August

So in reviewing the posts of this blog I realized that J has been doing all the posting lately and I have been on hiatus. Here is August in a nutshell:



In no particular order,
--We tried the candy 'Warheads' for the first (and last) time
--O got a pet dog that looks remarkably like his little brother at the end of a leash
--We finally threw away our 8 1/2 year old stroller. It's the only single stroller we've ever owned and served us well through 3 kids. Farewell, Peg Perego. Rest in peace.
--O learned how to ride his bike without training wheels
--J and I sat on the swing and took funny self-portraits
--H found that riding on the rear pegs of S's bike is a great way to travel around 'the Island of Sodor' (the block) after receiving his assignment from "Sir Toppins-hat" (mom) to do so
--O created a play-doh mock-up of Arches National Park


My mom celebrated her 65th birthday with us in Orem and had 2 cakes. What a lucky lady. I made the "Brown Derby" (and if you don't know what that is, shame on you -- you need to go back East, walk into a bakery, and order one) and we bought another kind of cake from Gloria's in Provo. The boys made picture frames for her and helped her start her 66th year of life off with a bang!

July Party Week

We began our 4th of July partying very early this year. Actually, we began on June 30th. We took the boys to the Scera Theater to see "Toy Story 3." We really liked it. Like most Pixar movies, it made me cry. We let the boys have lots of candy at the movie and pizza for dinner when we arrived home. Party mode...

On Thursday we dropped J off at work in Salt Lake and went to Wheeler Historic Farm.

When we got out of the van in the parking lot, O heard the rooster and so we had to find it. We stood by the chicken coop for a good 15 minutes before O would let us continue on. We saw pigs, goats, cows, horses, turkeys, ducks, Eeyores, sheep, and rabbits. It was hot, but a lot of fun. I spent $2.13 on a bag of duck feed and 4 candy sticks -- money well-spent.

When we picked J up from work, we drove up to Snowbird Ski Resort and took the tram to the top of the mountain. The boys had a great time playing in the snow in July...


...and scaring their mom by dancing around at the edge of the mountain.



On Friday we geared up for Saturday, which began at 6 AM with the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest...





It was too windy for the balloons to launch while we were there, but the Coca-Cola bottle balloon alone was worth it.



When we came home from the balloon fest, J took off up Dry Canyon for a hike to the top of Mt. Baldy in Lindon. I took the kids to their first ever Home Depot Kids Workshop where they made periscopes. I was partial to this particular project because I remember my brother making his own periscope when we were young. I loved that thing -- it was so cool.

When J came home I took off for Pleasant Grove to make shirts with my friend and sisters-in-law for the Freedom 5K. We had hot pink tank tops that said, "Hot Mamas" on the back and were embellished with rhinestones.

When we were done, I brought my niece home with me, much to the delight of S. Her sister and parents joined us later for a hamburger dinner and s'mores over a campfire. Here is O, who was brandishing his 3-pronged hot dog roaster and yelling, "By the power of Greyskull!"



H decided he didn't need the whole s'more and just kept sneaking chocolate pieces.


J put on a fireworks show for us which rivaled the Stadium of Fire, in my opinion.

On Sunday J's mom and step-dad joined us in church for the first time since moving into our ward. The kids could not contain their excitement!

When we got home, J's sister, her husband, and two girls came for dinner and to spend the night. We carbed up for the 5K the next day with a pasta dinner. Then we lit sparklers and marveled that none of the 5 kids running hell-bent around the yard with them got burned. Alisa's husband is an MA. He brought her an IV from work and gave her some fluids to get her nice and hydrated for her first 5K.


Our Monday began with the 5K. Here we are at the finish. It was lots of fun. We are going to do the 10K next year, for anyone that wants to join us.


We watched the parade, but missed the Utah Highway Patrol (my favorite part), the BYU Marching Band (my second favorite part), but were able to see the American Fork Marching Band (who doesn't love them?) and the tanks that shot off their guns at the end of the parade (of course my boys' favorite part).

In the afternoon we visited with J's Grandpa Squire, who kept our boys well-supplied with ice cream, sour cream & onion chips, and chocolate. Grandpa showed off his garden. I think his blackberries are on steroids.

On Tuesday we tried to get back to normal but failed. Tuesday evening J gave a presentation for our Relief Society Night Out on "Survival Kit in an Altoid Can." It was pretty impressive.

Again, on Wednesday we tried to get back to normal but failed. This time, we took a picnic lunch up to South Fork and played in the freezing cold water.



On Thursday I went to the podiatrist who merrily told me that I could call him if I need him and sent me on my way.

On Friday, the boys and I went fishing up Fairview Canyon with J's mom, step-dad, step-sister and her kids, step-brother #1 and his wife and kids, and step-brother #3. It was beautiful -- sunny, not too hot, not too crowded.

O waited patiently for a bite on his line...


...but it was S who caught the second biggest fish of the day!


Around the time the kids started to get hungry for the hot dogs Grandpa Lundgren brought, the clouds had rolled in and the day turned cold.


We ended up coming back to our house and having a party with all the fishermen. I learned how to gut a fish (this video is for my mom's benefit/amusement, so really, you don't have to watch it unless you're my mom or you really want to)...


...and this is what the boys thought of it.


On Saturday we had one last party with step-brother #1's family before they headed back to NM. Here are two of my sisters-in-law looking sassy with J's mom and our niece.


Chance, Leslee, and Cash. So cute.


As if our kids weren't worn out enough from our week of partying, we drove them up to REI in Salt Lake so J could get a few last things for his Rainier trip. Then we drove them home again, just in time for me to go to our Wasatch My Back team party. We made the decision to leave the boys home with J so they could watch "The Hobbit" (O's been walking around for the past week saying, "My precious. My precious.") and go to bed early.

It was great to spend time with family and party it up for the 4th of July. We are still trying to recover!

J leaves tomorrow for Washington and Mt. Rainier. We may continue our partying down in NM with Grandma and Grandpa Kim, but that is all news for other posts. I think this, the longest post known to man, is finally over!

Happy Mother's Day, Mommer!

Take a look at this sassy beautiful woman:


Whatever happened to her? She had three kids and grew up to be an even more beautiful grandma:


Thanks, Mom, for giving your life for us. We love you!

A Judd (Brewer, Lundgren, Kim) Family Christmas

After our traditional Christmas Eve dinner by the tree, we all went to bed. Christmas morning dawned bright and not-too-early (my favorite kind) and we all ate breakfast before approaching the Christmas tree. Here is O with two Daniel Pinkwater books and a Tech Deck from Uncle Ernie. He's also wearing a watch from Auntie Eunice and holding a whistle-pop from Santa. Christmas doesn't get any better than that!

Grandpa and Grandma Lundgren brought over their gifts later which included a Playmobil castle for S, a set of foam disc guns for O, and construction toys for H.

When Grandpa and Grandma Kim arrived at night, the boys all had another Christmas celebration, complete with books, Legos, and finally...

the Leapster 2 that O had been quizzically receiving cartridges for all day. He was too tired to really appreciate it then, but it has become a favorite!

Early

The Holidays started early for our family this year. G & G Kim showed up on our doorstep on Thursday -- three days earlier than originally planned. We didn't tell the kids that they were coming, so I was silently giggling as I listened to O's reply to my suggestion that he see who was pulling in our driveway: "It's just S, isn't it?" followed two seconds later by the shriek, "It's Grandma and Grandpa!!! Mom! H! Grandma and Grandpa Kim are here!!!"

When S arrived home, Grandma presented the Monkeys with gifts -- a book and a notebook each:

The next day they were able to participate in our family pictures (more on that later):

They even had a sleep-over in the front room on Friday night with all the boys. J and I had a great little date night of our own in our room watching the most recent episodes of "Glee" and "The Office."

On Saturday after my mom and I bought gifts for O's birthday and our kids' Christmas, S, O, J, Grandma, and Grandpa went climbing:
,

and then to Pirate Island. While there, they celebrated O's upcoming birthday by getting balloon animals:

They even had one made for H, who stayed home with me to nap. During those three hours of nap and blessed solitude I made 2 quarts of pumpkin ice cream, one pumpkin pie, and 4 dozen cookies. It was a great afternoon.

On Sunday morning after cramming a turkey into my crock pot, our little family left for church. Grandma and Grandpa stayed home to enjoy the quiet. When we burst in the door three hours later we were greeted by the wonderful smell of Thanksgiving.

At 4 o'clock on Sunday, we had our Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey so tender it fell apart, mashed potatoes, corn, homemade cranberry sauce, rolls made from scratch, rice, kim chee, and home made root beer (a brief bragging post on the dinner to come):

O and Grandpa bonded, Grandma was adored (as always!), and we began our holiday season with a bang just a few days early.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

(On a side note, I really liked having Thanksgiving dinner on the Sunday before. I actually had forgotten that Thanksgiving wasn't over yet and was puzzled for a minute at the grocery store today as to why there were so many turkeys left in the freezer thing. For me, now that S is out of school for the rest of the week, it's like the week-long vacation after Christmas! I love it!)

Happy Belated Halloween!

Halloween started for us this year on Thursday when S wore his ninja costume to school (sans mask) for Storybook Character Costume Day. Inspired by S, O and H wore theirs when they went Visiting Teaching with me. On Friday our ward had its annual Trunk or Treat, complete with chili cook-off and costume contest.



By Saturday we were Halloweened out, but we had to pay the requisite visits to Grandpa-Great, Grandpa Judd (actually that was a surprise visit and this

is all we saw of him, though we heard him inside talking up until we knocked), and Grandma and Grandpa Lundgren. Grandma Lundgren took the boys trick-or-treating around her neighborhood and added to their candy stash.



That night the Great Pumpkin came to our house, collected the boys' candy, and left them each a book. S got the first Fablehaven, O a Dr. Suess book, and H a board book about the USA. I can put up with all the sugar if the Great Pumpkin comes.

Missing This Lady

This is J's Grandma Dot Squire. She passed away last year in March. When I hear the tributes given of beloved mothers on this day, I always think of her. She was kind, loving, sweet, fun, and sassy, among other amazing attributes that she possessed. She was always good for an impromptu visit and a root beer float. She was always willing to lend an ear or a pair of knitting needles. She truly was the grandma I always heard about but never had. Don't get me wrong -- I loved my Halmoni (my Grandma Kim), but I was also afraid of her papery old-person skin, and I never could figure out what she was trying to say to me. I definitely felt the love she had for me and for her son, my dad, but I didn't have a relationship, let alone friendship, with her. Grandma Squire was one of my best friends. I've been missing her a lot lately, and especially today. I'm so grateful for the example she set for me of being a gracious lady who had a good measure of spunk to keep her fun. I hope I can grow up to be like her one day.