Another big milestone...

We are celebrating another 5 year anniversary today. The most important one of all!! Luke's BFF Ryan was diagnosed 5 years ago today with stage IV Neuroblastoma.

I think that it is safe to say that was the worst day in our lives--we can still hardly comprehend how the Zavaleta's felt.

Ryan had a story with similarities to Rachels...Jill took him into the doctor several times trying to find out why he was so cranky, and having fevers. On the evening of the 15th we had a Christmas party at our house. As Jill and Ernie were leaving the phone rang for them...it was their baby sitter saying that Ryan wouldn't walk or stand...he seemed to be in pain. They rushed home. The next day was a Sunday. Jill was sent by the pediatrician to go down to Texas Children's for some tests. She called to get directions ...after I got off the phone with her I knew Ernie needed to go down and be there too. Sophie and Evan came over for the night--which was a real treat for Rachel and Jonah as they were their BFF's too and they had never had a sleepover.

So after having a tumor removed, 5 rounds of chemo(first started Christmas day I believe), 2 more high dose rounds with bone marrow rescues, 12 radiation sessions and 6 months of accutane...the waiting began. I know it has been hard between each set of scans to wait and pray that nothing would return.

Ryan is the product of a lot of prayers...from all over the world. He is the most amazing kid with the most amazing parents. We learned so much from them as they went through this terrible time. The most Christ-like people we know.

Making a 5 year mark is a big deal! We are so proud of you Ryan for your bravery and determination over the years. You are amazing. And I am always inspired by Jill and Ernie's patience and the love they show those who have such little problems compared to what they have been through.

We miss you so much and the lazy days working in our yards kids running back an forth between houses, movie nights, sitting at the bus stop, drives down to the hospital--and comparing new found faster routes through traffic to TCH. Those were the days! Hope you are celebrating in Chicago!

Welcome little River!!

Jared's sister Angela had her baby on Wednesday. Congrats. He is beautiful. His name is River Carson Spaulding. What a sweet boy.

My apologies...

Jared has expressed some disappointment in the lack of photos with my posts. You want pictures?? You've got pictures!


Our week in photos...

We started the week with a project that puts the paper turkey and tree to shame!! The first graders had a "Teddy Bear Parade". So we had to make a "float" for little Joey Bear. (aka: Tree Hospital) We were instructed to wrap a shoe box with wrapping paper and decorate. Have you ever tried to wrap a shoe box? It's not as easy as it sounds. I aborted that real quick, and found a nice blue box with just a few words on it. We busted out the curling ribbon and wa-la!! The real kicker?? Luke had an appointment with the neurologist Wednesday afternoon, so guess who didn't get to be in the Teddy Bear Parade? (Stop laughing Jen!!)










Jared got to go to Park City from Sunday to Wednesday night for a seminar and a little skiing. We are glad he's back. I watched way too many CSI episodes while he was gone. I'm becoming quite the crime solver.

Seth had his preschool Christmas program. He was so darn cute. Lots of dramatic faces and movements from that boy--not all were supposed to be part of the show. He cracks me up--put him in front of 300 people and he'll dance his little heart out...but if someone at the grocery store acknowledges his presence he hides his face in my legs! Silly boy.


The decorating is complete. I do like my Olive Wood Nativity on our mantle. It looks nice with all the other wood.

Jared and the kids got our tree the other night while I was at a church function. They picked out a nice one. I requested a noble fir this year. I can't take the long needles anymore!

Our tree is a bit of a hodge podge--but we love it. I did get some white glass ornaments this year to try to tie everything together. Every ornament has a story. We started collecting ornaments on trips a while back. It is fun to remember where each came from.

The nicest ornaments on our tree are courtesy of my Aunt Ann who sends the kids beautiful ornaments each year--usually from the Smithsonian. The kids love them. The other nice one's are from our good friends Mike and Sara Olsen who live in D.C. and send us the White House ornament each year. They are so beautiful.

And thanks to the Hoppe's for adding the gifts to put under! We can't wait to open them!!

I just had to share my favorite Christmas thing...my oil burner. It is so cute and smoke comes out the chimney when you burn the oil. My favorite is Peppermint. Jared says it makes the house smell like a dentist office, but I love it--so I just say well open wide!


So the catastrophe of the week?? You know there's always somethin' with me...

My vacuum isn't working and my hair dryer blew up on me the other day. So I have no blowing or sucking powers. You don't realize how important blowing and sucking are until you can't do them.

While Jared was gone, the kids and I drove around the neighborhood to see the lights. A little tradition I had in Houston when Jared travelled a lot and I didn't want to go through the torture of bedtime--I'd just drive around until most of them were asleep--at least whoever was littlest! The kids had fun rating each house. Johnson's--you generously got a 9 from Jonah...it would have been a 10 but the lights on the house were not on. Maybe next time.

PUMP IT UP!

HAPPY 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!

It is so hard to believe that Rachel's been pumping for 5 years. What a blessing it has been to her and our whole family.

When Rachel was 4 her doctor asked if we would be interested in participating in a study they were doing putting kids under 5 on pumps. The purpose of the study was to determine the benefits--if any--on the family and caring for a small child with diabetes. No one had done any research like this before and because we were the star patients at Texas Children's ;) she was asked to be the FIRST of 14 kids.

What an opportunity. The best part about it was that she got to be on a pump for 6 months and if we didn't like it at the end...no commitment. Seeing as the darn things cost upwards of $10,000 not to mention the cost of supplies...we decided we couldn't pass it up. Rachel of course had to give the okay...and although it was scary for her and us to try something new...she decided that being poked in the rear once every 2 or 3 days was a much better deal than 2 or 3 times a day.


Because we were the guinea pigs we went through quite a lot to help them get the whole project started. They would do things and then decide they needed to make a change and start us all over.

One of the things we had to do frequently was have her wear a continuous glucose monitor. A device that takes a blood sugar reading every 5 minutes for up to 72 hours. It was really quite amazing. Jared and I each got a turn wearing one as well...just so Rachel wasn't the only one poked.

The CGM would then show us what her "trends" were and we could use that information to decide how to best program the pump. I can't tell you how many visits to Texas Children's Hospital we had between February 2002 and June 2003 (the guinea pigs took a little longer to get going than they originally thought.)

The hour drive got old quick, but we were so glad to have some of the best doctors and a team of research nurses at our beck and call! They were so great. Oddly the 3 research nurses we worked with were Sue, Susan and Suzanne...we love them so much...

So I'll cut to the chase and tell you what our family got from this whole experience. FREEDOM and PEACE OF MIND...well a little at least. Up until that point it was SOOOO difficult to leave Rachel with anyone...because no one knew how to measure her insulin in the syringes. At the time she was getting sometimes 1/4 units of insulin...which is literally DROPS. If it's not measured the same each time you could easily increase or decrease her dose and have some serious problems. The pump made it possible for us to have other people administer insulin to her. That has made mine and Jared's lives so much better.

With shots you have to give the insulin before you eat. So what do you do when you give your kids a shot and then they decide they aren't hungry, or they don't feel well?? You spend the entire day trying to make up with juice and whatever else you can get in them to keep them from having a hypoglycemic reaction and ending up in the hospital. I remember one time when I couldn't get Rachel to eat or drink anything...I finally had to take her out on the front porch and forcibly pour apple juice in her mouth. She was choking and screaming...we were both crying and a sticky mess when I felt like she had enough in her to sustain her for a bit. It was terrible. With the pump...if you don't feel like eating...then you don't give yourself any insulin. It's also helped in the night when she's low we don't have to wake her up to drink juice at 2 a.m. anymore...we can just shut off her supply for an hour or so.

So...I'm sure you're tired of my ramblings...but I am so grateful for this amazing machine we have to keep our sweet little red-head alive and healthy each day. It certainly makes me appreciate our bodies and how complex and fragile they are. Each time I fill her reservoir I am humbled by the fact that the teaspoon of insulin I put in there is what is keeping her alive for three days until we fill it again. (and a lot of hard work..) What a blessing.

I have to give a shout out to Jill--we couldn't have done it without her. Without complaint she watched Jonah and Luke for every appointment we had. And to Barbara...our favorite school nurse--thanks for your patience and help in figuring it all out!! WE LOVE YOU and miss you!!

Woman of the Year!!

So I just have to brag about our good friend (and kind-0f family member) Michelle who has been nominated for Glamour Magazine's Woman of the year. You can watch her little video at http://www.glamour.com/news/woty/articles/2007/09/michellerodriguez

Michelle and Rolando lived next door to us in California. We miss them and their girls so much--They were the greatest neighbors. Michelle and Ro are both LAPD officers and always had crazy schedules. On occasion they would come over and ask to play with "Baby Rachel". They'd take her to their house for an hour or so--I loved the breaks! I always knew when Ro was home from work because he'd get out of his car and yell, "Baby Rachel!" He loved her and she loved him.

At one point Jared and Michelle commiserated and hooked up her sister Suzanne (who was an Opera singer in Minnesota at the time) with Jared's brother Matt (who was a pediatric oncologist in Michigan)...now they are in Cincinnati with their 4 kids!! So we're all family.

Anyway...I don't know if you can still vote...but I will say that Michelle is one of the most talented and generous people I know. We love you and are proud to know you!

Rachel's poem...

How Can You Make a Difference
By: Rachel Hansen

Have you ever thought, just out of the blue,
that if one person could make a difference it’s you?
And then when you start to think, your hopes slowly begin to sink,
“For what,” you say,” could I ever do to make this world a nicer place too?”
I’ll tell you for one, that you can and you should!
Here are some people that did lots of good…..

Miss Elizabeth Blackwell, wanted to do something big,
not just sit around and sew all day being lazy as a pig.
So she tried to do something different,
and it actually worked out quite nice,
‘cause she became the first woman doctor,
though she had to pay the price.

Neil Alden Armstrong, loved planes from the start,
but when he got put with spaceships he worked with all his heart.
On July 20th, 1969,
Neil and his friend Aldrin, made a record so divine.
For they had set foot, on something no one had before,
the moon, bright and round and white, made every ones hopes soar.

Mr. Fredrick Banting, was interested in a certain disease,
and started thinking about it, this thing called diabetes.
He partnered up with a fellow, (his name was Charles Best,)
and tried to find out what was wrong, and why they were so stressed.
And when he finally figured out what was going wrong,
he told the doctors, helped them out, and the patients got to move on.

Martin Luther King Jr., was tired of being told what to do,
so he planned the “Bus Boycott” and that gave people the cue.
For soon the city was full of protests, and lots of different strikes,
and with that going on Martin Luther gave some advice.
“I have a dream,” he said loud and clear “that we will all be equal!”
And that made a huge difference to lots and lots of people.

So now, dear readers, what will you do?
Will you help the world be a better place too?
You can discover an illness, you can build a machine,
you can go up to Mars, or become a queen.
What ever you do, you’ll help all the while,
and create a new and a better life style.

Not so Jolly...

well, my excitement of dodging the paper turkey was quickly squashed by the paper tree that came home a week ago. Seriously...I do not understand the logic for this project. It was due on Monday. Guess who's loser parent totally forgot about it. That would be Luke. He came home and said he was the only one who didn't have a tree to put up. So I pulled out the glitter and we glittered away so he could take it yesterday. I'm sure it was not as impressive as some. Oh well.

When we left Tomball I though I was leaving the crazy--out do everybody PTO world. Apparently not. I got a note home for Luke's class holiday party GIFT EXCHANGE! It requests a wrapped gift-under $10 for an exchange in the class! $10!!! What?!? I might not be so riled up if it was like $5--or how about let's not do it at all!! I promise that the kids that go to this school will not be going without this Christmas...so why are we giving them even more?? Why not do a sub for Santa for a needy school, or make gifts for each other?? I'm not happy about this one. I'd go get something at the Dollar store, but I'm afraid I'd give some poor child lead poisoning, so I'm hoping I have something in my gift stash.

On a happier note...yesterday we went to watch Rachel perform with the bell choir. It was quite impressive. If I can figure out how to post video I will. She also was informed that her poem she wrote for the Reflections contest will be going to the regional competition. She is excited. I will post the poem.

I had a fun day yesterday. It was my big sister Ann's birthday...we went to lunch together and then later the kids made birthday signs we went and hung on her door for when she got home from work. I hope she had a great day! We love you Annie!

Decking the halls...

So most of our decorations just went back into the boxes...no where to put them. I'm getting anxious to see what our new lights will look like up--no pressure honey! ;)

While we were looking for lights I got a great idea about what we could put on our bushes. I was quite excited as I proposed my plan to Jared--he then reminded me that we have no bushes because I either pruned them down to the nubbins or ripped them right out of the ground. Next years decorating will have to include planting new bushes to be decorated.

Jared is one of those crazies that likes to go out on Black Friday. He was up and at 'em at 4:30 a.m. He got most of our shopping done. I think all that is left is the long list he gave me for himself. Hmmm.

Today was a good day--thanks Jen for having Seth over to play! I caught up on my Oprah's from last week--I want an LG refrigerator!! I got some mulch to finish off the front yard so it looked somewhat "done" (I hated the be bark that was in our flower beds and so I have been removing it and taking to my sister's house in large black bags so I can put in finer mulch! I know--I'm a little nutty.) And I got to talk with 2 friends from Texas...a real treat!

So now Jared is putting the kids to bed...the whining and balls bouncing...and chasing was about to make me have an anxiety attack, so he stepped in. I can hear him singing Christmas Carols to the kids...odds are they are the wrong words.

Feeling old, cold and frustrated...

I found a roster from when I was in the Primary Presidency in our ward in Chicago. There was one particular family that Jared and I were close with. We babysat their 3 little boys while they went on vacation...and then Jared's last semester there--I only had a part time job--so I babysat their 4 year old while the mom volunteered at the school. Charles was such a cutie...he'd constantly proclaim his love for me and desire to marry me when he grew up. He referred to Jared as my "brother"...he was a bit confused. He'd sit on my lap and twirl my hair.


According to my roster...Charles is now 15! I'm guessing he's not interested in me anymore and is probably too big to be sitting on my lap and twirling my hair. His big brothers are 20 and 22. I'm old.


I'm not so sure this moving north was a great idea for my body temp. I am cold. I remember our first winter in Chicago...I have never been so cold. There were times our car would not start until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I had to get rides from my Visiting Teacher to work--she had a garage. We didn't. When we went home to SLC for Christmas it felt so warm to me. Fast forward 12 years spent in California and Texas and I do not like cold. I am enjoying getting to wear sweaters again, but I can already tell this will be a long winter for me.

Jared took the day off yesterday to get some stuff done around the house since we were not home for the long weekend. We went and got lights to put on the new house. Didn't get them up yet though. He got all the decorations out of the attic for me--and it looks like a tornado came through. I've got a lot of work to do. It's a bit frustrating to figure out where to put things. In Houston I had 2 fireplace mantels, an entertainment center, a dining room table and lots of "display" counter space to work with. I don't have those here. So we are trying to figure out how to display all of our memorable nick knacks where they won't be destroyed by little hands. It's frustrating.

Have a great Tuesday!

It's not ONLY Thanksgiving and George Eliott's birthday...

Sarah...it's our 14th Wedding anniversary! Wow. That's a long time for Jared to have had to live with me. To quote my mom, "He's like an old shoe." I'm fairly certain she intends for that to be a compliment. Anyway...I'm feeling pretty lucky and Thankful today for Jared and 4 sweet kids.

So...this morning we started off our Thanksgiving festivities with the Human Race. A 5K turkey trot as one might call it. We came in dead last. I even had to walk the last quarter mile with 1 shoe...I know I'm a trooper. Lest you think I gave my shoe to someone more needy--my toes felt like they were turning black from lack of circulation and I felt certain that it would be wise to give them some blood. The trotters were: My mom, Ann & Travis, Karen & Bill and Rachel & I. Jared stayed home with the boys...and I am glad for that! There were too many crying kiddos on the trail. I'm glad none were mine! There was one dad scolding his 6-year-old saying, "there are thousands of people here and you're the only one crying!" Gee I wonder why??

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!

A new favorite...

The sounds and smells of the holidays are what I love best. I bust out my Christmas music on November 1. I love it!

This year I discovered the holiday line of Method hand wash at Target. My favorites are the Hollyberry (red) and Peppermint Vanilla (silver). They both smell so tasty!

I really like the method hand wash--and other cleaning products because they are not anti-bacterial. I have read a lot about using anti-bacterial products and decided to stop buying them. We like a little bit of bacteria around here.

I was tempted to buy a few of each scent...just in case they don't have it next year...and then remembered the Oprah hoarding show and decided that 1 of each was fine for now.

Have a happy day!

Let it snow!

We woke up to our first snow fall. The squeals were like it was Christmas morning! It didn't take long for Jonah and Luke to start making dares to each other to run across the lawn--with no shoes on mind you--touch the fence and run back. They bet each other a dollar to do it. Both of them did it which means they didn't loose any money, but didn't gain anything except cold wet feet. Boys.

So my theory that is doesn't snow much in Boise doesn't seem to be panning out so well for me. I'm sure glad I finished up my project in the yard yesterday. I guess I really do need to buy a coat...and some gloves...and some shoes without decorative holes in them.

How many 6-year-old boys...

do you know that come home from school and ask for spinach leaves and fat free Italian dressing for a snack. I know 1...quite possibly the only one. I also have an 8-year-old boy who has been on a carrot kick. I wish the good eating would rub off on Seth. He's strictly a waffle and cereal kid.

Tonight Jared and I got to go out--thanks to his mom and dad for watching the kids! It was a much needed break. We went out for a quick bite and then saw Beowulf. It kind of felt like being in a giant cartoon/video game. I'm still not sure about the whole thing. I had forgotten how bloody the whole story was. I read it while on Study Abroad...and quite possibly I didn't understand it well enough to know how bloody it was. Anyway, I wouldn't necessarily rush out to see it--but at the same time--part of me enjoyed it. Interesting story. On my list of things to re-read.

Hope you have a good weekend!

Not missing the turkey project...

My friend's Jen's son brought home the turkey project. It is even the EXACT same xeroxed turkey we had in Houston. She now understands my complaint...and I believe forgot to do the thing anyway...GO JEN! I had a small panic attach the other day when I saw some hanging on the walls at the school...but alas...Luke's teacher gets the award...NO turkey's here!



BUT...lest you think we've been project-less...think again! We got a doozie. But had a good time doing it. The third grade has a tradition of putting together a city. Each class talks about what things they would need in a city and then they each pick one to build. Jonah chose the prison. Maybe it's because we frequently remind him that he may end up there some day...just kidding.





Jonah's prison on the hill...

He and Jared worked hard...my job was on gravel clean up each day. It was an amazing sight to see the whole city complete. I have to say...I will look forward to Luke's turn. Rachel was envious of the attention and time devoted to this project. She pouted and told me that when she had to make a tv for class a couple of years ago all she had was a shoebox, some paper towel rolls and no parental help. I told her that she built more than a tv...she built character.

Jonah's house complete with diving board into the pool and a trampoline.

A little update...

Nothing really exciting is going on around here, so I thought I'd update on Luke.

We finally got in to see his new Neurologist. He is great. We are really excited about the situation. His doctor is the only Pediatric Neurologist in the region...so he's a busy guy.

When we went in the first time he asked us who Luke was being referred from. I told him Dr. Marvin Fishman. His jaw dropped and he said, "I always like getting patients from doctors whose textbooks I own." Dr. Fishman retired after our last visit with him in June, so it was a good time to move on I guess. Anyway, Luke's new doctor seems to think that once we get the medication worked out we'll only have a few more years to deal with the seizures. He even said that Absence Epilepsy is is favorite because it has a happy ending (usually). It is the rarest form of epilepsy (even more rare in boys than girls I've read) so isn't Luke lucky to have drawn this card?! Apparently, though, the earlier it is diagnosed the better chance you have of growing out of it. So that's what we'll hope for.

Luke's last medicine seemed to be working on the seizures, but he has felt like garbage every day for the year he'd been on it. So we've switched to something new. He's feeling great now but having 4+ seizures a day...so...

We'll keep going and see if we can't get this new one to work.

His doctor did ask me to follow up with the CVS issue last year. You may remember that the Pharmacy gave us the wrong medication and overdosed Luke last Halloween. It was a scary and miserable experience. So now I have to find all my notes and make sure they made record of everything like they were supposed to...

Happy Monday to you!

Sweet little baby...

This is my first Ellison niece Sloane and her big brother Noah! So sweet! Noah is 14 months...so Zibbey's got her hands full! We love you!

Welcome little Sloane!!

Rachel is no longer the lone granddaughter on the Ellison side. As of this morning she was joined by Sloane Isabella Ellison--5 lb. 14 oz. I will post a picture as soon as one is made available! Congrats to my brother Dan, Zibbey (who did all the work) and baby Noah...whom I guess we shouldn't refer to as baby anymore...

The candy begging has begun...

I am holding down the fort while Jared and kids peruse the streets for good finds. I'm not sure how we will fare with the candy I bought. We are at the crux of the neighborhood, and one would think we would have the most traffic.

I have been careful as I pass not wanting to over do it and run out, but then a lull comes and I worry that I will be stuck with 5 thousand little packets of sweet tarts...something I don't want to happen either. I bought them because I knew I wouldn't eat them...

So then I start to load kids up and they start to come by the hundreds. It's a vicious cycle.

Jared was a good sport and wore the wig I bought him with the jacket and shirt I got him for youth conference a couple of years ago. Rachel was supposed to be a girl from China, wearing the dress Jared brought her back from Singapore...but today when they went Trick-or-Treating at HP he dress ripped. So she and Jared threw together a football costume. A dream of Jared's I'm sure.

So the night goes on...I'm always surprised at how many (young) parents have their own bag for candy. I think that once you've given birth...you can go buy your own bag of peppermint patties and stash it away where no one can find it like the rest of us do!

Happy Halloween Y'all!!

Star Struck...

It's no secret that Jared and I love the Hollywood scene, so I loved Jane's post and challenge about what star sightings she'd had.

One of the funnest parts of living in L.A. was that a good part of our ward members worked in the entertainment industry...so we felt like we were in "the know". My interest in things Hollywood continued as we moved to Houston and Jill and I would get our mail and sit at the bus stop waiting for the kids. She subscribed to People Magazine and so we kept up on all the latest! And then,of course, there is my friend Kris Smith who knows everything about anything Hollywood and is the first in line to see any Queen Latifa movie. (fyi...Kris is a blond, blue-eyed stay at home mother of 4) So...here are some of my spottings.

Corey Haim--I know you're impressed. When I was in High School I got a phone call one afternoon from my tennis coach...they were filming "License to Drive" in SLC and were doing a scene on the courts at Liberty Park. They called my coach to get a couple of girls to come and play tennis in the back ground. My doubles partner and I rushed down...however, by the time they got to that part the sun had changed and they were shooting from another direction and did not need us. Bummer. We did get Corey Haim's autograph.

One year when we were at the Disney Company Christmas party (which equates to them shutting down the park early and letting employee's families--Disney, ABC and ESPN--in for the night. Oh, and we left with a neat ornament each year!!) I wanted Jared to go on Splash Mountain. I sat with Rachel on the bench at the end waiting for him to come off. After a while a nice gentleman came and sat down next to me. I knew I recognized him, but could not figure out where from. I was sure we went to church with him or something. Then I realized it was Kevin Neelan from Saturday Night Live!

I almost spoke on the phone with Kurt Russell once. I know this is stretching it, but appease me. The summer after we moved to Houston my sister-in-law Kristine and I drove back to L.A. to visit my friends. We stayed with my good friend Dionne who's husband Dennis happens to be Kurt Russell's make-up artist (and Matt Damon and other neat people). So I was in Dionne's kitchen and the phone rang. She was in the garage or something, so I went through that moment of do I answer their phone or not? I finally decided to pick it up just as she walked through the door, so I handed it straight to her. She says, "Hello? Oh, hey Kurt how are ya?" Why could she not have been 5 seconds slower? Curses!

I saw Phil Jackson (Bulls Coach) when my friend Gary was leaving for Helsinki on his mission. They were on the same flight to Chicago...Gary then onto Finland... (btw, Phil was a jerk)

Jared and I saw Magic Johnson in the Red Lion Lobby in SLC once. Jared went up and asked for his autograph and he said, "If I sign yours I have to sign everybody elses..." There was no one else in the lobby.

Jim McMahon was in our congregation in Chicago--well, his wife and kids were. I first met him at a Primary Activity he came to and helped out. He was very nice, and had the cutest kids. He would come to church on occasion (holidays) and, yes, he did wear his sunglasses. I have learned since that he has to wear them because of some eye condition he has. Although it conveniently works with his attitude!

I watched Martina Navratalova warm up for her match at Wimbledon. I was eating strawberries and cream on the lawn!!

There was a girl in our ward in CA who was on Melrose Place or Baywatch...I don't remember her name, but I saw her on occasion.

The BYU centre in London is right across the street from Kensington Palace. I used to run through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park every day...I'm sure this would shock some of you to hear--but I did enjoy running there. One day on my way back to the centre, I was running past the Palace and a big red helicopter started to land. I stopped by the fence to watch. I was the only one there. Then Prince Charles and Princess Diana stepped off the helicopter. She waved to me and they ran off into the Palace. Their helicopter was always coming in late at night with a big search light...it really was quite annoying and we used to joke about complaining to our noisy neighbors!!

While in London, one of the plays we went to see was "Our Town" and had Alan Alda and Robert Sean Leonard in it. We went into the alley afterwards to get autographs. I saw Alan Alda when they opened the door, but he didn't come out. RSL did and I got an autograph and picture.

My last brush with fame was with Gary Sinise. When Jared had already left for Houston and I was still in L.A. with the kids a guy in our ward who is a casting director called me saying they needed a nursing mother for an extra in the movie "Imposter". I was assured I would be covered and sitting in a waiting room or something. So Jonah and I headed down one day to be fitted for our wardrobe. It was a futuristic film, so we both had a lot of gray and black and I had these platform boots that made me about 4 inches taller!

The next day we went down for the shooting of the scene. When I got there, I was escorted to our waiting room. Soon after someone came in to tell me that they had made a change in the scene and no longer needed me...they just wanted Jonah. The change was though that they were going to focus in on the breast feeding mother---which was to be a model and my sweet little baby boy.

I told them that I was not comfortable with that. They assured me they would just be "simulating" the breast feeding and that there would be no latching on. I said no. They continued to bully me and told me that the film was already a month behind schedule and that I would be putting them even further behind schedule if I did not let them use Jonah for the scene. I was told that "Gary" was very upset that I was putting them back.

I called Jared and got some emotional support...and then told them no again. The guy told me to think about for a few more minutes and he'd be back. I told him I didn't need a few more minutes...that the money that we were earning for all of this was going to be going into a savings account for my baby boys mission when he turns 19 and he's not going on that mission with money earned from simulating breast feedings!

The guy left...in a huff...and then I left. With our paychecks!! They had to pay us anyway for our time. (Which btw I offered to leave without but legally they had to pay us.) On my way out, Gary Sinese passed me as he was walking back into the building. He is short.

Seth has informed me...

that he does not want to be Spiderman for Halloween anymore. He wants to be "Naked Boy". I've tried to explain that either he or I would be arrested. He doesn't seem to care.

More fun...

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!Saw this on my friend's blog and had to try...

Wasting Time and LOL...

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

A shout out to Carrie!!

It is Carrie's fabulous birthday today! I wish I was there to join in the festivities!! Here are some reasons Carrie is one of the coolest people I know...

1. She has a great family all of whom we miss terribly.
2. She one of the greatest moms I know.
3. She can juggle a lot!
4. She has no guilt...I envy her for this...
5. She loves to run.
6. What you see is what you get. No games with this girl!
7. She goes to bed at 9 and is up by 5. For that she is my hero!
8. I would adopt her daughter Sophie if she would let me.
9. She was Rachel's taxi driver to soccer...never complaining and always trying to help me out.
10. She really is fabulous at forty!

Have a great day Carrie!

For Shauna...

btw...anybody know what a hot chai is??

A bit of a pickle...

My calling in our new congregation is the Activity Days Leader...which translates to--I'm over the 10 & 11 years old girls activities twice a month. It is fun. Yesterday the girls sang in Sacrament Meeting. They did a great job. I had them sing "I am a Child of God" including the descant on the 3rd verse and the 4th verse that is in the Children's Songbook.

So...Rachel and I had to be to church early for one last practice. Jared was left in charge of the boys. (I can hear many of you saying "oh no") So just as the meeting was starting Jared and the boys make it in and are squeezing themselves down our row. Luke passes me and I smell vinegar. Jared squeezes past with a big grin on his face.

I have 2 water bottles in the house for the purpose of flattening the rooster tails that my boys tend to have in the mornings. One is upstairs and one is down.

I also have a bottle of a water/vinegar mixture that I keep in a cupboard with the cleaning and laundry supplies. I have not yet marked the bottle--my bad--but figured that it was pretty safe since I'm the only person who uses that cupboard and my family have watched me get the WATER bottle out of the cupboard above the refrigerator. (We have to keep them up high as the second they are left down water fights ensue...)

I should know after almost 14 years of marriage that the odds are in the favor of Jared locating the hidden vinegar bottle and using it on our children's hair. The Vinegar bottle is now properly marked and stowed.

This is why I have not been posting much lately...

Seth is a computer HOG! We are going to get a little computer desk so the kids can have a computer upstairs to play games on...no Internet upstairs though...exercising parental controls! ;)

I will say for a 3-year-old he's quite impressive on the computer. He knows what to click on to get the Internet up and then I finally made him a folder with Nick Jr. on it because I was tired of being screamed at to come and help...

So he just gets himself moving along and plays his Nick Jr. favorites. I need to monitor his time though, I'm certain we are exceeding recommended computer time...but he's not watching any t.v...

Off for a busy day. Oh yeah...we finally got some office furniture!! I will post a picture when I get it all arranged.

Getting some things off my chest...

First of all...are these not the cutest decorations!! I have to say they look pretty darn cute on our front porch. The best part is that they didn't cost me anything...and I can throw them away and make new ones next year. So no storage issues!


I do have issues with some other things...things you have arguments in your head about as you're driving--kinds of things. I figured I would use my captive audience to lay it out for...feel free to tell me I'm totally off my rocker.


1. I have a problem with Parent/Teacher conferences and field trips for pre-school. I do not like having no school day's in pre-school. I am paying for a safe fun environment for my child so that I can have a few hours for myself. If I wanted to take my son to the petting zoo I would--and I do. As a family we do many fun activities together. AND...I'm guessing that the majority of the kids in the class are right on track. If there are one or two who aren't I would hope the teacher would take a minute to let the parent know there are concerns. Somehow we now have to have PT conferences for 3-year-olds which, to me, just means 2 1/2 less hours I have to run errands this week. I am cranky about this and am considering boycotting the field trip tomorrow. We'll see.


2. I do not like projects sent home to promote family together time...In my opinion (and Carrie's too I know) they are just homework for mom. Never once has our whole family sat down to work on a sparkly turkey for one of the kids. It is just the child and mom. We spend plenty of time each day reading, writing and various other activities...that don't include glue or glitter.


3. Entitlement. This one has been brewing for a week. At the school carnival I manned the jump house for a bit. It was chaotic. Moon jumps are not a great place for big kids and little kids to be at the same time.


So...there was a family who came up and had 3 big kids and one little one. The little one wanted to jump. Her older brother brought her up as the rest of the family sat back and watched. She handed me her 3 tickets and started toward the door to the bouncer. Then the mom, watching carefully, motions for the brother to go in with her. I'm certain she was concerned with her daughter's safety...I would have been too, but...the son did not pay for his turn, and it was clear they had no intention for him to. Now, one might say maybe they couldn't afford more tickets for their son. My response would be...then they shouldn't be shopping at upscale stores (which they obviously did) so they can pay the 75 cents for the PTA fundraiser moon jump! I'm just sayin'...


4. One last thing...trophies. It has taken me 6 years to build up the courage for this one. Why is it that we pay through the nose for our kids to participate in a sporting or dance activity and then at the end of the season spend another $7.50 to pat them on the back for a job well done? I do not understand this.


In Rachel's new room there is a shelf. As we unpacked I realized how many trophies had been purchased purely because of peer pressure. Trophies that she cared NOTHING about. I put up about 5 but she had many other collectibles and pictures of friends that she wants on her shelf so about $60 worth of trophies are now in a box in her closet--waiting to be thrown away at some point.


So when Rachel came home from her game on Saturday with a note from the team mom about the trophies I gave Rachel a choice. I told her I'd get her the trophy if she wanted one--OR--she could take the cash. She agreed that the trophies don't really mean anything to her and so she decided that taking the cash was a pretty good idea.


I emailed the team mom to tell her not to order a trophy for Rachel. She replied back and said she wouldn't...then a few hours later I got another email from her telling us how great she thought Rachel was and what a hard worker she was on the team and asked if we would be offended if she "purchased a trophy for Rachel to recognize her efforts."

It made me laugh. At first I thought--Hey free trophy--just kidding... I emailed this kind woman back explaining that Rachel had made the choice to take the cash rather than the trophy and thanked her for her kind words. I'm sure she and whomever else she's told either think we are horrible parents for making our child be the only one on the team to not receive a piece of junk soccer trophy--or they are really feeling bad for our sad financial situation and we will be the recipients of a fabulous "Sub for Santa" this year!


I don't know...maybe it is because I never received a trophy in all my days of dance and tennis and I'm just disgruntled and taking it out on my 10-year-old. She'll get over it right?

Wait...I do have a ribbon from my first place in the stick pull at our Stake Track meet when I was about 13...AND...was a member of my high school Drill Team--which got 1st place at the National Competition my Senior year--GO ACCADIANS!!

I'm never taking Seth to Vegas...

We discovered today that Seth is pre-disposed to having a gambling problem. The kids and I went to see the Capital and then to the Idaho State Museum. It was a lot of fun. In one area of the museum they had an old slot machine that you could put dimes in to play...no winnings, the money all goes to support the museum. So about $1.20 later...and no more dimes...Seth is screaming in a ball on the floor "I want to play more! I need more money!" There was no one else on this floor in the museum (we actually only saw about 5 other people there) so the kids and I left him to scream and perused the section about Lewis and Clark. Rachel was dutifully taking notes on everything, and the boys trying to find guns.

Seth finally joined us, but proceeded to whine and ask for more "monies" and tell me he wanted to go back upstairs. We did not...we finished up the museum and then headed across the parking lot to a rose garden. It was a nice day.

Today Rachel has 2 soccer games. Jared is taking both of them. It is General Conference weekend which means, TV church. There's nothing better than being spiritually uplifted in the comfort of sweats and your own home.

I must go...I hear Jonah telling Luke "I'm not going to feel sorry for you when you're blind. It's your own fault."

Have a good day.

I love it when my kids fight...

over who's turn it is to vacuum! After we came to an agreement over who "GOT" to vacuum the kitchen floor and who did the carpet...I overheard Jonah saying, "I love that sound". The sound is that of crumbs and such being sucked up the tube. Rachel agreed that she loved it too. They are my children. This is proof.

The kids were out of school yesterday and today. Today I promised a field trip of sorts. One of Jonah's cub scout requirements is to go to a museum with your family, so I think that's what we'll do. We also need to do some more Halloween decorating.

Seth has joined Luke in his frequency in our bed at night. I was up for about 2 hours taking boys back into their room and getting them settled. Inevitably they'd come right back in. I finally told Luke he is no longer allowed in our bed at night. Afternoon "snuggles" are okay, but no nighttime visits. He was sad, but agreed and didn't come back. We need to find a sectional for the family room so we can move a couch into our room for visitors. Jared will be happy that I'm now on board with that. I need more sleep.

I was watching the news last night as I was doing some more unpacking/re-packing. The sports was on and I had to laugh as they announced the "dress code" for the Boise State game this weekend. He told which sections were orange and which sections were blue. I should have saved all my Brighton Bengal gear...oh well.

It is crazy at what fanatics these people are. When I did my art time in Luke's class I asked the kids what their favorite colors were. Over half the kids said either "blue and orange" or "Bronco's colors". Totally brainwashed. But then so are our children. If you ask Seth what BYU spells he says, "COUGARS!"

We made it!!!

Two weeks ago our Bishop told the congregation that in 1 week (a week ago Sunday) he was going to ask us all to go for one week without going to the grocery store or any eating establishments. We had one week to prepare.

So last Sunday he did ask us to try to live on what we had in our homes...it really was more like 8 1/2 days because Sunday to Sunday and then part of Monday until you can get to the store--following me???

We made it and had a great week. I had to be creative a couple of times like blending up diced tomatoes so they were crushed because I forgot to buy the crushed ones...but no big inconveniences. So yesterday in church he suggested that we should all evaluate what our week was like and make adjustments to our preparedness plans "in the event that in like six months we do the same thing without warning."

It was fun. I wish I would have had the kids in on it more. I don't think they realized what was going on much since I got everything we needed for the week. We even had 2 gallons of milk left. That's what I worried about the most. Unfortunately on Saturday I realized that our fridge in the garage was not cooling properly. So, we lost some stuff...including our 2 remaining gallons of milk and about $12 of chicken. Bummer.

So now I'm on a quest to get our supply up to speed after the move...we left a lot of our storage behind. Off to get some potato pearls!!

What's the Sitch?

Many people know that my 2nd favorite red head is Kim Possible...or KP as we affectionately call her around here. If you have not taken the opportunity to watch the show...I highly recommend it. It's on Disney channel...daily. Check your local listings.

Sadly KP has been listed as "ended". The last 2 episodes aired on September 7...Kim's graduation. I'm holding onto the hope that this is mis-information. Once before it was listed as "ended", but was on a two-year hold.

The fantastic thing is...well, for me--you'll probably just think I'm crazy...I have successfully taped all 88 episodes. And today I finished burning the last 5 onto DVD.

I am complete.

Another Windy City...

Who knew it was so windy in Idaho?? I didn't. Last night a cold front came in and it is CHILLY!

The school carnival was also last night, so they had to move it indoors. It was not only cold but sprinkling. I think those who have not lived in Texas would had said it was "raining" but it was not. Just a nice sprinkle. To us Texans rain is a torrential down pour.

It was a nice "Fall Festival". Jared was telling his parents they have it every year--which is true I guess...the ONE fall the school has been open has now had a fall festival. The kids had a good time. It was not the most exciting carnival, but what do you do when you are starting from scratch and have a budget of nothing. I hope they did well and were able to raise some funds. It was well attended. In fact I was happy to see MANY families from our ward who do not have kids in school yet, but brought their little ones and supported the community school.

Seth was getting into the games. You could play games and win either candy or tickets to go redeem for prizes. Seth wanted to play "Plinko". They handed him the metal washers to send down the board. Being the "Type A" kid that he is (comes from me) he carefully hung each washer on a nail in a nice arrangement. Everyone in line got a good laugh. I helped him take them off and showed him how to play. He sent all 4 washers down and got ZERO every time. The guy running the game said, "I have never had anyone get all zero's! " So he gave Seth 4 tickets for setting a new record! Rachel and I headed out a little early after my volunteering was done...remind me not to sign up for the moon jump shift again. Way too stressful. I did enjoy doing hair art...and Jared let his creative juices flow at the face painting booth. When we got in the car I asked her if she had a good time. She said, "It was boring". I asked her why she didn't run around with anyone from her class...then the floodgates opened...I'm sure you can imagine the tears and sobbing about how she'd rather be at a carnival in Texas with Sophie...she's still having a rough time and missing her good friends.

Soccer has started...a few weeks ago. It was FREEZING this morning and so after about 20 minutes, the boys and I went home. The cold wind was just unbearable. To paint the picture for you...this was the first time since Seth was a newborn that he has sat on my lap for more than a few minutes. He was in a ball under a blanket. Jared's mom even commented on the fact that she'd never seen him so still.

Rachel is loving that she has a cheering section now at her games. Jared's parents have come just about every week. It is great. And today...after I left...Rachel scored a goal. Go Rachie!

Here is a picture of Rachel and her friend from church.

I've got to get my fall planting done before it gets too much colder. I don't like the bark in my flower beds, so I'm bagging it all up and donating it to my sister. I can't wait to plant some bulbs for the spring. I love spring tulips. I tried several times in Houston...I got 3 once, but that was it. I did get some paper whites to grow...only got flowers for a couple of years though and then it was just the green parts. My crocus did grow every year. So finally we'll get some new things to try.

We do not have Art teachers in Idaho...so Jared and I have signed up to be the "Art Parents" in Jonah's class and I am doing it in Luke's as well. Basically it means we are the art teachers. I'm excited. We get to come up with our own curriculum and activities/projects. Should be fun. Too bad there are no real supplies. (Again...no PTA money yet to give to the program) so we'll have to be creative. We do have 2 gallons of each color of paint for the WHOLE school, unlimited paper, and some graphite pencils. So...wish us luck.

Off to get the Saturday clean-up done. Enjoy your weekend!

Stuck in the 90's...

I feel as if I've been in a steel bunker shielded from any musical progress for the last decade. Having wee ones in the car and at home all day I find it has stifled my own musical development. Last night I downloaded the Cha Cha Slide for Seth. He loves to dance and I figured that the CCS would keep him busy for a while. It has. He loves it and wants to do it over and over again. I will tape him and post soon.

While I was perusing iTunes I realized how really out of it I am. I listened to some of the things Jared has downloaded and discovered that I really like Nickleback. I recognized all of the songs that he had, but would not have known who sang them to save my life.

So...I am asking you to bring me up to speed. We have about 10 years to catch up on. There are way too many artists out there on iTunes, so I need to have it narrowed down for me.

Just so you know I'm good on recent show tunes...we have Wicked and other musicals down to a perfection...that would be all of us...even my 8, 6 & 3 year old boys. They are totally going to get beat up...

A whole new world...

I've been messing around with my template and such...so let me know if somethin's amiss...(thanks Karlye for giving me a heads up already).

Way back when I started this darn thing...there was not much to it. No options per say. Anywho...When Carrie and I tried our first (well, her first my only...) banners I tried to do a switch over to blogger beta or something but it never took. I finally figured out today what my problem was and got it fixed up. And HOORAY!!! Now I can see how all ya'll do the fancy things you do. The reason I never changed my banner was because the whole html thing gave me a headache...but now it's a breeze.

Of course I've got to figure out how to compose a new one. But be patient. I've got plenty of time on my hands...and the sky's the limit...

Happy Blogger Birthday!!

One year ago today I got over my technological insecurities and jumped on the blogging bandwagon. I'm so glad I did. It has been great fun keeping in touch with friends near and far. (Mostly far now--I only have 1 "near" friend--thanks Jen (; )

So 240 posts later...we have our first, sort of, history of the chaos that comes with our home. Now I have proof of why I am going crazy.

A few days ago I slurped my blog...I am almost done editing it and then I will publish it--I'm sure you're all DYING to get the first copies. Sorry--only 1 will be printed. For me and my posterity.

My siblings and I published a book of memories for my parents for their anniversary and it arrived yesterday. It's in SLC so I haven't seen it yet, but the word on the street is that it is BEAUTIFUL! I highly recommend it. It was quick and easy...and pretty cheap. A great gift idea for parents who don't "need" anything. I'll post pictures when Karen arrives with my copy on Thursday night!

Speaking of which...Karen is coming for the weekend. It's all the buzz around here. We can hardly wait!!

Popular

I am quite popular...in my house that is. Currently (it does change at times) I am the chosen parent for ALL the needy people around here. Particularly Seth. He refuses to let Jared do anything for him. He wants me...and I foolishly comply because I cannot stand the whining--which I do realize will only turn into big person whining if I don't nip it in the bud right now.

I've told you of our night time visits from Luke--EVERY night for the past 3 years. Well now I have 2 visitors. Seth has followed suit. Only Seth starts shouting out demands like, "put the red blanket on me. I want the blue blanket a square!!" (I am fully prepared for his wife to be angry with me...) Luke, on the other hand just wants to snuggle. I can handle that.

So last night I found myself sleeping on the floor next to Seth to get him out of my be. It was not comfy--and it only lasted a couple of hours and he was right back in bed with Jared and me and Luke. We could have been filmed for a Cingular commercial. We looked like the bars on my phone.

So off I go to serve my little people...waiting and hoping to relinquish my post at anytime. Hopefully sooner than later. To you and yours--have a great day!

On 4 way stops and being at home with a 3-year-old

There are about 56 kazillion 4-way stops around here. It's quite irritating. Not because I don't appreciate a good 4-way stop, but because no one seems to understand the rules around them and how to keep them running smoothly.

Here are the rules to 4-way stops in case you were wondering or would be categorized as "4-way stop challenged".

1. Whichever vehicle stops first has priority.


2. If two vehicles stop at the same time, priority is given to the vehicle on the right.


3. If three vehicles stop at the same time, priority is given to the two vehicles going in opposite directions.

So now you know. On to other things.

Many of you can relate to the joys of being at home with a 3-year-old. I have to say...Seth and I are starting to enjoy each others company again. I think for all my kids this happened about when they turned 3. It was a milestone that meant finally being able to take them (some) places again.

Places I WILL NOT take a 3-year-old are department stores and the like. Too many rounders of clothes to hide in. Way too stressful. When Rachel was little--if I HAD to take her to a department store--I would get a helium balloon for her and tie it to her wrist. That way she could explore and I always knew where she was. We were both happy. The boys would scream if I tied a balloon to them, so we had to abort the practice.

Anyway, my days are fun with Seth right now. I would be lying if I said I didn't daydream about his preschool in Houston--Tuesday's and Thursday's from 9-2:30. What a joy. But I am happy with my Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-3. At least I can get a little reprieve. I'm just going to have to work out other things for volunteering at the school. Although after last year, I think I'll ease my way in. I need a break.

One last thing on Seth. Many of you are aware of his undying love for the Alphabet. It's still going strong. Often he likes to try to make letters with his body. Well, today he said, "Mom, look what I can do. I'm an 'A'!" and then he proceeded to pull his underpants down to about his knees with his legs stretched out.

And yes in deed he was an 'A'. I just hope he doesn't try to show his class that trick during his "share time" at pre-school today.

Have a happy Thursday.

Brain Test

Luke had another "Brain Test" (EEG) this morning. When he was saying the prayer at breakfast he said, "Please bless that I can do good on my brain test..." and thus he did. He was a trooper--of course he got to watch cartoons while the girl hooked him up. The test took about 30 minutes. For the first part he had to hyperventilate for 3 minutes to try to induce a seizure.

He had a pretty good one--which is good so it is documented and they cannot tell me I am crazy. The second part of the test he just sleeps, and then to finish up they put a strobe light right in front of his eyes--with his eyes shut--and flash lights. He slept through it...I felt like dancin'!

We have an appointment with his new doctor in a couple of weeks, so we'll see what the test showed and where we're at.

It was a much different experience than Texas Children's. We were in and out in an hour. PLUS...I figure we'll be saving about $200 a year on parking--in Boise it's free!--however, we will be spending at least twice that to haul Rachel down to SLC for her appointments.

Just a note from my soapbox: Today I was informed that while my kids are in Elementary School it isn't a big problem to have them gone for appointments like the one that Luke had this morning. HOWEVER, and I quote, "when they get into Jr. High and High School it is a BIG problem." I guess we really should have looked into that before we got some kids with Diabetes and Epilepsy. Oops! Next time I'll be more careful as to not upset the dignitaries in our school district.

Reply to Carrie's comment on previous post...

The first thing Rachel said was, "Where's YOUR name?!?"

Look what I made!

I'm hoping that it's cuteness will motivate kids to do some work around here. I'm fully prepared for it all to wear off in a few weeks, but it will look cute on my wall LONG after that!

Rachel has her first soccer game tomorrow. The weather has been perfect for some fall soccer. I'm loving it! School is going pretty well. Rachel's had a rough week with some bad blood sugars and trying to fit in...

The nursing situation is getting worked out. We had a BAD first week. BUT...after a straightforward, but kind email to the principal we got it all worked out--as best we can. There will be a nurse at the school every morning until 12:30 (assuming there's not a catastrophie somewhere else or the nurse is sick...) --and then Monday and Friday afternoons there will also be a nurse (again assuming the planets are alligned). So it's just Tuesday-Thursday afternoons that there is no one. So the office staff will be trained to help, and I guess I will just have to stick around or make sure Jared is on call. The only conflict is that Seth is in preschool Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, but how far can you venture in a short 2 1/2 hours?? Not far enough!!

Seth loves pre-school. There are some high maintance kids in his class, but he is having fun despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth. I am making MAJOR progress on my bedroom! Things are lookin' good.

Have a great weekend.

It starts so young...

I'm trying to get some unpacking done--not from our weekend, but from the move--so I decided to turn on a movie for Seth to keep him occupied for a bit. I asked him what movie he wanted and he picked "Elmo in Grouchland". And then he said (moving his hips around) I like the lady dancing.

The "Lady" is Vanessa Williams. I remember when I took Rachel to see it in the theatre when if first came out and thinking that they'd put something in for the Dad's. Jonah seemed to like that part when he was little too!

I'm going to have to keep an eye on these boys!

The Chupacabra

I'm sure you've all hear the buzz about a possible Chupacabra finding. I would post a picture, but I couldn't find one that wouldn't give me nightmares.

Speaking of nightmares...after all the Chupacabra talk at dinner last night...when I went to bed last night there was a little breeze, which was nice until the rustling started. Then my imagination started going which got worse when the outside spotlights with motion detectors on them went on. Thoughts of a pack of chupacabra's waiting to attack my family caused some discomfort. But, I eventually fell asleep and everyone is well this morning.

Happy Labor Day!

Surprise!!

It has been a chaotic few weeks, but it all paid off! My parents will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary next Saturday, so...we decided to throw them a little surprise party. I know you don't usually do a party for the 40th, but we thought there is no time like the present and it's always fun to see family and friends you don't get to often enough.

We took them to dinner and then when we got home the guests started to arrive. It was lots of fun. I always love seeing my parent's aunts an uncles. There aren't very many around anymore, so it's great to see the ones that are. My Grandma Sloan's sister, Elaine, came and she is always fun to see because she looks and acts so much like my grandma. It's like being with her again. She is 80 and looks like she's about 60. She is a bundle of energy, and beautiful too, just like all her sisters--and their posterity ;) !

Mom and Dad were surprised. We put together a great book with family pictures and memories that the kids all wrote up. It was great! Jared was on cloud nine from the BYU game. So everyone was happy.

Sarah watched the kids while we went to dinner and set up the tables and stuff. She was part of a funny little conversation...

Luke: I think when I grow up I want to be famous.

Sarah: Well, what are you going to be famous for?

Luke: I think I'll have a BYU football team.

Jonah: Luke, you can't do that they already have one.

Luke: Well, I'll call mine the Golden Eagles.

Jonah: Luke there's already a team that is the Eagles.

Luke: Well, then maybe I'll be a professional football player.

Sarah: That would be great.

Luke: My dad was a professional football player.

Jonah: Really?!?

Luke: I think so...

So obviously Jared's bedtime stories are getting a little out of hand. But if anyone wants an autograph...

Happy Birthday to us...

We've had 2 days of some FABULOUS celebration. Jared's birthday was Thursday and mine was Friday. We are officially getting old I think. Jared particularly. He has crossed the great divide--well kind of.

Last night my sister Karen and her husband Bill offered to watch the kids so that Jared and I could go to dinner and a movie. It was great. We went to the Market street grill for dinner (YUM!) and then to see "The Bourne Ultimatum". I know you've all seen it and we are WAY behind, but we've been re-locating and this is the first date we've had in months!

The movie was great. Jared had grin from ear to ear the entire time. His kind of flick. Mine, too, actually. I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than "The Bourne Supremacy" because for that one we were on the second row and by the end I thought I was going to throw up. Love the creative "no tri-pod" filming unless it feels like I'm in the car during the car chase--then not so much love.

Karen, Bill and my Mom and Dad took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. They were in heaven! (the kids that is) They came home with all sorts of goodies. This morning Seth woke up and looked at me and said, "I had Pizza, and I put the ball in the 1 and the 2 and I got tickets!"

Tonight we are taking my parents out for dinner for their 40th Wedding Anniversary, which is actually on the 8th. But...this weekend worked best for Ann and Travis and my little fam to come down. Dan and his crew couldn't make it--we miss you!!

Off for swimming and more partying today!!

Happy birthday to the many others who share our days!! And and a shout out to Evan Zavaleta who is 8 today! Way to go bud! We miss you!

The Baconater...

We drove through Wendy's last night to grab something to eat on our way to Utah. Jonah and Luke insisted on getting "The Baconater"--a 1/2 pound burger with about 6 strips of bacon on it. They both enjoyed there meal--until about 2 a.m. when Luke's "Baconater" started coming back up... Yuck! He was a trooper and is feeling better. I don't think it was the burger, I think he was already not feeling quite right, but the burger didn't help. All is well now.

I discovered a nail in one of my tires, so I ran off to Wal-Mart to get it repaired. I sauntered through the store for and hour as I waited for it to be fixed. When my hour was up I paid for my items and started to walk back over to the auto place. I hear the screeching of tires, so I look to see what's going on only to see MY suburban doing donuts in the parking lot! I watch this guy go around and around in circles, and then speed off back over to the garage.

When I got there he was fiddling with the lug nuts on the wheels, so I figured he was fixing the squeaks and not joy riding in a 9 passenger vehicle in the parking lot at Wal-Mart. It did make me laugh...

I went inside to get my keys and check out. There was a man in paying for the new tires he had put on his sons car. The tire guy--complete with several piercings and tattoos, and a little rough around the edges--came in to hand the man his keys. The man says to him with his hand held out: "What is your name?"

The tire guy: "Mike."

The customer: (peering deep into Mike's soul) "Mike, Thank You for fixing my sons tires. My son is very precious to me and I want you to know how much I appreciate your work on his car."

Tire guy: (looking VERY uncomfortable at this point--along with me and the sales guy) "Uh, it's okay..."

Mr. Touchy Feely: "No, Mike (still holding onto Mike's hand) I REALLY want you to know how much my son means to me and you never know what is going to happen and I just feel SO much better having these new tires on his car."

Tire Guy: "Yeah, stuff can happen. He'll be okay now..."

Mike then prys his hand from the other man's and scurries off...

I got my keys--no charge--and went to get my car. Apparently Wal-Mart employs Hobbits or little Trolls to do all their tire work because my seat was all the way forward. My knees were in my throat.

But...it's all fixed, and Mike feels appreciated, so it's a good day.