My Elliet

It's the last of the single digits for this little girl. Elliet turned nine in July! I am enjoying her more and more as she grows, even though I am aware that part of these changes include a departure from little kid I have raised all this time. But we literally are walking that in-between. This summer she read Harry Potter 1 & 2 (each in about a week!) and got an expander (she gets her braces next week!! Double Oy). And on the other hand, she still plays stuffed animals with the twins and doing pretend play.
It's a nice phase.
I love this girl.

Happy July Everyone!

Usually my Pottery Barn catalog goes right to the recycling bin so I don't know if this has already been revealed? Most likely. But thanks to the interweb, I came across a post announcing their Halloween goods and and by golly, they're not too shabby.
It really is the best part of the summer when Halloween products start cropping up! :)

July 4th in Provo

We were not planning on a fourth in Provo this year, but due to some last minute scheduling snafu's, our weekend opened up two weeks before. It was a good thing because we had some family events we were able to attend. Scott's close cousins were all in town so there was a last minute Leaver/Hawkins reunion planned on Saturday. It was so fun to reconnect with everyone. Also, my brother Marty (& Jess) had their second baby girl recently so they blessed her on Sunday and we had a big family lunch afterward.
And, of course, amid those fun 'must do's', we played.
We hit the balloon launch early Saturday morning:

The kids "helped" my Dad feed the birds in the Aviary by playing with the food:

Gross. This entertained them for a long time.

We made paper rockets (in my parents beautiful yard! I love UT in the summer):

And launched:

Sunday night we cruised the hopping downtown in the scouts- good times until Marty got pulled over by a grumpy cop. boo!
We also attended the parade with the masses. There was a perfect cloud cover for the first half. That's when it was awesome. Then the sun came out and we kept wondering when it would end. Ha! Gotta love it:

I think my favorite part was the huge march of Star Wars costumed troops and characters. Sweet! High five.

A theater group passed by and my kids got excited for Harry and Ron ("...but where is Hermione?!" was Sadie's distraught comment)

After the parade, we have a customary BBQ with more extended family....in a way. It's my family and my brothers in-laws. And it's so fun. We play and swim and eat and visit. I am glad we do this every year.

That afternoon we packed up and drove home. We arrived in the LV valley as all the evening fireworks were going off. The entire city was puffing sparks- it was cool to see.
So grateful for family, our great country and freedom- we are truly blessed!

More Marionettes

Last year we saw the Fratello Marionettes at our library and it was the coolest thing. Thanks to my good friend who saw the dates for this year, we were able to catch it again & enjoy it with them.
Instead of longer stories, this year they did a bunch of small acts.
This heavily made up opera singer was funny; the higher the notes, the more her bust would shoot out and her accordion skirt would ascend higher and higher until she was almost as tall as the puppeteer.
This next pic was from an act where two penguins were teeter-tottering back and forth and doing flips. Then the really fat penguin walked out and the laughs were hilarious!!! Because we all knew that this would bring trouble. What a joy to hear all those kids perceiving the humor and being fascinated with it all. I love it!

Summer's Here!

I guess it's high time I post an update. As of the last post, school got out that following week, so we have had a busy June so far. Scott and I celebrated our 15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY (!) on June 1st so we celebrated the last days of school with a quick staycay here in town. Soon after, we only had a few days of busy things before heading out of town for a fun family trip.
The youth of our ward was attending the Manti pageant and had room for our family so we tagged along and capped the days before and after with fun.
First off, hours prior to departure, was Sadie's doc apt for her cast (and pins) removal. All healed well and she was so happy to have it off. I took some gnarly pics of what it looked like but I'll spare you that stomach churn.

First stop was the family cabin in Duck Creek, near Brianhead. We spent the night here and left the next morning for Goblin Valley. This place is in the middle of nowhere, and kind of out of the way, but worth the trip. My parents brought us here when we were kids so it was really fun to have ours at the right age to experience themselves.

If you are reading this and haven't seen Galaxy Quest, then you must satisfy this deficiency. It is so funny. At one point they visit a planet and Goblin Valley was the location they filmed it.
"We'd better get out of here before one of those things kills Guy!"
The kids climbed all over. Can you see them? Where's Waldo?




From GValley we drove up to Manti and joined our ward. Such a beautiful evening FULL OF FREAKING MOSQUITOES. Blech. I hate them. I had twelve bites before the night was through. Yes, even with repellent. PRO- it was fun to have the kids see this. CON- if you've seen it before, you never have to see it again. It's identical to what is preserved in your memory so save yourself an evening. :) But we enjoyed it.

Our sleeping situation was pretty awful but we survived (I'll spare you that story) and were ready after breakfast the next day to head to Powell and meet my parents on the houseboat! Woot!
The temps were nice but the water still cold. But what is temperature to kids? They swim in the ocean in the spring so this was no issue.

On Sunday, the temperatures were cooler with some breeze, perfect for my Dads suggestion to go visit Horseshoe Point. What an awesome sight!! I can't believe we hadn't done this before and we'll definitely be back. Amazing! (though nerve wracking with little kids- the drop off is right there)


The next day we took out the speed boat and explored some beaches. Scott got in some surfing and our last stop was this amazing sand dune.

This dune is special, people. We visited Powell many summers in my youth, most of which included trips with our special Larsen cousins. We discovered this dune and had so much fun running up and down. With all the water loss, this has been out of reach for many years. We thought we'd check it out again to see if, perhaps with all the water level increase, it may be accessible again. IT WAS!
White & pristine and waiting for us...it looks easy, yes?

It's NOT. But why climb? Because it's there (...and/or because of the potato chips, oreos and milk duds). All of us made it except Mom (the smart one who stayed in the shady boat).

Running down is the best part anyway. See? the boat is small! We supa-high.

It was a fun few days. Our kids are a blast at this age and I'm loving it. Now we're preparing for another 4th in Provo and are looking forward to all the family events!

My First Century!

I did it! I made a goal this year to ride 100 miles on my bike, a distance that I have not yet tried, and signed up for a ride called Little Red in Logan, UT.
I'd heard of this ride a few years ago but haven't ever been interested because really, who wants to ride a bike all day long? Not me until this year. And I admit that as I trained I wondered why I even set this goal. Being on a bike longer than two hours is hard for me because there are SOOOO many other things I would rather be/could be doing with that time! But I kept reminding myself that some goals take sacrifices so I stuck with it.
Since I was nervous about taking this on, I didn't recruit any friends too heavily and planned on doing it alone. My aunt was participating with her pals, but that was all I knew of until Scott and I were at dinner with some old St. Louis friends of ours (who now live in Vegas) and she was signed up! So I met her Saturday morning and joined her group.
It was a little cold when we started but the day was beautiful so it warmed up nicely.
Since it was a loooong ride, I did not tote my camera so all these pics are from my iphone. Consider them incognito shots from behind enemy lines!
It was gorgeous, flat green farmland everywhere with big blue skies. Lervely!

Here's my friend, Steph. I managed to get a shot of her and forgot to get one of me. Nice. What else is new.

This is one of the earlier feed zones. This event knows how to set you up! Every station was loaded with a great selection of fruit, drinks + supplement powders, sunblock, snacks, etc. The best offering I have yet seen at a cycling event.

More view shots... I took this while riding over my shoulder. Tricksy, eh! That's my red vested back.

This was a beautiful home of some importance because I saw the informative historical display nearby but was not interested enough to walk over and educate myself. Ha! I just thought it looked like Mr. Darcy would come around the corner....in that open white shirt and knee high boots.... Oh... I must need some sugar.

More pretty views...

The ride over all was so much easier than I had anticipated. I did some long training rides at home that were hard and only 60 miles max. I thought for sure I would be suffering so I prepared for the worst. Perhaps that mentality is what saved me some? That or the super flat course. :) Hardly any hills to speak of. I felt so great the last ten miles, I could have ridden 30 more (maybe that was the Motrin talking, though). I know there are MUCH harder century rides out there so this might not actually count to the competitive rider, but for me, I am happy.
Thanks to my family and friends that texted and checked in during the weekend, and most importantly my husband who took over so I could do this! XO!

Stache Your Troubles, Amigos

Let me esplain:
Our ward had a talent show last year that was so much fun (surprise, right? I confess I was) so we participated this year. Well, the kids participated. And since we are so talented at copying dance moves, we chose "Viva Las Vegas" from Just Dance. This is hilarious so we copied the western theme, costumed up the kids and they were a hit.
The next day we were goofing around with the mustache and the kids wanted me to take pics of their funny faces so they could see what they looked like. We giggled so hard it got hot in the room. Here are some of the results. I swear, all you need is a mustache to take the pain out of life.
Pimple? Put on a mustache.
Don't want to make dinner or fold the laundry? Put on a mustache.
Need to fire an employee? Put on a mustache.
You're welcome.

Wounded Wing

Well, here is what last week consisted of. Monday night Sadie was playing on the play ground equipment during Luke's soccer game and "fell" (I think she jumped) off the outside of an enclosed slide. She fell backwards and hyper extended her left elbow, causing a little break.
After seeing the doc on Tuesday, he recommended temporary pins be put in so I took her to surgery on Wednesday. This little girl has been a trooper all the way through. She was back to school on Thursday. The only sad part was post surgery- coming out of anesthesia was hard on this little bird and she cried for over a half hour until things finally subsided. Poor thing.
She has to wear her cast for four weeks and then it comes off & the pins removed.
This is our first hospital visit for our kids. Well, besides Jacob and all his procedures, which I must add I was quite content to be in the hospital this week for a broken arm and not for those previous events long ago. Scott was annoyed about it but I just smiled because it was bound to happen sooner or later with our three!

Hip Hip

Hooray for Earth is a cool band that I really enjoy at the mo.
Hooray for cool, new music that inspires!
Hooray for this interesting video, too.

Hooray For Earth - True Loves from Dovecote Records on Vimeo.

Long Boards and Short Memories

Well it's no surprise that I am getting older and it sucks rocks.
I consider myself as aging gracefully until I acknowledge the huge gap of appropriateness that now exists among things I become interested in. Long boarding is my current example. For some reason lately I have wanted to get one. Mind you, I was never a cool tomboy with a skate board or anything so the urge isn't to relive old glory days (um, I had Barbie roller skates) and I already told you I was so-so at snow boarding. So why? I don't know. I am not interested in doing funky tricks. I just want to gliiiide along on summer evenings and think it would be a fun balancing challenge.
So I started looking at long boards. Most of them are corny with super teen graphics (this is the huge gap I was referring to), but a few of them were pretty cool, nay, dare I say, beautiful. So worth sharing to you because I thought you'd appreesh (Mom, I know you'll get this). My faves were these at the top- by Loyal Dean. Gorgeous wood inlay... so pretty. But not for me because I am entry level- I'll need something I won't be afraid to beat up (Let's face it- I'll probably knock out teeth before the month is out).
I did feel better after I confessed this new mania to my brother, Richard. When I told him I was embarrassed, he said, "Nah, it just shows that you like living!", and that made me smile. I hope that's what it is.


And if you find this post completely worthless, hold your wrinkly horses.
Watch this video and you'll get a taste of what I mean (+ the music is The Dodo's. Bonus!).

Easters

Well, on the heels of a vacation, the motivation for Easter fussing was low. Luckily Grandparents came to the rescue. Before all the family dispersed back to their respective cities, we had a little egg hunt for the kids Saturday morning.
It's great having the cousins enjoy each other as much as they do. The older they get, the more fun they have.
Thanks to all the Leavers for their help and hiding!

Spring Break

We went to Newport again this Spring Break with the Leaver family. All but one sibling was able to come (A/F were greatly missed!). We had a very relaxing time because we really didn't want to do much other than lazy things, as you can see here. :)
-We visited the local farmers market with the kids. This was the first time they realized you could sample food and ate tons of orange samples. Look at those freckled Luke cheeks- how could I say no to that?
-We went to the beach
-We saw cool cars!
-We played Just Dance with cousins

We also went to Legoland. The new Star Wars mini land was open and I couldn't resist sharing a few views of the Endor moon. They had scenes from each film. So awesome. The rides were fun but the lines were long. What else is new during Spring Break.

We took some (windy) family pictures on Sunday and as is customary with serious photos, we had funny faces to make as well. We also happened to run into some old friends from our San Francisco days also vacationing in Newport. What a cool surprise that was!

Twins Birthday

Lookie there! It came and went and I didn't even make a wooplah about it here. I confess that it reflects what happened in real life. I have just not been in the mood to fuss over a big celebration and thank heavens the kids are at an age that they didn't care (or notice). Whew.
We still had the kitchen all decorated that morning and made pancakes with cake sprinkles (Haha! I have to laugh at myself. That is so ghetto, is it not? Me stretching the 'cake' fun with the least amount of effort I can muster!)

When asked what treat they wanted to share with their classes at school, donuts was the choice. Awesome! No baking for moi. They were pleased as punch.

The twins Birthday is also special because they share the same Birthday as their Grandmother, Mimi. We usually celebrate with them so they came over for a little family fun. They are always so generous with the kids, it makes our gifts in return seem kind of boring (Lego's vs. Personalized Postage Machine? Hmmm...)
I think Luke's favorite present was the singing Despicable Me Birthday card. Which I still hear in his bedroom late at night. Agh. Look at these cuties. They are getting so big on me.

I thought I would at least make them the cake of their choice, because that would represent love. Well, I don't love them enough to make a Lego Harry Potter for Luke and a replica of Sadie's current favorite stuffed animal kitty. And I thought, as a compromise, that instead I would make cake pops, something I have never attempted. Then I could sort of make something Lego and a kitty head and have a lot less leftovers. Luckily Luke changed his mind to Batman. Can you see the pictures? They make me laugh. Wow, they were horrid looking. Big, lumpy yellow cake balls with bats and Sadie's poor kitty replicated to a swollen mass... some even slid down the sticks. But this is what I love about 7 year olds.
"Mom! Those are awesome!!"
"Oh, thanks, guys! It's because I love you so much!"
We stuck candles in and sang Happy Bday.


Happy eaters.

Right now I so enjoy these kids. Sadie is such a busy, inquisitive girl. She cannot hold still, loves to play and help and is the child who surprises me with very profound questions. She also has a laugh that dances out like butterflies; so contagious you are compelled to join in.
Luke is such a good kid. I love how he still walks up to kids in the supermarket or park and just says hello & invites them to play. He loves to share fun stories and laugh. He is also my music head. He'll hear one song and pick things up so well. I love sharing music with him and anticipate this will be something we share a lot of together.
What a blessing children are! I learn so much from what they teach me.
Happy Birthday to my sweet twins!xoxoxoxoxoxo