huge, overhanging bushes at times] that I was undeniably relieved when we headed back. I believe in the above picture that Owen is telling the kids [again, because it was constant] NOT TO TOUCH THE PLANTS. NONE OF THEM. AT ALL.

Bailey and Libby's conversation at a vista point in the Elfin Forest:

Libby: Bailey, come and play patty cake with me!

Bailey: No way! Do I look like a wussy boy to you?

Libby: Do you really want me to answer that?

Can't you just feel the love?

After we left the poison-oak-infested Elfin Forest [it really is pretty, just not much fun with little kids] we headed south to Montana de Oro. We went to one of our favorite spots, with the huge pebble beach and the many caves. The kids all had fun collecting rocks and pebbles and exploring the rocky hills and caves there. We stayed there until just before sunset, then went home and Owen put the kids in the shower while I put the gluten-free pasta bake into the oven for an easy, warm dinner.

Collin enjoyed throwing the many rocks at Montana de Oro back into the ocean. He looks pretty serious about it in this picture. Fortunately we never had a problem with him aiming his missiles at anything living. He was pretty intent on making big splashes in the water.

Monday morning we cleaned up the condo and spent some time in Morro Bay [walked around the Embarcadero and had lunch by the bay] and San Luis Obispo. The kids have a favorite toy store downtown called Tom's Toys. They have a lot of things that the kids really like, so they got to pick their favorite [within reason]. Then I got to hit Banana Republic while Owen took the kids for a walk--and even found a cute blouse on sale! We decided to head back early to avoid the holiday traffic, so that was the extent of our big weekend! It was nice to get away from the house for a couple of days and just hang out together. If we'd been at home we would just have been doing **GASP** chores and **DOUBLE GASP** yardwork!

marching band

2007-11-20T11:41:00.001-08:00

looking good in uniform!

Earlier this month the marching band at Bailey's school had their final band review and I was able to get some good shots of him in uniform and of the school band in action. They had a pretty good marching season and placed at nearly every competition. Most of the schools they compete against only have 7th and 8th graders marching, but at Bailey's school, being K-8, they have students as young as 5th grade marching in the band. It's quite a learning experience!

I couldn't help remembering my own marching band days in the 7th and 8th grade. I hated marching. I just thought it was so lame. And my super-ugly uniform was always way too huge on me, so that certainly didn't help my attitude towards the entire experience! Of course I haven't relayed these sentiments to Bailey so as not to taint his own experiences. He seems to enjoy it OK. And his band uniform is a lot sharper looking than the one I had to endure!

The morning of this particular band review was so foggy and cold; so foggy, in fact, that there was a major accident on the freeway that morning. There was a 100 car pile-up in the fog just north of our exit at the same time we were traveling that morning. I didn't even hear about it until that evening. We felt so blessed that we weren't involved in any accidents.

A short video clip of the band in action. You can't see Bailey because I ended up on the wrong side of the street and didn't realize it until it was too late to go back across! But you can at least see them all marching and playing.

library of congress

2007-11-18T21:04:00.001-08:00

columns and arches as far as the eye can see

view looking up from the ground floor to the balcony and ceiling

I'm sure that this sculpture has some meaning, but I missed it during the tour!

After our trip to Mt. Vernon, we headed back up to the city to visit the Library of Congress. We were a tad late due to the [wet!] line outside, so we didn't meet up with our original tour and just kind of amalgamated ourselves into another. So, we're not sure how much of the actual tour we experienced, but it was very memorable.

I had already heard that the Library of Congress was a very ornate building, but I had no idea that it actually resembled the interior of an Italian palace! Simply breathtaking. There was a Gutenberg bible on display in a case, and another display in the basement about the era of early American radio and television. I really wanted to visit the stacks, but I guess you have to be a registered user and all that. Evidently anyone can register, but [per all government procedures] it's a big deal. Whatever! All I want to do is see all the books!

mt. vernon

2007-11-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

the mansion, home of george washington

walking the grounds

it was beautiful but w.e.t. for our entire visit!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip to Mt. Vernon, Virginia during the trip last month to Washington, D.C. We hopped on the metro and then caught a bus going southward through scenic suburban Virginia to get there. Mt. Vernon is a beautiful place and I can easily understand why George Washington loved it so much. It has such a spirit about it, especially outside on the grounds. We got to learn more about Washington's life, saw his real dentures [crazy-too bad they weren't really wooden or they might have looked better], and toured his beautiful home. The actual Bastille key presented to Washington by Lafayette was currently on tour, so we saw a replica in its case of honor in the entry way. Guess we'll just have to go back another time to see the original! I would love to take the kids there. I think the older ones would really enjoy it and I know I would love to visit again. Plus it would be nice to go again when it wasn't constantly raining. The only day of our trip that it didn't rain was Saturday, the day before we left. At least we had one dry day without dealing with dripping umbrellas!

rogue grasshopper

2007-11-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

One day after school we were sitting outside of Julia's classroom to work on some homework when all of a sudden she let out this extraordinarily shrill shriek. I turned to her to see what was up when she motioned to her jacket and screamed, "Get it off!" about a dozen times. "It" turned out to be this rather innocent looking grasshopper! He really scared Julia! I quickly brushed him off and we turned to the pavement to examine him. I, of course, had my trusty camera on handy and so we got a cool shot of him to share with you!

halloween in the haunted orchard

2007-11-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

the fearsome threesome

Bailey duels with Matthew

Collin in awe of the makeshift graveyard

I really liked this shot-it was just getting dark and tried a different setting on the camera

I'm really trying to get back into the blogging swing of things after my hiatus, so I have decided to start playing some catch-up!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the kids from this past Halloween. As you might have already noticed, we had some fun with hair color this year! I figured that since we told the kids that we weren't buying any new costumes this year [meaning they were to use their creative noggins and come up with costumes from items we already owned], I supposed we may have overcompensated by getting the colored hair spray to make things a little more interesting!

Collin started out as a pirate, but ended up looking more like a punk headed for a club! He decided not to wear his pirate hat or eye patch, so I ditched the sword as well, added the glow sticks, and sprayed his hair extra purple. There is actually still a faint purple color on the head area of his car seat from that night!

Libby is a veterinarian. Or maybe Stephanie from "LazyTown" dressed up as a veterinarian! She wasn't sure about the pink hair at first, but then she really got into it! Julia dressed in the same outfit as last year-the black dancing cat! I'm amazed she still got into it with as much as she's grown, but I'm sure this will be the last year as the dancing Halloween cat. Guess that means we'll have to get more creative next year. And I'm still not sure what Bailey was supposed to be. All I know is that he was to be some video game character and that he had to have blue hair. Come to think of it, Bailey was the instigator for this whole hair thing! We're really good at finding reasons to blame Bailey for everything around here!

Bonus: This is the first year the kids were at a school that allowed them to wear Halloween costumes to school, so they had fun doing that. The school even has a parade in the afternoon where each class takes a turn walking around in front of the school to show off their fun costumes. It really was a lot of fun.

Halloween night was spent in our bishop's walnut orchard, where they kids enjoyed carnival-type games, trunk-or-treating [at the tree trunks], going through the haunted spook alley put on by the Young Men, and had root beer and chili in front of the bonfire. After we got home, Owen put the punk to bed and I took the rest around the neighborhood for some old-fashioned trick-or-treating.

breathe

2007-11-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

taken on the way home from school one foggy morning

It's been awhile, I know, but I'm still here. Still trying to catch my breath after a hectic couple of weeks. A lot has happened: the trip to DC [so much fun!], Halloween [will post pix of the kids soon], working a lot at the school, and just your basic everyday stuff to keep me constantly on my toes. At least it has all been a good busy. I promise to post about the fun trip and update my Flickr stream with some of my favorite photos. And I need to catch up on what everyone else has been up to as well!

punk'd

2007-10-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

girls getting their punk on

Every year, the last week of October is Red Ribbon Week, the anti-drug campaign, at all the schools in our area [and it may be in yours as well]. Both the kids and their teachers have dress-up days for fun during this week to help them remember to stay away from drugs. Yesterday was Pajama Day, so the girls wore their matching pink heart pj's to school. Since I worked at the school yesterday, I got to see some of the teachers as well, and some of them really got into it! So much fun for the kids.

Today is Punk Day. At first I had my doubts that we had anything around that would work, but as I began to rummage about I got a few ideas. So, this is what we came up with! It has a kind of 80's vibe, and I think it works for the girls. I had even picked up glow bracelets at Michael's dollar section awhile ago, so we broke those out and added them for more punk effect. I've never seen them more excited about getting dressed on a school morning! And tomorrow is crazy hair day. . .

Did I ever tell you about the time a couple of years ago that I wrote crazy hair day on the wrong Friday on my calendar and sent Libby to school with her crazy hair? She didn't really mind, but I was mortified! I think we'll get it right this year.

ghostly cake

2007-10-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight for family home evening, I decided to stop being a slacker mom and make something really fun for dessert. So, we had a [gluten-free] double-layer chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting, with a host of Peeps ghosts haunting a mellowcreme pumpkin patch. The kids were thrilled. I even busted out the old cake decorating kit and did a border around it in chocolate frosting. I made them wait to have some until after we'd finished making our Halloween crafts [pumpkin magnets and furry spiders left over from the Oriental Trading Company order I placed like two years ago]. Fun was had by all, and no one even got burnt by the hot glue gun. Not even me, which is somewhat suprising.

character counts

2007-10-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

Julia with her certificate and gift cards

certificate detail

Every month at school, each teacher selects a student in their class that best represents the character trait in focus for that month. Last week Julia was thrilled to be nominated for Character Counts by her teacher for Trustworthiness! She was very excited, especially because she received two gift cards as part of the nomination-one for Toys R Us and one for Blockbuster. She was over the moon about the gift cards! She had a good time picking out some Littlest Pet Shop toys and a movie to share with the family. She also gets to attend a special luncheon at school with her parents this week! We're all very proud of JuLiA!

circle of ghouls

2007-10-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

I came across this picture on the internet [about.com if you want to see more in their photo gallery] while I was browsing through some travel research. Isn't it great? With all the beautiful color and open pasture, it seems so New England autumn-y to me.

Sadly I fear that our front yard will not look nearly as festive for Halloween. While I did put the garland of leaves and lanterns around our front door and sidelights [as we've done every fall in this house], I didn't put up the leaves and lights on the porch railing or the scarecrow [complete with black crow!] on the front porch in the chair. Nor did I hang up the cool flying bats from the balcony inside the house and the eaves outside. I love to decorate for fall and Halloween, but this year I just haven't had the time required to do it. I guess there's always next year. At least I did get out a lot of the "inside" stuff for Halloween: the cherished autumn/Halloween books and stuffed animals, garlands of leaves, luminaries, and the haunted tin house I found last year at Target. Even so, I still have a lot of stuff left in the boxes in the garage!

right on target

2007-10-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

Collin standing in front of the brand new SuperTarget. Apparently the new stores are sporting a series of red concrete ball sculpture balls in front! Of course Collin thought that they were so awesome, so we had to get a picture.

And can I say how much I love Target? We already have a regular Target not too far from our house, but this new SuperTarget has groceries, too! You know, in case I need to pick up shirts for one of the kids AND some apples for lunch the next day. You've just got to love Target. I don't know what I'd do without it. Some people are crazy about Walmart, but I've always been a Target girl. If I had a Walmart next door and a Target across town, I'd drive across town in a heartbeat. Which is what I actually used to do before we moved to our current house nearly four and a half years ago. Anyone else have a preference, or am I just an incorrigible Target snob?

And it just occurred to me: with my blog's current musical selection [you know, they're playing "La Ti Da" in the newest Target ads] this could basically be an ad for Target. Where do I pick up my paycheck? :)

quote for the day

2007-10-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Seen on a T-shirt at the bank this morning:

"If I got smart with you, how would you know?"

julia and uno

2007-10-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

A short movie featuring Julia with her baby hamster, Uno. [By the way, Uno is a month old now.] During the editing process, I played this movie over and over while fine tuning some bits. Collin busted up laughing every time he watched my finger get bitten. Every. Single. Time.

quiet moments

2007-10-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Julia reading aloud. . .

We have a routine we follow every day. When I pick up the kids from school, Julia gets out first. We then have an hour to work on homework, read, and if time allows, go to the playground while we wait for Libby and Julia. If the weather is nice, we like to sit outside at a table somewhere and do homework and reading. Today was just lovely. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing, the sky was a brilliant blue and the clouds were amazing in their size and variety. It was such a pleasant day altogether that, while Julia was reading to Collin and I, I took some shots of our quiet moments together.

. . . and Collin listening and watching quietly

autumn solitude

2007-10-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon I slipped outside before dinner and took a pleasant walk. By myself! That in and of itself made it all the more pleasant, but I had another motive in mind as well. I wanted to capture the [albeit slight] beginning of autumn in our little corner of the world. Aside from bright-blue-skied sunny days and cool-crisp-grab-your-sweater nights and mornings, not a lot is happening here autumn-wise. Blame it on longitude and latitude if you will, but I managed to find a few signs that autumn is indeed present and accounted for. I took lots of pictures, discarded my fair share of no-goods, and came up with a few favorites to share. Some are autumn-related; others are not. The whole lot of them is on Flickr if you'd like to see the rest.

During my walk I encountered a tree that had released its bounty of acorns absolutely everywhere. I found them in big heaps and also scattered across the sidewalk, the grass, the street. They were so compelling that I had to take some pictures, since autumn and acorns are such a pleasant mix.

See how the leaves are really trying to turn colors on this silver maple? I think it really wants to change colors. If it weren't so warm during the day, it might have more success. This tree was one of two trees I have seen that have actually begun the process of changing color around here. The trees are all still pretty green right now.

This one is not so much autumn, but I was pleased with how it turned out. I took many different shots and this is my favorite.

what we did last summer

2007-10-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

A slideshow of summer highlights!

young samurai

2007-10-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to turn Collin's antics into a short movie! Enjoy!

got moves?

2007-10-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

After dinner tonight the family was just hanging out. It had been another long and busy week and I was ready for some serious veg time. I was sitting in the study where Owen and Julia were on the computer, trying to decide between reading or taking a short nap, when suddenly Collin bursts into the room sporting his Cars underwear and some pretty fancy moves! It was so hilarious that I had to grab the camera and get a short video of him in all his glory. He was really getting into it, whatever it was!

gluten-free girl

2007-10-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are following a gluten-free diet, here is some information about a new book written by Shauna James Ahern, a woman who was recently diagnosed with celiac. I recently found her blog and have been following it. She's a great writer, cook, and photographer. So, if the book is as good as her blog, it should prove to be a great read! The book was just recently released and contains lots of gluten-free recipes. If you want to learn more about it, check out the book on Amazon. You can also get to her blog by clicking on gluten-free girl or by using the link on my sidebar under JUST FOR FUN.

hopeful harvest

2007-10-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

One of the many blossoms on our lemon tree right now. I'm hoping this year yields a better harvest than last year. Due to the intense freeze we suffered last winter, we hardly had any lemons to enjoy from our tree. I think we had one or two good ones from the whole batch. Since we have even more blossoms this year, I'm hoping this winter will be mild enough to harvest some lemons for my kitchen! I love to use them for everything: pasta, salmon, lemon bars [yum], lemonade, lemon poppyseed bread, and whatever else I can come up with.

On a totally random note, does anyone else get confused for the nanny/babysitter/older sibling whenever you're out with your kids? I can't believe that at age 35 it is still happening to me. This morning I took my prescription to the eye doctor's office to order some more contacts and the nurse asked me if I was listed as a child on Owen's vision insurance! Seriously! I can't even count how many times I've been asked if I'm the nanny or the babysitter. Even by solicitors that come to the door. And this one is even funnier, although it happened about ten years ago. I was waiting for Owen in his truck while we was getting a crew started on a construction project, and they all thought that I was his daughter. I guess it's a good thing, although I'm starting to wonder if some of these people need to get glasses themselves. I do own a mirror. And I don't think I look that young!

it

2007-10-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

Indirectly tagged by Megan, so here goes! This looks like a fun one.

10 years ago I: only had one child, had moved into the new house that we built in Utah, and was expecting child number two. I had graduated from BYU the previous year and enjoying just being at home with Bailey. Life was much quieter than it is now.

5 years ago I: had three children with the eldest in second grade. We were renting a home in Visalia while we built our current house. Much time was spent trolling the internet for house plans and then building said home. [Funny how stuff seems to revolve around children and homes.]

1 year ago I: was pretty much doing what I'm doing now. Getting kids ready for school, packing lunches, taking kids to school, cleaning house and running errands, picking kids up from school, supervising homework and piano practice, making dinner, putting kids to bed, then waking up and doing it all over again. Although I didn't have my blog yet. . .

Yesterday I: sent Bailey off with his saxophone to march in his first parade; recorded Saturday conference to watch at my leisure later; cleaned the hamster cage, washed all the bedsheets, washed all the laundry, finished Julia's science project [don't ask me how many hours I spent on that thing]; took Julia to Build-a-Bear in the mall so she could get an accessory bear, then watched with pride as she changed her mind and decided to keep her money to save up for one of the big bears; ate See's candy [more than what I had planned on], hosed down the front yard, and stayed up no later than 11:45 pm to clean my entire house from top to bottom [oh, except the master shower-must remember to get that done Monday].

5 snacks I enjoy: microwave popcorn, mini charleston chews, red seedless grapes, pretzel sticks and cheese dipped together into dijon mustard, hot apple cider

5 things I would do with a million dollars: pay off our house, go on a trip [anywhere-it doesn't matter], stash away college/mission funds for the kids, add to my library of books, buy new furniture

5 places I would run away to: New England in the autumn, any cozy nook to read in, someplace to get my hair cut, Banana Republic on a spending spree, Washington D.C. [wait a minute-I really am going!]

5 TV shows I like: LOST, Everyday Italian, stuff on History Channel, Gilmore Girls, COPS [ha ha-just checking to see if you're paying attention]

5 things I hate doing: spending all day doing laundry and thinking I'm all caught up, then looking at the clothes hamper again after the kids have gone to bed [4 kids + 1 set of clothes each = mucho clothes]; cleaning the floor [again]; what's for dinner?; filling the car with gas; trying to reason with a cranky pre-schooler who didn't want to nap today

Biggest joys of the moment: autumn is finally here; leaving for the East Coast in a couple of weeks; playing the piano; kids who really do try to please their mom; a husband who helps around the house and with the kids!

People to tag: I'm looking at you, Jennifer!