Halloween

S went to a Halloween party at a friend's house dressed as...

me:

(I'm using this picture as evidence for J that, when I want to chop my hair off and go with the pixie cut, I will totally rock it.)

 S went to school on Halloween dressed like this:

(He was amazed when he won the prize for most original costume: it was thrown together in about 5 minutes the morning of Halloween.)

 O was a dentist:

 H was Yoda:

That night we had our own family party. We all took a trip to the grocery store -- J with dog ears and a painted-on black nose, me in my jammies, bathrobe, and pigtails, and our kids in their costumes -- for a bag of treats each, root beer extract, and dry ice. Then home to hang a sign on the door (Out of Candy), concoct the root beer...

...and introduce our kids to the new Doctor Who. (Christopher Eccleston, you were a good one. And Rose! How we miss Rose!) We skipped the ward Trunk or Treat and neighborhood trick-or-treating, but I don't think my kids missed either one bit. I feel a tradition in the making...

Birthday Boy!

 This year J turned the big 3-8! We celebrated with chocolate cake and English toffee ice cream. The day before his birthday, J bought a propane torch kit with which to annihilate the weeds in our yard. Best. Birthday. Present. Ever. Here he is unwrapping the second and third best birthday presents ever:

 The kids wrapped it.

 Can you tell?

 Strawberries and blackberries from our garden and hard candy.

 Because every boy needs a lunch box.

The day before J's birthday was a whirlwind day. I was in and out all day -- taking kids to piano class, running errands, picking kids up again, taking boys to buy jammers (the tight swim bottoms for boys, which at first embarrassed them and then became awesome because Olympic swimmers wear them), going to lunch with an awesome friend, driving up to IKEA for a few things, going to dinner and a concert with a couple more awesome friends -- and didn't get to spend much time with J. The day of his birthday was the Brigham City Temple dedication, which made it so we were home by 11:30AM. The rest of the day was spent relaxing with our favorite furry white guy. I love him so much. Yes I do!

Sundance Sunday

After church one Sunday in September, we headed up to Sundance Ski Resort to ride the lift up to the top of the mountain. (All these pictures are from S's camera.)

Here we are on the shuttle:

 S and me on the lift:

 Our whole family is in this picture somehow. Can you spot us all?

 A furry little friend we encountered at Stewart Falls on the hike down:

We want our kids to know that there are many many ways to commune with their Heavenly Father and find joy in spending time together as a family. What a blessing it is that we live so close to such beautiful places -- the best of the Lord's creations. The kids love hiking and enjoying the view. While we were on the lift, S pointed to a spot in the distance and began telling me of the house he was going to design and build for me when he becomes an architect. Not too big, lots of windows, and a room for him :) Perfect.

July 2012 In Review

We began July with the Colonial Heritage Festival at Scera Park. We chatted with the cooper, played colonial games, attended colonial school, and had an all-around fun and educational experience.

Once the kids had had enough and were getting whiny (never!) I put them in the stocks to mellow them out.

 

Later, we went to the library so O could die (that's him lying on the ground) at Shakespeare for Kids.

 

We attended our first swim meet (which received a post of its own), and found a great spot to watch the 4th of July parade.

 

On the evening of the 4th, we headed down to the Stadium of Fire and sat on the lawn of the church just outside the stadium. It was a great place to watch the fireworks until the sprinklers turned on. That was fun :)

 

 

A few days later, we coaxed J to shave off his beard for the first time in 12 years. And don't worry -- he promptly began growing it back. I just wanted to see if he could do it. He could. He did.

S was able to attend the Christa McAuliffe Space Center with a group of friends and came home so excited about it, he talked for an hour straight about how awesome it was. The boys had tennis lessons, piano lessons, and swim team throughout the summer. We also went to the library to watch Hayao Miyazaki movies every Friday. We saw Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, Ponyo, Porco Rosso, Howl's Moving Castle, and Kiki's Delivery Service before school started again in August. We also watched My Neighbor Totoro as a family. Great fun.

Later on in July, S (as Claudio)...

 

...got married (in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare for Kids). He looks a little doubtful about saying, "I love you" to a complete stranger.

And we all decided it was time for a change so we "Pimp[ed] [Our] Hair."

Surviving Summer

We are now three weeks into Summer Break and doing fine! Here's how the past few weeks have gone:

Sunday 6/10: Used the solar oven to cook beef stew for Sunday dinner. Oh yum. I love the solar oven! This date 18 years ago I met the man who was to become my husband. His first impression of me was that I looked like a praying mantis. My first impression of his physical appearance was that he was the funniest looking guy I'd ever met -- tall, almost unnaturally skinny and wiry, blond as they come, big round eyes behind big round glasses, round nose, round nostrils, wide curving smile. What impressed me the most (and still does to this day) was the strength and gentleness of his spirit. I felt his big heart and compassionate nature even then and it's what I fell in love with a few years later. It's what I love the most about him today. From that porch in Somerville, NJ 18 years ago to 13 years of marriage and 3 kids, it's been a wonderful adventure.

Monday 6/11: 5 mile run in the morning. The monkeys began tennis lessons, S&O on top of their thrice-weekly swimming. When we came home from our wild and crazy morning, S&O formed a band. This is the picture they had me take for the cover of their first album:

And nothing says summer like popsicles on a porch swing. This was the spontaneous picture:

This one was after I said, "Smile!" Is S approaching adolescence? Yes, I think so.

Chef H chose apples, crackers, and cheese for lunch and pancakes for dinner. We went to "Shakespeare for Kids" at the library ("Romeo and Juliet") and then to the Scera Shell to see "The Wizard of Oz." One of my friends was the Munchkin coroner, and one of S's friends was in the ensemble, so that, coupled with bug repellent and treats, made it a fun evening!

Tuesday 6/12: On account of our late night, we all slept in -- even my little alarm clock H! We weeded the garden. Chef H chose quesadillas for lunch and baked potatoes (in the solar oven) for dinner. O's best friend came to play, and a neighbor girl came to play with H. Tons o' fun.

Wednesday 6/13: 3 mile run in the morning, followed by the busyness of swimming and tennis, followed by a slow afternoon. J worked from home. After dinner I ran errands, going to the grocery store and Costco by myself, which was a real treat! It's the simple things that make life great, right?

Thursday 6/14: Made granola bars, cleaned out the van, prepared food, packed my backpack. Did the laundry, took kids to piano, collected reading rewards from the library. Chorale at night, at which I was completely distracted because...

Friday 6/15 - Saturday 6/16: I ran the Wasatch Back! Separate post pending...

Saturday 6/16: I arrived home from that crazy relay at 7, pulling in front of my house to see J working on a project, the driveway and garage a mess, the house even worse, and the kids not even close to being ready for bed. But they had fun with J, so that's all that counts...

Sunday 6/17: ...except that due to lack of sleep on my part, I was super crabby about getting to clean up after party weekend at my house and in my van. I did get up and make yummy cornbread muffins for breakfast, started the potato salad, and put ribs in the solar oven for dinner. During church I visited with one of my favorite people in the whole world, and I snuck a nap in after church. That helped. Must note that when I don't get enough sleep, the filter that catches inappropriate things from slipping out of my mouth just goes away. It sure made church interesting.

Monday 6/18: Swimming, tennis, S to a writer's workshop at the library, car wash, lunch, conducting lesson, Quiet Time, Shakespeare for Kids, dinner, bed! Somehow we packed it all into Monday! Plus a brief visit with a friend who was in town only for a few days, a quick facebook chat with another great friend that I hadn't heard from in a while, and J home early from work. H chose left-over meatloaf muffins for lunch and angel hair pasta for dinner.

Tuesday 6/19: 4 mile run in the morning. S mowed the lawn and attended the writer's workshop. I took apart the Dyson vacuum that stopped sucking a week after I bought it, extracted the carpet fuzz stuck in its innards, and rejoiced when it started sucking once again!

Wednesday 6/20: Tried like the dickens to get O (aka "Little J") up and at 'em in the morning:

 
It's amazing how much like J O is. (H is on the chair, awake at 6:30AM like his mom, obsessed with technology like his dad.) Most mornings when everyone is dressed, O is still in bed, with the covers over his head. Took the kids to Costco and the grocery store, after which I left them all at home under S's watchful (?) eye to drop by a few friends' houses and restore my sanity. After Quiet Time, S's best friend came over with her bike, so we went to the church parking lot to ride bikes, picking up a few kids along the way. Homemade bean burritos for dinner.

Thursday 6/20: 6 mile run in the morning. Chores done before piano. H's best friend over to play in the morning. H to another friend's house in the afternoon. I tried a new whole wheat bread recipe that's a winner! Chorale at night. Much-needed walk with J once I got home from Chorale. I need music and I love music, but along with music comes wacky-E. Trying to find balance there...

Friday 6/21: This morning I went to watch the boys' swim practice. That scrawny little S has some skinny arms, but when he starts gliding through the water -- holy back muscles, Batman! It's so fun to watch those kids take off like fish! I fussed with the sprinkler system at a rental and came home to find J home from work early! After lunch I lined the kids up on the carpet and with a stern look on my face told them they were in so much trouble. I said, "You kids are the best kids on the planet, so as punishment, we are taking you out for ice cream!" 5 cups of ice cream, 5 coupons, and $0 later:

We are surviving summer really well this year. We even skipped the horrible 1-2 week adjustment period that we've had to go through in the past. We've worked hard, had a lot of fun, spent a minimal amount of money, and played with friends. Quiet Time each day has saved us. We skipped it one day and will never skip it again. It gives us all just enough space that we are happy to be with each other again once it's over. I'm optimistic that we can keep this up for the next few months. Wish us luck!

The Haps

Here is a rundown of what has been happening lately...

We put a great and spacious play set in our backyard. It is a pirate ship, club house, picnic spot, and all around big hit.

J has been working on our garden. It is beautiful in its organization, layout, and function. He is a mad genius perfectionist gardener.

The school year ended. Programs, Pioneer trek, and dance festivals. I walked into the house one morning after a run to my boys having a shirtless dance party in the front room to Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" thanks to not only Scera Park Elementary but also Cherry Hill Elementary. Now H walks around singing, "I'm only gonna break break break break break your heart," S "Pop it, lock it, polka dot it...," and O "I wanna celebrate and live my life..."

School is out. My boys are all home with me for the summer. Bliss and boredom. Fun and fighting. The usual. But all day now.

We met my parents in Moab for a weekend. Toasty fun. Chuck wagon, Arches National Park, hotel pool, Hummer ride.

I ran the Wasatch Back for the 3rd year in a row. I am addicted to this painful, sleep-deprived, exhausting kind of fun.

I will post on these events one by one. Stay tuned...

Wasatch Front...and Back

Our last few days in California, J took charge of the boys so I could run the So Cal Ragnar. These pictures are all courtesy of my sister-in-law, whose first Ragnar (and not the last) this was.

We started at 6:45 AM on Friday morning in Huntington Beach:


Here's Alisa finishing up her first leg,


the merman we saw along the way,


me finishing up my first leg (too bad I didn't have a camera on me during the run; you could've seen pictures of the homeless people sleeping under the bridges I ran past),


waiting to begin our second legs (a sassy bunch of women, if I do say so myself),


a beautiful sight we saw along the way (and we did thank him for running with his shirt off),


another beautiful thing we saw,


and our tats, taken at the finish line on Coronado Island.


It was beautiful, hard, hot, sleepless, exhausting, and fun fun fun! Our van was so much fun, and our team's van 2 was awesome (thanks to Valerie for filling in 3 days before the race!)! Thanks especially to my sweetie who crammed all three boys in the back of a mid-size sedan and played single dad for a day and a half so I could go exhaust myself on the race course and be completely useless for a few days following!
Can't wait for Wasatch Back!