Antics...

It's good to see my kids doing the same crazy stuff we did. I still have horrid memories of Dale ripping the head off my stuffed Minnie Mouse on Christmas Eve. Remember those scenes from Toy Story where the crazy kid did all sorts of stuff to the toys that made them look like psycho toys? Well, last night I found a baby doll with stitches all over it's face (drawn on, of course). I started laughing and asked Jake who had done it? He admitted to doing it. Then he lifted up the arms and showed me he had drawn armpit hair on the doll too. I thought it was hilarious...until poor Bella noticed and started to cry. She hasn't played with that doll in forever...but she was deeply disturbed at it's appearance. Every brother much torture his sister, right? It's like a right of passage...

Important Updates

I can't remember the last time I posted on the blog. There has been a lot going on in my life but I try and save blog posting for the really special occassions. So guys, lets forget about my breakup, new job, new apartment, or new calling and focus on what really matters...

HALLOWEEN

In case you can't tell by the picture, my roommates and I made ourselves some black widow spider costumes. Seeing as I have been called this creature since I was first eligible for dating, I thought it was entirely appropriate that I openly declare myself as such...at least for one night of the year.

Ash showed up dressed as swine flu. Freaking hilarious. I'm not sure what is happening in this picture but knowing Ash and I, I'm thinking we were about to have some kind of dramatic embrace of the poisonous spider and infectious virus.

And of course, for the sake of maintaining my character, I had to act the part of the black widow. Poor guy had no idea what he was in for. (This may or may not have been a metaphorical foreshadowing of actual events to come.)

It's all fun and games till someone busts out the can of Raid.

These pictures were all taken at the Halloween party we threw. Socially, it was a success - tons of people, treats, and dancing. Physically, it was a disaster. We loaded ourselves up with junk food and partied until 1am when we had to be up at 6am for a half-marathon the next morning. Oh to be young, single, and completely irresponsible :)

HALF MARATHON

This was my roommate Ash and I at 6am on our way to the bus, before we got all nastified.

And here are Nikki and I at about mile 3, still convinced we were having fun. You can tell we were tired by how funny we thought we were for holding hands in the picture.

After marathon completion. Nikki and I came in together at 2 hours 2 minutes. That averages out to be about a 9 minute mile which I hear is pretty decent for your first half. I don't know if I would have done so well if it weren't for Nikki. She's the one who inspired me to run in the first place, convinced me I could do a half, and then somehow motivated me to sprint the last mile of the race.

It ended up that a couple of our ward members, Melissa and Brett ran the half as well, only they were tons faster than us.

The roommates.

Harold, part of my fan club. Ashley Gardiner was there to support as well but the picture of us is a really sick one of me so I chose not to include it. Just know that she was there, like the best friend that she is.

Well family, it's been real. Until next year when I decide it's time to post again...

Dallas Halloween

Ash Brittany and Brooke at their preschool Halloween party. They are so cute together, they love seeing each other at school.Nate was a shark, I just loved his costume. Mostly because I like hearing him say, "Shark!"
Emma and her friend Kylie who lives around the corner from us. Kylie practically lives at our house, and comes to lots of activities with us.
Camille picked her costume and then got mad because it was awkward and hard to trick or treat in. She looked so great, but decided to change costumes for Halloween night. (This was taken at our ward party on Friday.)
Ashley was a complete animal at the trunk-or-treat. She must have made ten laps of the parking lot. She had at least double the candy of the other kids, Justin couldn't keep up with her. She had such a great time this year. She decided early she wanted to be a rock star and stuck with it. We sprayed her hair purple, and got her an animal print shirt which she loves. She loved her whole costume and worked it baby! She got it all on and strutted around like a real diva. She even gave a private concert by request to Ms. Jill, the director of her preschool.
You'll all have to bug Tammy for more pictures, and especially of Rosie's adorable costume. Justin and I had stake conference on Halloween night (wasn't stoked about that one but it was a great meeting) so Adam and Tammy graciously watched the kids and took them trick-or-treating. Thanks guys!

Parent/Teacher conferences...

Parent/teacher conferences come around this time of year every year. This year was a great year for my kids...I'm always a little nervous about what their teachers will say...but this round was by far my kids' best set of conferences...

Jake is doing great, as usual. But, for the first time, his teacher told me how confident he is in his own abilities. I think that is so important for kids because their confidence gets ROCKED through their junior high and high school years. I'm glad that he is comfortable with who he is and what he can do. He has turned out to be quite a little leader in his class which is kind of surprising too, considering how shy Jake is...

Carter is my first child to ever make the Principal's Honor Roll aka straight A's. Jake always gets very close, but he has never actually done it. Carter did it! I'm so proud of him. He has worked very hard and is feeling very competitive this year. He has been reading books in record times and passing off his math facts quickly. Apparently there's some sort of competition going on that involves pizza and it has been enough to motivate Carter to all new levels.

Bella's conference was truly surprising. She is doing fabulous, which I knew, but her teacher has decided it is time to challenge Bella. She has some extra little science projects and book reports that she is going to give to Bella to encourage her creativity and her love of writing. Her teacher has put a lot of time and thought into how she can challenge her because she gets bored quickly. She reads everything she can get her hands on. She is a prolific writer (just ask our neighbor who has gotten notes from her asking when they will bring their dogs out to play or Nana or her teacher who gets daily notes). I'm excited to watch her mind work. She is at a stage where she wants more to do and soaks up everything like a sponge...

Then there's Malia. I'm just grateful when the preschool teacher doesn't ask me to stay after class to inform me of Malia's latest antics. She only has to be removed from circle time occasionally now. She's pretty good as long as nobody makes her mad or rubs her the wrong way...She is one feisty little girl. My favorite thing about her is that if I wake her up and she's not ready, she'll tell me, "I'm not done sleeping now" and she will refuse to get up. I think she may be my first afternoon kindergardner.

Halloween and stuff...

Of course I must post pictures of halloween...so here you go. This year was a different sort of Halloween...

Here are the troops...I told them I wouldn't pay for their Halloween costumes this year, so we had to get creative. Jake was UCLA football player (though he almost wore his Reagan uniform when UCLA was SUCKING at half time...). Carter was a storm trooper (costume I had in the Halloween box). Bella was a cheetah (a dance costume I borrowed from Beth). Malia was Ariel. Yes, I broke down and paid for that one, but the kids didn't know that...


Jake decided he didn't want to trick or treat at the last minute. He is sort of a health nut (wonder where he got that from...)and didn't want any candy so he didn't see the point in going up to the doors. He walked around with us but was kind of like a wet blanket..

Carter...ahh, how we love carter and his glutenous appetite for food. He wanted to trick or treat all night long. Then, though I specifically told him like 10 times not to eat any candy because I didn't want him to be sick...apparently ate too much. I got woken up at 2:00 AM by Jake telling me Carter was throwing up. He slept through the whole thing. We woke him up, told him to get up and go wash his face off. He looked at us and said, I don't even feel sick. Great! Luckily the vomit was all contained on his sheet. Rick said, "Let's just incinerate that." For some reason, I thought that was very funny at 2:00 AM.

And then there's Bella. She had a great time trick or treating but more fun counting her candy and checking out her loot. She didn't eat very much of it but she was ready to start right in the next morning when we woke up.

It was a good Halloween...it was the first time I can remember my kids all telling me while we were out trick or treating that they were ready to go home. Last year, "the great pumpkin" took all their candy the night after Halloween. So, tonight, when I tucked the girls in bed, Bella and Malia told me they hid their candy from the great pumpkin. They have good memories. Then, a few minutes later, Malia told me she was scared of the Big pumpkin in her room. She wanted me to sleep with her. She said she would scoot over so there was plenty of room. I thought it was funny...I guess I created my own monster.

Hope everyone had a good Halloween!

My New "Mom Car"

It was a tough decision, but the Escalade won out. We found a 2007 with only 9K miles on it in mint condition- and the price was considerably less than the Suburban and Navigator we were looking at.

You know what this means? I've got plenty of seats to transport ya'll to and from the airport when you come and visit! So feel free to schedule your flights anytime...

A little unconventional, I know...

But when has that ever stopped me? Every year on this day, I find myself getting really nostalgic and revelling in some of my great memories of Grandma Vivian. It occurred to me the other night that some of our younger readers might not have the luxury of looking back on their memories of Grandma because they were too young to remember. So, I thought we could do a birthday tribute of sorts for Grandma this year and think back to some of our greatest and most endearing memories of her.

Though I haven't practiced in ages, I remember Grandma teaching me to knit. We were at her house in Canyon Country I think, and I was in her big overstuffed rocker. I thought for sure I'd be knitting blankets and mittens in no time... not so much. I'm still sad I've forgotten how to do it.

I remember the Easter that Grandma came over and had made for each of us a Faberge type easter egg out of sugar with and entire easter scape inside, bunny and all. I remember being simultaneously confused and disturbed when mom tried to explain to us that they were just pretty to look at and that we weren't supposed to eat them. It was made of pure sugar and icing. What on earth do you mean we don't eat that??? They were an amazing artistic feat, though. I can't imagine how she ever did that or where she found the time or patience.

I also remember how Grandma cooked everything in the microwave. At sleepovers, she'd make us steak in the microwave for dinner and then eggs in the microwave for breakfast... and I for one thought they were delicious. And the hot dog steamer? Mmmm. Soggy bread never tasted so good. I think we can all see where I get my cooking prowess and unrivaled microwave ninja powers. I remember the smell of her house and the green and yellow sheets on the guest bed in her room. I remember Schotzy (sp?) and her(his?) nub of a tail.

How about her porcelain dolls? I just loved the one she made for me. She had long brown hair and blue eyes and I was absolutely convinced that she looked just like me. I was in Jo-Annn's the other day and saw googly eyes and remembered all of Grandma's googly eyed dolls. I honestly wish I still had mine.

I remember there was one time when she colored her hair a different color than we were used to. In my memories, I can only see her with red hair but that day she arrived with dark brown tresses. She showed up at our house for a visit and nobody recognized her. We all went in to tell Mom that there was a strange lady in our house. Mom thought it was hilarious!

Kristin, do you remember when we decided we didn't want to stay at softball practice so we took off and walked to Grandma's? What was the big fuss about? Just because 2 pre teen girls decided to walk alone across town to Grandma's house without telling anyone? What? At least it's not broken yet! I don't see the big deal!

And, like all grandmas, she let us get away with just a little bit more than we probably would have been allowed at home. I recall that she let me put olives (because what little kid doesn't think that's fun?) on my fingers when mom wasn't looking and she let me do it as much as I wanted. Once, she stuffed the olives with cream cheese and I thought she was like the next iron chef america. It was da da da licious! And she seemed to always have candy on her. In her purse, around the house, whatever. I can still hear her laugh in my head. I can still hear her voice, but it's funny how when I remember her voice, I can only hear her saying Mom's name. She always called her Dee Dee and I don't think I've heard anyone call Mom that in years. And have any of you noticed that Mom now says goodbye just like Grandma used to when she gets off the phone? I don't know when she made the switch from how she used to do it to how she does it now, but it's fun to hear a little memory of Grandma when I talk to her.

So happy birthday, Grandma. We miss you lots but we know you're never far.

Anyway, because I'm the sentimental sap of the family, I could go on and on and on and on but that's probably enough from me. What sentimental memories do you guys have of Grandma?