Monday, April 6, 2015
March
Big news... We are finishing our basement. We have had many men in and out, giving us bids, and finally starting the work. And actually we have all the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical done. In order to get all that done though, we have had to plan everything out--where we want everything, etc. It is a bit frightening because then you have to live with those decisions! Do we put 6 lights or 8? Is it worth the cost to do certain things, etc? How can we save money? And the anxiety goes on and on. But, I think we are doing well. I have put in tons of closet/storage space and planned for future things. We have two rooms downstairs, one set up for visitors and one for exercise, toys, and visitors if needed (on a blow up bed or floor....). The rest of the basement is kind of one giant room. Well, there is a living room area where we will put the fireplace and TV and then it opens into another room that will have a kitchen along a wall and an air hockey table and then just open space so we can have lots of tables for dinners, etc. It will be nice area for people to come visit and stay. So please come (well, give us a few more months so we can finish!). We just need to get the insulation and drywall up and then we will paint and do the tile work. Shouldn't be too long--I guess we will just have to see how long it really takes us! I am so proud of Scott because he has done so much of it himself and he is so handy!
The new movie Cinderella came out and Elise and her friend Halle dressed up in princess dresses and we had a girls night out! She has been playing with a new friend from school, Ellee, and we all went to the curiosity museum. Her favorite color today is purple. Yesterday it was blue. She also got to have a fun time with her cousin Hallie and her brothers came to stay the night. She is advancing nicely in tumbling and just a light and love!
The night the cousins came, we had neighbor friends over as well and ended up watching a movie with 12 kids in the toy room! And they were actually just great. It has been nice weather so they all played outside most of the time, then enjoyed a movie and settled down to sleep. It will be nice to have the basement done so next time they can be down there! Speaking of people over, Devan brought Tallis and Rowan for a Tai Kwon Do competition and we had a great time with them. Weston was especially good with Rowan; he is so good with kids!
Weston has started soccer practice and is absolutely thrilled about it. He has gotten some new shoes and is excited to start using them. He has been able to go to the local high school soccer games and is hoping to be on that team some day! He is worried about starting Junior High next year. It is a daunting thought (for me, too!), but he will thrive there. He and Scott got to go on a 11 year old camping trip. They actually stayed at a cabin, but a pretty basic cabin (outhouse...). They had a blast and ate tons of cookies and smores, etc. He also participated in a Pow Wow and was able to do a "movie making" merit badge. In two months he will be twelve and I am not ready for that...
Aidan has had a busy month. He participated in a piano recital and a talent show at school and did marvelously (of course) and he is now working on a duet for another recital. The Utah Symphony had a special pianist come and so we got tickets and Aidan and I went to the show. It was great and I was so pleasantly surprised at how well he did--and that he wanted to stay for the whole thing. His love of music, buffalos and rocks continues. There was a Gem and Mineral Show and Aidan and I went to that and spent some good money on *******. What a kid! We did have a cool experience while there. One of the first places we stopped had a guy named Jorge working there. We started talking and he was so kind and gave a free rock to Aidan. We started a nice conversation and I asked where he was from. He said San Fernando, California. I told him that I had lived there as a missionary for the Mormon Church and he said, "Oh, I have some missionary friends!" Come to find out he has been taking the discussions. They had told him to go to downtown SLC and see things and he loved it all. He has a good friend who is a member, and when he was at the Joseph Smith Building he called and told him "I am with Joseph Smith." He thought that was so funny. The booth became busy with people trying to buy rocks, so we had to go, but before we left, we stopped by again and he said he would be back in June for another rock show, so we are going to go to that one to see him as well. So cool!
All the kids got to participate in a race--a cardboard racecar race at Pack Meeting. I've said before that our scout leaders are the best, and they live up to that every month! Each kid made their own car from a box that they cut a hole in the bottom so they can put it around their waist and then run with it. Aidan painted his and decorated it, but we didn't do much with the other kids' cars. Then they raced their cars and Aidan won (it was based on how many times around the "track" they could go). He also got an award for best looking car.
Brennan's big news is that he failed his eye exam--so he got glasses, and boy does he look darling! He has been very responsible with them, wearing them to school daily, and putting them away when he isn't using them. He is doing so well in school, getting straight A's. I get to correct papers in his class sometimes and it is so fun to correct his papers and see how great he does.
Happy Easter to you all!
Monday, March 9, 2015
February
Aidan has been lucky enough to participate in a Junior iTri program at the local rec center. He went every Saturday in February and the last week they did a little triathlon and he worked so hard and accomplished all the goals he set. I am so proud of him! He also took the first part of his AIM piano test and did wonderful on that as well. He still has another portion of the test where he plays two songs for the judges and some scales/cadences, etc. He is so good at working hard without complaint!
Weston and I got to spend some great time together this month. He (and his friend Gideon) came with Omi, Heidi, and me to the Family History Rootstech conference downtown. We were hoping to meet Studio C and David Archuleta, but the lines were WAY too long. Still we had fun. We went to Seigfrieds and Weston and Gideon had their first real German food--and it was rather fun seeing them try some of that ...
It was so fun having Heidi and Omi here. Heidi and I got our toenails done and we went to IKEA (I think they went several times...). Unfortunately, I hurt my back trying to get frames for Heidi, so we quickly went back home and I was then laid up for a few days. Once home I was lamenting to Scott about it when Elise turned to us and said, "Jesus can heal you." I just love the simplicity of little children, and of course she is just so darling!! She is constantly making us laugh and smile. She is such a helper around the house and loves to do "girl things" with me.
Heidi and Omi were here to go to the One Heart Bulgaria Gala and Scott and I went, and took Scott's brother Matt and his wife Liz with us. What a great event it turned out to be. Great conversations, food, and entertainment. A great way to spend pre-Valentines Day (better than being in bed on the actual Valentines Day!). Scott and I also went on another date to the wedding of our friends' (Amber and Reed) daughter. What a great month for LOVE!
Aidan and Brennan were out of school for a week so we took some friends (Tate and Addie) and went to the Natural History Museum (we love that place!). We made some food, tumbled some rocks, and did a lot of sitting around playing the wii.
Brennan has been studying different countries in school and the latest is Mexico. They had a fun party where they got to experience different things from their culture. I took Mexican Hot Chocolate and real Mexican cookies for them to try. He is doing so well in school and really loves it. I love it when he comes home and tells me all the new things he is learning.
The month ended with a fun but a little sad night with some friends, the Lesters. They were our neighbors in Herriman and they are moving to Colorado and we will miss them!!! Weston's first friend was their daughter Maddy. And Brennan and Tommy have been friends for years. We invited them over for dinner, and then thought, "Let's make a party of this!" and invited a bunch of friends from the old neighborhood. Realizing they wouldn't fit in our house, we held the party at the church instead. We had about 12 adults and 25+ kids! I made some pizzas for the adults and we bought cheap pizza for the kids. We had a great time laughing and reminiscing over good times. We are so glad they are such good friends and we will miss them!
Weston and I got to spend some great time together this month. He (and his friend Gideon) came with Omi, Heidi, and me to the Family History Rootstech conference downtown. We were hoping to meet Studio C and David Archuleta, but the lines were WAY too long. Still we had fun. We went to Seigfrieds and Weston and Gideon had their first real German food--and it was rather fun seeing them try some of that ...
It was so fun having Heidi and Omi here. Heidi and I got our toenails done and we went to IKEA (I think they went several times...). Unfortunately, I hurt my back trying to get frames for Heidi, so we quickly went back home and I was then laid up for a few days. Once home I was lamenting to Scott about it when Elise turned to us and said, "Jesus can heal you." I just love the simplicity of little children, and of course she is just so darling!! She is constantly making us laugh and smile. She is such a helper around the house and loves to do "girl things" with me.
Heidi and Omi were here to go to the One Heart Bulgaria Gala and Scott and I went, and took Scott's brother Matt and his wife Liz with us. What a great event it turned out to be. Great conversations, food, and entertainment. A great way to spend pre-Valentines Day (better than being in bed on the actual Valentines Day!). Scott and I also went on another date to the wedding of our friends' (Amber and Reed) daughter. What a great month for LOVE!
Aidan and Brennan were out of school for a week so we took some friends (Tate and Addie) and went to the Natural History Museum (we love that place!). We made some food, tumbled some rocks, and did a lot of sitting around playing the wii.
Brennan has been studying different countries in school and the latest is Mexico. They had a fun party where they got to experience different things from their culture. I took Mexican Hot Chocolate and real Mexican cookies for them to try. He is doing so well in school and really loves it. I love it when he comes home and tells me all the new things he is learning.
The month ended with a fun but a little sad night with some friends, the Lesters. They were our neighbors in Herriman and they are moving to Colorado and we will miss them!!! Weston's first friend was their daughter Maddy. And Brennan and Tommy have been friends for years. We invited them over for dinner, and then thought, "Let's make a party of this!" and invited a bunch of friends from the old neighborhood. Realizing they wouldn't fit in our house, we held the party at the church instead. We had about 12 adults and 25+ kids! I made some pizzas for the adults and we bought cheap pizza for the kids. We had a great time laughing and reminiscing over good times. We are so glad they are such good friends and we will miss them!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
January 2015
The weather has been so strange this year. For some reason there was a lot of talk that it was going to be this horrendous winter, and it started cold, and snow came. But then it has just warmed up! We got a free ski pass for Weston, once to each ski resort, but because there hasn't been much snow, they have only been able to go twice! I hope they will get a few more times in! Soott was able to take both Aidan and Weston though and they are getting better and better (and they enjoy it).
Scott took the vacation time to do some "improvements" on the house. And he did a marvelous job! Since our lightbulbs are so high and our fire alarm in unreachable, we rented scaffolding so we could change the lightbulbs and battery (we put in a lithium battery which should last 10 years...), we figured we should make it worth the money to rent it, so we put up some decorations on our tall walls. We ended up putting a dividing board and above it put three big boxes (of board) and in each box put a pretty metal decoration. We also put up the same thing on the wall above our dining room. I think it is different, without being strange, and it really helps out our big blank walls... Not so boring. I am so proud that I have such a handy husband.
After a nice and relaxing Christmas break (for me at least...), we had to get back to school. Aidan has been studying the middle ages, and so they got to have a medieval market where they made objects and sold them to each other. He made paper swords and hats. Then they had a feast and got to dress up like a knights, etc. He looked very regal and took the shield that Weston had used years ago for his King Arthur presentation (I love to reuse!). They got to eat chicken on the bone and have some other fun activities. Aidan has also been studying for his AIM (Achievement in Music) test coming up. As the teacher teaches him the theory, I sit at their feet and learn as well. I am loving it and really expanding my knowledge of the hows and whys of piano (I can now tell you what key a song it written in!). He will do marvelous.
Brennan has been studying about the body and can name several bones. He is also becoming a whiz at math and reading. He loves to read nightly and has been reading a lot of Little Critter and Curious George books. Because he read so many books in December and upped his reading level he received the prestigious award in Reading University at the school. It was so fun to see him receive his award. I am proud of his hard work. He is also rocking Karate class and loves to practice with his friend Luke at home.
Elise also practicing Tumbling with Halle and is finally able to do an "arch up" and keep her head off the ground for 10 seconds. She has passed off handstand as well. Of course her big news this month is that she is FIVE YEARS OLD! And it wasn't just one day of celebration, it went on and on. We started with a friend party that may have gotten out of hand... She chose the theme La La Loopsy. Don't know what it is? Neither did I! They are dolls that are "sewn" and have button eyes--really cute actually. So I tried to think of ideas for activities for the girls and settled on felt dolls. It really wasn't that hard, but it did take some trial and error. I cut out a beige colored outline of a doll, and then made a bunch of different dresses that the girls could choose (they got to choose three each). Then I had some ribbon, rickrack, buttons, flowers, etc that they could choose to decorated the dresses. They could also choose hair--several different tops of head in multiple colors and then different add ons to the hair--braids, curls, etc. Every single doll was different. They even got shoes for feet and bows for hair. While I glued everything together, a cute clown entertained them. He is BoBo the Clown and he is a 9 year old that lives nearby. He was so much fun. He made a giant balloon hat for Elise and then made each kid a balloon animal. He did some magic tricks and read them a fun book. He even rode the unicycle for them. So cute and the kids loved it. Then the girls broke a pinata and ate button cupcakes and opened presents. Ah, what a fun day!
We then had a family party for her and went out to eat at Culvers. I made a giant cookie (which was divine if you want the recipe or just google "swig cookie recipe", but I add almond flavoring). Norma and Elaine joined us and gave her a giant pink unicorn which has quickly become the favorite toy. Mom Daw had come earlier and got her a Barbie car (she loves it... of course!). And she got some cute clothes from me (target sale!) and other fun toys. I can't believe how quickly she grows up, and yet stays the same silly girl.
Scott also had a birthday and mostly he got things to finish the basement (yea, it is getting finished!). But, I also got him a inside grill which will be nice. I would have taken him snowshoeing but I hurt my neck (big surprise) and their isn't much snow in the mountains. It is nice to be the same age as he, if only for a few months.
Weston started reading the Book of Mormon again and wants to finish it (again) by the time he turns twelve. He also has the goal to read the New Testament. He has also been reading the Chronicles of Prydain and loves them. It is fun because his teacher doesn't know about them (??? Can you believe it???) and so he gets to tell his teacher all about them. He has had several papers that he has been working on: Pisces constellation, Russian Religion, and Gerald Ford. He is getting ready to move into Junior High! He also got a kendama (they are all the rage right now) and although it broke after a day, he became very good at it. Hopefully he will replace it soon.
I have been busy with normal everyday life (I think I say that every month). I did get a visit from an "old friend", Karen Gray Rowe. We were friends when I lived at Janets. She is a wonderful friend, and she happens to know Kim and Val as well! She lived in their ward in Germany for awhile. (Small world!) I have signed up to take a class on Health Nutrition, and I am studying piano with Aidan... so we are all trying to improve ourselves! One month down of the year, doing well, I'd say!
Scott took the vacation time to do some "improvements" on the house. And he did a marvelous job! Since our lightbulbs are so high and our fire alarm in unreachable, we rented scaffolding so we could change the lightbulbs and battery (we put in a lithium battery which should last 10 years...), we figured we should make it worth the money to rent it, so we put up some decorations on our tall walls. We ended up putting a dividing board and above it put three big boxes (of board) and in each box put a pretty metal decoration. We also put up the same thing on the wall above our dining room. I think it is different, without being strange, and it really helps out our big blank walls... Not so boring. I am so proud that I have such a handy husband.
After a nice and relaxing Christmas break (for me at least...), we had to get back to school. Aidan has been studying the middle ages, and so they got to have a medieval market where they made objects and sold them to each other. He made paper swords and hats. Then they had a feast and got to dress up like a knights, etc. He looked very regal and took the shield that Weston had used years ago for his King Arthur presentation (I love to reuse!). They got to eat chicken on the bone and have some other fun activities. Aidan has also been studying for his AIM (Achievement in Music) test coming up. As the teacher teaches him the theory, I sit at their feet and learn as well. I am loving it and really expanding my knowledge of the hows and whys of piano (I can now tell you what key a song it written in!). He will do marvelous.
Brennan has been studying about the body and can name several bones. He is also becoming a whiz at math and reading. He loves to read nightly and has been reading a lot of Little Critter and Curious George books. Because he read so many books in December and upped his reading level he received the prestigious award in Reading University at the school. It was so fun to see him receive his award. I am proud of his hard work. He is also rocking Karate class and loves to practice with his friend Luke at home.
Elise also practicing Tumbling with Halle and is finally able to do an "arch up" and keep her head off the ground for 10 seconds. She has passed off handstand as well. Of course her big news this month is that she is FIVE YEARS OLD! And it wasn't just one day of celebration, it went on and on. We started with a friend party that may have gotten out of hand... She chose the theme La La Loopsy. Don't know what it is? Neither did I! They are dolls that are "sewn" and have button eyes--really cute actually. So I tried to think of ideas for activities for the girls and settled on felt dolls. It really wasn't that hard, but it did take some trial and error. I cut out a beige colored outline of a doll, and then made a bunch of different dresses that the girls could choose (they got to choose three each). Then I had some ribbon, rickrack, buttons, flowers, etc that they could choose to decorated the dresses. They could also choose hair--several different tops of head in multiple colors and then different add ons to the hair--braids, curls, etc. Every single doll was different. They even got shoes for feet and bows for hair. While I glued everything together, a cute clown entertained them. He is BoBo the Clown and he is a 9 year old that lives nearby. He was so much fun. He made a giant balloon hat for Elise and then made each kid a balloon animal. He did some magic tricks and read them a fun book. He even rode the unicycle for them. So cute and the kids loved it. Then the girls broke a pinata and ate button cupcakes and opened presents. Ah, what a fun day!
We then had a family party for her and went out to eat at Culvers. I made a giant cookie (which was divine if you want the recipe or just google "swig cookie recipe", but I add almond flavoring). Norma and Elaine joined us and gave her a giant pink unicorn which has quickly become the favorite toy. Mom Daw had come earlier and got her a Barbie car (she loves it... of course!). And she got some cute clothes from me (target sale!) and other fun toys. I can't believe how quickly she grows up, and yet stays the same silly girl.
Scott also had a birthday and mostly he got things to finish the basement (yea, it is getting finished!). But, I also got him a inside grill which will be nice. I would have taken him snowshoeing but I hurt my neck (big surprise) and their isn't much snow in the mountains. It is nice to be the same age as he, if only for a few months.
Weston started reading the Book of Mormon again and wants to finish it (again) by the time he turns twelve. He also has the goal to read the New Testament. He has also been reading the Chronicles of Prydain and loves them. It is fun because his teacher doesn't know about them (??? Can you believe it???) and so he gets to tell his teacher all about them. He has had several papers that he has been working on: Pisces constellation, Russian Religion, and Gerald Ford. He is getting ready to move into Junior High! He also got a kendama (they are all the rage right now) and although it broke after a day, he became very good at it. Hopefully he will replace it soon.
I have been busy with normal everyday life (I think I say that every month). I did get a visit from an "old friend", Karen Gray Rowe. We were friends when I lived at Janets. She is a wonderful friend, and she happens to know Kim and Val as well! She lived in their ward in Germany for awhile. (Small world!) I have signed up to take a class on Health Nutrition, and I am studying piano with Aidan... so we are all trying to improve ourselves! One month down of the year, doing well, I'd say!
December 2014
December is always full of parties and fun. Our ward Christmas party was quite an affair. The theme was The Polar Express. I was given the task of putting the book into power point so we could project it up on the wall while someone read the book. The person in charge did a phenomenal job. She got a humongous train printed--6-8 feet tall and longer than half the gym. Santa even came to visit. The kids loved it.
We started a new tradition called "Giving Gloves". We saw some people outside in the cold without gloves so we went and bought a bunch and then put cute tags on them (thanks so Omi's help) and gave them away to people who looked like they needed them. It was fun to have the kids be looking for people in need and finding ways to help. (Although because of the unusally warm winter, it isn't as successful as we had hoped).
We also had our annual "Christmas Sing-A-Long" with neighbors and friends. It has been a fun way for us to invite people we might not know well and celebrate Christmas in a very sweet and joyful way.
The kids have been busy with all their normal routines, school, activities, etc. It has made the month fly by (with all the other activities in there as well)! And Christmas came quickly. And now the kids are already counting down to the next Christmas! It was especially fun for Elise, she is at the perfect age for this. The kids love to give gifts to each other. They usually make their own gifts, out of paper, etc, and we get to each open several "love" gifts. It makes my heart soar to see them love each other so much.
Weston and Aidan took swimming lessons this month so that Weston could pass off some scout thing. He doesn't love it, but he worked hard. Aidan is trying really hard as well and wants to take a Junior iTri class. He was also the "Virtue Boy" in his class at school and we got to make a fun poster about him and all the kids in his class wrote letters to him.
All of the kids (and Scott and I) finished reading the Book of Mormon before Christmas. We had set the goal to read it back in August and pretty much stayed on target! It is fun to be able to read it the same time as the kids.
Brennan is studying different religions at school and it has been very good for him to realize his relationship to religions. Now he knows he is Christian. It has been difficult to explain that Jews an Christians came from the same line and that there are some Christians who were "Jews"...
My body just doesn't work the same way it used to, and I have to be careful or I hurt my back. Well, a few days before Christmas I hurt my neck and so I decided to go to the doctor to see if he could shoot me with something (I didn't want to be stiff and sore for Christmas). While there, the doctor told me to change into a gown. Elise got so excited, but then when I put on the "hospital" gown and not a "ball gown", she didn't think I looked as pretty as she expected. She is such a funny and fun girl!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!
We started a new tradition called "Giving Gloves". We saw some people outside in the cold without gloves so we went and bought a bunch and then put cute tags on them (thanks so Omi's help) and gave them away to people who looked like they needed them. It was fun to have the kids be looking for people in need and finding ways to help. (Although because of the unusally warm winter, it isn't as successful as we had hoped).
We also had our annual "Christmas Sing-A-Long" with neighbors and friends. It has been a fun way for us to invite people we might not know well and celebrate Christmas in a very sweet and joyful way.
The kids have been busy with all their normal routines, school, activities, etc. It has made the month fly by (with all the other activities in there as well)! And Christmas came quickly. And now the kids are already counting down to the next Christmas! It was especially fun for Elise, she is at the perfect age for this. The kids love to give gifts to each other. They usually make their own gifts, out of paper, etc, and we get to each open several "love" gifts. It makes my heart soar to see them love each other so much.
Weston and Aidan took swimming lessons this month so that Weston could pass off some scout thing. He doesn't love it, but he worked hard. Aidan is trying really hard as well and wants to take a Junior iTri class. He was also the "Virtue Boy" in his class at school and we got to make a fun poster about him and all the kids in his class wrote letters to him.
All of the kids (and Scott and I) finished reading the Book of Mormon before Christmas. We had set the goal to read it back in August and pretty much stayed on target! It is fun to be able to read it the same time as the kids.
Brennan is studying different religions at school and it has been very good for him to realize his relationship to religions. Now he knows he is Christian. It has been difficult to explain that Jews an Christians came from the same line and that there are some Christians who were "Jews"...
My body just doesn't work the same way it used to, and I have to be careful or I hurt my back. Well, a few days before Christmas I hurt my neck and so I decided to go to the doctor to see if he could shoot me with something (I didn't want to be stiff and sore for Christmas). While there, the doctor told me to change into a gown. Elise got so excited, but then when I put on the "hospital" gown and not a "ball gown", she didn't think I looked as pretty as she expected. She is such a funny and fun girl!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
November
Weston was involved in a lot of scout activities this week. He went to his first Pow Wow and was able to get some badges--one was Citizenship and he was able to go to the State Capitol and have a tour. Then he went to a Court of Honor where he received his Tenderfoot and 2nd Class. He and Aidan have been taking swimming lessons so he can finish up the last of his swimming merit badge as well. And, though it is hard to believe, he went to Priesthood Preview. I can't believe he will be turning 12 in 6 months!
Aidan had another piano recital and did a marvelous job. You can view the piece on YouTube. He has been very busy with homework, studying geology in science (yea!) and medieval times in history. He has done so well on his tests. At his school if you get below a B on a test you retake it until you do better. He had three tests this month and was one of a few that didn't have to retake them. In math, he was the ONLY one who didn't have to retake it! I am proud of his hard work. He also sang a little one line solo in the Primary Program. This was the first and last time I would have all four kids in the Primary Program.
Elise has had an unfortunate month. We went to church and she was supposed to give a talk, but she started to act very sick (with a cold), so I told her we were going to go home. She was so mad and wanted to stay and give her talk (threw a fit), so I took her in and had her go up to give her talk. But she chickened out and wouldn't! We took her home to get a much needed nap. With the cold, her mouth and throat were hurting her. Or at least I thought that is what it was, but she kept saying her tooth hurt. I thought it was sinus problems. It was a terrible infection in her tooth! Two teeth actually. They were so bad she had to have them removed (terrible mom for not brushing her teeth better...). She now has some spacers where her teeth were. She did get a note from the tooth fairy urging her to brush her teeth more often and not eat as much candy. And now we use Anti-Cavity mouthwash in our family (I hear it is very helpful).
Brennan's big news is that he is seven! His friend birthday party was a Lego themed party, complete with little chocolate lego men. I made a lego pinata and the kids hit it open and inside were bags of lego shaped candy and lego car kit. Each boy made his car and then we had a race. They also made their own paper lego heads and pinned the head on the lego man. They ate cupcakes with chocolate lego men on them and opened presents. For his family party, I made a little lego cake and some brownies. For presents, he got.... legos! And a beautiful new bike. He is such a fun kid and so good! I am proud of him for what he is growing up to be.
We decided to take a little family getaway into the mountains and went to a nice hotel for a few days. The hotel had a pool. But there was a slight problem. It was outdoors. Why??? We still braved it and the water was actually really warm, but didn't last too long. We did have a hot tub on our balcony, so we used that a few times. I took up all my Christmas projects (neighbor gifts and Christmas cards, etc) to work on as we watched shows. We also attempted sledding, but that was a total bust. We went shopping at the outlets and went out to eat. It was a nice, relaxing trip without many cares.
Thanksgiving was fun at the Daw's. I was in charge of rolls, again. I made 96. We always eat so many of them, this time I wanted to make sure we had enough. We had leftovers.... But, that is fine. This year we divided everything out after so everyone could have leftovers of each thing--turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and rolls. Yippee. I love leftover Thanksgiving Dinner. We played some games and just sat around. It was fun to have a few days off of school and just hang with the kids. Scott's sister Lauren was in town, so we got to spend some time with them. Since everyone was in town, we also did family photos with the whole Daw family. After we went downtown to see the lights at temple square. We also took time to put up all the Christmas decor. And now we are ready for Christmas (right?).
Scott and I are busy with normal life. I am jazzing it up at Jazzercise, helping out at the school, running here and there, and doing family history with Uncle Adam. I wish I had more time to do it--it is getting addicting. Scott is working out a lot (nice weather still to go biking) and working hard. We went on a really fun date with some friends. It was similar to the Amazing Race, but just in downtown Salt Lake. You had to use clues to find things and then go on to the next place. We went with three other couples and made it a race. It was so much fun. See if there is one near you: http://urbanadventurequest.com/
I hope you all have a marvelous Christmas!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
October 2014
I was so lucky to have Omi come to visit for a week to do Family History. We set up again in my living room with all the gear we needed and then got to work. We had scanned in tons of photos before, but we hadn't tagged them. We uploaded them to familysearch.org and then tagged who was in the photo. We did more than 100 photos and 25 documents. And now you may all see them by going to familysearch.org because they are YOUR relatives, too! It was really fun to go over things, hear stories from mom, and feel like I am accomplishing something with family history! Mom and I had a great time as well, Costco shopping and just hanging out.
The next week Bren and Aidan didn't have school so we took the opportunity to go play. We went to the new aquarium and loved it. There is an area that has birds that just fly around the whole area (funny because it is an aquarium... but still fun). Then we went to the curiosity museum and it is such a cool place. There are several different rooms with themes and we didn't get to even half of them. One is like a giant jungle gym--ropes, slides, etc. They spent a lot of time there. Then there is a room with water/wind, etc. We spent time in the outdoor kids garden as well.
Brennan started a Karate class at the local rec center. He is pretty much adorable. He is always showing us his cool kicks and tricks. He has also all of the sudden really taken a great interest in the piano and is mastering his Let's Play Music songs--and even going ahead in the book. Daily I find him tinkering around on the piano. I love his happy face! He got to go on a "date with dad" and he chose a movie (Dolphin Tale 2) and then out to ice cream. He is looking forward to his "date with mom" next month.
Scott also took Weston on a date--they went to a movie as well and out to dinner (we have tons of "free kids meal" coupons from school awards, etc, and are trying to use them all before they expire). He is done with soccer for the season and just did wonderful, of course. He has been doing a lot of writing for school and wrote a book report on the book "Deathwatch" which I made him read. I had read it when I was in 5th grade (actually Mr. Hathaway read it to the class) and I knew Weston would enjoy it. He also had an assignment to cook a meal using three types of cooking methods (convection, conduction and radiation). He made spaghetti noodles (convection), meat and sauce (convection) and garlic toast (radiation).
I took Aidan on a date to Sizzler and then to the curiosity museum to the special Ropes Course. I don't know what I was thinking. I totally freaked out! I did the first walk and then seized up! He freaked out, too, but the worker guy came and helped him. I just sat back and talked with the worker girl (pretending like I was just giving Aidan a chance to master it on his own, but really it was because I was way too scared to go out again!). The worker girl (Jenny) was actually really sweet and I gave her number to my brother in law to ask her out (hopefully he does...). In any case, Aidan and I had a grand time. He is a sweet and special boy.
I took Elise to a cute little princess party at the library. Elsa came and read a story and took photos with the kids. I am so glad to get a lot of use out of that princess dress! And of course that is what she dressed up as for Halloween. Whenever anyone said something about her being a princess, she said, "I'm pink Elsa". At least she wasn't like the 2,000 other blue Elsa's in the neighborhood... ;)
Brennan was the cowboy this year and loved it! He went trick or treating with his friend Luke and Luke's dad. I took Elise and her friend Halle. They both lasted about an hour and of course got more candy than they ever need. These ages are so much fun!
Aidan dressed as a zombie. He went with a bunch of boys (and a dad of one of them) and came back with FIVE POUNDS of candy!! What? And boy he is happy (best Halloween ever!). Weston went with his friends as well dressed as Westley from the Princess Bride. He came up with the idea and it was a perfect idea! He looked great. Time is winding down for him to be able to go trick or treating, so it was fun for him to be able to go with his friends --no parents...
We have been talking about doing this for awhile, but this year we finally made a spook alley. I remember that we had done this when I was a kid and it was so fun, so I told Aidan and Brennan and they recruited some friends to help out. I was the welcome witch--as people came down our outside basement stairs, I would let them in in groups of 2 or 3 and then direct them where to go. We had a bunch of huge cardboard boxes and we made them into a big long tunnel. We added a little flashing light into it and Brennan would reach his hands in one of the cracks and grab the kids as they crawled through. Then, as they came out, we had Luke scaring them with a ghost which was an old bed sheet with a ball for a head. We tied a rope around the neck and then looped that over a pipe in the ceiling. Luke would pull the rope up and down so the ghost was moving around. Aidan was dressed as a zombie hiding in the corner. Sometimes he was in one of those boingy IKEA tunnels and would pop his head out of it. Then the kids would move to the bottom of the inside stairs where we had hung a black sheet in the doorway. Lincoln (backdoor neighbor) was dressed as a scary dude and would pop out of it as they turned the corner and yell "This is the end of it for you" or words to that effect. Then the kids proceeded up the stairs and through a black curtain and onto our garage where they met two beautiful princesses (Elise and Halle) and received a cookie. We had people come anytime in a two hour period (too long... The kids were don't helping after an hour or so...) on the afternoon of Halloween. We probably had 30 kids come, and several went through quite a few times. Although I didn't think it was too scary, there were 4-5 kids that were too scared to go through in the dark, so we would turn on the light for them. I thought it was really fun and cool, and I think the kids really enjoyed it as well.
The next week Bren and Aidan didn't have school so we took the opportunity to go play. We went to the new aquarium and loved it. There is an area that has birds that just fly around the whole area (funny because it is an aquarium... but still fun). Then we went to the curiosity museum and it is such a cool place. There are several different rooms with themes and we didn't get to even half of them. One is like a giant jungle gym--ropes, slides, etc. They spent a lot of time there. Then there is a room with water/wind, etc. We spent time in the outdoor kids garden as well.
Brennan started a Karate class at the local rec center. He is pretty much adorable. He is always showing us his cool kicks and tricks. He has also all of the sudden really taken a great interest in the piano and is mastering his Let's Play Music songs--and even going ahead in the book. Daily I find him tinkering around on the piano. I love his happy face! He got to go on a "date with dad" and he chose a movie (Dolphin Tale 2) and then out to ice cream. He is looking forward to his "date with mom" next month.
Scott also took Weston on a date--they went to a movie as well and out to dinner (we have tons of "free kids meal" coupons from school awards, etc, and are trying to use them all before they expire). He is done with soccer for the season and just did wonderful, of course. He has been doing a lot of writing for school and wrote a book report on the book "Deathwatch" which I made him read. I had read it when I was in 5th grade (actually Mr. Hathaway read it to the class) and I knew Weston would enjoy it. He also had an assignment to cook a meal using three types of cooking methods (convection, conduction and radiation). He made spaghetti noodles (convection), meat and sauce (convection) and garlic toast (radiation).
I took Aidan on a date to Sizzler and then to the curiosity museum to the special Ropes Course. I don't know what I was thinking. I totally freaked out! I did the first walk and then seized up! He freaked out, too, but the worker guy came and helped him. I just sat back and talked with the worker girl (pretending like I was just giving Aidan a chance to master it on his own, but really it was because I was way too scared to go out again!). The worker girl (Jenny) was actually really sweet and I gave her number to my brother in law to ask her out (hopefully he does...). In any case, Aidan and I had a grand time. He is a sweet and special boy.
I took Elise to a cute little princess party at the library. Elsa came and read a story and took photos with the kids. I am so glad to get a lot of use out of that princess dress! And of course that is what she dressed up as for Halloween. Whenever anyone said something about her being a princess, she said, "I'm pink Elsa". At least she wasn't like the 2,000 other blue Elsa's in the neighborhood... ;)
Brennan was the cowboy this year and loved it! He went trick or treating with his friend Luke and Luke's dad. I took Elise and her friend Halle. They both lasted about an hour and of course got more candy than they ever need. These ages are so much fun!
Aidan dressed as a zombie. He went with a bunch of boys (and a dad of one of them) and came back with FIVE POUNDS of candy!! What? And boy he is happy (best Halloween ever!). Weston went with his friends as well dressed as Westley from the Princess Bride. He came up with the idea and it was a perfect idea! He looked great. Time is winding down for him to be able to go trick or treating, so it was fun for him to be able to go with his friends --no parents...
We have been talking about doing this for awhile, but this year we finally made a spook alley. I remember that we had done this when I was a kid and it was so fun, so I told Aidan and Brennan and they recruited some friends to help out. I was the welcome witch--as people came down our outside basement stairs, I would let them in in groups of 2 or 3 and then direct them where to go. We had a bunch of huge cardboard boxes and we made them into a big long tunnel. We added a little flashing light into it and Brennan would reach his hands in one of the cracks and grab the kids as they crawled through. Then, as they came out, we had Luke scaring them with a ghost which was an old bed sheet with a ball for a head. We tied a rope around the neck and then looped that over a pipe in the ceiling. Luke would pull the rope up and down so the ghost was moving around. Aidan was dressed as a zombie hiding in the corner. Sometimes he was in one of those boingy IKEA tunnels and would pop his head out of it. Then the kids would move to the bottom of the inside stairs where we had hung a black sheet in the doorway. Lincoln (backdoor neighbor) was dressed as a scary dude and would pop out of it as they turned the corner and yell "This is the end of it for you" or words to that effect. Then the kids proceeded up the stairs and through a black curtain and onto our garage where they met two beautiful princesses (Elise and Halle) and received a cookie. We had people come anytime in a two hour period (too long... The kids were don't helping after an hour or so...) on the afternoon of Halloween. We probably had 30 kids come, and several went through quite a few times. Although I didn't think it was too scary, there were 4-5 kids that were too scared to go through in the dark, so we would turn on the light for them. I thought it was really fun and cool, and I think the kids really enjoyed it as well.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
September 2014
School is in full swing. Which just means that we are all in a busy schedule. Piano and music lessons, scouts, soccer, and Elise has started tumbling. She takes with her best friend Halle and they are so fun together. Elise has a dancer body, so now she just needs to get stronger. She is so girlie this is something perfect for her. She has been really funny lately--everything is so cute to her and so she kisses cute things. Well, we were in the school restroom and there was a cute little toilet (just her size). Yep, she kissed it. Ew gross. She was licking her flip flop the other day when she dropped some food on it. Hm. Is this helping her boost her immunities or just making her sick? She is wonderful though.
Weston and Aidan are in soccer. Weston is doing great, as always and loves his teammates and coach. He really understands the game and is very athletic (odd, given his DNA). He really is enjoying watching football with his dad and uncles (go Utes). He is such a smart and responsible kid. He also had a job a thon and ran about 2.4 miles in 20 minutes (he will be an amazing runner if he keeps this up).
Aidan's soccer coach is his dad. Yippee. No one would volunteer to coach and if there wasn't a coach, they wouldn't be able to play. So Scott stepped up and is coaching something he doesn't know a whole lot about. But he must be doing something right because the team is doing great. Aidan has really improved and makes a point almost every game. He also attended a Cub-O-Ree and earned so many awards.
Bren decided not to do soccer, but he will be starting Karate in October. He has adjusted well to being in school all day. He lost both his front teeth and has the cutest smile. He is enjoying Let's Play Music, and is really tuning his ears.
We did get to go through the Ogden Temple Open House and that was beautiful. I am glad we get these opportunities so often. My friend Sonya went with the family she is staying with and she really loved it as well. I have loved having her be here with me. I especially love shopping at Walmart with her. It was so nice to have someone to talk to anytime and the kids just adored her. She went to Texas to settle down and she will be missed. But, we plan on visiting her and having her here again.
Disneyland!! Scott's mom loves Disneyland and oddly enough, she has never come with us when we have gone. So, she called me up and basically planned a trip to DL for our family. Since DL is such a busy place, we tried to plan it during a less busy time (btw, there is no "non" busy time there), so we actually pulled the kids out of school to go. We left mid day on a Wednesday and drove all the way until we ran out of gas (almost...) and then filled up and ate, and then went on arriving around 9:30. Our hotel was within close walking distance to DL and was nice enough. Scott's parents and his brother, Cameron arrived as well. We spent the entire first day at DL. Scott's mom knows this park better than anyone and she knows how to work it to our advantage. We would get the fast passes and then go on other rides as we waited for our turn to go. I am not much of a fan of rides... so a lot of the time I would take Elise on other fun but younger rides while the big kids went on their rides. Their favorite rides were Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, and Space Mountain were some of their favorites. I was so proud of all the boys for trying each ride and being so brave--and really they liked them once they tried them!
The second day we spent the day at California Adventure and their favorite rides there were California Screamer, Soaring over California and the River Run. They even went on Tower of Terror (though Aidan wasn't a fan of that...). We stopped for treats about every hour... ate a lot of ice cream, fried foods, sugary foods and lots that were both fried and sugary.
On Saturday, Scott's sister Lauren and her husband and their kids joined us. We went to DL first and ran all the fun rides again and did more rides in CA. It was so much fun, but for me, and Elise, the funnest part was seeing the Princesses! We met Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White (twice), and we met Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Rapunzel. Then we stood in line for 30 minutes to get a Fast Pass in order to meet Ana and Elsa. Then once it was time to go meet them, we stood in line for another 30 minutes. And finally, the moment--we met the much loved princesses. Elise had been dressed in her amazing princess dress that Scott's mom made. Elise wanted to dress like Elsa, but she wears a blue dress. So, we convinced her this is one of Elsa's other dresses and it is pink!!!!!! She looked stunning and acted just like a princess. And of course she got so many comments about how great she looked. Mom Daw is very talented and the dress really is amazing. Elise will wear the dress for Halloween and then it will go in the costume bucket for the next grand daughter.
We all went to dinner at a sports place so the boys could watch the Utah game. After, I took Elise and Brennan and Scott took the big boys and they went on big kid rides while I took the littles a few more kid rides. Our favorite is Mater's Junkyard. We lasted so long and then I took the kids back to the hotel, but Scott and the bigs stayed until almost midnight. They were able to go on Splash Mountain over and over again, just staying on the ride because no one else was there. Sunday morning, we packed up, said our goodbyes, and left. We made it home by evening. Then the next day, back to normal life! But what a way to end September.
Weston and Aidan are in soccer. Weston is doing great, as always and loves his teammates and coach. He really understands the game and is very athletic (odd, given his DNA). He really is enjoying watching football with his dad and uncles (go Utes). He is such a smart and responsible kid. He also had a job a thon and ran about 2.4 miles in 20 minutes (he will be an amazing runner if he keeps this up).
Aidan's soccer coach is his dad. Yippee. No one would volunteer to coach and if there wasn't a coach, they wouldn't be able to play. So Scott stepped up and is coaching something he doesn't know a whole lot about. But he must be doing something right because the team is doing great. Aidan has really improved and makes a point almost every game. He also attended a Cub-O-Ree and earned so many awards.
Bren decided not to do soccer, but he will be starting Karate in October. He has adjusted well to being in school all day. He lost both his front teeth and has the cutest smile. He is enjoying Let's Play Music, and is really tuning his ears.
We did get to go through the Ogden Temple Open House and that was beautiful. I am glad we get these opportunities so often. My friend Sonya went with the family she is staying with and she really loved it as well. I have loved having her be here with me. I especially love shopping at Walmart with her. It was so nice to have someone to talk to anytime and the kids just adored her. She went to Texas to settle down and she will be missed. But, we plan on visiting her and having her here again.
Disneyland!! Scott's mom loves Disneyland and oddly enough, she has never come with us when we have gone. So, she called me up and basically planned a trip to DL for our family. Since DL is such a busy place, we tried to plan it during a less busy time (btw, there is no "non" busy time there), so we actually pulled the kids out of school to go. We left mid day on a Wednesday and drove all the way until we ran out of gas (almost...) and then filled up and ate, and then went on arriving around 9:30. Our hotel was within close walking distance to DL and was nice enough. Scott's parents and his brother, Cameron arrived as well. We spent the entire first day at DL. Scott's mom knows this park better than anyone and she knows how to work it to our advantage. We would get the fast passes and then go on other rides as we waited for our turn to go. I am not much of a fan of rides... so a lot of the time I would take Elise on other fun but younger rides while the big kids went on their rides. Their favorite rides were Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, and Space Mountain were some of their favorites. I was so proud of all the boys for trying each ride and being so brave--and really they liked them once they tried them!
The second day we spent the day at California Adventure and their favorite rides there were California Screamer, Soaring over California and the River Run. They even went on Tower of Terror (though Aidan wasn't a fan of that...). We stopped for treats about every hour... ate a lot of ice cream, fried foods, sugary foods and lots that were both fried and sugary.
On Saturday, Scott's sister Lauren and her husband and their kids joined us. We went to DL first and ran all the fun rides again and did more rides in CA. It was so much fun, but for me, and Elise, the funnest part was seeing the Princesses! We met Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White (twice), and we met Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Rapunzel. Then we stood in line for 30 minutes to get a Fast Pass in order to meet Ana and Elsa. Then once it was time to go meet them, we stood in line for another 30 minutes. And finally, the moment--we met the much loved princesses. Elise had been dressed in her amazing princess dress that Scott's mom made. Elise wanted to dress like Elsa, but she wears a blue dress. So, we convinced her this is one of Elsa's other dresses and it is pink!!!!!! She looked stunning and acted just like a princess. And of course she got so many comments about how great she looked. Mom Daw is very talented and the dress really is amazing. Elise will wear the dress for Halloween and then it will go in the costume bucket for the next grand daughter.
We all went to dinner at a sports place so the boys could watch the Utah game. After, I took Elise and Brennan and Scott took the big boys and they went on big kid rides while I took the littles a few more kid rides. Our favorite is Mater's Junkyard. We lasted so long and then I took the kids back to the hotel, but Scott and the bigs stayed until almost midnight. They were able to go on Splash Mountain over and over again, just staying on the ride because no one else was there. Sunday morning, we packed up, said our goodbyes, and left. We made it home by evening. Then the next day, back to normal life! But what a way to end September.
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