Mortensen Memoirs

Kitchen Re-do-ing

2011-11-09T14:59:00.001-07:00

Yes, I've been neglecting everything else today to work on my perfect floor plan. No, it isn't complete yet, and no, that's not the couch (or ottoman) I'd choose, they're just the correct size. Yes, my piano and music storage are essentially hanging out in the hallway, but that's ok because I haven't drawn the front room to put them in. : ) The fridge is the box with the asterisk on top, and the white cupboard next to it is my pantry and baking area (built into the pantry, so it closes off). The double ovens, microwave, and vertical pan shelves are the white box next to the range, and upper cupboards abound all along that wall. The top cupboards I currently have on either side of my sink will be widened and connected with ceiling-height cupboards to frame the large window over the sink. My island is a ridiculously exciting 7' x 4'6" and will have way cooler barstools than are pictured. : ) And yes, the only reason I am posting this is so I can put it on pinterest too. ; D

Whaddya think?

Favorite New Quote

2011-07-29T13:36:00.000-06:00

Having seen this info-mercial,

my 12yo decided it was something worth purchasing. Not wanting to dampen his enthusiasm for the project, but definitely NOT buying some crap off a tv ad, I decided to show him a fun contraption already in our kitchen that would make the exact same thing--the ice cream maker! (Totally embarrassing that we haven't pulled it out yet this summer!) He wanted to try the chocolate milk flavor first (we've experimented with kool-aid and gatorade--both yummy!), and twenty minutes later, we had this:

VOILA!!

(well, not exactly, but you get the idea)

DELICIOSO!

After filling our cups and getting serious brain freezes, my cute son said my new favorite quote:

"Mom, I want you to cater my wedding."

Ahhhhhh. Some days they're worth keeping.

Fun with Wordle

2011-07-03T22:34:00.000-06:00

Ever played on this? Click here to start.

Here's the fun I created today: (anyone surprised at the content? hahaha--not me! Here's something fun I learned--the more often you type a word, the bigger it appears. In the first example I typed "baseball" three times, and everything else once.)

Four Days and Fifteen Years

2011-07-03T22:30:00.000-06:00

Yup.

That's how long I've been married. It's a little strange to think that it's been that long, but doesn't feel like it. I'm still madly in love with my wonderful husband, and it doesn't hurt that he's a total babe. a. licious. : )

For our big One-Five we . . . yes, you guessed it! Went to a baseball game! Daniel's playing All-Stars now, and really, does it surprise anyone that we still have baseball? Not me : ) It was fun, and we're going to celebrate "for real" next week . . . or whenever we get out of the tournament.

Happy Anniversary, Honey! I'd do it again in a heartbeat . . . only maybe do my hair differently. And eat first. And wear funky shoes. And hire a different photographer. But other than that, I don't regret a thing. Really.

Here's to the next fifteen, and fifty after that. I love you!

Three Times as Fun

2011-06-07T16:04:00.001-06:00

This year we have three baseball players . . . one of whom is on two different teams, one who would like to be on as many teams as possible, and one who is happy just to play in the grass and have people cheer for her. Here is some documentation for you:

Be afraid, little batter. Be very afraid.

(If you look closely here, the bat is pointed straight at you, and you can see the blur of the ball!)

Yes, she's wearing a skirt over her baseball pants. Why does that surprise you?

Birthday Season 2011!

2011-06-07T15:36:00.002-06:00

So, in fairly chronological order . . . .

One Paintball Party for 12-yr-olds

One Squinky party for 10-yr-olds

One pool/trampoline/basketball party for 7-yr-olds

(I have to show you this cake--it was awesome! A train mold I've been wanting to use since he was three and obsessed with trains . . . and finally got around to it!)

and one Cinderella party for 5-yr-olds

(one of my favorite pictures from this party--they were watching Sophia

find the glass slipper behind the couch!)

oh, and one big FOUR-OH Party : )

(gotta love the cupcake birthday cakes--since certain people don't eat sugar anymore, the smaller is better idea applied here. And since 40 candles don't fit on baby cupcakes, four on one and zero on the other counts, right!?!)

: )

I have survived!

2011-06-02T09:14:00.000-06:00

I'm not kidding, the month of May has been an incredible roller coaster! My apologies for those of you who stalk my blog daily, praying for an update. (Yeah, we all know there aren't any of those! LOL!) So here's the run-down, in slow mo and descriptive detail. Mostly because my photo library is still having issues due to a recent run with some malware. That's a whole 'nother story.

May opens with many exciting events looming in the first few weeks. First of all, we are only 2/5 the way through birthday season, so having only seen one paintball party for a bunch of crazy 12-yr old boys, then a Squinkie party for some crazy 10 year old girls. The first was super-fun and totally easy. The second required a lot of work and developed some drama (10 girls under 12 together for an hour and a half was plenty for me . . . and the birthday girl!). I though it was super-clever--all the games were based around Squinkies and modeled after A Minute To Win It trials. Except for the nail-painting-hot-potato, but that was just girly fun. : )

So the next birthday was Mr. Handsome himself, turning the big FORE-OH. Yup. And boy, was he ever excited.

Not.

When asked what he wanted for his birthday, his typical response (every year) is "money in the bank." Well, usually I comply with this request (then get harassed for it later!), but this birthday is THE BIG ONE. So, of course, that simply doesn't work. No less than one birthday lunch and two birthday party/dinners later (with a present, I might add), the wife felt sufficiently that the birthday (and the man we love) had been celebrated. : ) Check, check, double check.

During this week of birthday celebration, my little sister got married! So off we went on a sister road trip (which definitely needs repeating--it was AWESOME!!! We vented, laughed, cried, sang, and solved all the world's problems!) to the reception in St. George. Unfortunately, it rained during that beautiful outdoor party, and was super-cold. I holed myself up in the casita and huddled under someone else's jacket. (Why bring a jacket to St. G?) So . . . . it was fun anyway, and fabulous. My mother is truly an artist--she created the most fantastic wonderland out of branches and lights and vines and tables and sparkly dangly-things. : ) Love you Momma!

Heading back north, we raced home for the final dress rehearsal of my play. They had already had their first time rehearsing with the set while I was down south, and I was dying at not being there. We had to re-structure a few of the dances after seeing the set on stage, and man, if there was ever a time for cloning, I would have done it in a heartbeat! However, somehow they survived without me, and pulled off an amazing show! Seriously, I was SO proud of them! Characters came together, stage positioning was remembered, lights and music and set and costumes and . . . it was awesome. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! (not that any of them read this, because they're all in jr high . . . but I love them nonetheless.) I will truly miss some of my 9th graders that are leaving me this year. You guys totally rock!

So, to continue the timeline: Mon and Tues in St G, Wed at play, Thu = Hubby's b-day, Fri at reception in Farmington, Sat am at wedding, pm at closing night. Did I mention there were a couple baseball games that week? And dance classes? And piano? And training? You see why I haven't blogged lately, right? Oh, you don't? My apologies . . . I'll do better next time. ; )

The wedding was beautiful, the day was perfect (which is rare this year!), and at the luncheon my baby sister totally surprised me. You see, at my wedding some almost-fifteen years ago (wow), my then-four-year-old baby sis was SUPER grumpy. In every single picture. ALL of them. We couldn't get her to smile for all the bribery in the world. At the time, I was a little disappointed but figured it'd make a good story some day. (and here it is!) We found out, after the photo session, of course, that all she wanted was a piece of cake. Wedding cake. And the sweet ladies in the kitchen wouldn't let her have any. Because, of course, the bride and groom have to cut the first slice. I told her if she would have asked me, the bride would have given her some and traded the first slice for happy pictures. Oh well, too late for that. But good story got!

Fast forward fifteen years, we're at her own wedding, and amid assorted jokes of frowning in all her pictures, or eating her cake all by ourselves, we end our week of wedding-ness with her luncheon Saturday afternoon. The cake is in the middle of a long table of yumminess, looking all perfect and divine. All of a sudden, the guests notice a piece missing. Yup, the cake is cut and no one saw it. And from the top layer, no less! Glancing around, I saw my little sister handing my four-year-old daughter a plate FULL of cake. (it was a large slice for a four-year-old!) After the parents did their thing in the microphone, Tiffy stood up and explained. As a sort of rectification for spoiled wedding photos of mine, she gave Sophia the first piece of her own cake. We got some cute pictures of Tiffy and Sophia and the piece of cake, and surprisingly, Sophia is not smiling! (I think the sudden attention threw her off, but funny anyway!) hahahahahahahaha It was an awesome moment, and a very sweet gesture. Love you Tiff!

So, wedding over, Hubby's b-day over, two more weeks of May and two more birthday parties. And teacher gifts. And preschool graduation. And everything else.

Amid a first-grade opera about mummies, kings, queens, and star fighters (BEST SCHOOL PLAY EVER!), a fourth-grade play about the history of Utah (cutest pioneer girl ever!), and a final band concert, we managed to fit in a swim party for 13 seven-year-old boys (super crazy because the venue we had chosen and reserved and paid for cancelled on me the morning of. Thank heaven for fabulous friends who have backyard pools and are SUPER AMAZING!!!) and a Cinderella party for seven five-year-old girls. This last party was my favorite--why haven't I done this all along!?! Cinderella came to the party and she was INCREDIBLE!!! (She does many other princesses so if any of you need tips, let me know!) She told stories, sang songs, did a crown craft with the girls, played games, opened presents, and behold! Party was over! Never was I more grateful for an easy party. Yaay!!!

Which brings us to this week. School's almost out, summer weather will being soon (we hope!!!), and a whole different kind of craziness will take over!

I promise pictures will come soon!

Things I love about Spring . . .

2011-04-10T16:13:00.001-06:00

1. New budding leaves on the trees
2. The beginning of baseball season . . . I'm a little addicted, and with my husband heavily involved in the league, I've come to love it! The uniforms, the bat bags, breaking in new mitts, staring down a batter from the pitcher's mound, skipping off to first base at your first t-ball practice . . . (that's for the girls, the boys pretty much barrel down the line)
3. Anything small and green peeking out of the ground.
4. Outdoor soccer again. Mostly makes me happy because my little soccer player is so happy!
5. Spring colors--pastels, brights, happiness
6. Pretty new dresses for my girls . . . and accessories : )
7. Putting away my boots. And coats. I love them, but man, I'm ready to be done with them!
8. Cadbury's chocolate eggs. The little ones . . . yummmmmmmmmmmmmm
9. School almost over!
10. Dance performances to watch.
11. Piano Festivals and Federations and such . . . and she got a superior at all of them!
12. Birthday season starts! At my house, this is 5/6 of the family. In two months. A little crazy, but I love it : )
13. My musical about to perform! I choreograph for a local junior high and I love getting to the point where we can clean and perfect and make it awesome. These kids work hard, and I love having a hand in the creation of an amazing show!
14. Putting the trampoline up again
15. Sending the kids outside to play . . . and not letting them back in
16. A foot of snow in two days over Spring Break.

Oh wait, that last one is totally NOT on my list. However, I am loving the sun that is shining today and making aforementioned snow all pretty and sparkly. : )

Happy April!

Humble Pie

2011-04-10T16:04:00.001-06:00

Top five ways I usually find myself eating it . . .

5. When I have to apologize to a child of mine for a mistake or error in judgement I've made. Don't act so shocked, you all knew I was human.

4. Admitting defeat and giving into the ponytail. ~~Three~~ Two days in a row.

3. Wishing I had time to take classes so I really would know everything (don't tell my kids I don't!). Some examples: (yes, there are more times than not I'd like to take a class in (fill in the blank!).) knowing how to work my camera, any handy-type home-improvement project (maybe I'll get another power tool for Mother's Day again!), remembering after three internet-free days that a power cycle would reset my modem. (And this after how many collective hours on the phone with a certain customer service company???) Sheesh.

2. Apologizing to a coach (or husband) for being late to a son's (insert sport here) practice.

1. When we are sitting in church and my 5yo daughter looks at me quizzically, then says, "Mom, did you even DO your hair today?"

Yeah, it happens. You'd think humble pie would become tasty at some point.

Or I'd just get smarter.

One of the two.

Star-Struck Inspiration

2011-03-24T23:16:00.001-06:00

I have a budding ballerina. She's awesome.

So when we found out there is a Ballet Intensive offered by a certain Professional Ballet Company, and that they were having auditions, we couldn't even stand the excitement.

So off we went, auditioned with our bestest friend, and . . . . drumroll please . . . . made it into the program!

To top off the super-awesome day, we took a potty break and found the locker belonging to our favorite ballet dancer in the company. She even had some awesome inspirational thought cards on her locker.

Wow.

That's about all we could say.

Wow.

Off to celebrate with chocolate and a girls' lunch!

Old Traditions . . .

2011-03-24T23:07:00.000-06:00

Or, not really, as I don't recall any specific St. Patty's Day adventures when I was growing up. Other than the required-hidden-green-on-me-somewhere (which I inadvertently passed to my necklace-under-the-shirt-wearing-daughter this year!), I have decided to create traditions here.

One of the standards, even if it's late, is The Green Dinner. Why is this on the table? Why do I have to eat that? The answer is always the same.

Because it's Green Day!

(my kids don't get that joke . . . nor, as I secretly suspect and my husband tries to point out, does anyone else but me get it, or even think it's funny.)

So here are some pics of our Green Celebration!

(that's guacamole there on the right, and I did add some regular-colored chicken just in case)

Dinner plus the only child who lets me take her picture instead of screaming and ducking under the table.

At least I have one.

Happy sigh.

What I did today . . .

2011-03-18T20:38:00.001-06:00

Normally, I cringe at the thought of tooting my own horn. Yes, I realize this blog is kind of about that, but I try to focus on cool things everyone does, not just me. Lately, however, I have been feeling like I neglect the "housewife-y" duties that should be more of a priority. So today, I focused on that. I am rather excited about what I got done, so please bear with me as I toot . . . for just a minute!

What I did today, in order of appearance:

Snuggled Livia
Showered
Made my bed
Made breakfast
Signed kids' papers
Did four heads of hair (five, if you include my own)
Taught some jr high girls a dance
Dropped Sophia off at school
Taught some fourth graders about running a business
Did five loads of laundry
Answered emails
Re-made a chid's bed
Unloaded dishwasher
Remembered to pick up Sophia on time (thank you, guardian angels!)
Made lunch
Read Sophie a story
Put her down for nap
Did some more laundry
Painted spackle spots in two rooms (finishing project left undone for too many months)
Washed dog
Picked up kids from school
Picked kids up from various activities
Dropped kids off at other activities
Made dinner

Finally eating dinner myself

Yes, I am feeling quite successful today.

:)

Oh I am so embarrassed . . .

2011-03-06T18:14:00.002-07:00

It's already March, and my last post was on Christmas Eve . . . where did two months go? Seriously, too fast for sure. Here's a brief re-cap of our post-Christmas Winter adventures:

January

January began with a bang when my baby sister got engaged--yes, it's true! So as the wedding planner of the family, I geared up for a very busy next couple months. My jr high show has auditions at the end of the month, birthday season is right around the corner, and our regular schedule is going to increase with dance performances, indoor then outdoor soccer, and baseball starting!

We got away for a brief respite in the freezing northwoods (north pastures, really) of Idaho with Jamie and Sean. Bundled up (with every single layer I brought!), we had a blast feeding the cows, making carmel popcorn with Grandma Melba, and riding a true-to-life two-horse-open sleigh.

When we got back, I took my first camera class with my new Nikon, and realized how much I have to learn . . . . a LOT! Good thing there's plenty of down time at our house . . . hahahaha! : )

February

February always goes too quickly, in my opinion. I know it's only a three-day difference from any other month, but it sure seems to fly by every year. The biggest change for me was to adjust my carpooling schedule--a real trick when the same-ole-thang has been ingrained in my mind for four months. ; D

No really, we continued indoor soccer . . . a little story in it's own since Micah originally signed up to play with the U9 league, which was ludicrous at best if there's a U8 league . . . he's already playing with kids two years older than him, no reason to increase it! I was a little worried after the first game, since their team got killed and Micah seemed deer-in-the-headlights with the changes of playing indoor. But the worry was unnecessary, because he LOVED it! After a couple frustrating weeks of team changes, we finally found a team that was as young as possible, with a real live coach (didn't think that would be an issue, huh?), and on we went. They played every weekend, losing as much as they played, but somehow got the Cinderella position in the final championship! We lost it, but the score (4-3) was much better than the previous time we played the same team (7-0), and they played on the big field to boot (= winded little players)! The team is continuing to play together for the next month, which is the last session of indoor, and they asked Micah to join them for outdoor. I just realized this weekend what that means: Micah will be on two soccer teams, one baseball team, and one very tired (but hopefully not too crazy) mom.

Sophia got to go on her first field trip (VERY EXCITING!) to the Davis Art Center and make recycled art (painting tiny bubble wrap different colors then pressing their paper on top), while I found a modern sculpture I'd love to have in my house the next time I have an extra $1300 laying around . . . ; )

I took the older kids and Sophia to see WXHS's performance of Les Miserables. It was wonderful, with an incredible set. The best part is that my little Livia is now obsessed with Les Miz, and listens to it on her iPod as much as possible. Reminds me of me when my parents came home from seeing it for the first time, and we devoured the story, the music, and all things Les-Miz until we got to see it ourselves in Denver. Later, I accompanied my 9th grade choir when we sang a medley of it, (I got a solo for part of "I Dreamed A Dream," so only accompanied the last half) . . . so many memories, such a fantastic show!

Later on Livia and I auditioned for our local theater's production of "Annie." Livia really wanted to be an orphan, and I didn't really want to be in it, but knew that if the parent tried out as well, the child had a better chance of making it. Well . . . . we both made callbacks, and I started getting excited about doing a show together. Daniel and I had done "Christmas Carol" together about five years ago, and it was a blast! So, long story short, we got the call that she made it. I was bummed until I realized that it was the perfect solution to a stressful problem--how was I going to be in a show and still be mom to my other three!?! Until our schedules calm down (a LOT), I think it's better that I be backstage! ; D So Livia is LOVING her rehearsals, and the cast, and the production, and I know it's going to be a fabulous opportunity for her. And, like her mom, she doesn't shy away from the spotlight!

Another little sister got her mission call to the California, San Fernando Spanish-speaking mission. She leaves in June, which is PERFECT because then she can attend the other one's wedding, learn a language, get back in time for Christmas 2012, receive all her packages, and if we happen to accidentally wander across her mission on our family vacation, so much the better! I am so excited for you, Loo!

So that catches us up! Between taxi mom-ing to piano, dance, training, basketball, soccer, school, and rehearsals, volunteering at the elementary, trying to re-lease our condo, let alone extra rehearsals for the ballet performance this week, AIM all day yesterday, piano recitals, ballet pictures, Oklahoma dance rehearsals at CJH, and trying to fit in a date (or two!) with my hot hubby, I hope I'll be forgiven for the tardiness of my blog updates. : )

Oh, and one more thing . . .

2010-12-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

I am so happy that today is today! I am SO excited for tomorrow! (I almost feel like my kids!) : )

I LOVE Christmas, and I love my decorations, my trees (first year with a kids' tree and a "real" tree (aka, Mommy's tree)--I LOVE having all the decorations the kids made or picked out on one, and the fragile, pictures-through-the-years on the other!), the food, the snow (or lack thereof--very sad this year!), the lights, the secrets, hanging out with all of the family we love, the mysterious packages under the tree, but especially the Reason.

I hope you all have an incredible Christmas Season--enjoy every little moment!

Much Love!

Favorite Shopping Moment

2010-12-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

Granted, this happened a few weeks ago, but it was funny then.

Still is.

So here you go:

Me: "Do these boots come in half sizes?"

Sales clerk: "What size are you looking for?"

Me: "9 1/2"

Sales clerk: "I'm sorry, those don't come in halfs."

Seriously?

Thanks for the laugh, Random Sales Girl. You've made my day lighter!

On our way home!

2010-12-09T00:28:00.002-07:00

We had a few hours in the morning before our flight back to Barcelona (and then home), so we visited our favorite graffiti site:

The Colosseum again, of course (another good part about not being on the cruise! Our excursion from the cruise would have given us a good fifteen minutes here. On our own, we got four different visits, a complete tour, multiple angled pictures . . . . totally worth it!)

One more lunch at a sidewalk cafe, one more gelato eaten on the steps of Piazza della Republica, . . .

And it was arrivederci a Roma!

(ok, so this picture is really northeastern Canada, but I forgot to take pictures earlier!)

A totally incredible, amazing adventure that we will never forget!

Last Full Day in Rome!

2010-12-09T00:21:00.003-07:00

On our first night here, after seeing the Colosseum, we headed off down a wrong road. We saw this monument and wanted to document it in the daylight : ) It's a memorial for 9/11, which completely surprised and amazed me. How incredibly cool of Rome to create a memorial for the Twin Towers, Roman style, of course! The plaque in the middle reads (roughly translated):

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Pro Memoria

In memory of the victims of the tragedy at

New York and Washington

on September 11, 2001.

The city of Rome

for the peace against every form of terrorism.

Cool, huh?

As this was our last full day in Rome, there were a couple little things on the list of major to-do's that we hadn't done yet. We went across the street from the 9/11 Memorial to Circus Maximus. Seriously cool. To be walking on that ground, where 2000+ years ago were chariot races . . . awesome!!! We went to La Boca Della Verita, to see if we got to keep our hands, back to our favorite gelato stop at the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain again, the Spanish Steps again . . . all beautiful and romantic and SO AMAZING!!!! BAH!!! Still couldn't believe we were in Rome. ROME, BABY!!!! awesome.

Roma (Day 6)

2010-12-09T00:02:00.004-07:00

Today we took a tour of St. Peter's cathedral, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Square. (not in that order) : ) This was a very disappointing tour, but the Sistine Chapel was so emotionally overpowering for me that it all worked out! We were actually in line for the Vatican Museum when we discovered (via deseretnews.com on Dave's phone!) that President Monson was in town, presiding over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rome Temple. Had we known where the temple site was, we definitely would have wandered over there. As it was, we had no idea except for a general direction, and Rome being the sprawling metropolis that it is, didn't want to ask a cab to wander with us. : )

So, after entering the Vatican (who had a staircase that looked like the exterior of the Guggenheim--go figure!), we saw some cool views of St. Peter's, the Court of the Pinecone (including a larger-than-life-size pinecone! Ha!), some amazing original sculptures--Perseus cutting off the head of Medusa, Laocoon and His Sons, a room built around a swan bathtub (for Nero's Palace, of course), tapestries from the 1600s--seriously? Can you believe they're still intact? Let alone hanging? That's some seriously fine craftsmanship!

After eternity (albeit an awe-inspiring one!) we finally descended the stairs to the Sistine Chapel. Words simply cannot express what it was like to be in that room. It's smaller than I had imagined, even though the benches are taken out and it's completely open. To be there, looking at The Creation, The Judgement; knowing that Michelangelo himself had been in that very room for hours on end, stretching his imagination and creativity to the breaking point, the ancient technology that had gotten him there, on the scaffolding . . . the concept, ideas, and philosophies behind why he painted what he did . . . it was truly incredible. We were there for a mere fifteen minutes, and I was brought to tears three different times. [Now, for future travelers: ditch your tour guide here. Stay as long as you want, they're not going to show you anything else of interest. (ie, what we should have done!) : ) Oh well, it was wonderful!]

Our tour ended in front of St. Peter's, and we went inside to wander around. I didn't realize that Michelangelo's Pieta was in the cathedral, so was taken aback when we turned right inside the entrance and there it was! Absolutely incredible in person. Beautiful and emotional in a picture, a hundred times that face to face!

St. Peter's was overwhelming again, and probably more to the size and sheer monstrosity of it. The tombs of the Popes, the shrines dedicated to them, the altar . . . the absolute volume of it all. Wow.

Oh! We did find out the mystery of the padlocks--seems that if you are truly in love, and want to prove it, you write your names (or something romantic if you wish) on a padlock (or don't write anything, apparently it doesn't matter!), attach it onto something at a romantic location (such as the Ponte Sant' Angelo (Bridge of Angels), or a statue, or the fence at Fiesole overlooking Florence), and throw the key into the river (or olive grove at Fiesole), thus proving you are "locked" together for eternity . . . or the padlocks get cut off by local authorities . . . or whatever. Google it if you want to see some serious dedication! : )

So after lunch outside St. Peter's, we found Castel San'Angelo. A medieval castle with replicas of the battle armor, swords and weaponry, state rooms, and incredible views of St. Peter's and the Tiber River. (For those Angels and Demons fans out there, yes, this is the secret lair for the Hassassin, and there is indeed a secret passageway to the Vatican from here. It isn't underground, however--it's on top of a wall! Not very sneaky, but I guess it served its purpose!

ROMA!!!

2010-12-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

Finalmente, arriviamo a Roma! Arriving early in the evening, around 5:30-ish, we decided to hit a cathedral just for fun, accidentally joined a mass, found my bookstore (who knew!?!) and had some delicious dinner (my favorite appetizer every--focaccia and a salad of arugula, baby mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes . . . yummmmmm!), were serenaded by an accordion player, then decided to walk towards the Colosseum.

Down one street, across to another, and as it rounds the corner, our collective breath was taken away! Words simply cannot describe how incredibly AWESOME the Colosseum is. And I mean that in EVERY sense of the word! It is overpowering, amazing, and . . . WOW. Honestly, I couldn't speak. I was doing pretty well to just breathe. Dave and I were both so astounded at the sheer magnitude . . . not to mention that it was all lit up and there was a full moon--AMAZING!!! We wouldn't have seen it this way on the cruise! We had a tour the next morning that went inside and around the Roman Forum. We couldn't wait!

So, next morning we set off, find our tour, and head around and into the Colosseum. And we thought you couldn't add any more superlatives to describing this amazing structure, we found more. From seeing the senate seats, the second story, the animal cages, the spot where the Emporer's throne was . . . Ho. Lee. Cow. It was SO INCREDIBLE!!!! Definitely top ten of our favorite parts of this trip!

I know, we look super-giddy and not-a-little dorky, but please bear with us--we were a little excited. : ) So after the Colosseum, we went to Constantine's Arch (did you know most of the sculptures on that arch were stolen from other monuments around the city? Apparently not having any sculptors you like living nearby allows you to "borrow" sculptures you liked for your archway . . . hmmmmm) Palantine Hill was another incredible spot--the place where the Emporer's Palace once stood. (Yeah, I live next door to the Colosseum. The monstrous castle? yeah, that's mine. Want to come watch chariots race in my private rotunda? We could hang out at my personal spa after . . . ) The Roman Forum was next, topped by a visit (and picture, of course!) of the alter where Caesar was cremated.

Yeah, we were there.

Non-stop amazement!!!

For those of you who want to hear the nitty-grittys, I'll tell you about my fountain obsession in Rome--not the big ones, mind you, although those are pretty famous too. They have THE COOLEST drinking fountains! I only took a couple hundred pictures of them, according to Dave. They'll have their own spread in the photo book, just in case you're curious. ; )

Back to Rome: There are some 20-odd obelisks made at this time period, and Rome has 13 of them. Each is in front of a majorly important cathedral (Demons and Angels-style), or piazza. I think we saw nine of them! Not going to bore you with an obelisk collage, just know they are cool and some of them have hieroglyphics on them. However, they don't say anything, just pretty pictures. Funny, I know. Welcome to ancient architecture! Kind of like us, where if it looks cool, we don't care if it means anything. : ) We walked to the Piazza del Popolo to meet our afternoon tour. (Note to future Rome-visitors: This is the group to go with! Both of our tours from this company were fantastic. The other company we used was VERY disappointing. Do not use "When In Rome." blech. blech. blech.) Our second tour was just six of us--sweet! We went down the Street of the Baboon, so named for this hideous sculpture (also named, The Baboon):

Gross, huh? Yeah, I think so too. It's funny, though, because all the shops along this street are part of a Baboon Association, committed to preserving the legacy. They even have signs:

So anyway, to make a long story shorter, we went on to see the Spanish Stairs (funny, because they were built by a Frenchman, made famous by Englishmen (authors like Byron and Shelly, Keats, and such--double bonus for us English majors!), yet somehow are called Spanish . . . go figure!), the palace of Barberini, the Trevi Fountain (yaay!!!), the Piazza Navona and Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), and last but definitely not least, the Pantheon. Another amazingly incredible building--current architects still cannot figure out how it stands. They have entered the data and measurements of the Pantheon into the AutoCad system (which as I understand it, is designed for structures and figuring out how to build buildings of certain proportions--you architects out there may correct me!) and this state-of-the-art, modern computer system says that a building of this proportions cannot stand. The center of it is empty, the only support being the exterior walls. The concrete that makes up the ceiling grows lighter and more porous as it reaches the top of the building, until the part right around the oculus is pumice. It is exactly the same height as it is wide (142 ft), and Raphael is buried there. Not surprisingly, there is a piazza outside with an obelisk. : )

Venice and Murano (Day 5)

2010-11-18T23:49:00.004-07:00

Our first official day in Venice began pretty slowly. We had planned to go on the glass blowing tour at 9:00 AM, but when we got there in the morning, the only available one was at 10:00 AM. They explained that there weren't enough people to do a 9:00, which made sense to me. Dave was suspicious that this was the "heavy-sell" type of tour we had heard about, but I didn't think so as it was through the hotel. After our time being moved, I got a little more leery of the story. We killed some time by reading Italian newspapers and booking a hotel in Rome. (I heart Expedia!) Our guide finally showed up and we were the only two going . . . hmmmm. We got to Murano, and were able to watch the glassblowers in action. There were about ten other people at the Furnace, all with other guides. After about ten minutes watching him (with no good pictures, unfortunately--they move too quickly!), we were led into the showroom. There were about six rooms of amazing sculptures, dish ware, vases, chandeliers, and every possible thing imaginable. We spent way too long there, not sure about how to exit without purchasing a $20,000 sculpture (a boat-shaped deal that I fell in love with) or $1350 tumblers (six beautiful cups Dave fell in love with). Turns out Dave's suspicions were correct--heavy-handed, hard-sell, super-pricey . . . we got it all! We finally told our guide that we weren't in the market for such things, and with small children it wasn't very feasible, and exited rather quickly. Why hadn't we thought of that sooner!?! Ah well, we did learn quite a bit about how the glass ware was made, what techniques they use to make a mirrored surface or not inside or out, what different powders do to the different finishes . . . so while it was overlong, it was a fun educational experience. Maybe not for our guide . . . but oh well! : ) We wandered around Murano, had lunch at a little restaurant that is only open for lunch . . . (maybe that explains the "patate fritte" and frozen breaded pork chop. So much for swank!), then headed back to Venice.

I have to say my absolute favorite thing about Venice is the architecture--so many gorgeous buildings! I love the middle eastern-influenced windows everywhere, the window boxes with flowers in bloom, the little balconies, the every-colored buildings, the narrow waterways . . . it was amazing!

A little other-wordly too--it was so crazy to be driving by . . . I mean, floating by, or driving in a boat, or whatever--and look over to see a doorway half-submerged in the water. Or, on our way out, the outdoor cafe seating completely flooded. Good thing they weren't open!

We did get go on a gondola ride, which was amazing! Part of the Venetian experience, for sure. We rode by Marco Polo's house, Mozart's house, stopped by the Rialto Bridge for a bit (and under it too, as it was raining!), went by the Bridge of Sighs again, got to watch a garbage boat at work, delivery boats, and even construction boats! Our driver got yelled at for going backwards on the route (apparently there's a set route every gondola takes), which was very cool (not that he was yelled at, but) because it was all in Italian and I understood the basic verbage. : ) He went backwards because we told him we wanted to see Rialto, so he went there first. Sweet, huh? He even let us use his personal umbrella when it was raining. So, so fun! I think staying in Venice for longer than two days would definitely require a limit-less credit card (that someone else payed off) for the major shopping available (Versace, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, etc!), and some water-proof boots. : ) But we had a great time while we were here!

On the way out, I took a picture of the bridge the train travels on--doesn't it look like a dinosaur skeleton? Ah, I love architecture! : )

Ciao, Venice! Ci vediamo!

My Studly Eternal Mate

2010-11-18T17:34:00.002-07:00

How hot is my husband!?!

Ok, don't answer that really, just know that I think he is SUPER-HANDSOME and am still madly in love with him.

; )

Happy sigh.

And, for those of you who have to know, this is where that picture is going. It hasn't been updated in about twelve years, so they finally decided to make it happen.

Dang, he's cute.

The Contraband

2010-11-18T17:30:00.002-07:00

Let's just preface this by saying that I ~~have no idea how~~ wasn't watching when these pictures were taken. I stumbled upon them ~~in my inbox~~ on the internet. And will now post them for your envying pleasure.

WOW. Right? That's all you can say too, huh?

(hint: it's from a children's book)

Florence and Venice (Adventure Day 4)

2010-11-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today we went on a tour of Florence that went to the Piazza del Michelangelo, and then would get us into the Galleria dell'Accademia, where the David is housed. We saw the original location on Sunday, but this was one thing that was high on both of our "MUST SEE" lists. We got in and were standing with our tour guide, looking at one of Michelangelo's Prisoners statues our guide was describing when I happened to glance down the corridor to my right. I was totally speechless--all I could do was pull Dave towards me as we saw the immeasurable grandeur that is the David. Another one of those moments where the pictures in my Humanities books had come to life, right in front of me! Dave had no idea that the sculpture was over sixteen feet tall, so he was in double-wonder, if there can be such a thing! We both just stared, trying to stay with our group but drawn like a magnet, towards the end of the hall. It was so incredible to be in that place, to see the coffered ceiling that is always behind the photographs of David. To actually see him in person! Wow. That's just about all we could say. Wow. (Name the book that comes from and you get a gold star!)

Anyway, pictures are not allowed of the David due to copyright laws. That only impeded us a little . . . but since I haven't downloaded them from Dave's phone yet, you'll have to be satisfied with a legal picture : )

One of my favorite parts about seeing this was to be able to view him from all angles. From the right side of the statue, you can see his face so much better--the only other place I've found his face is here, where we got the tickets the first time, but even that doesn't do it justice. You never really see him from the backside, but we were able to walk all around, seeing the strap of his sling and the rock he holds in his right hand. You could say we paid double for this opportunity, but it was worth it! I'd totally get a little David for my house, or a big poster . . . if I didn't have small children around. : )

Another thing that was interesting to us was the fact that this amazing museum, probably one of the most famous museums in the WORLD, was almost hidden in the wall of a regular street. If it weren't for the line of people outside, I would never have found it. In fact, we probably passed it a few times in our wanderings the other day! No portico or main entry, just a small sign and a couple doors. Crazy!

After the Galleria dell'Accademia, we walked down the street just one little block to where Il Duomo was peeking out. Yeah, right there. Go figure! I love Florence!!! We got a little more history on the creation and the details, then left our group and went inside. It's incredible that these places are as detailed as they are--every little aspect! From the ceiling and the inside of the dome (obviously), to the wall clock (amazing and weird--still don't know how it works!), to the floor tiles even--they were so cool! We wandered around some more, then ran to Santa Croce. We had been here as well on our other tour, but didn't realize it housed the graves of some seriously famous folks! Michelangelo, (Rafael is in the Pantheon), Gallileo, Machiavelli, and Dante, just to name a few! There was a bunch of little rooms off the sides, one of which had some artifacts like part of St. Francis d'Assisi's robe and tie. Ho. Lee. Cow.

We had to head out of there fairly quickly, get our luggage, and on the train to Venice. I was excited because here was another chance to see the Italian countryside. BEAUTIFUL!!! We raced by vineyards, cities, quaint little towns, and always, cathedrals. : ) It was a perfect way to travel in a hurry--get to the city you want to see, but not missing out on the countyside!

Venice was a little unnerving when we got there. It is THE STRANGEST place I'd ever been too--yeah, you go expecting the boats and canals, but to be there in person, trying to navigate it . . . pretty overwhelming! It took us a while to find our hotel . . . a while and three bridges up and over and down, hauling our luggage. At this point we decided that our favorite days are definitely the ones on which we aren't toting luggage. : ) We finally found our hotel, just as we were about to give up on our gps system (which had us going on streets that were actually stores . . . not helpful!), checked in, and went to find San Marco. One of the things I had heard is that San Marco at night is a must-see. It didn't disappoint! It was beautiful, all lit up. We found a little gelato shop in one corner and promised ourselves to come back after dinner. We walked along the wharf, saw the Bridge of Sighs (under restoration . . . shocker!), then went back and found a little spot for dinner. The front dining room was pretty packed, so we asked if they had any tables in the back. They said they had the garden, but it was outside (it was a little chilly, but we decided to be weird Americans and try it). We got some odd looks, but it was worth it! Turned out the "outside" was actually an enclosed tent-like structure, and it was quiet and all ours. I got some fabulous tortellini, and Dave had some spaghetti and meatballs . . . a sad sigh for not taking a picture of it. : )

After dinner we walked back to San Marco for our gelato and guess what? The ENTIRE square was flooded! Dave got his feet soaking wet by trying to run through it--apparently deeper than we thought! The scaffolding parts we had seen scattered around the square earlier were set up now as raised sidewalks. By inching next to the shop windows I was able to get halfway down the square, and we found a ramp and a raised sidewalk to be able to get back together. Got our gelato, and laughed at how crazy this was! Made it back to the hotel without getting soaked again and made reservations to go on a private tour from the hotel to Murano the next morning. Perfect, I thought, that was what we wanted to do anyway!

Fiesole (Florence Day 3)

2010-11-15T14:38:00.003-07:00

The next day we decided to return to Fiesole and see it a little closer. We took a bus up, and had so much fun just wandering around! We went through a Roman Amphitheater that they still use, a Roman bath house, and an Etruscan temple. We saw Salvatore Ferragamo's house, and got to go inside the local cathedral. I got on a little bit of a door fetish and took a bunch of pictures of the beautiful doors there! (It will get you excited for my fountain fetish when we get to Rome!)

We found an ancient monastery that had been converted into a restaurant, but wasn't open yet for the day. Next to it on the hill was an INCREDIBLE view of Florence--too bad it was an overcast day, the picture just doesn't do it justice! There were a couple of padlocks on the fences there--locked to nothing, just the fence. Weird, but we didn't find out what those were until Rome, so neither will you. ; ) Fiesole was simply beautiful--probably more crowded in better weather, but we liked having it (almost) all to ourselves! Afterwards, we went back to Il Duomo, went shopping along Mercato Centrale, bought me some scarves (so I could last through this trip--MUCH colder than I anticipated!), and stopped at a little corner cafe for dinner. Then, of course, more cinnamon gelato. I asked, but they don't ship gelato. Not even for their favorite customer.

Florence: Day 2 of The Adventure

2010-11-15T14:13:00.002-07:00

(I'm still not sure how I should count this--it's the first day in Florence, but technically the 7th day of our trip--maybe I'll just stick with counting the days of our "adventure," not including the TDOH, two on the cruise, one being stuck in Nice, and one in Barcelona . . . ok, we're going to stick with that.)

We finally made it to Florence! We got checked into our hotel, and celebrated that we weren't dragging our luggage. We were able to find a tour that went to many of the places we wanted to see, that same day! The front desk helped me book it and I almost cried when they said we were good to go! I told them our story, and why I was so emotional about a tour working out--they were really sympathetic and said it sounded like a movie plot!

Florence is SO beautiful! I absolutely LOVE the tiny little streets, the gelato shops on every corner, the piazzas, and amazing architecture! We went to Fiesole for just a moment on our tour, Palazzio Vecchio, Santa Croce, Piazza Republica, and the Uffizi Museum. After our tour dropped us off, we wandered some streets and at one corner we turned and I almost died--there was Il Duomo, RIGHT THERE!!! It, like most everything else we saw that day, is so much more amazing in person--the detail of the sculpture, the intricacies of the different colored marble, the size! I was in heaven! That night we went to Nerone's for dinner--I love that the food here is so beautiful and SO delicious! We had fabulous ravioli and pizza for lunch too--Dave was making fun of me for taking pictures of our food, but I wish I'd taken more! : ) So good, it almost erased away any crazy transportation memories . . .

We did get some gelato this same night--and just about every night afterwards. ; ) I got cannella, which is cinnamon--HOLY COW! I could live here. Just for this! Maybe someday I'll live in Florence, be an English tour guide, and eat cinnamon gelato every day. Yep, that would be the life! : )

Commercial Break

2010-11-10T22:45:00.001-07:00

We pause for a message from our sponsor.

Whilst I am posting these lovely pictures of the French Riviera, and scrolling through memories of Ancient Rome, the Italian Renaissance, and incredible feats of the human spirit, this is what my house looks like.

I'm just not ready for winter yet.

What We Shall Call Day One

2010-11-10T22:31:00.003-07:00

It just sounds better than Travel Day of Ay-Chee-Ell-Ell.

(You have to tell me if you get that. I think I'm hilarious.)

Early the next morning we got up and exited the ship, saying goodbye to our new friends and cruise group. The PTB (Powers That Be) wanted all the baggage outside the rooms at midnight the previous night, so they could take all of it over and have it waiting for us at the dock. Since we were continuing on in a different direction, had two big black bags (like everyone else on board), and I didn't trust the cruise line anymore, I opted out of that idea. Dave doesn't like making waves, but this was my vacation and I was putting my foot down. Hard. There was NO WAY I was going to let them take my luggage and lose it somewhere when I wanted to catch a train first thing in the morning. So, begrudgingly, Dave acquiesced. And, begrudgingly, I let someone touch my bag to put it on the boat with me in the morning. It was actually nice of them because my bag was pretty dang heavy. (Not because I packed too much, I actually didn't pack enough of some items, but it was heavy because I had the little suitcase in there too! Pretty impressive for someone who only brought three pairs of . . . well, never mind.)

So off we went to Nice, a very nice cabbie, and a train clerk who thought we couldn't make it to Florence by the end of the day. Five stops, she says, and in broken English (which was way better than my French), here is where you go, get off at this stop and buy another pass, then get on another train here and get to Florence at some point. To say I was a little nervous about this aspect of the journey would be an understatement. Turned out to be unfounded nervousness because the train stopped in Villefranche (hello old friend!), Eze (my mom would LOVE it here!), then Monaco. Got off in Monaco and purchased tickets to Florence. No biggie. Got back on our train after affirming that it was, indeed, the correct train. Next stop was Ventimille. A little fishing town (smaller than Villefranche) on the border of France and Italy--finally! Some Italian signs! A language I (used to) know well!

We had a three-hour layover here and decided to NOT spend it in the disgusting train station. (Let's just say three toilets, one that flushes, two sinks, one with faucets, no operable soap. Grateful for hand sanitizer in the purse. And weird old men who stayed out of my bathroom stall, but not the women's bathroom. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he's the janitor . . . ) Down the sidewalk we go, toting our super-luggage. Ventimille is a charming little town--park in the middle, complete with carousel. Boardwalk down the beach (no sand again). We took a little bridge over the inlet and sat on a bench on the beach, watched local fishermen with their 20-ft poles stuck in the sand, wild swans swim in the inlet, HUGE trout next to the bridge (why aren't they fishing there?), and had a great time just wandering around! (If it weren't for these blasted suitcases . . . )

We had lunch at a little cafe--my first Italian gnocchi, and sadly enough, it was the pasta-roni variety. Oh well, better meals ahead, right? : ) Then stopping at a little market (have I mentioned how much I love the local markets? Such awesome grocery shopping and the perfect way to get a feel of the city!) we got some bananas and oranges--THE BEST produce ever! Seriously, if you want a good banana, go to Ventimille! They were so so good, and not just because I'd had bad gnocchi for lunch--we actually didn't eat them until on the bus later, . . . but I'm jumping ahead of myself. Back to the story . . .

Finally it was time for the train to leave Ventimille. Since we had so many stops ahead of us, we decided to document them by taking a picture of us in front of the bus sign with the number of stops--Nice was #1, Ventimille was #2, and so on until we got to Florence. About 20 minutes into our train ride out of Ventimille, we heard a loud crash, squealing brakes, smoke and sparks coming from the front of the engine (we were in the first passenger car directly behind the engine), and the train coming to a rapid stop. Yes folks, the train broke too. Cursed, you say? Possibly. My theory is that the Fates decided we needed to stop in one more city than we had planned. After an hour wait on the bus, and seriously broken Italian on my part (why had I not studied more before we left? Oh yeah, "broken train" wasn't in the plan!), we figured out that part of the track had malfunctioned, the engine had run over it, and we were incredibly lucky to not have jumped the track and crashed. Thanks to the expert driving of the conductor, we didn't tip over or jump tracks as usually happens in this kind of scenario. Lesson 1: Be thankful for small miracles! No Titanic events on the ship, no train tipping over = life is good! Finally they disconnected the passenger cars (there were seven of them) and towed us back to the nearest station, which was the marina of Ventimille. At the marina, we hung out at the train station and waited for the busses they said would come get us. It started raining, then pouring, and we all squished into the tiny station. We met a couple from Portland who were doing the same thing we were--hoofing it around Italy--except that's what they planned to do from the get-go. As the downpour commenced, they both opened their tiny little suitcases and pulled out raincoats. "Never thought we would use these!" I was wishing for tiny little suitcases, advance knowledge of a travel plan, and the ability to pack appropriately. Oh well! One of the things I did pack was a tiny little umbrella, just in case we had days like this. But it was somewhere deep inside my complex packing, and there was no way I was going to open it up and dig. Nope. I'll just get wet.

After a couple hours (we did eventually go back inside and squish with the other rain-coat-less few), the first of three busses came. This one was going straight to Milan, which was the one we wanted. The crowd that immediately rushed the bus door made the driver hesitate to open . . . not that I blamed him, but we were getting really wet here! Dave told me to be a rude American and shove my way to the front, then save him a seat. He took our luggage around to the other side while the crowd started chanting, "Allora! Allora!" Which, roughly translated, means "Now! Now!" I totally elbowed my way past many nicer people, including two men, one of whom lifted me onto the bus, then tried to sit next to me. Well, Italians are friendly, and it made me feel like my vanity had not all been lost in the rain. ; ) Two hours later we made it to the Milan train station. Let's just say that although it was stuffy and recycled air for the entire ride, and although we were still wet and smelled lovely, we were so dang happy to have a mode of transportation NOT break down, that nothing else mattered! We got to Milan around 10:00 PM, met a very nice lady at the Customer Service office who got us a hotel for the night, re-booked us on a train of our choice to Florence, and directed us to the correct exit so we could actually find the hotel. We found it without any difficulty, laughed at the extraordinarily sparse room, and immediately crashed. We were so tired! The disappointment at not actually being in Florence (two hours prior) was washed in relief of actually being somewhere along the way, with means to get there in the morning. Hopefully the bad luck of broken transportation was over, and we were together, in a free hotel, with tickets for the next day.

NOW the adventure begins, right? Or should we stop hoping for an adventure? Stay tuned!

The "REAL" Adventure Begins!

2010-11-08T21:34:00.001-07:00

This is a long one, but it's a good story!

So after our amazing day in Monaco and Monte Carlo, we went back with our group to the dock. Realizing that this was the last day we were going to be in France, we decided to ditch the group and find a bakery, then head back to the ship later. (How often do you get to eat French bread in France!?!) The tender boats were going all day long, so we weren't worried about getting back any time soon. (I learned a lot on this trip--one item being that to "tender" in to a port means that it's too small for the cruise ship, so we get on little boats off the ship which take us into the port.)

We convinced another couple to come with us, and found a little bakery right on the corner. We bought a bunch of stuff (again Janet, I could have really used you there!!!) mostly annoying the French gal who kept rolling her eyes at these stupid Americans who couldn't make up their mind let alone pronounce anything correctly. Then we wandered over to a park where it looked like a soccer game was commencing. We hung out and ate our delicacies, then gave up on the soccer game ever starting and headed back to the dock.

Back on the ship, we ate dinner at the buffet since we were too late for our seating in the main restaurant. We hung out in one of the lounges with the same couple, and thought it was odd that the ship hadn't moved yet. (Cue ominous background music) Heading back to our room, I decided to take a shower that night because we were supposed to be meeting our tour at 8:00 AM the next morning, which meant we had to be getting off the boat at 7:30-ish, and my hair was in desperate need of a wash. While I was thus showering, a long announcement came over the loudspeakers that I couldn't understand. When I got out, I asked Dave what the deal was that required such a long announcement. He told me the ship was broken, the cruise was cancelled, and we were not going to be in Florence in the morning. Very funny, I told him. What's REALLY going on? Now, if you know Dave, you know that I was pretty justified in this response. However, he was telling the truth.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???

No lie, the ship was indeed broken (rudder problem), the cruise was not going to happen, and the Powers That Be had no idea what to tell us. We'll work on it tonight, they said, and let you know more in the morning. Sure, as if any of us could sleep after that! Visions of "Titanic" were flashing through my mind, and as this was our first time on a BOAT, I had no idea what to expect. "This never happens!" everyone kept saying, but here it was our first cruise and it was happening, so what next?

The Powers told us that we would stay there for the night, and the tender boats would be available for our use the next day from 7:00 AM to 10:30 PM. They also had tours available for Nice and Monaco, should we desire to give them more money. Ha! They hoped to be able to give us more information the next night. So we went to bed, with no idea what to do the next day except explore some more, seeing as how there weren't really any other options besides staying on the boat, and hey, we were still in France!

The next day we went to Nice with the same couple we had hung out with the night before. We decided to just wander and find what we could find. We went to their Flower Market, which was SO fun--I love seeing the wares and markets of other cultures! What a fun way to shop for groceries! We got some more bread (YUM) and some pastries. Wandered some more and found a gelato shop next to the City Office building, where a protest was going on involving a bunch of college-age kids. I asked one boy why they were protesting, and he said it was because the government had just raised the retirement age from 60 to 62. Odd that they would worry about that, but it was interesting to watch! We ate some gelato and watched them march away, only to find them later next to a park by the beach. They had flares and some funky music and seemed to be having a great time!

We wandered through the park, taking some fun pictures and admiring the architecture and sculptures around it. Crossed the street after the protest parade and went to the beach. "Beach" being a loose term here--it was the weirdest beach I'd ever seen! No sand, except for a few squares inserted in the rocks. The "beach" was all rocks--various sizes, but all rocks. They looked like river rocks, smooth and round, the little ones getting tossed by the tide. (Found a few to commemorate the day) We found a bunch of "sea glass" for our cruise director too (small pieces of glass made smooth and round by the tide). She collects them, but was unable to come with us as she was spending the day on the ship trying to arrange travel for the group. (No small feat as the phone lines were jammed and the internet service laughable. With 2,000 people trying to make their own arrangements, it was pretty crazy.) We then wandered around a medieval castle, took some pictures of the amazing view from the top, and eventually headed back to the boat.

At dinner that night we discovered that everyone in our group of 34 was planning on going home. The cruise was offering busses back to Barcelona, and one night in a hotel there. Then, we were supposed to find a flight home on our own. The soonest they were able to fly home was the following Wednesday or Thursday. Dave and I decided that since we had already been to Barcelona, the kids were taken care of and work was not expecting him back any time soon, we were going to stay and make the most of what time we had left. We packed fast and furious that night, and were on one of the first boats off the ship the next morning.

Now, the "REAL" adventure begins--stay tuned for the next great escapade in the thrill of uncertainty!

Villefranche, Monaco and Monte Carlo

2010-11-08T14:58:00.004-07:00

(Janet, I can't even count how many times I wished you were here! My French is sadly limited to about three words, two of which are "hello" and "thank you," and one is the city we went to!) ; D

So, Day One into our cruise, we stopped in the French Riviera at a small fishing village called Villefranche. It was gorgeous! Beautiful weather, although a bit colder than I had anticipated. Gorgeous water (also very cold), fun colored buildings, little old fishermen along the wharf, beautiful tropical plants . . . it was amazing!

Our tour didn't start until 1:00 in the afternoon, so we decided to get off the boat early and go exploring. We followed the sidewalk next to the water around the bay, then up some steep stairs to a beautiful castle (really, it was!), around the city a little, then back down to the dock. The bottom left picture is from the top of our walk just after the castle. The top left picture is me where we saw some cute old fishermen. Top right is Dave and I next to the old fort, where the modern city offices are held. Bottom right is a picture of the city as we were coming into the dock. Beautiful, and instantly charming!

After our exploring adventure, we met our group for a tour to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Tiny little countries inside France, much like the Vatican City in Rome, they have their own Kings, Parliaments, industry (mostly tourism, followed closely by gambling!), and beautiful coastlines! We got to see the Palace, the first and only underground bus parking lot I've ever seen, the Grand Prix race track, and the Monte Carlo!

We even got to gamble a bit in the casino--super cool, because I left my ID back on the boat. : ) I guess I look old enough now . . . not sure how to take that! The best part about that was the TWO (yes, 2!) Ferraris that Dave won! Couldn't believe it myself, but he won us a set! Not really matching, but I'm willing to overlook that. Sadly, the boat transporting them back to the U.S. was sunk by pirates. Sigh.

Getting on the boat!

2010-11-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

After our amazing day in Barcelona, we woke up the next morning on got on THE BOAT!

Cruise #1, here we come!

La Sagrada Famiglia

2010-11-08T14:13:00.001-07:00

I cannot do Barcelona justice without a salute to its most incredible cathedral--La Sagrada Famiglia. (The Holy Family) Started by Francesc di Paula Villar, it was to be a cathedral unlike any other. In 1883, Antoni Gaudi took over the architectural reins and created a masterpiece so vast in scope and height, that he knew he wouldn't live to see it finished. His philosophy of imitating nature (to the extreme) is evident in the small details--birds, fishes, and waves he included in his creations. He was a geometry buff too--using parabolas and hyperbolas as his structural foundations. In the museum, there was an upside-down model of the cathedral using string and weights. This was how Gaudi figured out the angles, heights, archways, supports, and structural formulas for the entire building!

On the Nativity facade (top middle and bottom left pictures), you can see trees, leaves, and flowers among the Holy Family, Wise Men, Shepherd, and Angels playing music. Every surface is covered with something, every inch painstakingly carved. From a distance it looks very messy, but up close it is amazingly detailed. On the Passion facade (bottom center photo), you can tell an entirely different sculptor created this side. It is stark, angled, and abrupt. The top right picture is a golden statue of Christ sitting on a bridge high above the facade. This represents His ascension into Heaven.

The top left photo is a scale model of the nave of the building. It is enormous! I can't even begin to describe how overwhelmingly huge the cathedral is--let alone the multiple models created. The cathedral is going to be dedicated in three days--November 11, by the Pope himself. Everyone in Barcelona is so excited to have the Pope come to dedicate this amazing building. Even after the dedication, however, work will continue on the towers until 2026, on the centennial anniversary of Gaudi's death.

Completed, it will have twelve "small" towers, one for each of the apostles, four "medium" towers (you can see them in the top middle photo behind me) for the evangelists, one tall tower for Mary and one over 525 feet tall for Jesus. Those two are still being constructed, although you can see the Mary tower rising on the right-hand side of that same picture. The plan is to have an elevator that would be able to take you to the top of the Jesus tower--what an incredible view that would have!

The Grand Adventure

2010-11-05T11:05:00.000-06:00

It all started about ten months ago, when my dear sweet hubby announced that we should take a vacation. A "real" one, minus children. Well, after some serious arm twisting, I was talked into it. A month later we received an email about an incredible deal on a 12-day Mediterranean Cruise.

Me: "Honey, what do you think about this one?"
Dave: "Sure. Let's do it."
Me: "Done." (before he could change his mind!)

So a reply email was sent, money was wirelessly transmitted, and voila! We were on our way to my dream vacation! Many months and much preparation later, we were on a plane to Barcelona. We got off the plane at 8:00 AM after flying all night (I slept great on the plane--Dave, not so much!), and immediately boarded a bus for a tour of the city. Some of my favorite sites and details, clockwise starting at the top left:

Me and Dave on the bus--happy to be off the plane : ), a cool street light with an even cooler apartment complex behind it. Notice how the wall of the building "peels" away to reveal the little balconies--awesome! Next, some more cool architecture--the ground floor is boarded up and not open for the day yet, but the balconies above are beautiful! Below that, some cool finishing touches on opposite corners, below that, my favorite sidewalk at a park we stopped at--all "found" mosaics, meaning they were made of gears, rocks, slabs, etc. I want to try this on our back patio! Next to that, the Maritime Museum--gorgeous building! In the corner, the view from our hotel that night. If you look closely, you can see the cathedral on top of the hill . . . next to the ferris wheel! Above that is another beautiful cathedral, and in the center is us at the park I mentioned before. It was cold and windy, but Barcelona is beautiful!

You know it's Fall when . . .

2010-11-05T10:30:00.000-06:00

You're cooking your first batch of applesauce. Solo.

It was awesome!

My house smelled so good . . . and the applesauce? Amazing. And totally easy! I have been eating it right out of the jar, then feeling guilty because there are a limited amount of jars. Sigh. I guess one case won't be enough next year!

Anyone up for a day of applesauce, say, mid-September next year? : )

Yeah, I know

2010-11-02T12:55:00.003-06:00

It's like, two and a half months late. But I feel a motherly obligation driving me onward.

They.

Must.

Be.

Published!

No use fighting it.

Here are the school pictures for ya.

They're not really from the first day, either.

So sue me.

But this is pretty cool.

Our Neglected Canine

2010-11-02T12:48:00.000-06:00

No one loves this poor thing.

It's really quite unfortunate.

Across the Border

2010-11-02T12:41:00.000-06:00

Early in the month of August, we went to visit my little sister who had married a rancher last year. They own lots of cows, bulls, (and more types of cattle--I learned a ton but regrettably, forgot most of it!) a dog, and most important and interesting, cats. : ) We stayed with her on one side of the hill, and the ranch was on the other side. It was a good seven miles one way, but the kiddos insisted on riding it the whole time. I think they put about 50 miles on their bikes that week!

Sophia and Ginger got to sit in the front--unheard of at home, but common practice in the middle of nowhere!

One day we went to Bear Lake. It was windy, but the water was warm and we had a blast! Livia showed off some dance moves:

. . . while Micah and our new friends challenged the fiercest of waves. One of the things I love most about Bear Lake is that it is so shallow for so long. At one point the boy band was so far away, but the water was just barely to their waists! We had to corral them (like cattle--see, I did learn!) to "our side" of the lake . . . too bad for boundaries and protective moms.

Daniel and Daddy stayed home for the first couple of days because of some rigorous football training. We have big starting-line-up-on-both-teams dreams this year, so practice was mandatory. Too bad for them, but not all was lost! Later in the week they joined us and Saturday morning Daniel "Biked the Bear". This is no small biking feat, folks. This was a true-blue scouting adventure that included a total of 55 or so miles, making a complete circle on one's bike around the ENTIRE lake! Something mom had dreaded for a few months (like from when we signed up for the merit badge), but came out with flying colors! "That was THE BEST RIDE EVER!!!" was mentioned a few (hundred) times. Glad he made it without any injury, glad he was at the front of the pack the entire time (including have to wait 1 1/2 hrs for the rest of the troop so they could all finish together!), and awesome to have the medal, merit badge, and some serious bragging rights.

Hallelujah!

2010-11-02T09:15:00.000-06:00

Howdy, folks!

I'm here to report that I have not fallen off the edge of cyberspace. Nor have I disappeared into oblivion. Instead, I've had three crazy months of running too fast to blog with any regularity! Or at all, if we're being honest!

My internet and computer have been in a fight for the last two weeks, so I am thrilled to disclose that all parties have reached an agreement and are now speaking to each other.

Let the updates begin!

Fireworks Fun!

2010-07-19T00:10:00.001-06:00

We have an annual tradition at our house of some serious proportions. We start with the ward breakfast, which we have to get to early so we can make the next stop, which is a local parade (see previous post), then we eat gargantuan amounts of warm taffy, and come home and prepare a festive barbecue with more food than anyone can eat. After dinner, the popsicles are unleashed, zillions of boxes of pops are opened and enjoyed; an equally large amount of sparklers begin to be lit; friends, neighbors, and family gather on the driveway and lawn for MAJOR fireworks; sometimes we have burnt appendages and body parts, and usually there's a visit from our sometimes-friendly neighborhood police man, warning us again of the hazards of violating safe firework laws. This year was no exception, . . . in some ways . . . no police sirens though, which was a nice change! No burnt anyone's anything, and there was an excessive amount of high-flying paratroopers to chase down. Success indeed. Thanks, Uncle Ryan!

4th of July

2010-07-19T00:01:00.001-06:00

I absolutely love July! Simply for the many things that epitomize summer, being an American, and sharing time with family. I love family barbecues, local parades, hot dogs on the grill, warm taffy, running through sprinklers, lighting sparklers with my kids, celebrating this amazing country, and honoring those who fight for us, and who came before us.

There's nothing better than . . .

Waiting for the parade to start, breathless with the anticipation of how much loot you're going to catch this year,

Beating out the kids sitting next to you for that "just one more" piece of prized taffy . . .

Finding the princess float (reminds you a little bit of that dog on "Up" . . . SQUIRREL!!!) . . .

Snuggling the puppy (the one you've always wanted but never pushed your wife into getting) at her first parade (the puppy's, not the wife's) . . .

Or thanking those that make all this possible.

God Bless America!

Micah Rides a Bike

2010-07-18T23:47:00.001-06:00

Once upon a time, in a land not-too-far away, there was a sweet little boy who wanted to ride a bike. Well, he thought he'd like to ride a bike, but he wasn't too sure. You see, all the other little boys on his street were riding their bikes every day, and some were even riding their bikes off jumps and down steep driveways! But this little boy was more than a little nervous. He had avoided his bike all year long, even though his mommy brought it downstairs so he could practice in the winter. It wasn't that he didn't like his bike, (although he tried to convince his parents that a NEW bike would be so much easier to ride!) it was those dang training wheels. They were so wobbly! And falling was scary!

One day he decided to give it a try. He told his mommy he didn't need the training wheels, or the pedals, because he would like to attempt balancing. His big sister told him this was how she figured out riding her bike, so he thought it would work for him too. He made a deal with his daddy that as soon as he could balance on his bike without pedals, he would get his pedals back on. So he started at the bottom of the driveway, and with each successful coasting experience, he would inch a little higher on the driveway. Soon he was starting in the garage and coasting all the way across the cul-de-sac! He was so excited! His daddy put the pedals back on, and due in small part to some fierce determination, and in large part to a little competition (thank goodness for friends who are learning at the same time!), he was soon riding his bike all by himself! And after a few days, he wouldn't stop riding his bike!

Now, he rides his bike every day, always taking great care to put on his helmet and biking (or baseball) gloves. He loves his new-found freedom and can even be seen riding his bike off the curb!

And he lived . . . and biked . . . happily ever after.

Redfish Lake!

2010-07-18T22:56:00.001-06:00

So much to catch up on! Let's start with June . . .

After school got out, we had a week of swimming lessons, then a week of scout camp and invention camp, (and more swim lessons!), then our favorite vacation spot ever, Redfish Lake! Picture a week of no phones, no schedule, trade the purse for the camelback, and just enjoy all the hiking, biking, playing at the beach, riding in the motor boats, paddle boats, kayaks, and relaxation you can find! There are so many fun pics to share, it would take forever to load, so here's some fun highlights:

Ready for a game of "I Spy"?

Can you find the Petroglyph Cave, the whole fam in a pic, love on the rock, and four hiking sticks?

How about five camelbacks, a breathtaking shot, water almost-too-cold, and a tan on the floating dock?

Now find five strong boys, one flying stick, lunch by the pond, and a waterfall . . . slick!

Last one!

Four horseback riders, one mismatched mommy (why didn't anyone tell me it was "wear red" day?) surfing on a kickboard, and matching new friends is so funny!

(notice the "strong man" pose again . . . what is it with these boys!?!)

Sooooo much fun! See you next year, Redfish!

Bye Bye, Conrad Birdie!

2010-06-15T15:25:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd post some fun pics of the aftermath to my latest musical, CJH's "Bye Bye Birdie". I'll admit, it happens to me every year: I think the show is a complete disaster, worthy of putting off for another two months to rehearse every single song, and somehow those darling children get on stage in their amazing costumes, and do better than I could have ever dreamed! This year was especially difficult for me due to my increased schedule with a new school and children's extracurriculars, but as always, it was worth the sacrifice. So there's only one question left . . .

What are we doing next year!?!

My Lifelong Dream

2010-06-15T15:16:00.000-06:00

I have dreamed of getting my kids their own camelbacks for a looonnnng time now . . . like a ridiculous six years or so. I just have this vision of darling little children carrying their own hydration, and maybe a fruit snack.

Like this:

This was the year--HOORAY!!! The kiddos all got camelbacks for their birthdays, and since Ginger keeps climbing the wall in our backyard, we decided to test them (the camelbacks) and her (the dog) out at a local hike. The kiddos did fabulously, even packing their own granola bars and fruit snacks, and we had so much fun we went all the way to the top! (about twice as long as mom was planning on, which meant a shocking shortage of snacks on the way back to the car. Lesson learned.)

Notice any similarities as my boys pose for pictures? HA! I think they are pointing to the valley, or the line of cement trucks at the sand pit, or to where they think Grandma's house is . . . one of those, I'm sure. Here's also some documented proof that we made it to the top! There is another well-traveled SLC hike behind us that is accessible from where we were, and the kids wanted to go on to that point . . . putting us about three hours away from our car. That got vetoed, with the promise of doing that hike by itself, starting from it's own base on the other side of the mountain, not ours. : )

Near the top we found an old canal--fascinating enough to deserve a side trip to the end. Sophia, Ginger and I waited while the other three troopers scouted it out. Sophia posed, I took pictures. Towards the end of the hike Ginger started flopping down in the grass. She was spent! I love the pic of Micah carrying her down the mountain while Daniel carries both camelbacks. So sweet!

A Project for Mom . . .

2010-06-15T14:23:00.000-06:00

Not to be left out, I thought I'd post my latest project too ; )

My brother-in-law and new sister-in-law got married a couple weeks ago, and asked for my help to make a "mailbox" for the cards and dinero they anticipated receiving. When my sister got married last November, there was a lot of concern about the cards just sitting out, full of whatever lovely donation was made to the new couple. So to thwart any unsuspecting thievery, I made a Valentine's Box On Steroids.

I took three (of five--#1 (largest), #2 (next largest), and #4 (second-to-smallest)) nesting boxes, played with some watered-down craft paint, serious modge podge, some fun scrapbooking paper in their colors, printed out a monogram on my darling computer, cut the top out of the bottom box and the bottom out of the middle box to make room for all the loot, glued all the boxes together, added a slit just above the monogram, and tons of ribbon (which you can't see because I forgot to get a final picture! I'll post one when I get it from my SIL), and voila! It was really cool, and I was glad I made the effort because my cute sis-in-law was delighted with the final product. Maybe I'll use the other boxes for Livia's V-Day box next year . . .

School Projects Part II

2010-05-10T23:09:00.000-06:00

May I introduce you to Stonewall Jackson:

He's made of one apple juice bottle, one root beer 2 liter bottle, and one small Fresca bottle. One knee-high nylon, a little bit of stuffing, four black buttons, six brass brads, two-thirds of a package of black leather lacing, two sheets of grey felt, one sheet of brown, one-half sheet of black, about two yards of thread, and five or six sticks of hot glue.

I think he's pretty cute. Daniel thinks he's pretty ferocious.

(this last one is blurry because Daniel was dying a slow and painful death by mini-saber)

My Embarrassing Mother

2010-05-10T22:58:00.002-06:00

by Livia.

My birthday was two weeks ago. It was a pretty crazy time for my mom, but I loved every minute! I got two parties (one friend one and one family one), and a magician, and TONS of presents, so I thought it was WAY fun! I love my birthday! My mom felt bad that she forgot to bring treats for my class at school. (My teacher doesn't allow "real" treats, but we can bring stuff like pencils or one of my friend's mom brought hand sanitizer, which was pretty cool, so I gave my mom both those ideas and told her to pick something cool. I really want a pencil sharpener for my desk, so I told her that too.) So last week she said she was coming to my class that day and bringing something and it would be fun. She said it would be silly and crazy.

Boy, was I in for it.

Here's how she came to school:

Yup--curlers in her hair, black mask on her face, bathrobe, slippers . . . the works. She talked in this high weirdo voice and brought my "About Me" poster to show my classmates. I was SO embarrassed! It was like she was trying to make up for the fact that she was a week late by being extra weird. Seriously, Mom? The whole day my friends kept asking me if that's how she really talked, and if her face was like that a lot. They went back to my poster and stared at the pictures of me until I wished my mom had taken it home with her.

The ONLY good thing that happened was that I got a pencil sharpener.

Maybe I'll tell her I'll take the treats myself next year.

Sigh.

Do Dog Owners Ever Have to Sweep?

2010-05-02T07:39:00.002-06:00

Ever?

I've been a dog owner for 13 days now, and have noticed a remarkable difference in the floor underneath our counter where the kids sit.

We have four hand-me-down barstools there, (the same ones I used growing up!) which I've wanted to replace for about four years now. (I haven't got around to it due to the fact that some of my kids decided it would be fun to accessorize their stools with stickers . . . and none of them are especially careful about spills yet, and well, it's just cheaper not to! But I digress . . . ) Today Ginger decided that since the floor underneath was squeaky clean, it was time to attack the stools themselves. She spent a good half hour cleaning off the dried applesauce, peanut butter, dripped maple syrup, and other such delicacies found petrified on the legs of the stools. While I'm not complaining, I'm not a fan of dogs eating people food. I guess since she discovered the treasure trove of children-droppings, it's hers to claim, and hey, I don't have to clean them now!

Guess it's a good thing I haven't bought the new stools yet.

: )

A new addition!

2010-04-28T10:42:00.001-06:00

My life has been turned upside-down this past week. It's been fun, and crazy, and a little more than sleep-deprived. But overall, a fun new member of the family is here!

This is Ginger . . . she's a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and is so flipping cute! When she runs, she looks exactly like a rabbit, which may end up in her being nicknamed "Bunny" . . . I'll try to get some pictures of that because it's just so hilarious!

The first day home when I lost her:

Playing with her friend Gandalf

(Ginger will look a lot like Gandalf in a couple months--more red fur, perky ears, . . . bigger)

The true meaning of Puppy Eyes

how cute is that!?!

Lots of updates . . .

2010-04-28T10:31:00.001-06:00

I can't believe it's been three weeks since I blogged last! Here are some of the latest going-ons:

LOTS of baseball! GO DANIEL!

Sophia as The Mouse in her Preschool Play, "Good Night Gorilla"

Her lines were: "I'm the Gorilla's nice little friend. I keep track of the Gorilla's snack." And keep track she did . . . and was rewarded with the banana at the end of the play. Hey, the Gorilla was asleep!

Irresistible sugary churro faces : )

Visit to the Golden Spike National Historic Site

(kids plus replica of golden spike that you can't actually see)

ON the actual track--wahoo!

Just can't get enough of the danger . . .

This is the last tie laid on the railroad . . . of course, it's been replaced due to weathering and time and such, but did you notice this? There aren't any spikes holding it to the rail! Cool, huh? They re-enact the Driving of the Last Spike every May 10th--this year it will be the 141st year! Did you know they had a Driving of the Last Spike ceremony with the golden spike in 1869, then replaced it and had another Driving of the Last Spike ceremony with a regular steel spike.

The original replica of the last spike (senza kids). It was, in Livia's words, "smaller than I thought!" and is engraved with the names of the Presidency and Directors of the Pacific Railroad at the time.

Riding the Front Runner (and Trax too--wahoo!) to Daddy's work for lunch over Spring Break

There it is!

They got to sit wherever they wanted on the train . . . note the consistent independence of child #3

I love the absolute joy in the ride!

It was very cool to see the Golden Spike one day, then the Front Runner tracks the next--we compared and contrasted the types of rails, how they were held together, and which was more effective for what kinds of trains . . . it was an unplanned celebration of the evolution of travel!

Easter Pics!

2010-04-19T19:55:00.000-06:00

The annual "Finding of the Easter Baskets"

the "Decorating of the Island"

and some killer peanut butter fudge eggs that Tara and I made! Family tradition from my mom . . . which means that I actually got two this year! Wahoo!

Awwwww . . . part 2

2010-04-16T16:56:00.002-06:00

Without any apologies for the fact that I am totally, completely, 110% biased, I have to say that my boys are going to make their future wives INCREDIBLY happy. : )

Here's why:

Dave and Daniel went to "run some errands" the Saturday before Easter. I found out (the next day) that they had gone to Mrs. Cavenaugh's (never a bad idea) to get me some chocolate-covered strawberries. (My all-time favorite food and biggest weakness. Ever.) While they were there, Daniel had this idea for my Easter morning:

Wow. That's about all I could say. Wow.

(name that quote and you get a gold star!)

Are my boys just plain awesome or what!?! I admit it brought some tears to my eyes. He thought of this all on his own, no prompting from anyone. Came home from "errands," printed out his idea, taped it on there, and hid it from me until Easter morning!

*sigh*

There are days when it's all worth it. : )

Awwwww . . .

2010-04-15T23:29:00.002-06:00

How CUTE is this?

Seriously!?!

Micah was playing with the girls and their Princess stickers, and made this for me. On the front it has the sky at the top, grass at the bottom, a road (or sidewalk, I didn't dare ask!) next to that, my castle, my neighbor's castle, hearts, stars, and more hearts.

On the back:

it says, "mom yoo ar a Princess"

Man, if that doesn't just make your day. Over and over. And over! : )

I just adore this kid!

It doesn't hurt to flirt . . .

2010-04-14T17:29:00.002-06:00

. . . with car wash boys.

Let me explain:

Two days ago it rained pretty steadily for a while. Enough that as I was out driving, windshield wipers doing their thang, and mud running down the side of my windshield, I was prompted to consider a car wash. Either that or it was very dirty rain.

So today, with the sun shining and beautiful, and a few minutes to spare (what? unheard of, I know), I decided to go to the car wash. (A side note to apologize to everyone for the rain that will come tomorrow as a result of my decision today.) We all know Firehouse has cheap Wednesdays, but you can't beat a prepaid (read: free) one at Chevron. So off we go, join the small line of other dirty cars, and wait for the attendant to come get our coupon. As he's at my window, I decide to go for it.

"Are you all doing complimentary wipe-offs today?" Smile.

"You want a free one, huh?" he asks, tilting his head like he's interested in a deal.

"Yep."

"Maybe." Then writes an orange "WO" on my windshield. "Just don't tell anybody."

"Deal." I say, "and thanks!"

He smiles and walks to the next car. I sit gloating in my almost-to-be-cleaned car. Ok, so it wasn't really flirting, but it caught your attention, right?

Never hurts to ask.

Or smile.

: )

Star Struck

2010-04-07T20:49:00.000-06:00

We went out with Grandma and Grandpa last weekend, and ran into one of Livia's favorite people . . .

Micah wanted in on the action too . . .

I think this one says it all:

First Soccer Game of the Spring!

2010-04-07T18:43:00.000-06:00

Oh man, were we excited for this! Micah was dressed in uniform, shin guards, cleats, and ready to go at noon. His game was at 5:30. That was a loooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnng wait!

then he got a little tired . . .

but he was super-bummed when the next game was snowed out. Here's hoping for next week!

(and super-grateful for baseball to tide us over . . . )

Flying Eagles

2010-03-22T14:25:00.000-06:00

Daniel chose Birds of Prey for his non-fiction book this term. A costumed book report was required, so voila! Here you go: (he's a bald eagle . . . in case you needed help. But to soothe my ego, just say you didn't, ok?)

it takes too long to upload the actual flying demonstration,

so just take my word for it--it is pretty darn cool!!!

Special thanks to the ravens of Swan Lake for their inspiration.

March Madness . . . Baseball style!

2010-03-22T14:20:00.000-06:00

We've been enjoying the sunny, almost-warm-enough weather of St. George this past weekend! It was fun to hang out with my little sisters, let the kids get spoiled by Nana, and watch my favorite baseball player! Here are some of the highlights:

on the ride down: (seriously, she is one great babysitter!)

Micah loves riding scooters with Papa!

playing Quidditch . . . intently

Private Facials with Nana

(this is where the "pickle-eye" comment came from . . . see column on right)

my little Ewok--Sophia in Tara's sweatshirt and hot chocolate at the night game!

two-thirds of the clan at frozen yogurt

Livia and Kwami . . . oh the love!

watching the "other" March Madness with Papa

and the real reason we're here! My camera died right after this,

but I was able to get this crucial action shot:

and one from the dugout:

Hooray for baseball!

Doomsday has arrived!

2010-03-10T09:58:00.002-07:00

Yes, the moment we knew was inevitable . . . Daniel got braces! He was a little nervous going in, and asked a lot of questions about what it feels like. I told him what I could remember, but it is all different now--much faster, no bands around the molars, getting to watch a movie during the process, picking your colors (blue and gold for him (mom vetoed the pink and black idea) I think I had little wires wrapped around my brackets!), and virtually no pain until later that night. : ) Poor kid--he got one rubber band that went around his front two teeth to pull them together, and we saw results that night! That means one big dose of Advil, one sore mouth, and high hopes to get them off this May.

Hmmmm, that last one might not work, buddy.

Some documentation of the process:

The black stuff you see here cleans the teeth off, even the tiny pores. Then they dry the teeth and are ready for gluing! Gotta love the contraption that keeps the mouth open, the tongue out of the way, and the saliva sucked out . . . not to mention the cool glasses that keep any splashing away from those gorgeous eyes!

gluing the brackets on:

(note the "seriously, mom? how many pictures are you going to take?" face)

all done! You can see the blue tie here on the front teeth--and the tiny gap that was closed by dinner!

admiring oneself . . .

learning how to put in the elastics

ready to go home! ("that wasn't so bad, mom")

Basketball for the girls!

2010-03-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Livia played basketball for the first time EVER this year--and she was great! She learned a lot about dribbling the ball, how to play defense and offense, having a good attitude, and working together. Even though their team lost every game, at the end of the season she said "this has been SO much fun!" I give total props to our awesome coach, and a great group of girls!

this is one-handed defense, specifically for girls with unruly hair during a game:

What happens when I'm bored at the condo . . .

2010-03-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

So I was waiting for a prospective tenant to come see our condo, and found I had this eerie reflection in the window/stucco outside. I wondered if it would show up in a picture, so I spent a few minutes experimenting, and had to share! I probably should have saved it for October . . .

and in case you think ghosts don't smile . . .

Almost Spring!

2010-03-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

We had some seriously beautiful weather for a couple days this past week! One day we had to run some errands so I sent the kiddos out to get in the car, and this is what I saw when I came outside:

(then he heard me)

Man, it is so nice to be outside, in shorts and short sleeves! This poor kid is itching to bare his skin, and his mean mom keeps making him put pants on . . . sorry it snowed that night, buddy!

Starting Young

2010-03-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

(taken sneakily on the fly so I apologize for the crummy resolution!)

What happens when Sophia has my phone . . .

2010-03-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

at home: (I actually kind of like the angle, and the dark interior, and the tree off-center . . . pretty good for an amateur!)

at Livia's piano recital:

granted the focus was off, but that's what happens when you're moving with a camera phone, . . . we could call it art . . . ; )

Pirate-ey Takeover!

2010-03-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

The kids were awfully quiet one evening. They had been sent to get in their jammies and get ready for bed. After hearing some strange noises from one of the bedrooms, Mom was dispatched (camera in hand) to check out the situation. Here's what she saw:

A pirate take-over in her own home! AAAAAHHHHH!

(notice the small pirate ready to shoot the stealthy photographer)

Oh no! She's struck!

But she's fast--revenge is eminent!

Alas, the photographer is discovered, and a cease-fire is called for a "cheese" frame:

(pirates say cheese?)

That little one again, fiercely defending her blanket ship:

Too bad all escaped alive. Until next time, me hearties!

A Happy/Sad Farewell . . .

2010-03-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is the end of scouts as we know it . . . and have known it for a long time . . . in fact, this is the ONLY kind of scouts I am familiar with! Last week Daniel got his Arrow of Light--the only badge that you can earn in Cub Scouts and put on your Boy Scout uniform. (I just learned that too!) So now he starts going to the inbetweenville in Scouting known as 11-year-old scouts. He has even had his first klondike camp last weekend at Antelope Island. He didn't want to take his camera, and as moms are not allowed, I don't have any pics of that for you. (sniff) So here's our documentation of (dare I say it?) our LAST Cub Scout Pack Meeting . . .

There's just something . .

2010-02-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

about a clean microwave that makes me so happy!

*sigh*

: )

The New Recruit

2010-02-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

I think we have a future fire fighter here!

Excuse me, Waiter?

2010-02-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

. . . there's a fly in my water barrel.

At 10:42 yesterday morning, a local 8-year-old hero risked patience and sanity by rescuing a drowning insect with a large spoon. Unfortunately, it was too late for the insect, who died before resuscitation efforts could begin. The water has been purified of the insect's remains. Burial services were held immediately following the rescue. Photographs were requested by the hero, and to commemorate her efforts we are happy to publish them.

Livia's Weekend Project

2010-02-07T21:40:00.003-07:00

Livia's latest project at school was to create a "shoebox habitat" of her choosing. She wanted to do a coral reef, so after some research we found some plants and animals she wanted to include: clown fish, anemones, coral, a puffer fish, a sea turtle. Putting these together required

One trip to Michael's
(Two coupons--yaay!)
Three (+) hours on Saturday (-ish--I really didn't keep track of the time)
Four darling fish (two clown fish, one puffer, one yellow tang . . . oh crap, we did schooling jack fish too . . . but there's a lot of them, so total fish is 24)
Five sea plants (one plumose anemone, one sea anemone, one cauliflower coral, one red coral, and one brain coral--I learned a lot this weekend!)
Six sides of the box covered (dark blue outside, light blue inside, cellophane covering the front and sides, questionnaire and research paper on the back)
Seven animals total (four fish plus an octopus, a camouflaged sea horse (can you find him?) and a sea turtle swimming up by the top of the water)
Lots of paint, pipe cleaners, feather boas, Crayola's Model Magic (new fave!), construction paper, sharpies, and guess what the sand is??? bread crumbs!

and the finished project looks like this:

you can see the sea horse and the clown fish better here:

Fun, huh? Livia and I had a blast putting it all together, but I'll tell you this--

I can wait a while for the next project!

Thoughts for Today

2010-02-07T18:40:00.001-07:00

In our RS lesson today our new RSP shared this poem. I just wanted to post it and thank all of you that I call friends--I am so blessed to have you in my life! Thank you, thank you! Sophia often asks me how many friends I have ("Do you have one friend or five friends, Mom?"), and I am so grateful to have more than one hand-worth. I hope I continue the "breath of kindness" on my end. You are all wonderful and fabulous and I love you!

Friendship

Oh, the comfort--the inexpressible comfort

Of feeling safe with a person,

Having neither to weigh thoughts,

Nor measure words--but pouring them

All right out--just as they are--

Chaff and grain together--

Certain that a faithful hand will

Take and sift them--

Keep what is worth keeping--

And with the breath of kindness

Blow the rest away.

Dinah Craik

Sophia's Nursery Rhymes

2010-02-05T15:57:00.001-07:00

Sophia wanted to perform for the family, so this is what she did:

"One little piggy sitting on the market, eating his curds and whey. Then he didn't go away and his house did and he didn't go away and his dad came and carried them away."

That's great, Sophia! "Yup." Do you have any others you'd like to share?

"Little Miss Muffet sat on her puffet eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider (pause) hickory dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock fell down, the mouse ran down, hickory dickory dock."

And you thought only Fractured Fairy Tales could do that.

Ode to Alicia

2010-02-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

At family dinner a few weeks ago, my cute sister Alicia was telling us a story. To be honest, I can't remember much of it but I did start taking notes after I was laughing so hard my gut hurt and tears were rolling down my face. So in honor of that festive occasion, here are some funny quotes from my funny sister!

"I'm like, Superwoman catching all these . . ."

"Then we got a concussion from it hitting us in the head, like five times."

"What were we supposed to do? I mean, we were popcorn-less!"

"She had no defense except for the popcorn."

We love you Peash!

: )

Cute Girly Hair-Dos!

2010-01-26T23:10:00.001-07:00

So, I've found some fabulously fun blogs that have taken a lot of my attention, and I've shared them with a few only to realize I shared erroneously. Sorry! Here are some links with the "real" addresses!

Adopt a 'Do

She Does Hair

Both of these amazing women have links to other various hair-do-ing sites, as well as hair accessory sites. So visit and enjoy the love, the creativity, and put in a good movie for your little girl so you can have fun playing with her hair! (as a side note, and an idea from my sis, give your girl her favorite "haired" doll and let her practice while you practice!)

DIY Part 2

2010-01-25T11:12:00.006-07:00

Here are some pics of the kids' magnet boards that I made for Christmas. Sorry the boards are already overflowing with things the kiddos wanted to hang up, but then again, that's why I made them, so mission successful!

Sophia's: (matches the flowers I painted on her walls. Gotta love the random pics she wanted to put on there!)

Livia's: (it matches the paint on the bottom half of her room, and has matching dots on the lower right-hand corner)

the boys: Daniel's is on the top and Micah's is the bottom one (betcha couldn't guess!) : )

I stained theirs because I figured their walls had enough color, and I wanted to match the furniture.

DIY attacks

2010-01-18T08:13:00.005-07:00

Here's my latest project . . . well, not really. There's another project a-coming, but I have to take pics for you first. : ) This one was so simple, it's foolproof! Especially if you have made all the mistakes before and can share, like me. Tired of trying to find my earrings in the pile, and when I did find them, they were all tangled up, I decided to make this after seeing various versions at a cute boutique. Theirs were standing up, table-top style, but I don't have anywhere for an earring rack to just stand and not get knocked over a jillion times. I do, however, have a jillion frames that are currently not being used. So I got some screening from Lowe's, pulled out my handy dandy staple gun, and voila! Instant organization!

So, to those who want to borrow my staple gun, here's few basics: Cut bigger than you think you'll use, because even if you're world's greatest home deco genius, and think you can do it right the first time, it's always easier to cut off the extra and not have to cut another square of screening. (Not that I know anyone who had to do that . . . ) Also, make sure when you are stapling the screening in, point the staples so they are going PARALLEL with the frame instead of towards the front. This will keep the front of your frame nice and smooth and not pockmarked with little staple ends poking out. Again, not that I would know, I just heard . . . ; ) And I have TONS of screening left over! Turns out the smallest rolls you can buy are like 6 feet long, . . . so if I've inspired you, come get some!!!

(By the way, you have to love my batty earrings at the bottom there--I think I've had those since high school! hahaha)

My Darling Daughter!

2010-01-17T19:44:00.006-07:00

Isn't she beautiful!?!

Last weekend Livia and I went with some friends to a dance camp in Provo. It was SO much fun! We had a great time just being girls, although we did learn to request rooms FAR away from the older girls next time. : ) We went to lunch together, shopped for some new shoes (found some cute tennies on sale at Payless that will work for basketball, hip hop, AND school--score!), slept in really comfy beds (for a hotel!), had room service bring us breakfast . . . it was wonderful! The girls got in three dance classes the first day (jazz, contemporary, and hip hop) and four the next day (jazz again, contemporary, lunch, ballet, hip hop). At the "closing ceremonies," they were able to perform their dances and scholarships were given out. Each teacher chose three girls to give a scholarship to for the next dance camp. (not so much for ability, as for effort and attitude as well.) So the ballet teacher (who was a man from Russia--totally cool! The girls thought it was so fun to have a BOY BALLET teacher! We chatted with him after class and he is really fun--really thick accent, very laid back for a ballet dancer, and very tall, which made me want to join the class! LOL) stood up and told the girls how well they all did, and how fun it was for him to have the opportunity to teach them. The first girl he wanted to give a scholarship to was . . . LIVIA!!! I think I screamed louder than her--it was such a surprise! In a group of 100-150 dancers, she was the first one called. YAAY!!! Of the twelve scholarships given, three went to our studio, and the other two were the owner's daughters. Yeah, you can say proud mama. Way to go, Livia!!!

Raising Boys . . .

2010-01-17T19:19:00.003-07:00

After much butting-of-the-heads in a very oldest-child vs. oldest-child fashion, I decided I need some help communicating with my darling oldest child. He is such a sweet boy, and SUCH a boy, and he and his dad get along SO well (I'm almost jealous . . . ), and well, I need some new input (thanks for the tip, Christy!). I decided to check out a book called "Raising Boys: Why Boys are Different--and How to Help Them Become happy and Well-Balanced Men, by Steve Biddulph. I am no more than six pages in and already I like it. A lot. Steve has a great way of writing and man, have I lived through a lot of what he discusses! But I digress . . . I like this book so much that I read it during my lunch the other day. I left it on the table where it was transferred to the counter today without my knowledge to make room for dinner. Not a deal at all. I thought it was safe, but alas, I have boys.

In my efforts to be a good mom, and be continually teaching my children, we made brownies together tonight. Their version: Mom's famous Secret Prince Family Brownies topped with M&Ms and half with chopped up Crunch Bar. (half because I thought it would be disgusting--not a Crunch Bar fan, I'm more the "real" chocolate fan: the Chocolate Orange, or Dove for sure, or Cadbury's plain milk chocolate on occasion, although those Easter eggs are fabulous, M&Ms will do for brownies . . .) But I digress again . . . sorry, it's the chocolate thing. We have an emergency candy stash made up of Halloween candy that we bought from the kiddos at the top of one cupboard. (I know it's January, but that's another post altogether. And now all my siblings are laughing their guts out. They know me well.) My eldest jumped up there and got the stash, picking out the necessary Crunch Bar, fifteen little bags of M&Ms (is that enough, Mom? Um, yeah!), trying to figure out if we need some Butterfinger just to mix it up, etc. etc. Well, unbeknownst to me there was a cup of water next to this particular cupboard, which was next to my book. Ummmm, next to the library's book. I was just cleaning up when I noticed the book looked wet. Reeeeaaaalllyyyyy wet. Uh oh. I picked it up, dried it to the best of my ability, and shoved it into my over-stuffed bookcase to decompress into hopefully somewhat-flat pages again.

Do you think the library is going to understand this one? After all, it IS a book about how to deal with boys . . .

Interesting note: the Happy Birthday wrapping paper that was next to the book? Fine. Not a scratch. Not a drop. Weird. Or is it just the boy gene?

Did I just say that?

2010-01-16T16:27:00.005-07:00

Earlier this week I promised my kiddos that we could go swimming on Saturday (if rooms are cleaned, beds made, vacuumed even . . . I'm a real slave driver). Dave has a trial coming up, poor guy, so is working his sweet little tail off, so what better way to drain all the energy and get baths and easy bedtimes all in one? So, knowing how well my dear, sweet, darling children play together, I told the older ones they could invite a friend to play with. Well, after basketball practices and birthday parties, I am finding myself toting three friends in addition to my four . . . I may need lots of chocolate tonight . . . maybe I'll start with some early doses . . .

* Addendum *

So, after the fact, it turned out to be quite a brilliant idea! No one was bored, or cold. Everyone had a friend to play with (i.e. no one tried to scare mom by jumping on her from behind . . . which was greatly appreciated!). Everyone ate dinner with gusto (ok, it was pizza, so not too hard there). I got a killer parking spot (right out the doors) so we didn't have to run too far in the cold. And they are all bathed, girls' hair done for tomorrow, . . . heck, I might even iron the boys' shirts tonight! I think I will still have some chocolate though . . . ; )

My Christmas Favorites

2010-01-03T22:52:00.006-07:00

Now that all this is about to come down (tomorrow), (and I'm obviously in the "cleaning out" mode!) I thought I'd record a few of my favorite Christmas images here. These are some of the scenes that make this season perfect and magical for me!

The Christmas tree, decorated (with help--my new favorite part! It took some deep breathing to give up the control, but I love that I did . . . and I even love the branches that have four or more ornaments on them!) and lit, of course! Presents spilling out the sides . . .

Six batches of my mom's (and now my little sister's) famous toffee! I perfected my own Making of The Toffee this year. (thanks Tiffy!)

Dave's nutcracker collection (now 26 strong!) . . . there's a really good story behind these! : ) Maybe someday I'll share it . . .

Empty Advent Calendars--Dave's mom has a tradition of giving them to the kids at Thanksgiving, so there's just enough time for them to panic that they'll never get to open a door, and then before I know it, they're empty!

The Pajama Fairy! Matching boys and matching girls this year!

The Christmas tree at night . . . it's so magical at night! Even my garlands make me smile when they're lit at night--I love it!

Basement Re-claimed

2010-01-02T16:30:00.010-07:00

One of my goals over the break was to take some time with the kiddos (the good, quality, bonding-type forced-labor time) and find a way to make our basement navigable again, even enjoyable if possible. We spent two hours on two days and were able to clean up the basement, the stairs going down to it, the big toy room, clean out the storage area for the new freezer, and load up an entire trailer-load for DI! WAHOO!!! I was really impressed at how well everyone helped out, even Sophia! (Not that they had a lot of options, really!) ; ) Nothing feels so good as to clean out boxes that still had tape on them from the move . . . (was it really 3 1/2 years ago?) : )

The best part was when we were done, the kids were running and jumping and spinning and dancing in the toy room, overjoyed that they had room to do so without imbedding any Legos or Polly Pockets in their feet!

I would include "before" pictures, but that would be too embarrassing. I'll give you some "after" shots, though!

Here's the DI pile:

the stairs to the basement (this used to be hazardous to your health!):

the toy room (look at all the basketball, football and dancing space!):

storage area (you couldn't even walk in here last week!):

I am ok with them playing down here now, unsupervised! : ) And with this done, maybe they'll leave my room alone . . .

Sophia's New Talent

2010-01-01T17:32:00.004-07:00

This is THE. Cutest. Video. Ever.

Let me set the stage for you:

The Annual Prince Family Christmas Party. Four generations attend. Every family is required to demonstrate talent improvement from the past year. It is nice to have children who can take over aforementioned demonstration for the adults. : ) Plus, they are a lot cuter! My kids were no exception this year: Daniel did his Chipmunk Impression (see earlier blog post), Livia played her last recital song, Micah was going to do his ABCs backwards but was un-find-able when the time came (I think he was hiding with the boy cousins in the basement!), and Sophia played her harmonica. She received this from Santa at the present exchange at her preschool. When it came home, her mom was less than pleased, but as it has turned out to be totally and completely entertaining, and made for one very happy three-year-old, it will be allowed to stay. : ) Enjoy! (I should mention that my eight-year-old was filming this, so it's a little unstable.) : )

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T17:23:00.003-07:00

As we are still in the younger-children-phase, and don't really care to SEE midnight anymore, Dave and I have given up staying up past midnight for quite a few years now. Unfortunately for us who love sleep more, we have neighbors who don't, who love New Year's Eve, and set off fireworks every year. This year was no exception and their festivities woke up the boys who came running into our room: "Mom, Dad! You're missing it!"

"Yeah, we're ok with that. Go back to bed."

"But there are FIREWORKS!"

"Yes, we know. You can watch them then go back to sleep."

"OK! Thanks!"

At which point we went back to sleep. I woke up around 3:30 AM hearing voices in the family room. What the heck was going on? I fell out of bed and ran out to find my oldest sitting on the floor watching tv at normal volume. Ummm, Son? Everyone is SLEEPING. Want to join them? Not only that, but the light in his room was on, his brother buried and asleep in his blankets, and lights around the house were on as well. We got them turned off, hustled my eldest child back to bed, and returned to my bed, a little grumpier than before. (Okay, in all fairness, I was a LOT grumpier!) I didn't sleep well the rest of the night, but he did! : ) He woke up around 11:00, ready for food and feeling quite happy he got to see the new year. . . .

We did all take naps today, though. : )

The Results . . .

2010-01-01T17:13:00.005-07:00

So here is my strategic placement for the quilts Christmas morning: (can you see the flaw?)

(for the original story on this post, click here)

It's hard to see, so I'll fill you in: on the right is Livia's new bike, which Santa wrapped Peyton-Manning-style (betcha can't tell what it is!). So instead of the ooos and aahhhs that I anticipated, the Christmas Morning Video is filled with Micah excitedly screaming things like "Livia! this is for you! Livia! Santa brought you a bike! Livia, look!" and me trying to divert their attention: "Micah, what are you standing on? Micah, what are those? Micah, look DOWN!" : ) They did eventually notice them, and I got a brief (VERY brief) moment right then, but the best part was later that night as we were tucking them into bed and all of them insisted on sleeping with their new blankets. Daniel said, "Thanks so much for making these, Mom! They are SO awesome!" Aaaaahhhh . . . balm for my soul. : ) Livia has started sleeping with hers underneath her with the fuzzy part UP (she is my snuggler!), Micah has done the same a couple of times, and both Sophia and Daniel keep theirs on top.

Sweet.

Mission successful! : )

Breakfast With Santa

2009-12-24T11:27:00.007-07:00

This year marks the 4th annual "Breakfast with Santa" tradition for us. It's a fun morning out with amazing food and my favorite part, Santa! He comes in while we are eating, greets each table, talks to the kids, and later they sit on his lap and we get a family picture. This is the only Santa Sophia has ever known, and she and Mrs. Claus are tight now . . . as opposed to the first year when Mrs. Claus held the crying baby! : ) Sophie ran right up to them and climbed up--and even got her own picture!

He's coming!
Micah sees him!

New Favorite Videos!

2009-12-24T10:33:00.003-07:00

Daniel's Version . . .

Livia's version . . .

Sophia's attempt and Micah's subsequent version . . .

Lessons Learned Many Christmases Ago . . .

2009-12-24T08:06:00.004-07:00

A long long time ago, let's say about 18 years or so (gasp!), there was a little girl and her brother who were getting ready for Christmas. They had a younger brother who was a truck-and-tractor lover, and when I say lover I mean he was infatuated to the nth degree. You all know little boys like that--their lives revolve around dirt and rocks and big yellow toys and "bbbbppppttttthhhh" sounds while they play. Well, the little girl and her brother thought it would be fun for this little one to have a tractor of his own, so they worked in their secret basement lab many many nights, creating a cardboard masterpiece. It was truly amazing . . . complete with working controls, a door that opened, keys that turned, a real operating backhoe, and a big shovel on the other side. They were so excited to give it to their little brother on Christmas!

When Christmas Eve finally came around, they anxiously waited for their little brother to go to bed (getting to stay up late never had so many perks as this night!), carefully brought the cardboard tractor upstairs, and set it where it would be seen first. Well, that was a restless night for them in more ways than usual! The next morning, excitement filled the air as they ran to see what Santa had brought for them, and what their little brother's reaction would be to his life-size tractor. When he came in, he had all the appropriate reactions for about three seconds, then ran to the Tonka truck that was waiting by the tree. Well, that was just about too much for the older sister. She had worked so hard on the tractor, and all he wanted was the Tonka truck!?! She ran, crying to her room, disappointed beyond consolation. Her mother came in soon with soothing words and hopeful thoughts, and soon all was okay, if not completely right. The little girl was able to forgive her little brother for not being as excited as she wanted him to be, and to realize that he was just little, after all!

Jump to present day . . . for obvious reasons I can't go into great detail here, but this year I decided to make some homemade gifts for my kiddos. A lot of time and energy and money has gone into these projects, without any knowledge or expectation on their part. (will the promise of pictures after the fact suffice for now?) In order to avoid the aforementioned disappointment and emotional ending (although, I would hope that I have grown up a little bit since then!), I have come up with a strategic way to ensure the "homemade tractor" gets first dibs. See, Santa wraps all his gifts in Santa Paper, so everything is disguised under layers of wrapping paper when we come down Christmas morning. If, however, one gift is left out, say . . . UNwrapped, then for a small moment (admittedly it might be very small!), all the attention will be on this one present, and the giver might get the excitement of Christmas morning and the surprise of the creation and maybe . . . if expectations are low enough . . . feel a little bit gratified to have spent so much time and energy creating them . . .

I'll let you know how it goes . . . : )

Change is Constant

2009-12-24T07:57:00.003-07:00

The one thing we all know is that nothing is as constant as change. Recently, Modbe Clothing has closed its doors, leaving me without my Regional VP status, a side income, and many girls' nights out. : ) I truly have enjoyed working with Modbe, and have met many wonderful and inspiring people. It has been a little sad to pack up and sell off, but I really am at peace about it now. I have enjoyed being able to support my husband in his crazy times at work, and my kids in their increased activities, so that Modbe really has had to take a back seat lately anyway. I will miss my cute friends, and the income of course ; ) but am totally ready to not have any distractions from my main job: being a mom!

It's funny how when one priority drops out of your life, there are always many more ready to take its place. Not doing boutiques and shows has allowed me to obviously be home more, be a little more relaxed in the evenings, and start working out with Dave! We started going to a trainer in September twice a week, and the results have been amazing! Dave has lost over 30 lbs now, and looks incredible! I have lost 8 (I know, the comparison is shoddy, but I have toned up quite a bit, and 8 lbs from my belly has made me more excited than ever for swimsuit season!), and I feel increased energy and ability, we eat so much better, and our overall well-being has increased so much that I wouldn't trade where we are now for where we were before, side income and all. Maybe I'll even be able to update the blog more often ; )

Football Fanatics

2009-10-28T12:02:00.006-06:00

The greatest fans of all time . . .

watching the cutest football player EVER . . . #37! Go big D!

the half-time entertainment was pretty exciting too--Micah had both his uncles all to himself for a little game of toss

Fall Cooking is THE BEST!!!

2009-10-28T11:55:00.003-06:00

I love comfort food. ALL of it! I love cooking when it's cold outside and you want to snuggle up to your stove. I love eating my creations with my family . . . even if they don't appreciate them ; ) and I love sharing a new fabulous find with my friends! So here you go: my latest find. It's PHE-NOM-IN-AL. Seriously. Melt-in-your-mouth loveliness. In pancake form. : )

Pumpkin Pancakes
1 c. flour
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. canned pumpkin
1/4 c. plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl; wet ingredients in another bowl. Stir together just until evenly moistened.

The only way to have these pancakes is with homemade vanilla syrup. We actually have to keep a bottle in the fridge at all times, because it's fabulous on everything from these pancakes to regular ones, especially if you add bananas and pecans . . . or anything fruit . . . or just straight from the bottle on a spoon (I don't ever do that . . . just the kids . . . ) ; )

Vanilla Syrup

3/4 c. butter
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. buttermilk (cool side note here: did you know that if you don't have "real" buttermilk you can substitute 1 T cider vinager + milk to make a full 1 cup? I usually do 1 t of vinegar, though--it seems like enough)
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
3 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. vanilla

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Remove pot from the burner; add baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will froth up and rise considerably. Stir regularly and let sit until the syrup settles and bubbles are gone. Serve warm.

Lick-your-plate-clean. Seriously. Enjoy!

I do have to give credit to Misty and Carla for the find--thanks gals! from the bottom of my stomach . . . : )

Micah's Love Carrots!!

2009-10-23T15:26:00.003-06:00

We started a garden this year, and Micah was in charge of the carrots. We got some seriously-funky-shaped ones, including these "love carrots." Micah is super-proud of his carrots!

Oh dear . . .

2009-10-23T15:16:00.001-06:00

here we are in October and no dress day pic yet! ok, here you go:

First Days of School!

2009-08-21T08:46:00.004-06:00

We started another school this year that has a uniform policy--makes getting dressed in the morning a cinch! My favorite part is that Micah wants to match with his siblings SO BADLY, and now he can without them even knowing! ; ) Monday is a "dress" day, so they'll wear their nicer uniforms and I'll post that picture then.

Love this hair!

2009-08-21T08:43:00.002-06:00

Check out Micah's hair--he's dancing at my cousin's reception. ; )

New Favorite Song!

2009-08-15T09:04:00.001-06:00

Napping-Not-So-Much

2009-08-12T15:52:00.003-06:00

This was Micah and Sophia's attempts at napping together--I snuck in the room and they were telling stories, then ran to get the camera. When I got back, Micah was saying, "now go to sleep!" I started taking pictures and they happened to notice . . .

Sweet idea, but foiled by the mom. Better luck next time, kiddos!

What do we do in the summertime?

2009-08-12T15:19:00.002-06:00

Fun Handcart Days Pictures!

2009-08-11T23:49:00.004-06:00

From playing with the neighbor's puppies, riding ponies at the park, eating popsicles at the parade, and jumping and spinning afterwards, it was a fun-filled day!

Mean Mom, Nice Mom

2009-08-11T23:36:00.007-06:00

Sometimes I am a nice mom, and let my kids ride on a scooter all by themselves, (with a helmet, of course!)

Sometimes I'm not, and I make them pose for pictures without giving them the money to actually make the rides go . . .

and sometimes while I'm taking those pictures, one of my friends drops by with her grandkids, and pays for them to ride the carousel . . . with two extra seats. (Thanks Karen!) Chalk it up to cheapskate in me . . . : )

and sometimes, my kids will play on my computer without asking, and get some interesting results (along with being banned from said computer)

it all evens out, right? (and we get some great pics in the meantime!)

Happy Anniversary!

2009-08-11T23:26:00.003-06:00

Ok, so this post is a little late, but it was so sweet I couldn't resist! On the morning of our anniversary (13 years!), I was getting ready in the bathroom, and Livia came running in and asked what I was going to do when I was done. "Make my bed," I replied. "Don't make it yet, Mom! Just sit there and wait for me, ok?" What could I say to that? Okay . . . what's going on? : ) Well, I finished getting ready and actually forgot, and made my bed (old habits die hard). But then Livi came back in and, after getting after me for making it, told me I had to at least sit on it for a minute until she came back. She returned soon with Daniel, complete with an extra shelf (gold stars for inventiveness!) and this fun surprise:

They made me breakfast in bed--ALL BY THEMSELVES! Notice the hearts cut into the toast--how darling are my kids!?! There's a note (bottom right of pic) that says: "Happy Anniversity Mom! We love you!" Seriously, that's just plain awesome.

How cute is my son?

2009-08-11T23:24:00.003-06:00

What Daniel does with M&Ms in his spare time . . . ahhhhh. Sometimes it's all worth it!