Melanie's Mental Meanderings

Grandma has stinky feet!

2008-12-30T19:15:00.003-07:00

We got our Wall family portraits on Saturday! Good thing my mom's on top of things, because it's been a long time since my kids have been to a portrait studio! Above is Elise and her cousin Owen...they are best buds and so cute together!

I don't know why this is flipped, but my three adorable kids look great at any angle!

All the Wall grandkids.

It's a miracle we got everyone with their eyes open, smiling and looking at the camera! Of course Elise insisted on standing next to Owen.

Isn't she an angel? Poor girl...this is the first time since she was 4 months old that she's had her portraits taken professionally!

Forget Miss Rodeo America...

2008-12-19T09:05:00.002-07:00

Yeah, cowgirl has been pushed to the back burner of life aspirations. I've decided I'm meant to be an Irish dancer!!! Holy cow!!!!!! I went to Lord of the Dance last night........it was the COOLEST thing ever!!! I wish I could dance like that!!! I don't know, there's just something about the style and the music that makes Irish dance so fun to watch! I love Celtic music, that probably has something to do with it.

And I owe my mom tons for getting me a ticket (THANKS MOM!). So the story is...I saw a couple of months ago that the show was coming to Boise for one night, and decided that I wanted a ticket for Christmas. And then life happened and I kind of forgot about pursuing getting a ticket. And a couple of weeks ago I realized it probably wasn't going to happen and resigned myself to it. And then just last week my mom out of the blue asked if I wanted to go, that she would get me two tickets. But unfortunately at that point, they were all sold out. Well, persistence pays off, and she managed to find a single ticket for sale on Craig's list, and she got it for me!!

Oh man, the show was so good! I didn't plan my time very well and was running late, but the traffic light gods were smiling on me. After a hasty park job in a parking garage that I wasn't sure if I was supposed to pay at (does anyone know if you are supposed to pay at that garage by the Morrison Center?), I ran all the way to my seat and made it right as the doors were shutting. I only had to crawl over 10 people in the dark and only landed on one lady's leg. Ah, but once seated, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, feet tapping, a huge grin on my face. I was practically dancing along in my seat! :) Okay, so I'm a big nerd...good thing I was there by myself so no one could make fun of me.

Here are some links to some awesome parts of the show (and whoa, Michael Flatley is AMAZING! ...unfortunately he doesn't perform in the shows anymore. But you can enjoy him on YouTube):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQmBHHvmrD4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmdiPKmji60&feature=related (I love this song! The music is amazing!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxTTjJtXDA

Almond-flavored stew?

2008-12-05T20:40:00.003-07:00

Oh man, back to my little angel...hell's angel that is...okay, not that bad. But as I was making dinner tonight, Elise was sitting on the counter "helping" me stir the stew. When I started putting some spices in, she started rummaging through the spice cupboard herself and pulling things out saying, "this one!" After telling her no, that this was mommy's job, I turn my back for a second and turn back to find her dumping the rest of my almond extract bottle into the stew! I screamed, got mad, stared in disbelief and disappointment, then turned to find my crying, dejected three-year-old (no longer on the counter as I had removed her to the floor) standing in a puddle of pee, covering her eyes from the shame of her wrong-doings! Oh man, I'm laughing about it now, she was so cute and so sad... But don't worry, after cleaning up her pee, we hugged and made it all better.

But I was still faced with it being 5pm, stew that smelled like poppy seed muffins, and the choice to finish making it (and risk wasting more food) or to just start over with something else. It may not seem like a big dilemma, just throw out the almond-flavored stew you say, but no. A lot was invested in that. I mean, it's not every day I make a meal from scratch (okay, I'll admit that that is a pretty rare occurrence these days), plus I had actually used real stew meat. I mean, come on, does depressed economy mean anything to anyone? I just can't go around throwing food away, especially on rare occasions we actually eat red meat. Anyway...so there was my dilemma. When I finally had addressed the Elise issue and sent her away to watch TV (thank you Ruff Ruff man, my dinner prep saving grace), I tasted the stew to see how bad the damage was. And you know what? It wasn't too bad. I mean, it had a very distinct almond flavor to it...but hey, I like poppy seed muffins. Yeah, it all turned out okay. The best part was, my kids even ate the stew.

My Little Angel

2008-12-03T20:08:00.003-07:00

Elise is so cute! Well, when she's not driving me crazy with her three-year-old antics and orneriness...

I've noticed lately how sensitive she is to my mood. Sometimes, if she thinks I'm getting frustrated or upset, she'll turn to me and ask, "You happy? Happy, happy, happy!" Almost like it's a reminder, or that she knows that by saying that with her cute and happy enthusiasm, it automatically brings a smile to my face and really does make me happy. The other things she does is, if I have a little sniffle, she'll whip her head around and make sure I'm not crying. "You sad? You cryin' Mom?" I always have to reassure her with a smile that I'm not sad, but "happy, happy, happy!" And when she thinks I really am sad, she'll come over to me, give me a hug and a kiss, rub my back and say, "It's okay, Mom." Isn't that the sweetest thing ever?

Yeah, I need those moments from her...like right now, to keep me from getting too mad at her for still being awake!! Grrr...she's been in bed for at least 35 minutes, and she's still calling out for me! :)

Oh, update...an hour after she's been in bed, I go in to check on her and she tells me to go and play the piano. What? She's never asked for that before! Apparently she's a big fan of Moonlight Sonata too!

Secret Life of Daydreams

2008-12-01T20:48:00.003-07:00

I love playing the piano. I love beautiful music. I love being able to express my feelings and escape into a life of beautiful melancholy by playing such profound music on the piano. Tonight I was playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQVeaIHWWck) and the soundtrack music to the recent Pride and Prejudice movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OefE1UzOsDc, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEZ7iZKqe4A&feature=related, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3j3oTViVww&feature=related, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib6Z2Yl3Hek&feature=related, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6y7BErnZsM&feature=related.) Oh man, such good stuff! Listen to it and join me in a dimension of existence where life is created and sustained by music that sets the mind free...

Wedding in Vegas

2008-11-21T09:31:00.004-07:00

I just got this picture in the mail the other day, from my awesome friend and college freshman roommate, Heather!! She got married in June and I was so lucky to be able to have a little weekend getaway to Vegas to be there for it! It's the first time I've traveled by myself (I've flown by myself with kids plenty of times, but never just me). It was kind of weird finding the hotel by myself, staying in a huge hotel room in a king-size bed all by myself, and the worst part was, I only brought one book to read, and I had it finished before I even left the airport Friday night! So I was kind of bored in my hotel room by myself. Oh well. I hooked up with Heather's family at the hotel, and pretty much just tagged along with them the whole weekend. It was kind of funny at first, being Heather's random friend that flew in for the wedding, tagging along at the temple. But it was so fun to be there! Heather's totally the coolest, it seems like her husband was a really great guy too.

So about the picture...it was around 10 am at the end of June, in Las Vegas, and this picture was taken after an hour of standing outside in the 100+ degree weather. I was impressed that you can't tell from the picture that we're soaked in sweat. I was laughing that when planning for a summer wedding in Vegas, you can't forget lots of cold water for everyone who has to be outside during pictures. Oh, and there was a hankerchief used specifically to keep the bride and groom sweat-free! :)

This was at Heather's reception...where I ran into Courtney, my other freshman roommate from BYU!!

If you want it, I want to

2008-11-17T20:19:00.002-07:00

Mitch is playing Y-ball (basketball) for the first time this year...holy cow, it is the cutest thing ever! It seems like there are so many rules and skills to know to play basketball, not like soccer where the only rules they have are no hands and kick the ball in the goal. But they're actually better than I expected them to be. There's traveling and double-dribbling all over the place, but they have the basic concepts down of passing, shooting, rebounding, and defense. Last Saturday was the third game and the refs actually started calling double dribbling (at least the very obvious kind of dribbling the ball after you've picked it up to shoot or pass...the kids who dribble with two hands still get cut a lot of slack!). Anyway, Mitch is a solid player, but unfortunately isn't quite aggressive enough or tall enough to out-rebound his teammates, and of course kids who dribble up the court hardly ever pass and so Mitch ends up hardly ever touching the ball. It's kind of up to the coach to let the less dominant players get the ball when it's brought back in bounds, but if he's not paying enough attention...well, you know how it goes. Last game we noticed Mitch starting to tear up a couple of times because he never got the ball, could never quite get the rebounds, or could never quite convince his teammates to pass to him. Poor kid! I teared up just seeing him get sad! And then I started weighing the pros and cons of being the parent who tells the coach my kid needs more playing time out there! I mean, I know the coach is doing his best...but really, they're six, and right now it's all about making this a good experience for the kids, right? I'm afraid that if every game ends up like that, Mitch won't want to play basketball anymore. Which actually is fine with me I guess...I'd much rather him stick to soccer. Oh, the challenges of parenthood!!

And I just threw this picture in because they love shampoo hairdos...especially when they are way overdue for haircuts and they can make some pretty sweet mohawk action. Yes...they all still take baths together. Is that wrong? I can't seem to convince Mitch to take showers, and I'm not sure my temperament could handle them taking baths one at a time...it would take too long (they all still require me to do most of the work--at least Mitch and Luke insist on doing their own faces and privates)!! I'm all about expediting the bedtime process!

Preview of my talk

2008-11-17T20:10:00.002-07:00

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain." --Neal A. Maxwell

And I stole this from the Sheltonites blog (good quote Emily!) from Elder Holland...I think it is perfect!

"If we constantly focus only on the stones in our mortal path, we will almost surely miss the beautiful flower or cool stream provided by the loving Father who outlined our journey. Each day can bring more joy than sorrow when our mortal and spiritual eyes are open to God's goodness. Joy in the gospel is not something that begins only in the next life. It is our privilege now, this very day. We must never allow our burdens to obscure our blessings. There will always be more blessings than burdens--even if some days it doesn't seem so. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Enjoy those blessings right now. They are yours and always will be." — Jeffrey R. Holland

So if you're in my ward and you are reading this, you just might hear these quotes being used in my talk this Sunday (it's on adversity). But I was touched so much by these that I had to share them now!

I'm on Google Maps!!!!

2008-11-14T15:08:00.001-07:00

Check this out! It's so cool! I was messing around on Google maps just now, checking running route distances, etc., and discovered that the picture of our house has a picture of me in it! It was from last summer when we were starting the pergola project, and I was staining all the wood in our driveway. Okay, so if you click on the link below and then double click on the "C" destination (our house) and then in the top right hand corner, click on street view. You kind of have to click and drag the frame around so you can see our house full-on, and you can click the full-screen option, you get a sweet ol' view of yours truly hard at work in the garage! Isn't that awesome? But the street-view tool that Google offers is pretty sweet too, if you click on the arrows, you can virtually drive down the street and check out your neighborhood online! Maybe you all knew this already and I'm a little slow when it comes to techno savvy stuff (I know, I know, not quite worthy to be in the GGF club...).

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=W+Harmonica+Way&daddr=W+Banjo+Dr+to:6037+S+Moonridge+Ave,+Boise,+ID+83709&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=43.548334,-116.291174&sspn=0.005482,0.009613&ie=UTF8&ll=43.550251,-116.290884&spn=0.005482,0.01369&t=h&z=17

Lifeline

2008-11-13T13:17:00.004-07:00

This song found me the other night...seriously, I was supposed to find it. :) Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but check this out...so I never watch tv, and one night I randomly flip it on to the WB and caught all of five minutes of this show (One Tree Hill or something like that for any that might watch the show) but they featured this song during the few minutes I was watching, and I totally loved it! Lifeline by Angels and Airwaves...just wanted to share:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWds_R5wcBQ

And I'm proud to be an American...

2008-11-11T21:21:00.002-07:00

Tonight I took Mitch and Luke to a flag retirement ceremony put on by the scouts in our ward, and it was such a cool experience!! I got choked up so many times: seeing the flag, putting my hand over my heart, saying the pledge of allegiance, singing the national anthem, seeing pictures of men and women in uniform, and hearing the stories of those that have served. At the end of some talks and presentations, we went to the field behind the church and watched as scouts laid the flags on top of a fire, one by one, respectful in thier demeanor, and listening to a trumpet playing taps.

I'm so grateful to live in this country and to feel such love and respect and patriotism for the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy. I had the same choked up feeling as I was voting, which I was laughing at myself because I didn't necessarily feel like my individual vote would make much of a difference (especially living in Idaho), but I think it was just the fact that I could vote, and feeling so blessed to be a participant in a functioning democracy.

I feel so blessed to be where I am, when I am, and I'm so excited to be a part of the work of the Gospel in the latter days!

Happy Veteran's Day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-9_fDEsv-Q

Sunday Dress up Day

2008-11-06T19:46:00.002-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, we pulled out the costume box for the kids to pick out their costumes. As you can see, they had a blast trying everything on and posing for the camera!

Scripture of the day

2008-11-04T09:00:00.002-07:00

I read this scripture last night and want to share it with the world because it is so true (well, all the scriptures are true, but you know what I mean!)

2 Tim. 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

ps, Happy election day...Go vote!!

The Big 5-year old

2008-11-03T19:56:00.002-07:00

Luke's birthday was on Thursday, the big man turned 5! I also happened to have the Halloween party at my house for the coop preschool I'm apart of. So it kind of functioned as a birthday party for Luke, all of his friends got to come over for a party...at least that's how I let him see it. Never mind that there weren't presents to open. (Actually, two of his friends brought presents for him anyway).

So yeah, preschool was crazy! My first time teaching ever, and it felt like a complete disaster! I put so much time into it, and on paper it looks like it would have been a pretty sweet 2 1/2 hours. But I underestimated the four/five-year olds' excitement level and attention span. Oh well, a learning experience for me as well. The hardest part was watching several hours worth of time put into the cutest and most creative snacks get thrown in the garbage with only a bite or two taken out of them. Oh, the funniest thing though: so I made this witch's brew and for the ice I put in these frozen hand molds. But as I was trying to extricate one of the frozen hands from the rubber glove, I accidentally broke off all the fingers except the middle one...so the frozen hand in my witch's brew was flipping us all off! It was hilarious!

For this party, Luke was a ninja, Elise was a cheerleader, and I was a wizard. The next day for real Halloween, we were all something different! Luke was Nephi, Elise was a fairy princess (same thing she was last year, but hey, you've got to choose your battles, right?), and I was an airline stewardess. Mitch wore the ninja costume and Loren was the wizard.

This picture is of Lizzy right after she gave "the perfect present for Luke!" She knew he loves transformers and also has a thing for tarantulas, so when she saw this spider Transformer toy at the store, she knew Luke would absolutely love it! (The unfortunate ending to the story is that in trying to transform the toy for him...I accidentally broke the arm off! Oops...Luke was so mad at me!! I'm still holding out some hope that super glue will come through for me!)

A few more pics

2008-11-01T17:22:00.002-06:00

I wanted a before and after shot with my friend Melinda, but what can I say, I was lucky to even remember the camera...even then, the "after" shot was taken at home, right before jumping in the shower!

The Race Results

2008-11-01T16:59:00.003-06:00

I'm a little slow in getting my results up from the half marathon last week...it has been a super crazy week! I was in charge of three parties in two days! Anyway, here's the website if you want to fact-check me:

http://www.prisonbreakhalf.com/results.htm

But here's the quick rundown:

13.1 miles, 1 hr. 48 min. 56 sec., 8 min 18 sec. avg. per mile, 45th place overall, 20th woman, 7th in my age group of 20-29.

I was really happy with the results, I did way better than I thought I was capable of!! I felt good the whole time too, except for a really steep hill the last mile (brutal!), and about mile 11, I just really wanted to be done! I kept telling myself, I don't think I want to do this again. I think maybe I'll do a 10K next, and just train hard to run like 7 1/2 minute miles (yeah, in my dreams!)...but 6 miles sounds so much nicer than 13! Anyway, it took a few days before I could walk like a normal person again, but I'm all back to normal!

Ahhh, there's nothing like spending quality work time with the fam...

2008-10-20T09:43:00.002-06:00

Our family "work in the yard" day consisted of Mitch and Luke constantly battling over the trimming shears and the loppers...Mitch would decide that the one Luke had was the one he wanted, so he'd persuade/threaten/use physical force in trying to get his way, only to discover that once he got what he wanted, he really was better off with what he originally had. Then the process would start all over again in trying to get it back. And of course the things that they would be the most helpful at, they weren't interested in doing. We just set Mitch and Luke on trimming the tree in the back, and I just had to tell myself that whatever damage is done, it will all just grow back!

And then Elise, who was supposed to be taking a nap, was everything but helpful. When she wasn't crying about not being able to do what I was doing, she was crying about not being able to use the camera. Of course she had to top it all off by peeing in her pants.

Calling me Silently

2008-10-17T20:18:00.002-06:00

Does anyone else get excited about the weird, obscure produce at the the grocery store? I've gotten into the habit of doing all of my grocery shopping at Wal-mart, so whenever I venture over to Winco, I love lingering in the produce section and checking out all the stuff I've never eaten or cooked with before. And I decided the other day that a new goal in life is to try, at least once, everything offered in the produce section. I tried mustard greens a long time ago, and used them in a dish with orzo and mushrooms...they were kind of bitter and didn't go over too well with the fam. Earlier this week I tried red chard. I remember eating and liking chard from my Grandma's garden when I was growing up, but I couldn't remember what it tasted like. I also tried buying tomatillos for the first time too. Actually, it's kind of funny why I bought those. Okay, so I love salsa verde and I thought, hey, I could grow some tomatillos in my garden and make salsa with them. Well, it seemed like the plant grew well, and there were tons of tiny tomatillos that were growing...the funny thing was I had no idea when to harvest them or what they were supposed to look like when they were ripe, or even what they were supposed to taste like. Unfortunately it froze before any had a chance to get very big. But I still wanted to make salsa verde, so I just ended up buying some tomatillos.

Anyway, I want to hear what everyone has tried. So tell me what you've cooked with and if it was edible. I've been eyeing a few things for future trips to Winco: leeks, fennel, turnips, cactus pears (?!), rutabaga, bok choy, plantains, endive, etc.

Oh yeah, and the chard was really good! Well, I'm the only one in my family that is eating it, but I like it! It mostly just tastes like spinach, but with a little milder flavor. And of course, anything with a little butter and salt always tastes better!

What?! No party?

2008-10-15T13:27:00.003-06:00

Last year we planned a big party for Loren's 31st birthday, complete with Guitar Hero, karaoke, dancing to Michael Jackson, blindfolded pudding feed, and all sorts of cut-throat competitioning. It was a blast! Loren informed me the other night that I don't need to worry about planning a party for him this year...I think he's so afraid I might try to outdo myself and he's afraid of what that might entail! (Don't worry Loren, I'm saving all of my good ideas and energy for the big 4-0!) Anyway, here are some fun pictures from the party last year.

Do you ever wonder...

2008-10-15T13:16:00.003-06:00

I find myself, all the time!, comparing this year to what was going on this time last year. I can't believe how fast time has flown by this year, and thinking about last October makes me wonder where the time has gone! Here are some fun pictures of what was going on last year for us (lots of birthday celebrations of course: Luke, Elise, Loren, and my dad).

Super Soccer Stars

2008-10-15T12:26:00.003-06:00

Mitch is just finishing up his fourth season of soccer. He loves it and ranks himself as the third best on the team. It's fun to see him play and have fun with his teammates--they already show this cute team camaraderie, slapping each other and giving hugs after good plays. Mitch picked up this habit almost from the beginning, of falling down every time he kicks the ball...kind of like a slide tackle. The problem is though, when the ball only goes a foot or two, and all eight players on the field are within a five-foot radius around the ball, it's a little important to be up on your feet to keep playing the ball. A couple of weeks ago Mitch had an awesome goal where he kicked the ball from way back and off to the side of the goal, and the ball just caught the corner of the net.

Luke was finally old enough to start his first season of soccer...and he loves it! (A friend took pictures of his team, I haven't gotten copies yet...) He gets so into the game, he really has a lot of drive, which is so funny because to me, Luke has always seemed really passive. He told me once that he just focuses on the ball, and wherever the ball goes, he goes. He's really fast and actually scores several goals a game. It's so fun to see Luke emerge from the shadow of his older brother and be involved with something he's so good at!

Yeah, I have high hopes that my boys will grow up to be soccer hotties! :) I can't convince them to be in dance (holy cow, if they only knew how much they'd be thanking me when they got to college and girls lined up in droves to dance with the "dance stud!!") so I'll just have to settle for soccer hotties. But please don't categorize me as a soccer mom...I'm not sure I'm ready (or ever will be) for that title!

It's a beautiful Day, Don't let it get away

2008-10-13T20:49:00.002-06:00

Wow. Can I just say that I realized my kids have grown up all of the sudden? So this is what's happened in the last few days to make me feel...well...a little nostalgic. My brother Ryan and his wife Kim were in town last weekend, and Friday afternoon we picked Mitch up after school. There was a book in the car and I told Mitch to start reading to Ryan and Kim to show them how well he read...but he ended up astonishing me at how much he could read! I had no idea he could read so well, we're talking hard words that he read or sound out easily! I probably should be a little ashamed by this admission, I mean, I should be perfectly aware of his reading abilities, right? Yeah, I need to better about sitting down and doing homework with him. Anyway, I was really proud. It's amazing how enabling the ability to read is, there is so much he can now figure out for himself. In fact, just at FHE tonight, he was reading the words to the song we were singing, instead of just trying to go off of memory.

My other proud moment is I think I might officially be able to say that Elise is potty trained. And we're only on Day 4! I've tried before, a couple of months ago, but neither she nor I were ready for it. She couldn't quite make it to the toilet, and I couldn't quite handle all of the accidents. :) But I decided last Wednesday we were going to try again. She did really well, only a few accidents (and it was my fault, I forgot to remind her). Saturday and Sunday I didn't even try underwear, but this morning we were back at it. And except for an accident at nap time (I wanted to put a diaper on her, but she insisted on underwear), she's been dry! She insisted on no diaper again tonight...I'm sure I'll be changing sheets in the middle of the night, but oh well. If I can get her night trained now, she'll be the first of my kids to wear underwear at night.

My Running Fiend...I mean Friend

2008-10-13T16:20:00.002-06:00

Oh yeah, so my wonderfully, generously loving sister who claims she is in birthday present debt to me for the past two years, signed me up for my race. So I'm official now, October 25th is the day! (Thanks again Amy!)

Holy Cow, so I went running with my friend who also has been training for the half marathon coming up. It's awesome because she is a real runner who actually knows how to train for things, so whenever I go out with her, she times our laps and pushes us to do tempo runs (yeah, I feel cool because I'm learning the lingo). Anyway, this morning we did five miles in 38 minutes!! And the middle three miles we averaged 7:25 minute miles! I never thought I was capable of that! I barely made it though, heaving and dragging at the very end. Wednesday we're supposed to do hill repeats since we discovered that mile 12 of the race course is a serious hill. Great...there goes my under-two-hours goal.

This has been really fun, having something to shoot and train for. It will be weird to go back to running just for exercise.

Feliz Cumpleanos a ti

2008-10-07T22:04:00.003-06:00

Elise is now a big three-year-old! Friday was her birthday and we had a raving party with the fam (my parents and Nate and Michelle and kids)...cake, ice cream, presents, egg races and playing with the new toys.

I have this plastic egg relay race game...it was a big hit among the old and young alike!
Nate and Loren going at it.
Elise got this doll set thing, complete with toilet for the doll...fake toilet paper, soap dispenser, and even a flushy sound when you push the handle. Yeah, only the best for Elise! Hey, maybe if we can potty train her doll, she might take an interest in doing it herself!

Ah yes, the fake lipstick. But to be honest, I think Luke had more fun with it that night than Elise! He kept asking me if his lips were getting red, even though I repeated to him that it was fake. :)

Stop the madness!

2008-10-07T21:29:00.005-06:00

She's growing up too fast! I knew that trying mommy's shoes on were normal happenings for a toddler...but a bra?! And can you tell how proud of herself she is? Next thing I know she's going to be sneaking out of the house wearing these things...

My mom was watching Elise, and when I came home she was wearing this shirt. It's actually a doll shirt, but my mom insisted that she couldn't find any other shirt to put her in. Kind of cute though, huh?

I'm on the lookout

2008-10-01T22:03:00.001-06:00

I'm on the search for good quotes...send me your favorites, K?

Luke's day out

2008-09-20T19:58:00.003-06:00

Ah yes, it looks like Luke talked Grandma into what he loves best...eating treats and playing on the computer! Man, when I heard all that Grandma let him eat, I was glad she was the one putting him to bed! That monstrous cookie is apparently from some secret recipe that a friend of my mom's made up...they were so good!! One day, I will be talented enough to make up recipes on my own and then laugh at people when they ask for the recipe, telling them it's top secret, and I could tell them, but then I'd have to kill them. :)

Luke's new favorite website, Lego.com. I catch him all the time playing this when he's not supposed to. I'm still a little scared about letting him play on the Internet, especially when it's not PBSkids.org.

Mitch n' the grandparents

2008-09-20T19:49:00.002-06:00

Okay, to be honest, my mom took this picture, and I have no idea what's in the background...any guesses? :) Oh wait, my mom just barely called and told me it's the car wash. Yep, Mitch got to go with Grandma to the car wash...pure entertainment for anyone under the age of 8.

In the week before school started, Mitch got to have his special day with Grandma and Grandpa Wall. My dad has been collecting Thomas the Train track sets (what?! my day collect things?!) and Mitch made a track around the whole downstairs. Please note the Cougar fan shirt...isn't it fun to have a good team again?

Running in the rain

2008-09-20T19:32:00.002-06:00

My run this morning, what started out to be a six-miler, turned into nine miles!! Why?! Because right as I was approaching the six-mile mark, it started pouring rain and I got this infusion of energy! It was so awesome!! Okay, so first of all, I love the rain (hmm..I miss Cleveland...) but I love even more being out in the rain, especially in huge downpours! My body wasn't even tired, I just kept running around my neighborhood until finally I figured my family was probably wondering where I was. I was completely soaked but loved every minute of it. Made me want to move to Forks, WA (maybe catch a glimpse of the most beautiful man/vampire alive...?).

I think I'm insane

2008-09-17T20:05:00.009-06:00

As if I didn't can enough last week, I took on another huge, 4-day long canning project. This time grape juice. And since I had a juicer, I offered to do grapes for three other people! Which is good, it's way more fun to do stuff for other people than it is for myself. My kitchen has been out of commission since Thursday. But right now, as I type, the last batch is cooking and finishing up! Yay! I did almost 5 dozen quarts, which feels great!

I started reading Twilight last week (well, that got read in a day, but I've been working on book two all week)...so my life has been nothing but grapes, Bella, Edward and Jacob lately. Good thing Loren is here to help take care of the kids and the house! But seriously, what more could you want from life? :)

We push and we shove, and we hurt the ones we love...

2008-09-17T20:05:00.007-06:00

That's what Luke's been singing all weekend...feeling bad about his little push that sent Elise biting the asphalt at our ward camp-out! The band aid is covering the scratch, but it was pretty big. She cried and cried and cried...until twizzlers were offered, then she was better! :) Candy always seems to do the trick for Elise!

So yeah, our ward camp-out was last weekend, and we had such a great time!! We were so lucky that Aunt Amy was in town the same weekend, so she could come and hang out with us there. I volunteered to be in charge of the dessert Friday night, and in asking my dad how I should go about getting people to help me with making dutch oven desserts, he just offered to come and do it for us. Of course he went all out and it was awesome! Amy was a lifesaver though, how many times in the night did I wake up to Mitch or Luke crying out and Amy being the first responder to take care of them! It was freezing cold!, and by the morning, Elise was in my sleeping bag, and Mitch was in Amy's! I love ward camp outs because everyone has small children that don't sleep, and there's no way to isolate your tent enough to not be heard by everyone else...when my own kids weren't crying, waking me up, it was all the other crying children around! I don't think I got much sleep at all! At breakfast the next morning, we were all discussing and laying claim to the cries we all heard throughout the night! It was so funny! My favorite is, after the kids are in bed, the "big kids" get to hang out and have fun! I played a little BS action with the teens, then joined in on the fireside stories and laughs with the adults. I love the people in our ward, so many fun people!

Mitch was such a huge helper (when he wasn't complaining)! After Amy and I put the tent up and put all of our stuff inside of it from the car, Mitch did all the work of unrolling the pads and sleeping bags and organizing the inside of the tent! I love when children start getting old enough to be helpful.

I can can

2008-09-10T21:09:00.002-06:00

Whoa mama! I am the canning queen! Peaches, pears, apples, plums...who knew I was capable of being so domestic?! Not me, that's for sure. But it's nice to feel like I'm a good ol' fashion housewife sometimes. Actually, I was feeling quite good about myself tonight, feeling like I work all day long and hardly have any leisure time (most times I want to pull my hair out because I feel overwhelmed, but tonight I felt empowered). While I've been canning/cleaning up the kitchen, I've watched Pride and Prejudice twice and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days twice (I laughed out loud almost the whole movie, it was so funny!). So now I'm totally hooked up with peach jam, dried pears, canned pears, apple/pear sauce, canned peaches, peach pie filling, plum jam, pear pie filling, and frozen peaches. If my tomatos and tomatillos ever ripen in the back yard, I can get some sweet salsa and marinara sauce! I'll probably be too burned out by that time though to do it.

Oooo...I wanna dance!!

2008-09-03T21:16:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwBbMXYDsXw&feature=related

Watched this movie today and got me in the mood to seriously rock out! What do you say, Footloose dance party at my house this weekend?!

Half the time the world is ending

2008-08-28T13:03:00.002-06:00

What is it about a good book that can make all your problems go away? Well, my problems didn't really go away, but it felt so good to escape my world and enter the world of some silly high school kids' romance. No, don't worry, I don't read romance novels...it was Kristin Randle's "Breaking Rank" book (thanks Rebecca BTW). She's a great author, my second favorite book (behind Pride and Prejudice) is her "The Only Alien on the Planet." Anyway, I borrowed the book around 9 pm Tuesday night and at 11:30, I told myself "one more chapter and then I need to go to bed." But of course I couldn't put it down and probably somewhere around 12:30 (I was trying to ignore the clock, pretending it wasn't as late as it actually was) I decided I had to finish it that night...which ended up being 2 am. I think it was worth being tired the next day and waking up to the disaster (my house) I'd been neglecting over the past few days. And then yesterday turned out to be a really good day, with lots of accomplishments...check out all the good things I did yesterday:

Fix-it Woman had an encore performance last night...this time employing my carpentry skills!! There was some random leak in our master bathroom, the carpet was all wet (I really dislike carpet in the bathroom!) so I called a plumber, who couldn't find a leak without cutting holes in my wall. He recommended that I just pull the carpet and mat back to let everything dry (it wasn't a spill, there was a really big area that was soaked through to the sub-flooring). The best part was that he didn't even charge me anything! I almost called my home teachers to help with the carpet, but decided that I had to live up to my newly self-entitled name of Fix-it Woman (and of course blog about it later) and do it myself. Really, it wasn't that hard. The real trick comes in putting it all back together (but we're going to tile now for sure, even if I have to do it myself!).

Have I mentioned how we lost our iPod and didn't discover until after I bought a bunch of songs on iTunes that they don't convert to mp3s? I discovered this sad fate about a month ago when I couldn't put any of my good music on my mp3 player to listen to as I ran (a very important item when running by oneself!). But since I'm a founding member of the GGF (google girls forever...we're still accepting members if any of you are interested in joining...if you are male, you are only allowed to be an honorary member...and only then if you have shown superior Google searching capabilities), I found out how I can jump through some hoops to be able to convert my purchased iTune songs into mp3s. That required me to use my cd burner which of course was not working. So my dad came to the rescue last night and put not one, but two working CD/DVD RW drives in my computer! And I was successful in converting my songs to mp3s...yay!!! Oh, and the best part was that my mom cleaned my whole downstairs, including the dishes that were piled up from three days ago, for me while we were getting this done (isn't she amazing?! She never cleaned up after me when I was a kid...:)).

Next thing on my list of things to do is get my car in the shop to get the check engine light thing figured out (I swear we just took care of something like this a couple months ago!! I must not be dealing with enough adversity!).

Let's see, more accomplishments from yesterday...I actually cooked dinner last night (I'm down to about once a week now, which is really sad because I really love cooking, but if my kids are happy with chicken nuggets or pb & honey sandwiches, then why go through all the trouble when the leftovers are just going to go bad in the fridge anyway?). I cleaned up my computer room (it was so bad, I've been avoiding it for weeks!)...and I finally called Luke's old preschool to tell them we weren't attending this year (should've done that a month ago too!). Wow, I'm making myself sound like a serious slacker! Oh well, I guess I'm not afraid of you experiencing the real me! :)

See how they grow

2008-08-25T20:28:00.002-06:00

Mitch had his first day of school today, starting the first grade! He's going to be gone from 8:30 am until 4 pm every day! Poor Luke, by noon he was saying he missed Mitch. But Luke will start preschool next week, and we'll be back into the swing of things. I took this picture before school today. Mitch is so grown up, he picked out his clothes last night, set them in a pile in the order he would be putting them on (i.e. underwear and socks on top because he would put those on first, shoes on the bottom, etc.). Last night I made his lunch and put it in his cool Lightning McQueen lunchbox, but he informed me this morning that he didn't want the lunchbox, he just wanted it in a paper sack. I can't believe he cares so much about these things already...at least I'm still cool enough to be able to walk him to his classroom and kiss and hug him in front of his friends!

Mitch was also relieved to discover that homework will not take over his life, and that no bullies bothered him at school. He had this idea that he would come home from school, do homework, eat dinner, then go to bed (did I put that idea in his head?!). And he's been kind of obsessed with there being bullies at his school, and we've had to say a lot of prayers to help keep Mitch protected from bullies.

I took this picture after the second day of school last year (I forgot on the first day...) and thought it would be fun to compare the pictures to see how much the three have changed in a year.

Oh yeah, and another funny song Mitch was singing last night as he was going to bed (I love when my kids sing!), Viva la Vida. He totally was singing the musical introduction and then knew the first few lines of lyrics. And I heard Mitch and Luke discussing what song it was, trying to remember the name of the song (which they actually remembered). It was so funny! I guess they pay attention to the songs I crank on the radio!

Tonight I made plum jam from plums I picked off of trees that grow on common property in our subdivision. It was so easy, but something about canning makes me feel old-fashioned and totally domestic! I feel like I should enter the county fair or something...oh wait, except I kind of wasn't paying enough attention to the fruit as it was boiling and it kind of burned, so there are these black flecks in the jam. But it didn't really seem to affect the taste. Still good enough to give to friends as gifts, right?

Our lives are made...

2008-08-22T21:44:00.002-06:00

I think it's funny that Loren took pictures of us cleaning the bathroom...that tells you how novel it is to actually have the kids doing chores! But not anymore! I'm being a good mom and making my kids work! It was really fun to have them help me clean the bathroom! They actually kind of got excited about it too.

Luke got to do the toilet and Mitch got to clean all the mirrors in the house and clean the sink. The trick is to find something that they are both happy about doing, and not fighting over who gets the better end of the deal. I was the taskmaster, cracking the whip and making sure the job was done right.

in these small hours

2008-08-22T21:39:00.002-06:00

Eating hot dogs on the porch swing, and Mitch with his perler bead bucket...that thing was a permanant attachment for Mitch for a while. I was ironing new creations on a daily basis, which was kind of nice in a way because since I had the iron out, I could actually stay on top of the ironing. Otherwise, clothes that need to be ironed go months and months without being worn.

These little wonders

2008-08-22T21:37:00.004-06:00

There's nothing like playing in the rain (and nothing like staying dry inside the garage to still take pictures!)

still remain

2008-08-22T21:32:00.004-06:00

Aunt Amy made this apron for me, and because it's pink, Elise thinks it's hers!

We should've had the sun

2008-08-22T21:16:00.002-06:00

The Spiderman slip n' slide got a couple of uses this summer. The first time we pulled it out, the kids were a little tentative, but once they got the hang of it, they had a lot of fun with it. Elise would just run on it, and when she inevitably slipped on it, she would start crying. It was so cute!

I guess Elise was more interested in helping Dad with the shed project! She never did quite get the hang of the slip 'n slide. Oh man, she loves her "swimsoups!" She would wear them every day if she could. In fact, the last few nights she's been sleeping with two swimsuits and a swim diaper (unused :)) in her bed...she actually cuddles up with them. It's so funny!

A thousand times I've seen you standing

2008-08-21T20:39:00.002-06:00

My favorite kind of vegetables...

Farmer Mitch

Luke's milking a cow. I wanted to get in on the action, but was a little embarrassed to admit that I was more excited than the kids to milk a cow!

The kids wanted a picture in front of the cow...can you even tell there's a cow back there? :)

Gold-Medal Mom

2008-08-21T20:10:00.003-06:00

The one day this week the temperature was over 100 degrees (the rest of the week was in the 80s), we went to the fair. It was family day, so we kind of had no choice. We roasted, refilled our water bottles at least 17 times, were completely soaked through with sweat, sought out every tiny square of shade to stand in while the kids rode in the rides, and took lots of snack breaks...but really, we had a great time!! In a way, we were glad it was so hot, because there weren't very many people there, the rides had almost no lines!

Luke, Mitch, and I met up with my friend Suzanne and two of her kids, Lizzy and Brooke (Elise was with Grandma). We met up with the rest of our families around dinner time and spent the evening checking out the shows and spending WAY too much money on treats. By the time we got around to leaving, we had been at the fair for eight hours!

I'm not sure this ride was meant for four, but hey, they're all friends! Actually, Mitch was hilarious when it came to which rides he'd ride. He was totally cautious, had to watch the ride first to see how fast it went, and then he ended up not even riding on half the rides. Loren thinks he's a little scarred from the scary water slide Loren made him go down just a few days before.

I love this picture, the innocence of youth! I think Lizzy is Luke's best friend, and they were holding hands as we walked around the fair. At one point I heard Luke tell Lizzy he loved her, and Lizzy said she loved him too. It's been so cute lately, whenever marriage is brought up, Luke says he wants to marry Lizzy, but Mitch is always quick to remind Luke that Lizzy wants to marry Evan (another neighborhood friend). Luke asked if it would be okay if he married Lizzy, and Lizzy married Evan. I told him to not worry about it right now, that he can figure every thing out after his mission. :)

A City Wall and a Trampoline

2008-08-19T22:08:00.004-06:00

Mitch was so concerned about the score he got, trying to pay attention to who was ahead, and who was winning. Often he wanted me to bowl for him so that he'd get a higher score...how many times did I try to tell him that bowling was all about having fun, and who cared about the score! But I do have to say, that I did obtain a personal best score this summer...165!! Isn't that so cool? A total fluke though, since I wasn't able to ever get close again after that.

Elise was so cute as a bowler! She used a 6-pound ball that she insisted on carrying herself. She set it on the ground and then would push it down the alley. I quickly discovered that the only way the ball would actually make it down to the pins was if I gave it a little shove as soon as she let go. And then she'd stand and watch the ball go down, hands on her cheecks, saying, "Oh no, Oh no..." and then she'd squeal with delight as the pins would fall over. She loved it!

The cutest part about Elise bowling were the shoes! She loved her bowling shoes and wanted to put them on by herself!
Oh man, she looks like she's having way too much fun on that!

Master Bowler Luke

2008-08-19T21:48:00.005-06:00

We got free bowling this summer and we had a great time at the bowling alley! Luke was hilarious, he's developed this run-and-slide-on-your-knees approach. I tried working on the underhand release with him, but he couldn't quite let go of the chest-pass style of release, hence lots of balls bouncing down the alley. We never got kicked out though, so I guess we were okay!

So yeah, Luke spent at least half the time at the bowling alley in the video game area. I'm not sure what inspired all of his growly faces that day...maybe that's what bowling does for him!

I Was Made For You

2008-08-19T21:34:00.002-06:00

Wow, who tied the tie on that kid? Not me, that's for sure...

Ryan (my younger brother) and Kim got married on May 3, 2008 in Idaho Falls...yes, the last of the Wall family to get hitched! I love Kim and am so excited to have her in the family...Ryan got so lucky!

Fix-It Woman

2008-08-19T20:17:00.002-06:00

I'm so proud of myself, I just had to share my spectacular plumbing skills! Well, not really plumbing, but it had to do with the bathtub drain, so I think that counts. Plus, I may have had plumber's butt (I can't tell for sure, and since Elise was my only witness, I can only guess) :). So for some reason, some legos got into our bath toys and one managed to get caught between the plug and the drain, preventing the plug from being pushed all the way down. Last time we used the bath, I just shoved a rag in the drain so all the water wouldn't drain out, but tonight I decided I was going to fix it. I tried to figure out how to take the plug off but didn't get very far with that, so then armed with a screwdriver and three differently shaped and sized pliers, I was able to work the lego out of the drain. Okay, so not really that big of a job, I know it would be much more impressive if I fixed a leaky pipe or something, but hey, I was proud enough of myself to publish my success on my blog! Now if I could just figure out how to change the lightbulb in my garage door thing...

Day 3 in Utah

2008-08-17T22:37:00.004-06:00

This was Friday morning, and the real impetus for our Utah trip. My dad grew up a couple of blocks from the trail head and spent his youth playing in this canyon in Pleasant Grove. We hiked a couple of miles along the creek and saw this waterfall. Becky and her son Devin met up with us again and did the hike with us. This picture of me is at the top of the waterfall, looking out through the canyon into the valley, with Utah Lake in the background. It was such a beautiful view!
Friday afternoon we went to BYU campus (my mom had to get her BYU brownie) and of all the random people I could've met up with there, I ran into Emily Nolte!! In the women's bathroom of all places! But of course, I felt like it was no coincidence. She was in Boise the week before and I kept intending to see her one more time before she left (and it would be at least a year before we got to meet up again), but it never happened! It was our tender mercy from the Lord (you're totally right Em!) to be able to meet up one last time, and of course to say hi to her husband, Mark. A trip to BYU would never seem quite right without Emily there, because she was such an integral part of my whole BYU experience! It was perfect!

All of our down time in Utah was spent in Ryan's un-air-conditioned apartment, sleeping on the couch, and cheering on Michael Phelps in his latest race. I also dragged Ryan out of bed Friday and Saturday mornings to run with me...he was very willing as his triathalon is this weekend and he needs all the last minute training he can get (right Ryan?).

The kids had a fun day on Friday spending the day with Loren and the Messerlys swimming, bowling, and eating pizza! And then on Saturday morning it was back to Boise, back to a 92 degree house that took at least 5 or 6 hours to get to a tolerable temperature again!

Day 2 of Utah trip

2008-08-17T22:15:00.004-06:00

In the morning on Thursday, we went to Discovery Gateway in SLC...a big children's museum, which the kids loved! In the afternoon we picked my brother, Ryan, up in Provo and drove the Alpine Loop (a road in the mountains connecting Provo Canyon to American Fork Canyon). It was so beautiful! Mitch was watching Duck Tails and wasn't happy when I made him turn it off, but the whole point of the drive was to see the breathtaking scenery and enjoy all of Heavenly Father's beautiful creations! He didn't stay mad for long. Luke, on the other hand, was getting car sick from the windy road. Poor kid was stuck in the back of the minivan and kept crying that his head was dizzy. Being in the mountains made me want to go camping! That's one thing we haven't done this summer, we can't wait for the ward campout!

Half way through the drive, we stopped at a place called Crystal Springs and walked around the paths. It was such a beautiful place, I love being able to help my kids appreciate the wonderful world we live in. I'm all motivated now to find the sweet spots to hike and explore in Boise, and to be more "outdoorsy" with my kids.
All these pictures are of Crystal Springs. Ryan was playing airplane with Luke on his shoulders. Elise kept calling Ryan "Nate." It was hilarious, but I think she eventually figured it out.
After our drive, we went to the Messerly's and had dinner, which was so good (I still need that recipe Ellen!). The kids love hanging out with their aunts (Ana, Emilye, and Brittanye)! They get so much love from them!

More Temple Square

2008-08-17T22:11:00.002-06:00

I love this view of the temple! It was just our luck that all this was under construction when Loren and I got married, so we never got any cool temple shots on our wedding day...only the church office building in the background... I love when people see our wedding pictures and ask what temple we got married in.

Luke loved playing in the water, of course, and we had a hard time getting him to sit still for the picture.

In Our Lovely Deseret

2008-08-17T21:54:00.004-06:00

Our crowning summer vacation this year was a trip to Utah (not very creative, I know, but it was cheap, convenient, and way fun!). Wednesday we spent the afternoon checking out temple square and the Beehive house with my cousin Becky and her four kids. We spent the night at her place that night, and the kids had a great time watching Devin (her oldest) play video games.

Temple Square is one of the most beautifully landscaped places I know of! I found that I was paying more attention to the flowers than I was anything else! I wish I had the time, patience, and money to make my yard look like this!

Try not to be blinded by my mom's white legs (hahaha...sorry Mom).

All the Grandkids

2008-08-17T21:44:00.002-06:00

This was at my mom's birthday party, she wanted a picture of all her grandkids. Elise was being a bum and wouldn't be in the picture unless I was too. With Amy and Ryan now married, I figure this picture of "all the grandkids" will soon be outdated anyway. So besides my three kids, Owen and Audrey are the other two in the picture, Nate and Michelle's cute kids! Elise and Owen are best friends and only 5 weeks apart in age.

Makin' cookies at Grandma's!

2008-08-17T21:39:00.002-06:00

My mom has started a thing where she'll take one of my kids for half a day and spends fun "Grandma time" with them. On Elise's day, she got to make cookies! They also went to a craft store where Elise got a new flower clip for her hair. I love how Grandma spoils them!

More Shoshone Falls

2008-08-17T21:35:00.001-06:00

A Day to Remember

2008-08-17T21:18:00.003-06:00

July 18, 2008

We took a day trip to Shoshone Falls...my dad is a dam engineer (hahaha) and works at that plant sometimes and knows the when the water flow is high enough to make the falls worth seeing. It was so beautiful!! The funny part about the trip was that we drove for two hours to get there, walked around the falls for maybe half an hour, then pretty much turned around and came home. The kids got to watch movies the whole time we traveled, so they didn't mind taking the trip. This picture of Mitch and Elise was taken at the rest stop we stopped at to have lunch.

Still at the rest stop...it was super windy, we had a hard time keeping everything pinned down to keep from blowing away.

My dad got us into the power plant side of the falls (on the other side you have to pay to get in and they have railed in viewing platforms). On the side we were on, there was only a little path with a steep slope on one side, and then where we're standing in this picture, a steep drop off into the river below. It was a little scary, especially with the kids! My dad held Elise and I was holding the boys' hands very tightly!

You Still Have All of Me

2008-08-16T21:18:00.002-06:00

I watched Becoming Jane again today, for the zillionth time. I just can't get enough of the movie (and no, it's not because of James McAvoy...)! Anyway, I found the perfect montage on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wq4wSTbeA4&feature=related

My mom's good, she got me out of Twin Falls Idaho

2008-08-10T21:22:00.003-06:00

Does anyone remember Built to Spill? I loved this song in high school and I think of it every time I go to Twin Falls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3ONTqm-EgQ

We went to the temple Open House on Friday!! What a great experience it was to take my kids through! I think Mitch was the only one who will remember it though, and draw any kind of significance or future application to it. It was so beautiful inside (and out actually, the landscaping was amazing! Total tangent here, but I love landscaping, it has become a new fascination for me. Ryan's wife Kim is a landscape design major at BYU and I decided a while ago that when I go back to college, my first pursuit will be landscape design. Then nursing, then marriage family human development, then...um...maybe law school.) But anyway, the Twin Falls temple was awesome, I would encourage anyone who hasn't done it yet to go. But if you can't make it there, just go to any temple and enjoy the blessings from that! :)

This has been the summer of catching up with old friends from high school! First my high school reunion, then this last week has been awesome too. My awesomest friend in the whole wide world, Emily Nolte, came into town and we've been able to hang out a few times. I have to say that it has been so good to have her here, this week especially. So then last night was Jeremy Field's wedding reception and there were so many friends there, and it was fun to chat and catch up a little on how everyone is doing. It makes me feel grateful for all the good friends and good times we all had in high school! I've been blessed with so many good people in my life.

And...just for Nikki...I only ran 5.5 miles on Saturday (I seriously thought it was 6! What the heck?!), but it was in 50 minutes. So pretty good. At what point do you consider yourself a runner? Do you have to subscribe to Runner's World magazine or spend a certain dollar amount on fancy running gear, or to have a marathon under your belt to be able consider yourself a runner? I mean, I like to run, but I don't know anything about the sport, so I think I would feel like a poser if I ever tried to label myself as a "runner." (I have no desire to run a marathon...)

I get a notion from the look in your eyes

2008-08-02T13:43:00.003-06:00

Yee-haw, I ran 5.7 miles today in 52 minutes! This is the fourth Saturday in a row that I've tried to run 6 miles, but I just keep coming up short! I know what you're probably thinking, this is coming from me who has unabashedly abused running for pleasure in the past, that I've been completely boggled by how people can run and like it! I starting going with some friends because I needed motivation and companionship to make exercising fun and consistent (it was hard to talk myself into it because I had to wake up at 5:45 am), and now almost a year later, I'm completely addicted. I can even go by myself (I used to think the only way I could enjoy it was because of the conversation that distracted me), push the distance and pace, and still enjoy it. I'm so worried that if I somehow get out of the habit, I'll never be able to get to the point where I'm at now. But I guess that's how life always goes, especially with being in shape...

Look how they shine for you

2008-08-01T19:39:00.002-06:00

Tonight Elise said the prayer at dinner time--usually someone helps her and she just repeats what they say, but tonight she insisted on saying it by herself. It was a lot of mumbling at first that no one could understand, but then all of the sudden I heard these names (siblings and good friends): Mitch, Luke, Elise, Emma, Lizzy, Brooke, Sam, Camille, Evan (he got mentioned twice...she must like him a lot ;)). It was so cute to hear her naming all of the people she loves. What a blessing to have so many people wonderful and loving people in our lives!

"I'm weak, it's true"

2008-07-31T14:49:00.002-06:00

Hey, a spiritual thought for your day...

I was thinking about this scripture this morning, Ether 12:27: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

I loved this scripture in high school and I love it now! Probably because it's our weaknesses that cause us pain in life, and this scripture gives encouragement that, if approached in the right way, we can overcome our weaknesses and have them actually become our strenths through the power of the Atonement of Christ.

In July's Ensign, Elder Kenneth Johnson said, "To mature spiritually, we must successfully face situations and encounter experiences that challenge our allegiance to our covenants. When looking back on these experiences, we recognize the impact such moments have on our developing faith."

I guess I like to think that my weaknesses and pain in life are just experiences that help me to mature spiritually, so that I can prove my allegiance to my covenants. And by passing the "tests" of life and remaining true to those covenants, I will be strong and pure and worthy to inherit all that the Father hath.

Whoa, ten years ago

2008-07-29T23:05:00.002-06:00

Holy cow, Brittany dug this picture out and gave me a copy...this was from a choir trip back in the day. Yes, back in the day when I tried really hard to never look normal in pictures.

More HS reunioning

2008-07-29T22:54:00.006-06:00

Ah, still good ol' Adam. And Brittany is a DJ for 100.3 fm, I listened to her last night, and it was so weird to hear someone you know be a DJ. The ditty I listened to, she talked about her HS reunion so it was easy to convince my husband that I knew her.

Do my eyes look unusually large in these pictures? I've heard of dilated pupils from having a good time, but not bulging eyeballs...weird...

High School reunioning

2008-07-29T22:36:00.002-06:00

I think one can officially feel old after experiencing a 10-year high school reunion. Everyone was totally the same...but so different and grown up. Catie and Megan were totally my good friends in junior high, so it was fun to catch up a little with them. I have no idea who the other girl is...

So yeah, first of all, I was talked into going to the reunion by my friends at the seminary reunion who were going and assured me that it would be a great time. It's funny how some things never change from high school, i.e. the need to have a companion at social events, so as not to look like a total idiot loner. The first half an hour I was being really timid, and thinking of all the things I could've spent my $60 on, when all of the sudden, I found myself talking to someone, and then someone else, and then someone else, and three hours later I was really happy that I had gone!

My favorite reaction from "catching up" with people came when I told them I had three kids, and yes, the oldest was 6 1/2. Upon later reflection, I should've told people that I really had gone to college, had a Master's degree even...I didn't just graduate from high school and start having babies. But it's all good, I guess people can think what they want to think.

DCI Lovin'

2008-07-29T22:32:00.004-06:00

Luke, Elise, and me with Aunts Solana and Britanye making cool bubble designs

Mitch and Elise are trying out their trumpets made out of straws. Loren's familiy came into town and we had a fun time checking out the Discovery Center.

Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me

2008-07-29T20:07:00.002-06:00

I just heard Mitch singing this as he was going to bed tonight...what the heck?! I didn't pay attention to lyrics until I was 27! I asked him where he heard it and he told me from the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks...

I'm on the once-a-year-posting track...

2008-07-29T15:11:00.002-06:00

Holy cow! I almost forgot about this blog I created almost a year ago!! I was pressured into getting back into it (not really :)) by Ginger when I saw her at my 10-year high school reunion this past weekend. I realized I'm totally out of the loop because I don't blog...that's the only way to keep up with friends. You should all be proud of me though, I have a Facebook account now, and I can officially tell people to "Facebook me." Still not on MySpace, and I'm not sure that will ever happen.

Well, now that it's been a year since my last post, not much has changed, except that we are all a year older. Ironically enough, I was at Ivywild park today and we are just about to go swimming. Seems like my summer hasn't changed all that much from last year. Oh, but trust me, my life seems very different than last year (but that's all for another post...or for a post that never gets posted...). Hopefully it won't be another year before I get on this thing and actually post some pictures of my family!

My debut into the blogisphere

2007-08-15T14:31:00.000-06:00

It's hard to imagine that someone might be reading this, but hey, why not try to keep up with technology (okay so I still don't have a cell phone, but at least I'm creating my own blog!). I was reading Emily Nolte's blog a few days ago and loved the insights into her life since I never get to see her. Of course, I could never be as witty and entertaining as she is, but at least you might have a chance to see pictures of the kids and hear regular updates on our family.

Today we went swimming at Ivywild Park, spent $9 to freeze in the kiddie pool for all of 15 minutes. Elise's shivering was turning into convulsions and Mitch kept scraping his knees while swimming in the 1.5 feet of water. So what happened to the 100 degree weather the radio told me about? Oh well, we walked to the park next door and got free lunch. Now we are my mom's house, boys are watching a movie, Elise is sleeping, and I'm here doing the blog thing. It's a beautiful world.