Bousfield Family

Red Rock Relay

2010-09-14T00:42:00.000-07:00

It's a scary day when you realize you want to put something on your blog and you don't even remember your own blog address. It's been too long, and there's so much to catch up on. But Heidi and I shared an amazing experience this weekend, so know that I second everything she has to say about the Red Rock Relay.
http://dawgeatdawgworld.blogspot.com/2010/09/team-deadrock.html

Happy Anniversary

2008-12-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

15 years

Thanks for sharing your anniversary with us, mom and dad.
We love you.

Thankful

2008-11-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Oh, where to begin? Are you ever so far behind on something that you feel too overwhelmed to even start? That's how I've been feeling about my blog lately. I love it. I'm sorry I've neglected it. I hope it (and you) will forgive me and let me catch up.

We had a GREAT summer. (I can say that now that a few months have passed and the kids are all nicely settled in school for 5 to 7 hours a day. I probably didn't feel like it was so great in the middle of July. Isn't it nice what a few months and a terrible memory will do?) Here are some pictures of the things we did.

Griffith Park
We started the summer with a trip to Griffith Park. The observatory had been closed for a few years, and when it reopened, it was so busy we didn't want the hassle of crowds, reservations, etc. So it had been a long time since we had been there. It's a beautiful place with amazing architectural details.

That's the "Hollywood" sign in the background. Sometimes I forget we have some pretty cool landmarks so close to us.

I love how curious they were about everything there.

We went up to the roof of the observatory. Fifteen summers ago, Brent took me to the roof of the observatory on a Friday night and told me he loved me. A few weeks later, we went back again. He made arrangements for us to be on the roof after the park closed, and he proposed. I like the roof of Griffith Observatory.

Horse Rides
A good friend from our ward, Amy Rex, made arrangements for the kids to go to a friends home and ride her horses. The kids had a great time.

This picture is so Nate, trying to figure it all out.

Adventure Playground
All the years we've lived in southern California, I had heard about "Adventure Playground" in Huntington Beach, but we had never been. There was always a kid who wasn't old enough. This year we finally went, and wouldn't you know it, Nate had scout camp that week. He is probably the kid who would have enjoyed it the most all these years, and he missed out. If you have kids who like to build and/or get muddy, this is a GREAT place.

Dog Beach
Well, summer wouldn't be summer without a trip to the beach. Poor Sammy doesn't get much attention, so we decided to kill two birds with one stone and take Sammy to the beach with us. Bad idea.
Sammy isn't much of a "social dog." When I take him to the dog park, he gets really nervous and tense, and refuses to drink out of any communal water bowl, so he winds up with all this saliva around his mouth and looks like a huge, rabid, nervous pit bull. Not the most friendly looking sight. The funny thing is, I can tell he is scared to death, but his looks scare the bejesus out of everyone else. The dog beach wasn't too different from the dog park.

The kids had a good time playing at the beach until I realized how doggy potty issues were handled at the beach. Ugh, how much dog pee is in that pile of sand?

This is how the afternoon ended. Notice how happy Allison looks? Did I mention that Sammy marked his territory? And by "territory" I mean the back of a nice woman who was sitting on the beach, watching her dog frolick in the waves. Yeah, we haven't been back.

Dad builds the kids a tree house. Well, sorta.
Ever since we moved into this house, the kids have been asking if we could build a tree house. The problem is, we don't really have a good tree for a tree house. That didn't stop them from asking over and over again. When we explained that our trees were just not strong enough and/or didn't have a big enough space for a tree house, Allison asked if we could take her apple seeds and plant a tree so we could build a tree house next year. So finally (I think just to get them to stop asking) Brent decided a tree platform would do.

We like to think of it as our little vacation cottage...

Japanese Gardens
I had heard about this great Japanese Garden by our house, but we had never had time to check it out. One Sunday Brent had meetings all afternoon and I thought it would be a nice, "enjoy God's creations" type of activity. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Of course, my kids were running around, destroying the sense of calm and quiet.

Beach
We took a last trip to the beach before school started, and it was a perfect day. Seriously. The kids all got along well, the weather was beautiful, the beach was hardly crowded at all.

Proposition 8 in plain english

2008-10-17T18:02:00.001-07:00

Birthday wishes...

2008-10-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Allison has always been obsessed with her birthday. She's always planning the next birthday party, who's invited (and who's not), what she wants to do, and most importantly, what she wants to get. Tonight, as she was drifting off to sleep, she was again making plans. She asked if I thought Jesus could come to her birthday, and would he bring her something good. So I asked what "something good" would be. "Maybe he could bring me a lizard. Or a box of steaks."

I have a feeling that no matter what we do for her, it's going to be a letdown. I mean, what could beat a lizard? Or a box of steaks?

2008-09-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I owe you all of summer and the first days of school, too. I thought life would slow down once the kids are in school, but it has only got eight times more crazy.

Brent found this and we both got a laugh out of it. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Or that it describes our lives in ANY way, shape or form.

Grandma's 90th Birthday

2008-08-06T18:18:00.001-07:00

In May, my grandma turned 90. My aunt and uncles decided that turning 90 was an important milestone, so they decided to throw her a big birthday party. With my dad and mom in Africa, and all their children living at least a 12 hour drive away, Grandma figured none of us would be able to attend. But my brothers and sisters decided to travel from Long Beach, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Utah to Lethbridge, Alberta to surprise her. I think you can see from her expression that we succeeded!
After a delicious lunch with many cousins I haven't seen in a while, we got to pose with the birthday girl.
Back row: Kirk, Tyler, Kevin and Drew
Front row: Shannon, Kendra, Grandma, Amy, Heidi
p.s. I LOVE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!

The party was lots of fun. My grandma and grandpa have lived in Lethbridge for many years and are very involved in church and the community. There were so many people who came to see my grandma and tell her how much they love her. Lots of people came up and told me mischevious stories about my dad when he was a kid.
After the party, we headed over to the cemetary to see grandpa's headstone.
Then we went to another FABULOUS Lethbridge hangout, Bridge Valley Golf. My grandpa and grandma own this small golf course. It was always fun to visit the golf course as a kid and hit balls on the driving range (trying to see who could also hit the tractor that collected the balls) and more important, get a free soda and candy from the snack shop. Grandpa always had a sweet tooth, and always made sure his grandkids were treated right! We got a few buckets of balls and had fun!
Tyler, making it look easy.

Kendra is stylish doing ANYTHING.
I took a few shots, having NO CLUE what I was doing.
She's still got it at 90!

More shots from the golf course:

Why Bridge Valley Golf got it's name.
(I lifted this picture from my brother, who is a much better photographer than I am.)

My grandma is an incredible woman. She has been such an incredible example of hard work while having fun, love and kindness. Love you grandma!

End of school fun

2008-08-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

So...since it's AUGUST already, I guess it's about time to post about some of the end of school year activities the kids participated in. I can't believe how quickly summer is passing us by!

Allison
Allison's preschool put on an Easter/spring program. It's just an opportunity to let the kids dress up before spring break and sing a few songs, but it was cute.
Preschool is SUPPOSED to teach kids about sharing and getting along. This is Allison during the last week of school, fighting and pushing one of her classmates to be last in line. Money well spent...

Enjoying some of the playground equipment.
For some reason, kids "graduate" from preschool. Ceremony and all.
Allison getting her diploma from her teacher, Mrs. Hayes.
Here's the "graduate" eating her "diploma"...again, money well spent.
Allison and her classmates.

Sarah
Sarah's class put on a play based on the story of "The Great Kapok Tree." She was very excited about it, and sang the songs for weeks. She also got very interested in the conservation and is constantly reminding us of all the things were are doing to destroy the earth.

With her good friend, Liliana.
The sets were pretty impressive for a third grade production.

Nate
Being a 5th grader has some perks, especially if you have Ms. Colburn. She works the kids hard, but also does a few extra activities that are both educational and fun. Begining in January, her class started learning about and caring for trout eggs. It was a great lesson in the life cycle, and culminated in the kids releasing live trout into a river. I got to tag along on the field trip.
Checking out what other critters live in the river.
Nate's babies.
Letting them go...they grow up so quickly!
Tour of the nature center. Our guide was such a ham, and the kids loved him. I did too, til he draped this snake around my shoulders! I have a HUGE phobia of snakes, and he wanted to demonstrate how harmless this one was to the kids. I'd post the picture of me, but I have my eyes closed and a painful look on my face!
Probably the last picture I'll get of Nate and I on a field trip. I imagine that hanging out with mom is not cool in middle school!

Another great thing about our school is that they bring a science based activity to the campus for each grade level. I actually handle all the scheduling, etc for the PTA, so I sometimes get to pop in and make sure things are running smoothly. The 5th graders got to dissect squids! Not something I'd want to do myself, but Nate enjoyed it.

And finally, PROMOTION!! Nate has worked so hard, been such a great student, and really enjoyed his experience at Mark Twain Elementary. It was a fabulous school, but he is ready to move on. I know he'll do great at Stanford Middle School.
The Principal thanked myself and some of the other parents who worked throughout the year to plan and organize the special 5th grade activities.
Nate getting his diploma from Ms. Ryan, the principal.
Ms. Colburn was Nate's teacher. She pushed him hard, but was a great teacher.
The last day of school was the big "end of the year" party that I had to plan. We arranged to take the kids to a local pool, served them In-N-Out, and let them just hang out. It seemed like everyone had a great time, the weather was perfect, and it was a great way to end their elementary school experience.

Mom
Earlier in the year, the PTA thanked myself and a few other volunteers who have made significant contributions to the school. It was totally unexpected, and certainly not the reason I give my time to the school, but nice to thanked by the teachers and staff. This is my friend, AnnMarie Alvarez, who was also honored.
Brent had to get me there without explaining why, AND deal with Allison. Two snaps for you!

Pan Am Fiesta

2008-07-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Does your town put on a festival? Carnival?

When I was a kid, there was the Walnut Festival. It came the same weekend every fall to Walnut Creek. As a kid, I thought I would die if I didn't go. My parents never took me. (And I lived.) They told me it was overpriced, underrated and not worth our time.

Fast forward 20 years and now the kids are bugging us to go the the Pan Am Fiesta. After living here several years, we decided to do it ONCE and force our kids to promise they won't bother us to do it again. We have documented proof so when they whine and beg next year, we can remind them.

p.s. Mom and dad, you were right. It is overpriced, underrated and not worth our time. And, full of circus freaks and skanky teenagers.

The kids did have a great time.

State Capital

2008-07-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

While Brent was working in Sacramento, I decided to take the kids to the State Capital Building for the free tour. You know, try to expose them to educational experiences. We walked up the street from our hotel, and I have to say, it was quite an impressive structure. Hard to believe it was built in 1860-1874.

Check out that door! That's quite an entrance. Everything about the construction was impressive to me. Maybe it's because our 60 year old house seems to be falling apart. But more on details later.

When we got into the building (after passing through a thorough security screening) everyone kept telling us we should go stand in a particular hallway. Turns out Governor Schwarzenegger was there that day signing something and holding a press conference. I was unsure - the kids had been cranky and the thought of standing and waiting with 3 testy kids did not sound appealing. But fortunately, about 3 minutes later, the door opened and out walked the Govenator.

This wasn't using the zoom. We were that close. Nate got to shake his hand, but Sarah didn't get her hand out in time.

After the tour, we stopped by his office, but he had already left.

Following are some pictures from the building. No wonder it took 14 years to build the capital. Look at the workmanship.

The domed ceiling.

The floor of the California House of Representatives.

Detailed carving on the staircase.

Doorknob. What if my doorknobs looked like this?

Mosiac tilework in the hallway. Different hallways had different colors and designs. I LOVE mosiac tiles.

Stained glass seal of California.

Sidenote: Nate went to scout camp earlier this summer and worked on the "Citizenship in the Nation" merit badge. Visiting the state capital (and the tall ships in San Francisco) fulfilled one of the requirements. His friends had to write an essay in place of visiting historical sites. We had fun AND have finished one required merit badge on the path to Eagle Scout.

Jelly Belly

2008-07-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

One the way to Sacramento, we passed the town where Jelly Belly candies are made. Since Brent had two days of work to do, we thought that would be a fun (and delicious) way to pass some time. Nate had already watched the episode of "How It's Made" featuring the Jelly Belly Factory, so he was there to tell us if they skipped any steps. The cooking areas had such an overpowering sweet, sugary smell. I love sweets, but I think working there would seriously curb that habit. (Sign me up for a job!) Unfortunately, cameras weren't allowed where the actually MAKE the candies, but we got some shots before and after.

Free samples. woot woot!

And a tasting bar, where you could sample any of the flavors. We sampled.

The girls really wanted to trade the van in for this set of wheels.

Chance encounter

2008-07-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

When we were driving up Comistas Court, there were two families walking with small children. We had to slow down because Comistas Court is a very narrow street. As we cautiously drove past, I looked over at one of the families. The mom looked eerily familiar. We passed and got to the cul-de-sac part of the street where our house was, parked and got out to look at the house. As the woman got closer, I had to say something. I asked her if she lived on the street, and she said no, but her parents did. I told her I used to live in the house we were standing in front of. I asked, "Are you Lisa Lockwood?" and she asked, "Are you Shannon Livingstone?" and we both sorta freaked out.

There were a few girls on our street - my sister Amy and I, Lisa Lockwood, Amy Corrigan, and Amanda Baak. Lisa and my sister were the same age, Amy C. was a year younger, and Amanda and I were the same age. We all played together all the time, went on trips with each other's families, etc. It was a total trip to see her. It turns out her parents do still live at the top of the hill, her 97 year old grandpa still lives next door to her parents, and her sister still lives next to our old house. She lives nearby in Walnut Creek.

Myself, Lisa and Amy playing dress up. I'm the one holding Shawdow, our black cat.

Lisa and I today.

Golden Gate Bridge & Muir Woods

2008-07-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Golden Gate Bridge
We couldn't go to San Francisco and not go to the Golden Gate Bridge. The day we went had classic San Francisco weather.

Here we are, standing at the base of the bridge, which you can't see due to the fog.

We decided to walk across anyway. Well, walk half way across and then back. That qualifies as walking across the bridge, right?!

The fog started lifting as we walked...

...leading to a beautiful day.

Muir Woods
After walking on the bridge, we hoped in the car and drove to Marin County. I love that the Bay Area offers so many things to do. Muir Woods was less than a 45 minute drive from the city. An interesting fact: Coastal redwood trees have indeterminate growth. The tallest recorded to date is 379.1 feet tall or 115.5 meters. This is the same height as a 35 story building.

After the hour hike, the kids were ready to head home. I was sad that we couldn't go to nearby Stinson Beach, but there's only so much you can pack into a day.

Fentons: It's as good as you remember

2008-07-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

One of the special things we would do when I was a kid is go out for ice cream at Fentons.

This was no ordinary, grocery store ice cream. This was AMAZING ice cream. This was "skip dinner, we're going to Fentons for dessert" ice cream. Well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The infamous "Black and Tan" sundae. Don't you wish you were there?

I wish I was there again. Right now.

Brent had a delicious brownie sundae. Brownies...ice cream...yummm

Nate enjoyed a sundae. Small steps, my son. You will graduate to the Black and Tan someday.

Sarah somehow talked us into TWO kids scoops!

Allison was excited about the cookie...

...and then not excited about her choice in ice cream flavor. Typical. We tried sharing what we had and offered ordering a new scoop, but nothing would tame the beast. Exactly the reaction you want when you spend $3.50 on a kids scoop!

Fentons. Can't wait to go back.

Walnut Creek

2008-07-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

In case you don't know this about me, I was born in Walnut Creek and lived there until I was 14. After Brent graduated from BYU, we lived in Walnut Creek for 6 months before coming down to Southern California. Walnut Creek was, and still is (in my opinion), one of the most beautiful, perfect places to live. (That might explain why it is so darn expensive!) Anyway, I wanted to take the kids there to see some of the things that were important to me as a kid. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to visit some of the places that I wanted (Heather Farms park, Mt. Diablo, or the Oakland Temple) but we did go to the most important place: 33 Comistas Court.

Our house was great, the perfect party house. Better yet was the yard. It was known as "Livingstone National Park" because it had so much to offer: a pool and spa, trampoline, swingset, paved circular sidewalk (perfect for bicycyle races), full size grass volleyball court, half basketball court and pinball machine. It was perfect for kids. No wonder my mom could handle having 8 kids - she would send us out to play and there was plenty to keep us occupied.

If, for some reason, the backyard got boring, we could walk a couple hundred feet to Shell Ridge, protected open space full of beautiful oak trees. We took the kids for a hike up the path behind our house.

Who WOULDN'T want to hike here?

Looking down on Walnut Creek. Notice how green it is.

If you get tired on the trail, you can sit on one of two benches. They were placed there almost 20 years ago by my older brother. It was his Eagle Project.

I love going on walks with Brent.

Our kids love trains

2008-06-20T20:56:00.001-07:00

One of the things we discovered on our Spring Break trip was that our kids love trains. Actually, they don't love trains, they LOVE trains. Obsess over trains. Wanted to spend every minute of our trip riding trains. Point taken for future vacations.

Brent's parents live right next to a Caltrain station, which is a commuter train for San Jose to San Francisco. They went on that train twice.

Later, it was time to ride BART. My dad used to ride BART into work in San Francisco from our home in Walnut Creek. I rode it often as a kid. Brent used to take it into the city. I guess I'm kinda a train-geek, too.

A few days later in Sacramento, we visited the California State Railroad Museum which, according to their website, is regarded as North America's most popular railroad museum. Not Northern California's, NORTH AMERICA'S most popular railroad museum! It was amazing, and if your kids love trains, this is the place for them.

It was pretty dark in there, so you might not be able to see just how enormous these trains were. It was intimidating. The kids are showing how big the wheels are.

San Francisco

2008-06-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

In March, we went up to the Bay Area. Brent had to work in Sacramento for a day or two, so we decided to extend that into a few days visiting Grandpa & Grandma Bousfield in Menlo Park. We had a great time doing some of the San Francisco tourist things (be sure to buy Alcatraz tickets in advance, especially during spring break), learned some things about our kids (they are FREAKS about trains) and visited some of the places that were special to me as a kid.

Overlooking the city

We went down to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch and to look at some of the tall ships

Sarah was ready to take us full speed ahead...

With Allison at the wheel. Yeah, that's a good plan...

Nate would probably be a better captain.

This looks like a better job for Allison.

I RARELY get any pictures of Brent. It was good to see him having fun with his mom. She's always lots of fun!

From Fisherman's Wharf, we headed to the Cable Car line for a ride up to Lombard Street.

Grandpa was a good sport and waited in the long line of cars to drive down with Allison and Nate.

On the way out of town, we saw "Anonymous" protesting the Church of Scientology.

And that was the end of a very busy day.

Summer to do

2008-06-16T12:44:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I know I have a lot to catch up on. So here is my list of things I promise to blog about before the end of the summer:

Our Spring Break trip to San Francisco, Walnut Creek & Sacramento
Pan Am Fiesta (aka kid's dream come true and parent's nightmare)
Grandma Livingstone's 90th birthday party
Troop 600 Disneyland Trip
Allison's end of preschool experience
Nate's 5th grade promotion and activities

I will also TRY to blog about the fun things we do this summer, provided I remember to bring my camera. The nice thing about the new camera I got in January is I can take 300+ pictures without having to upload them to my computer. That's also the bad news, as I go months without doing anything with them. I will try to do better.

And I'll post this picture, although I'm sure I will pay $$$ in therapy bills a few years from now. I have tried my best as a parent to teach my kids the basics, but apparently I haven't even done that right. This is how Brent found Allison the other night...

uh-oh

2008-06-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Just saw a link on my sister's blog for this website, which brought to my attention some very disturbing news...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
0
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

From the website:
"There are 0 people in the U.S. with the last name Bousfield."

I'll notify my husband, 3 children, mother & father-in-law, and other Bousfield relatives of their non-existance.

p.s. Just found this quote on the website, which makes me feel better about myself...
Q: Why isn't my name on the list?
"I think it's important not to take it as a rejection of you personally." Gabriel Caine -- Diggstown.

What's in a name?

2008-06-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was at the library with the kids. We have been going there after school for a distraction free (ha!) zone for Nate and Sarah to do their homework. While there, I noticed a display from a kindergarten class at the kid's school. They had made cute paper mache animals with facts about farm animals. I was so impressed. Then I noticed the names of some of the students. What is with people (sorry if you're one of them) who have to spell their child's name different? Or are these people "hooked on phonics?" Here are some examples:

Jaxon Is this Jackson?
Brittnee yeah, great role model. I guess she was named before the head shaving, umbrella swinging days.
Jahdon I don't have a clue who this kid's parents are, but I suspect they really like science fiction.
Kameron I'm sure all the kids names in this family start with a "K".
And finally, my favorite...
Trezur How precious...

My sister-in-law teaches school in Utah and has seen some CRAZY names. It's like people made up words. I promise to post them if she sends me a list.

Disturbing...

2008-06-02T13:10:00.001-07:00

Today at school, Allison got a balloon. It was causing all kinds of trouble in the car on the way home...it wasn't tied to her wrist right, it was moving around in a way that was unpleasing to her very picky 5 year old mind, etc. I tried to distract her by asking questions about non-balloon related topics in my most cheerful, patient mom voice. This is what she said: "Mom, will you stop talking to me like that? It's making me disturbed."

The feeling is more than mutual, babe.

My kids are smarter than I am...

2008-05-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

Today, Allison asked if I would take her for a bike ride. Being that I've been super busy with 5th grade activities for Nate and Relief Society and PTA and all the other crap, I decided I could indulge her with a bike ride to the park and a picnic. I guess I should clarify that she wanted ME to ride the bike and pull her along in the bike trailer, so not really a bike ride for her. I was still game.

As I'm riding along, I heard her voice quietly tell me, "Mom, you should probably wear your helmet because if you fall and crack your head on the sidewalk, we'll have to go to the doctor and that won't be very fun." So true, so true.

Another thing that happened recently...
Our primary compiled a "cookbook" for mother's day. They asked all the kids in the primary what is their favorite food that their mom makes for them, and how does she make it? All three of my kids were asked at different times by different people, and yet they all gave the same answer: RAMEN.

Now, I don't profess to be any sort of great chef. I think I've got a few things going for me in the kitchen:
1. I enjoy cooking and don't see it as a dreadful chore (most of the time),
2. I can follow a recipe without too much difficulty, and
3. I have some great recipes that have been given to me by family and friends.

I know I don't CREATE anything, but RECREATE what others before me have had the talent to whip up. And I actually try to cater my menu to kid friendly meals, because I hate when I've spent the time and effort to cook and I get "ewwww, I hate this!" So I was a little surprised to see ramen as my best offering. Especially since I brought meatloaf back into the rotation and the kids LOVE meatloaf night. Guess they won't see that for awhile. Talk about ungrateful!

I should also add that they all knew exactly how to make ramen, but it is BRENT who makes ramen all the time.

Just when I think I'm figuring out this parenting gig...

Some quick fun

2008-05-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

Some people forward around inspirational quotes, stories, etc. I like to share things that are funny, absurd or otherwise make me laugh. Click here to see ridiculous signs from around the world (but, not surprisingly, most of them are local.)

Thanks Betsy. You always find interesting stuff!

Heavenly Scent

2008-05-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

I may not have tulips or daffodils, but I have this.

Star jasmine is one of my favorite scents. We had bunches of it growing at our home in Walnut Creek, and the smell of it reminds me of my happy, carefree childhood. Oh, to go back to those days...

We have a nice trellis of this growing outside our bedroom and family room windows. I love when I'm laying in bed or at the computer and I catch a whiff of it. I wish it would bloom all year long...

Three down, please no more to go.

2008-05-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

So, I have just returned from the third funeral our ward has helped out with* since I've been in the Relief Society presidency. Three. Since January. Each person had lived a full life and it was their time to go. And yes it was a blessing to serve others. But please! No more! I'd much rather focus on the other things that are happening in threes, like the triple baby shower in a few weeks, or the three weddings in two weeks in June.

* It just doesn't sound right to say the ward has "thrown" or "put on" a funeral. Proper etiquette, please?

Brrr!!

2008-05-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

In February, my brother Kirk and his family came to Southern California to go to Disneyland. I'm sure they had lots of fun, and if they started a blog (hint hint) we could all read about their adventures (hint hint) and see pictures from their trip (hint hint). Until then, my pictures will have to do.

By Saturday, they were ready to take a break from Disneyland, so we decided to meet at the beach and hang out for a bit. Now, the weather in Southern California is great, but it was February, so it was overcast and chilly. As we were leaving the house, I wondered if I should grab swimsuits and towels or at least a change of clothing. But it was so cold, I decided against it. The kids wouldn't want to swim in 60 degree weather, right?

Why did I not remember every single trip to the beach from when I was a child in San Francisco? No matter how cold it was, we ALWAYS ended up soaked from head to toe. And this trip was no different. They started out playing "chicken" with the waves, but within a few minutes, they were in. It was fun for awhile, but then the reality of the cold water and wind hit and the fun quickly turned to cold, wet, unhappy kids. Beach trip over!

Fortunately, Allison had snuck her swimsuit on underneath her clothes, so she had something dry for the drive to Target to grab some new clothes for Nate & Sarah so we could go out to dinner for Jake's birthday. We went to "Joe's Crab Shack" and my kids will swear it is their new favorite restaurant. I was impressed with the playstructure they had next to the outdoor dining area. Seriously, the best idea a restaurant has EVER had!

After the meal, Jake got the birthday treatment from the singing, choreographed dancing waitresses. He was a good sport about the whole situation.

It was time to say goodbye to the Livingstone's and Murdock's. We had a great time with you! Come back soon!

Scouting Milestone

2008-04-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

In January, Nate passed one of (hopefully many) Scouting milestones. He 'graduated' from Cub Scouts into the real deal, the Boy Scouts of America. No more blue shirt, pinewood derby, or pack meetings. We are on the road to Eagle! Maybe I'm being a bit overzealous. I mean, he hasn't even earned a merit badge yet. But he's working towards 1st class scout and taking it seriously. We hope he is always this enthusiastic towards Scouting.

At his last Pack Meeting, he was awarded the "Arrow of Light." This is the highest award a cub scout can earn, so we were very happy for him and his hard work.

The Scout Master made this very cool thing for Nate to display all the awards he had earned in cub scouts.

I like how the Scouts recognize the mom when the boys reach a milestone. It's like they realize, "Hey, if it weren't for mom nagging, this probably never would have happened." (I have four brothers who are Eagle Scouts. My mom did a LOT of nagging!) And yes, there was the obligatory "if you poke your mom we take the award back" joke as Nate put the pin on me.

Off he goes! Nate and his good friend, Conner graduated together. Their new leader, Brent Zollinger is not only my best friend's husband, but an incredible Scout Leader. They've already had several fun campouts and lots of fun.

Lego Exhibit

2008-04-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here's another "catch up" post from January...

So, if you don't know this about Nate, he loves legos and trains. I mean LOVES. Maybe borderline obsessed. So when he found out that the model railroad museum was having a lego train exhibit, well, we knew we would be making a trip to San Diego. The following are pictures from a beautiful January day (yeah, short sleeved t-shirts. eat your heart out!) in Balboa Park, San Diego.

Think Legoland, but on a smaller scale. I think Brent and Nate daydream about building lego displays like these.

After the display closed, we walked around the park for a bit. Balboa Park is amazing. I love the architecture, the way it's laid out so you can walk to all the different museums. I wish Los Angeles had a similar park. They said they were going to build a "great park" in Irvine where the old El Toro Marine base was, but so far they haven't done anything noteworthy. Maybe someday...

Anyway, here are more pics from the day.

The kids loved playing on this crazy alligator sculpture. I hope it was "touch and feel" art...they were climbing all over it.

One Year Older...

2008-04-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

This will be the "birthday bash" post. We have all our birthdays in a short 3 month period, and actually 4 of the 5 in less than a month. And since I've been less than diligent in posting to the blog, I figure I will post about all of them at once. I know, I know. My kids need individual attention for their accomplishments. Trust me, this is just one of the MANY areas I am failing as a mother.

So, although we always sing the traditional "Happy Birthday" song, I have always preferred a song from the Primary Songbook. It goes like this:

You've had a birthday, shout "horray!"
We want to sing to you today
One year older and wiser, too
Happy Birthday, to you!

I think I like this song because everytime I sing it, I think, "Please God, make them wiser. Please please please. Help them learn to clean up after themselves. Teach them how to avoid doing things that are annoying to me. Is it asking too much to have them do their homework and piano practicing without complaining?" I know that's a lot to expect, but it says right there in the song that they'll be wiser...

Nate's birthday
We had been up at the cabin with several of the siblings, but decided to head down the Heber to celebrate New Year's Eve and Nate's birthday. We got to Kirk & Tricia's in time for a delicious dinner with Kirk's family, Heidi's family, and Tyler's family. It was so fun again to be with all the cousins. (I will admit now that I regularly fantasize about living in Heber or Springville to be closer to my family. I love them like crazy and always get sad when I think of all the fun we could be having if we lived closer.) After dinner, we started work on a puzzle (a Livingstone New Year's tradition) and introduced our kids to the movie "Transformers." We are apparently very lame parents. It hasn't been intentional, but the kids haven't seen most, ok, all of the "big summer action" movies - Star Wars, Pirates of the Carribean, Transformers, etc. To be fair, we hardly see ANY movies. But the kids were hooked. We had to pull them away from the movie to see the fireworks. Fireworks? Yes, fireworks. For those of you who don't know, the Murdock family (Tricia's family) are kind of an institution in Heber. They've been there forever and are always doing things for their community. I love that and am so impressed with how they are involved in making their community a fun, safe place. Anyway, they don't just light a few fireworks from the local fireworks stand, they put on a SHOW. So we layered up as best we could (it was around 30 degrees or colder) and drove down the street to watch Uncle Kirk and his brothers-in-law light off fireworks for about 10 minutes. I don't know where they get them, but they were professional quality fireworks. And it was interesting to see a "behind the scenes" view of how they are set off. After finishing up, we headed back to the house for cake and ice cream and bed. We were exhausted after a long day of sledding, fun at the cabin, and fireworks. It's always fun to have an extra reason to celebrate on Dec. 31/Jan. 1. Happy Birthday, Nate!

Allison's birthday
Allison had been looking forward to her birthday for a LONG time. There is something about being 5 and so excited for that one special day. Unfortunately, Brent had to go out of town on her actual birthday, so we celebrated early with cake and ice cream. I found the coolest candles at the party supply store! (It's a good thing all my kids have 'common' names...)

Cake and ice cream were a little messy, so we had to interrupt the birthday fun for a bath. (It's no fun having an anal retentive mom. It's no fun being an anal retentive mom, either. Can someone get me some prozac?!) After we got all cleaned up, it was time for presents. Allison was THRILLED about her tiger and cheetah stuffed animals, excited about the Lightening McQueen piggy bank, and ambivilant about the princess polly pockets and carriage. Should I be worried that my girls have never had an interest in dolls and girly things? I guess Allison has her 'princess' moments, but Sarah? Never! Although she still loves her toys, she has already let me know that next year she wants a pink Nintendo DS. Actually, she wants everything there is a commercial for or that she sees at Target, but the pink Nintendo comes up regularly. At least I can start shopping now...

The next day was her day to celebrate at school. There was a lot of time and effort spent deciding what special treat to take. She finally decided on donuts and juice.

Sarah's birthday
For some reason that I now can't remember, Sarah was feeling like her birthday wasn't "special" enough, so I took the guilt bait and kidnapped the kids from school at noon and went to Knott's Berry Farm. It was a beautiful day, and there was hardly anyone there. Although I'm not a big fan of Knott's (think of it as Disneyland's cheap, dirty cousin) it was a fun day.

Sarah actually found a roller coaster that wasn't too scary. She now boasts proudly that, "Jaguar is AWESOME!!" (that's her on the right)

She was really excited about her birthday presents and can't wait to try them out. I think they will work better in the water, but the couch is a good place to practice...

Nate's birthday party
For his birthday party, Nate decided he'd rather invite 3 friends to do something special rather than have a big party. I was F-I-N-E with that decision. I'm all for doing what makes my kids happy, but big parties are such a hassle. Being the put-together, organized mom that I am, we went April 11. Yes, his birthday in January 1. It wasn't all my fault - finding a day that all 3 boys could go was difficult, and everytime I called one mom, they had JUST had a family crisis. But we finally got it together and they had a great time.

Sarah's birthday
Sarah opted for the big party. D'oh! I tried to plan out a fun evening, but the girls just wanted to eat pizza and jump on the trampoline, so I let them. They took their bracelet kits and coloring bags home with them and hopefully had fun doing them there! I was proud of the cupcakes I made, so I'm posting a few pictures. It's hard since I hurt myself patting myself on the back!

And finally...
On my birthday, we drove to Utah. Yeah, I know. What better way to pamper yourself than locking yourself in a car for 12 hours with your 3 kids and dog? But c'mon. I'm 34. I don't really care about my birthday and was excited to get to Utah. When we got there, my great sister had brought over 'trixie sticks' which well, you have to eat them to know. They are a favorite treat while in Provo. When Nate realized it was my birthday, he did this for me:

He's a good kid, huh?
(I tried to post the video of it going, but I am apparently 'tech-tarded.')

Dashing through the snow...

2008-04-18T11:02:00.001-07:00

I have had this post composed in my head for months now...time to finally get it on the blog!

One of the best parts of being in Utah in the winter is giving the kids the chance to play in the snow, and there is PLENTY of it at the cabin. The first full day we were there, Uncle Tyler was kind enough to suit up and go outside with mom and the kids and help start a snow fort. We shoveled off the trampoline and let the kids jump on it, which was a strange experience. Then out came the sleds. The kids all had fun, but I think Allison enjoyed it the most. She was just the right size to lay down in the sled and go all the way down the driveway. And when she got the the bottom, she jump up, grab the sled, walk up the driveway and go down again! She did that for hours, all by herself, even when Nate and Sarah got tired and went inside for multiple hot chocolate breaks.

A day or so later, Brent arrived. Heidi,Jayson & Mae, Drew, Kirk, Tricia & kids came up, too. It was so fun to have so many of us there! We loaded up the snowmobiles and went to great sledding spot. It took a few trips to get everyone (dogs included) up there and we managed to break a snowmobile in the process. Damn! But it was a ton of fun and the kids again had a great time sledding.

After New Years, Pine Mountain was EMPTY! We practically had the place to ourselves, so we took the opportunity to race the remaining snowmobiles around the meadow. We also tied a sled the the back of the ATV and dragged the kids around. I'm not sure I would like it, but they had a blast. (My stupid camera wasn't working that day, so no pictures. Drat!)

I LOVE the cabin! It is such a great place to relax and have fun with the kids. Thank you, mom & dad for allowing us to use it. And sorry to Kirk, who has to fix all the stuff that breaks. I promise we try to be careful!

Christmas...in March!

2008-03-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

So here's the very edited version of Christmas. Hey, I'm only a few months behind. What's the big deal? At least I'm finally doing it, right?!

Brent and I decided that for Christmas this year, we wanted to give the kids something besides toys. We knew they'd get toys from Santa and others, so we decided to do passes to a theme park. The hope was that we'd give them memories, not more junk for me to clean up. (It now appears that the memories they have is of me saying, "Ewww! Don't lay down on the floor here!" or "No, we're not buying that" as we pass EVERY single stand in Knott's Berry Farm. But the intentions were good...)

I could do Disneyland every year, but we decided to try something new this time. The kids are getting older, so we thought it might be fun to try a theme park with more rollercoasters. Also, Knott's has a waterpark that we can enjoy all summer long, which is really appealing since we STILL don't have air conditioning in our house. So, the Saturday before Christmas, we headed over to Knott's to get our passes. Here are some pics from that day.

This is Sarah right after her first rollercoaster ride. The picture does not do justice to the fear and terror she described! With her crazy personality, I thought she'd LOVE rollercoasters, but apparently she did not inherite my love of rollercoasters.

We all took a ride on the stagecoach. What did the kids find interesting? That horses poop while they walk. I'm so proud...

Sarah liked this ride a lot more than the rollercoaster.

You notice Brent and I are hardly in the pictures with the kids? There's a reason for that...

For Christmas Eve, we had our friends, the Zollingers over for dinner and then a short, barely spiritual puppet show of the nativity. Hey, you got to work with the audience you've got. Then it was time for the traditional opening of new Christmas pajamas and TRYING to get the kids to bed.

Sarah and Allison were REALLY excited about their super silky kitty cat pajamas. I have to say I couldn't have picked out pj's that would have been more perfect for their crazy fetishes (Sarah's thumbsucking and Allison's obsession with cats.)

Tears already! Isn't that about right? They haven't even SEEN their presents yet! Things got better once Allison saw what Santa brought...

Yeah, a pretend cat. Just what we need to curb this crazy behavior.

Nate was excited about his new bike. He's at the age when he can't just have a bike, it has to be the 'right' bike. But he was very grateful and loves riding it to school, so it was money well spent.

This is the best picture I have of the bike. (hey, we have a small living room and it was hard to get a good shot.) I'll post more pictures later.

Later that morning, the kids gathered around Sarah's new Nintendo DS to watch her play Mario Kart. Another big hit for Santa Claus!

While we had a great, relaxing day, it was sad to not spend the holidays with family. So I spent the 26th packing things up and we drove up to Utah on the 27th to spend a few days with the Livingstone family. (Yes, I spent my birthday locked in the car for 12 hours with my 3 kids & dog. What better way to celebrate?!) Details in the next post, hopefully coming soon...

Busted

2008-03-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Nate and I had issues with a school project last week. He had been given a large project at the end of January that was due at the end of February, and didn't do anything about it until the week it was due. Of course, it was way too much work to do in a week, so we were staying up late and stressing all week long. I was not the sympathetic and caring mom, but the "Damnit! Why did you wait until the last minute?!" mom. Not my finest hours as a mom. And then I thought about my blog, and how long I've been promising myself I'd post about Christmas, our time in Utah, January, etc. Yeah, I felt like crap.

So I'm going to at least start today. I might only get one item blogged every few days. I just realized I have major picture organization to do so I can find the pictures I want to post. I swear, my life would be easier if I were more organized!

Oh dear...

2008-02-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

So, we have been reading the Book of Mormon as a family since January. The kids were challenged to read it in primary and it's the first time we've been consistent and made it completely through 1 Nephi. Hurray for us! However, if your kids are unfamiliar with the Book of Mormon and all it's glory, some of it is a little overwhelming. And my kids are getting a little worried about eternal damnation, the great and abomidable church, etc.

So on the way home from school, this was my conversation with Sarah.

Sarah: Mom, I'm worried about Liliana.

Mom: Why?

Sarah: Well, she's a Jew.

Mom: (silently) Ohhhhh no. I do NOT like where this is heading...

Sarah: She doesn't believe in Jesus and she doesn't like to go to church.

Mom: Well, sometimes people are confused and we can just nicely tell them what we believe. Then maybe they will change their minds. But even if they don't, we can be friends with them and be nice.

Sarah: What if I tell her about the Second Coming and that if she doesn't believe in Jesus and repent she's going to be in hell? (We read 2 Nephi 9 this morning)

Mom: (silently) I wonder if they suspend 3rd graders for religious intolerance?
Mom: Honey, maybe you shouldn't talk about Jesus at school.

Meow

2008-02-08T16:20:00.000-08:00

A few people have asked if Allison is still obesessed with cats. The answer is a definite yes. She regularly asks if we can get cats when Sammy dies. This worries me, like Sammy might meet an untimely death if I answer yes.

Today she asked if we can get FIVE cats when Sammy dies. She already has them named: Ruby, Justice, Superman, Sonic and Knuckles.

What is WRONG with your blog?!

2008-02-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

It's February 5th. I just got all the Christmas decorations into the garage yesterday. (Note: I said 'into the garage' not 'put away.' There is a difference!) But it's a small victory. Yea, mom.

So, I got asked that question the other day (about my blog.) I'm sure it was meant well, such as, "did you post seven pages about your Christmas and blogger ate it up?" Not at all intended like, "what's wrong with you, you lazy buffoon?! Why haven't you posted in almost a month?!" Yes, we did have a Christmas, and 4 birthdays, and lots of other things happen in the past month and a half. A recap will be coming soon. But life has been very, VERY busy lately and I'm lucky to take care of everyone's basic needs on a regular basis, let alone document that mayhem that is our lives. And sometimes the kids don't even get baths every night, so trust me, I'm trying.

Just wanted to 'splain myself.

Self induced guilt!!

2008-01-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

I've felt so bad - I have so much that I want to blog about and so little time! I promise to get pictures and posts up soon. But please, don't feel bad. I'm not just neglecting my blog. I didn't get the Christmas tree put away until January 11th, and only because it was in the middle of the front room and really embarrassing for people to see. But the stockings (and all the rest of the Christmas decorations) are still hung by the chimney with care, waiting for...maybe next year?!

You better watch out...

2007-12-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

Lyrics by Allison:

You better watch out,
You better not yell,
You better not lose your purse,
You better always do that thing you do,
Santa Clause is coming to town.

Also,

You better watch out,
You better not scream,
You better not yell like a duck,
Santa Clause is coming to town.

These were sung as we decorated cookies last night. I guess she figures yell, scream, shout is all the same thing, so why not make the lyrics interchangeable?

Fourteen Fabulous Years

2007-12-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

It's good to be married to your best friend.

baby steps...

2007-12-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

In September, Jeanette and I started walking. A short time later, her friend suggested (challenged?!) us to run a 5k with her in December. I had been thinking running would be fun again, so I was thrilled to have someone to do it with. Jeanette found a great running program titled, "Couch to 5k in 8 weeks" which couldn't have been a better description of my cardiovascular state. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
And it worked! It was so easy to gradually increase our length and endurance. The payoff was finishing my first ever organized run with a time of 31:12. Increased length, endurance, and speed will come later. I'm just glad I started!

Can't start without stretching!

(That's Jeanette, me, Jamie, and half of Nikki)

Before the race at the start line.

(Me, Nikki, Jamie and Jeanette)

Jamie shows us how she'll watch tv if she gets bored. She took a lot of crap for the old school headphones...

Jeanette and I post race with our "anti-inflamatory" sports drink. I was glad to know I wouldn't burst into flames while drinking it. Then I realized it probably meant my joints wouldn't swell. Hey, I had just run a 5k, my brain was a little out there...

You can't complain running along the boardwalk of Venice & Santa Monica on a beautiful, crisp December morning. I will make this a regular part of my life.

God hears your prayers...and laughs

2007-12-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

When Brent was called to the bishopric in June, we were assured I would be released as Primary President soon. And then August, September, October rolled around and I was still president. And it wasn't horrible, but there were times when I felt a little overwhelmed with Sundays. I suspected I might be released after the Sacrament Program. It was a huge stress, but we got through it and the kids did a fabulous job. The next week I got a call that the Bishop wanted to see me. And Brent. They weren't releasing us both, were they?! So we went in and I was released, and then called to be the 2nd counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. What?! Isn't there a rule somewhere about getting a cushy job after a big calling?! Especially when your husband is supposed to be pulling some strings for you?!

The new primary presidency will do an incredible job. (Jeanette Zollinger is the new president, and her counselors are Christie Marksbury and Amy Rex, with Jessica Asendorf as secretary.) They are all so smart, capable and dedicated. I am already seeing the things I could and should have done better. So I will try to do better in Relief Society. I am the Enrichment Night Counselor, so I am expecting you all the tell me about the fun things you are doing in your wards so we can copy. I have realized this about myself: I am really good at re-doing something someone else has already created. So send ideas, please!

I learned so much in primary and had such incredible experiences there. I hope I can learn and grow as much in RS. One thing I've learned already, God apparently doesn't care so much for whining...

A parenting dilemma

2007-12-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

One of the most difficult parts of parenting is knowing when certain behaviors cross the line. At what point does creative, exploratory fun turn into a dangerous or inappropriate situation?

Allison has been pretending to be a kitty lately. It's often annoying, but I let her do it because I figure I'm "letting her use her imagination" and "engaging in creative play" and all that other "good parenting stuff." Most often I want to tell her to sit down and knock off the "mrowwwww" crap. Especially when I'm trying to teach sharing time for the last time as primary president. (That's another post, hallelujah!) I try to keep the kitty time to when we're at home, but even that is getting to be too much.

Sunday night was a good example. She had done the kitty thing the whole time we were at a convert baptism. Imagine trying to feel the spirit with an obnoxious 4 year old kneeling in the back row, "mrooowwww! hissss! mrrrrrroooowwwwww!" By the time we had fought the bedtime battle and read stories, she was still going strong. And begging to sleep in a box like a real kitty. After a few minutes of arguing, I gave up. This is what I came back to, an hour later.

After a good laugh and a "serves you right if you wake up with a neckache" we moved her into her bed. The lesson learned? Never argue with a 4 year old.

So go ahead and turn us in to Child Protective Services for bad parenting. Just beware - they might appoint you temporary guardian!

Veteran's Day

2007-12-04T15:07:00.001-08:00

The kids had no school on Veteran's Day. It was a beautiful day that was heading towards being wasted in front of the TV, so I threw the kids into the car with some snacks and we drove to Point Vicente Lighthouse in Rancho Palos Verdes.

There was a small museum with a display of some items from Marine World. We were all sad that it wasn't still open. It would be great to see ocean animals without having to go to San Diego.

They were also impressed with the models of whales and marine life.

After our tour of the museum, we went outside for a short walk. I was struck by how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful area. (Well, Long Beach is nice but to live in PV would be AMAZING!) I've been spoiled to live so close to the ocean for so much of my life, and sometimes forget that many people have never dipped their toes in salt water or strolled along the sand with waves crashing at their feet. I promise to not complain about living in southern California as much.

Of course, each of the kids wanted an individual shot of themselves.

Life is beautiful.

Pack Meeting

2007-12-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

Nate's troop had a pack meeting in early November. The previous pack meeting had been in June, and Nate had accomplished a lot over the summer. (That's what happens when mom sends you to full day cub camp for TWO weeks. Mom's gotta keep her sanity.) So I took my camera so I could capture him getting all his pins, belt loops and Webelos badge. I took pictures of all the kids getting their awards, because that's what a good primary president does, right? So when Nate gets called up, whirrrr, camera battery is dead. Doh!

Fortunately, I did get one picture with him in it. He and his buddy Connor did the flag ceremony. Connor is Nate's friend in the neighborhood who has been coming to Scouts with Nate for the past few months.

Nate only has one or two more achievements to earn until he gets his Arrow of Light. I haven't even had to pull out any threats or bribery yet! Hopefully he'll continue on in scouting happily!

Sammy's new friend...maybe

2007-11-13T15:58:00.000-08:00

The Zollingers got a chocolate lab puppy and it is SO darn cute! Jeanette brought him over to meet Sammy. Sammy's reaction was...unexpected. He didn't bark, didn't growl, didn't do much of anything but run away from him and get all slobbery. Seriously. Frothing at the mouth. After running around for a while, Sammy relented and let Oliver lay down and rest next to him. But don't get too comfortable around here, Sammy still claims alpha dog status.

Oliver just wanted to play, but Sammy wasn't so sure about the new intruder.

Ok, but you have to lay in the dirt box...

I'm surprised I didn't get more whining for a new puppy. Maybe they remember the year of finding chewed up toys all over the house.

Trick or Treating

2007-11-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

Lest you think I only take pictures of Allison, here's proof that the other two exist.

Sarah was a witch and loved the green makeup. Check out how blue her eyes look!

Nate wasn't going to dress up at all, but a friend came through with a costume from last year. Look familiar? Yeah, Nate was an army guy last year, too.

Getting ready to score some loot.

Jeanette and I discovered that the mall was having trick or treating from 4-7 on Halloween. Given that both our husbands get home at 6:30 or so, we HOPED we'd be able to take the kids trick or treating at the mall and then stay home the rest of the night. Not so. We got the kids to the mall around 5 pm to discover that about 90% of the stores were "out of candy" or...never had any to begin with. They still had fun and we even indulged them with a carousel ride.

If you know my kids, you know how they get from point A to point B. Running and screaming. Allison's friends, Elijah and Spencer are certainly more cautious travelers. And they weren't getting to the free candy fast enough for Allison, so she grabbed their hands to speed things up a bit.

After they played on the climbing stuff in the food court, it was time to head home. The kids weren't at all satisfied with the amount of candy, so they convinced Brent to take them out again around the neighborhood. I would have resisted, but knew they'd come home with enough chocolate to keep me happy. That's what the holidays are all about, right?!

Pumpkin Carving

2007-11-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

I should be more enthusiastic about the whole pumpkin thing. My kids LOVE it. When Nate was a baby, halloween wasn't complete without a half day trip to a pumpkin farm with pumpkins and a petting zoo and overpriced train ride and TONS of pictures. This year, despite Allison and Sarah's frequent requests to go get pumpkins, I grabbed 3 oddly misshapen pumpkins from the grocery store the day before halloween. I'm such a party pooper!

Sarah enjoyed getting the guts out...

Given my kids tendency towards accidents, injuries and spills, I insist that they draw the face on with a Sharpie pen and I do the carving. Hence no pictures of the kids happily wielding sharp knives. Here are the finished products.

Looking spooky that night.

Different party, different princess...

2007-11-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

On Halloween, Allison's school had a parade. That morning she decided she wanted to be Cinderella. (A few days earlier, at the Halloween Party at church, she had been a unicorn, minus the horn, since all we had was an old horse costume from when Sarah was 4. Allison didn't seem to care that she was a hornless unicorn.) Luckily, we have a BUNCH of dress-up costumes from birthday parties, previous halloweens, and mom being a sucker and just buying princess dresses...

That afternoon, she wanted to be Sleeping Beauty.

These pictures crack me up. I didn't ask for "princess poses." This is how she smiled for the camera.

She was really exicted about the spider hats at the party...

And showing me her favorite toy in the classroom. Again, check out the pose...

Getting ready for Halloween

2007-10-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder which is more exciting for my kids - Halloween or Christmas. With the frenzied excitement of candy, candy, candy and costumes and pumpkin carving and decorating the house with spooky spider things, it's a close call. This year, we even bought a big fake spider, even though we have plenty of real spiders all year long...

And the real thing, right around the corner...

Last night was cub scouts and activity girls. Since both were short a leader, Brent and I got to fill in, which meant Allison got to participate in pumpkin decorating. She was VERY happy about that turn of events...

Sarah made a witch pumpkin. I'm not sure who has the scarier face...

When it was all over, they were happy with their pumpkins and had lots of fun.

My Favorite Kenneth moment

2007-10-14T18:13:00.001-07:00

This is for Heidi, Tyler and Drew after a late night explanation of why Kenneth is one of my favorite people on TV. Check out the facial expressions and sounds!

This is a "happy" meal toy?!

2007-10-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

So, today Allison and I went to the library for story time and then had to go to the laundramat to dry some sheets. (Our dryer has been broken off and on for a few months. It's getting very tiring to find alternate ways to get our laundry done. But that's a story for another day.) Anyway, I stopped at McDonald's to get her some food so we'd have time to run all our errands before having to get Sarah from school. I already have enough guilt that I'm letting her eat fast food crap way too often. (I did take her to story time, so I can't be THAT bad a mother, right?!) Then she asks me to open her toy, and this is it.

Have fun playing with your hooker on wheels doll, honey!

Allison's Ark

2007-10-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

Allison had been playing happily in the bath for awhile last night. When I went it, this is what I found...

yuck yuck YUCK!!!

2007-10-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been busy, but unremarkable. Homework, soccer practice, scouts, piano practice, etc. It's not super exciting, but it's our life. We have, however, had some DISGUSTING activity in the garage...

*** If the mention of rodents grosses you out, you might not want to read this post. ***

A few weeks ago, when Brent was out of town (of course!) Sammy started barking like crazy at something behind the bookcase by the garage. He's not a big barker, so I investigated. After some poking around and moving things to get a better look, I saw out of the corner of my eye a grey flash along the wall. It was really quick, and I couldn't see what it was or where it wound up, but I was sufficiently FREAKED OUT! We had a mouse about a year ago and I was a basket case. Rodents make me sick. Well, I called Brent and whined and complained. But we really had no idea what it was or where it was living.

About a week later, Sammy started barking at the garage door at night. So we suspected that's where the problem was. We poked around and hey, once we started looking, we saw quite a bit of little poops. Ugh! So so gross! From there, it went down hill. It gnawed through the container holding Sammy's food. Sammy started barking more at the door at night. We set out traps. Then, one time I opened the door and saw it, scurrying across the framing of the garage. I think once it knew it was seen, it got brave. I started seeing it EVERYTIME I opened the garage door at night. It was taunting me! "See me run around and poop in your garage? I laugh in your general direction!" At this point, I was loosing sleep at night, being disgusted at the knowledge that a rat was living the good life in MY garage.

On Saturday, my wonderful husband took EVERYTHING out of the garage to try and hunt it down. We were totally freaked out that we'd pull out a box or sleeping bag and have a rabid rat jump on our heads. Don't rats carry Hanta Virus? We had to put everything in plastic containers. I tripped on the clutter and cut my leg up pretty bad. But we still had no visible evidence of a nest or home. What is going on? Make it go away! Feeling frustrated, we left everything down on the floor, hoping we'd figure out a way to catch the nasty little...@#$*!!

Last night, Sammy was barking again like crazy at the door. I opened it up so he could bark at the rat. If nothing else, it makes me feel good that a big, angry sounding dog is barking at it. Maybe it will have a heart attack and die? Just please don't die inside the wall, die on the floor so you will be easy to dispose of. As I looked around, I saw not one, but TWO rats scamper along the rafters and duck behind the drywall behind the washing machine. Two rats in my garage?! I can't even describe how I felt at that moment. Just know a lot of four letter words were uttered. A LOT of four letter words.

Today, while doing the laundry, I decided to peek in the traps. I don't know why because for the past 5 days, they've been empty. Each time I look at the traps and they are empty, it's a huge let down. Why won't you die?! (By the way, we have 4 sticky traps, 2 regular snap traps and one $40 electronic shocker house trap. We are committed to killing these buggers. I did draw the line at the poison pellets. The only thing worse than a live rat running around the garage is a dead, decomposing, stinky rotting rat in the walls.) Sticky and snap traps were empty. But there was a dead rat in the shocker house! I've never been so happy and exciting to see something so gross in my life! Of course, I'm not going to touch the trap. Brent will dispose of it when he gets home. (Thank goodness for husbands who will do the dirty work.) But I have hope. One is dead. We will hunt down and kill the other(s?). I will be able to live in my house and not be freaked or grossed out. We will prevail!

First soccer games

2007-09-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 15. The day we discover that Allison is REALLY competitive.

They played a team called the Purple Ponies. Usually, Under 6 soccer is a comedy of errors. Bunchball supreme. Not these Ponies. They were ruthless! When they scored within the first 30 seconds (I think that's how long it took them to steal the ball from us and dribble down and shoot on our goal...maybe 45 seconds?!) I knew we were in trouble. I stopped counting after the score was 6-0, which by the way, was before half time. But Allison kept in there, kinda. She got discouraged and cried a few times that her team hadn't scored (hey, she's 4). Hopefully next week goes a little better. Here are some more pictures of her in action.

Sarah's game went better. It was a good, close game and I realized/was reminded that I am one of those annoying parents who really gets into the game. I had to tell myself to shut up and let the coach tell the girls where to go. How lame am I?! Anyway, it was a pre-season game, but the girls got to feel good that they won 2-0. Sarah played all the positions, although hopefully her coach realizes that her strength is defense.

Can You?

2007-09-16T17:27:00.001-07:00

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!We've been working on something for the talent show at the next family reunion!

Ah summer, thanks for the memories...

2007-09-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. All the kids are back in school and summer is finally over. Am I sad? Um, NO! I'll admit that I like some of the freedom that comes with summer - flexible bedtimes, sleeping in, the choice of which beach do we want to bum out at today? But it gets a little tiring playing "cruise director" mommy all summer long and finding the answer to the question, "What are we going to do today?" The kids were never happy when the answer was, "Well, I'M doing laundry. What are YOU doing today?" Funny that no one ever offered to help...

Here's the rundown of who's where doing what:

Nate is in Ms. Colburn's 5th grade class this year. Since Twain Elementary is a K-5 school, that means he is the big kid on campus, although I don't get the sense from him that there is that heirachy at the school. (Oh, how I remember looking forward to "ruling the school" and the coolness that I thought would surely come.) Nate regularly asks if he can quit taking piano lessons, to which I gleefully reply, "No. You'll appreciate having that skill someday." Hey, you have to give your kids SOMETHING to hate you for.

Sarah is in third grade with Mrs. Dougan. She has just as much energy and spunk as ever. She's playing soccer again and has already decided that she's as good as anyone else on her team, although she just turned 8 and she's playing in the Under 10 league. Oh, to have that much confidence! She is taking piano lessons as well. When Nate's not begging to quit lessons, she is. What is it with these kids? Don't they appreciate the sacrifices we're making for them?! She's also in a Girl Scout Brownie troop this year with me as her leader. She's wants to sign up for karate again, has asked to take art and photography lessons, and wants to join the swim team. I'm thrilled she has so many intersts, and wish I could find the time and resources to allow her to persue all her dreams. How far away are we from cloning humans?

Allison is in the M/W/F class at the FABULOUS preschool across the street from the kids elementary school. Her new teacher, Mrs. Hayes, is wonderful, but has big shoes to fill. Allison LOVED Mrs. Lance, her teacher last year. Allison is also playing soccer this year. It's, um, going to be an interesting season. She really is only playing because she wants a trophy. But she is gradually figuring it out, although it seems silly to only use your feet when it's so much easier to just pick up the ball and run with it! Her team played a short scrimage against a team of boys at a practice, and the boys were pretty good. After the boys had scored a few goals, all the girls were lying down on the field, crying because the boys were being mean. Drama queens at age 4?! Oh yeah!

Here are a few more first day of school pictures:

I like this picture. They are standing next to each other, smiling; no hint of the usual sibling "he hit me! she said..."

It was hard for Allison to wait a whole week between Nate and Sarah's first day of school and her first day. Nate let her in on some of the excitement by posing with her next to his classroom. (For all my whining, they really are good kids and do nice stuff for each other all the time.)

Sarah checking out the class list to see which friends are in her class. By the end of the day, she had a new best friend, Bianca. I don't even think they knew each other before. But that's totally Sarah. She'll make friends with other kids when we go to the beach and genuinely be sad when we leave that she'll never see that friend again. But not so with Bianca. By the end of the week, Sarah was complaining that Bianca followed her everywhere!

Guess who else is in Mrs. Hayes's class? Allison's best friend, Elijah Zollinger! We were very happy to see his name on the class list. Last year, leaving Allison at school was a tricky, complicated process that involved me staying in the room, singing songs, etc. I thought having a friend in the class would allow me to make a quick exit from the classroom. Apparently not. When I arrived to pick Allison up, she was very mad that I didn't say an appropriate goodbye this morning. Hugs and kisses aren't good enough, I guess.

A week at the WHAT cabin

2007-09-03T23:13:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, we just returned from a week at the cabin. It was so wonderful, as it always is. I'm so glad that it is a tradition I can keep with the kids. I'm sure they don't appreciate it's beauty and tranquility (as I'm sure I didn't at their age, either) but hope some day they'll be able to go with their kids and relax in such a beautiful spot without the distractions of television, telephones (landlines or cell) or the computer. As we were driving up, the kids were watching a movie and there was a preview for the 20th anniversary re-release of E.T., and I realized I had seen that movie in the theater in Cedar City on a summer vacation to the cabin as a kid. Man, how time flies!

(For those of you who don't know, the WHAT cabin is the cabin my grandparents William Howard & Ann Thompson built up the canyon from Cedar City, Utah. Although it is located in the orange desert of southern Utah, as you go up the 10 miles in the canyon, the scenery totally changes and you are surrounded by Aspen trees and green and the temperature drops at least 15 degrees, making it quite comfortable. The other cabin we visit is about 20 miles from Park City and is lovingly nicknamed the DAM cabin, after Don And Marsha.)

Unfortunately, Brent had used his summer vacation time on our earlier trip to Utah, so he was unable to come with us. Fortunately, our friends the Zollingers were able to come with us for the third year. We brought our dog, Sammy, along for the first time, too. He had a great time being a dog in the great outdoors, but he can't fill in as a spare driver, so I am determined to bring Brent along next year!

Our week included all the same cabin activities that we did as a family years ago (see photos and descriptions). Some things never change...including the green shag carpet upstairs! But I realized that I am fiercly protective of the cabin, ugly carpet & strange furniture & all, because it's been around for longer than I have. It's one of my favorite spots on earth and I hope we make many more memories there.

Exploring the creek

Sarah and Jake, Captain Adventurers!

Down at the cave

"I told you I didn't have to go to the bathroom before we left the cabin, but guess what, mommy?!"

Nate and Sammy had fun exploring different paths...

...and resting in the shade.

The kids threw rocks in the creek. Lots of rocks. It was so simple, but so entertaining for them.

No trip to the cabin is complete without many visits to the neighbor's tire swings.

We brought down the record player and danced the night away...

Sarah learned to do the Charleston!

We went to Navajo Lake. There was more throwing of rocks. Allison was very upset that I wouldn't rent a boat to take her to the middle of the lake. Maybe next year...

It's hard to say "no" to that face!

Vomit and diarrhea and tears, oh my!

2007-08-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

So, we just got home from a trip to the cabin in Cedar City last night. I have lots of pictures to post, but I had to post this story first.

On Friday night, I woke up at 2 am to find Allison dry heaving in bed. (Throwing up at the cabin is really bad because the nearest washing machine is a 15 minute drive down the canyon to a laundromat. Not fun in the middle of the night.) Anyway, with amazing speed and agility, I swooped her up in my arms and we made it downstairs to the kitchen sink, where she promptly threw up. We then spent the next 1/2 hour in the bathroom, where she continued to empty the contents of her stomach. She finally went back to sleep, but I was a little worried. The thought of driving through the deserts between St. George, Las Vegas and Barstow to Long Beach in 100 degree heat with a 4 year old with diarrhea and barf issues was a little frightening. The warning period for those issues is about...nothing. One second she's talking to you, the next she's throwing up down your v-neck t-shirt. (Don't believe me? Keep reading.)

Anyway, she woke up Saturday morning acting like nothing had happened the night before. She was running, jumping and eating like her usual self. I was relieved. Brent had got a babysitter so we could go out that night, and I had considered staying an extra day to avoid having to get the car detailed when we got home. So we piled in the car and drove home. The kids were great in the car, and we made pretty good time. (No stops between Vegas and home, a new record!!) We got home and I even had some time to relax before the babysitter arrived.

Brent had asked the neighbor from across the street to come over, and it was her first time babysitting for us. I was all for using a new babysitter - she's close, she's super sweet, and she's even come over before just to play with the kids when Brent and I have been home. The kids like her, so I thought we'd sneak out no problem. However, when it comes to mom and dad leaving for the night, the kids are used to our regular babysitter. (They often ask if Rachel can come over so I'll leave. So nice to be appreciated!) Anyway, Allison was not happy. She suddenly was clingy and crying and didn't want me to go. As I was lovingly explaining that mommy and daddy really need alone time after being at the cabin all week long with the kids and no daddy, blah! Projectile vomit coming right at me. Down my shirt, in my hair, all over the place. As I mentioned before, there is no warning. It just comes at you outta nowhere. But thank goodness for small miracles! We hadn't been home for 2 hours when this happened. I can only imagine how horrible it would have been had this happened in the car!

So, it's Monday as I finish typing this post (remember how hard I have to fight for time on the computer?!) and Allison has been barf free for almost 24 hours. Enough time for me to tempt fate and take the kids to Wild Rivers waterpark tomorrow. Let's hope we don't close any rides!

Nevada: the lone and dreary world

2007-08-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

On our way home from Utah, we decided to swing by Tyler and Nancy's place in Ruby Valley, Nevada. Being a TOTAL city girl, I can't imagine how my brother and his wife survive in such a remote location where the nearest grocery store is 1/2 hour away. I can't live without my regular Target fix! However, if you have horses and cows and tractors to play with, I imagine that keeps the kids occupied and happy. I know mine were. Mission accomplished. Maybe there is something to living in the country. Some of you may ask why Allison is naked in the picture with the cows. Do you know Allison? This is completely normal behavior for her.

The drive home, on the other hand, was torturous. The endless stretches of vast....nothingness. Vegas was almost a welcome sight, until you stepped out of the car into the 114 degree heat. Yeah, I know it's a dry heat. Still awful. The only thing I like about Nevada is that you can speed like heck to get through it!

The start of our summer

2007-08-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

When we had both sets of grandparents leave on missions, I promised myself I would write often to keep them abreast of events in our lives. It's now the middle of August, and I haven't written anyone yet! Part of the problem is that I have to fight the kids for computer time - they don't want to give up playing Nick Jr. or Chuzzle (thanks Grandma B, we're now all hooked on Chuzzle!) The other factor is that we've been busy, and try to spend as little time as possible in the sweatbox we call home. So here are (hopefully if I can figure this out) a few pictures from the start of our summer vacation.

Although Sarah's birthday was in March, we postponed her baptism until our June trip to Utah. We were really glad we did, because that way almost all of her cousins were able to be there for her special day. It was a great day and we are so glad she made the decision to be baptized. One of my favorite memories of the day was right after Sarah came out of the water, cousin Megan excitedly exclaimed, "That's AWESOME!" It was cute that Megan was so happy for Sarah.

You can read about Megan and her adventures in her blog: http://mischievousmegan.blogspot.com/

Knowing that we might not get to Utah much with both sets of grandparents gone, we headed to the cabin for some rest and relaxation. It's such a beautiful spot, and we have so much fun there. We went on MANY atv rides, spent time feeding the horses, and Nate learned how to shoot a BB gun (but fortunately, not his eye out.)

Welcome to our blog!

2007-08-01T18:14:00.001-07:00

A couple of family members and friends started blogs recently, and it seems like such a great way to keep in touch with all our family and friends that we love but are too lazy to write to. Hopefully, there will be semi-regular posts and pictures on what's going on in Long Beach. Promise to post more later, but the buzzer is beeping for dinner!