I want to be different--just like everyone else

because I am supposed to, I guess.

2011-10-30T19:52:00.002-06:00

Hayden pointed out to me that there have only been four blog posts all year, in a disapproving tone. I simply shrugged and said, "It hasn't been the best year." I didn't add that I rarely get to use the computer when the kids are home. Oh, they'll get off if I ask, but is it worth asking? Then the pressure to blog a great post is too extreme. When they aren't home, I watch stuff on hulu or netflix while I was dishes or sew or excavate the kitchen counters.

I realize good things have happened this year: Hayden made the swim team, Mike didn't get laid off, Emily got glasses, Tate likes cubs. Is this our activity log? Is it my medical chart? What is the point of this blog? I have considered starting an anonymous blog about crazy things my kids do and say. It would relieve frustration....Like how I was driving with Tate yesterday. Silence for 3 or 4 minutes, so I turned on the radio. Right away he said something. I asked him to repeat, which he did, but I still couldn't hear. Repeat, and repeat. I turned off the radio and he said, "I said, 'it's a cloudy day today.'". really??? Silence ensued for several minutes and then I foolishly turned the radio back on. Repeat the whole experience, just a different statement. It's a small thing, but it made me want to smack my forehead and who needs a worse headache?

You see, it's not like I'm going to lie and tell you all how fabulous we are and how we spent UEA in the Bahamas (did actually go to Zion's etc), and how we are all perfect. That is lame and I don't roll that way. On the other hand, who wants to read about me being tired every day and that our house is a pit of despair as a regular state. Dinner hates me and I hate dinner.

So bear with me while I figure out what the point of this blog has become.

Charity and Toenails (got your attention, eh?)

2011-09-07T11:21:00.003-06:00

When even my kids say that I need to update the blog, I guess it's time to blog. Also, I am feeling less crazy-in-the-head than before. First up is a picture of my awesome toenails. Usually I hate my toenails, but these nailpolish strips made me so happy. Also a picture of kids, so that you know they are still alive and not deaded.

Now to something meaty. Not real meat. But lately there has been some discussion about my weirdness and my behavior and whether I am embarrassing or mean or both. SOO, this morning I was reading in 1 Corinthians 13, I believe, and it said (charity)"doth not behave itself unseemly". And there you go, Bob's your uncle, I have my answer. Charity doth not embarrass one's children. And while I could argue that my name isn't Charity, (I'm catching all the puns and leaving you none) I guess I have to admit it's time to stop being such a goofball in public. I'm not sure it can be done, but I know I have to try. If you see me messing up, you can punch my arm (LIGHTLY).

I'm a slow learner OR My new diet sucks rocks

2011-05-22T12:18:00.002-06:00

I've been having problems for almost six months with a particular organ that I no longer need. Pain and misery and research led me to the decision to have a hysterectomy. I thought, "in, out, rest a little, all better". What a dope. I was in, out, and then back in again with a 102.2 fever. Thank goodness I didn't have any blood clots, but I did have pneumonia, so I had to stay two more days and get pumped full of antibiotics. Took me until I'd been home again 24 hours to figure out that the reason I couldn't stand to eat was that I had thrush. So more meds. No lie, Mike went to the pharmacy Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and again on Friday. Plus the Friday before. Things like this just don't go smoothly for us. I'll spare you details about the crying, nausea, pain, trying to find anything I could eat three bites of, the incisions, the re-starting of the digestive system after eating almost nothing for about a week. I kept thinking, haven't I just been through some of this?? What didn't I learn?

Well, the truth is that we forget. It's awful hard to keep that humility on a daily basis. It can be hard to remember He who gives us all things is in charge. And it's never easy to let other people in. We have such wonderful extended family and a most wonderful ward. Best ward ever. I figured they'd still be worn out from helping me 18 months ago. Not these ladies. :)

Here are some little things that kept me smiling while I've been down: Tate and Emily in the kitchen, bouncing a tennis ball and arguing passionately about how sound travels, kids getting themselves ready for church and going without Mike and I (he was kind enough to stay with me at the the hospital for part of the day), and this exchange:

me: oh! I have some littlest petshop under my side of the bed!
Em: why??
me: for emergencies
Em: I'm wondering what kind of emergency calls for little plastic pets...
(i meant birthday party gift emergencies, but she is a funny girl)

Happy Sabbath!

a "mormon" blog button and crock pots

2011-04-03T18:35:00.003-06:00

According to General Conference, I need one of those blog buttons that says "I'm a Mormon" with "Mormon" crossed out and under it "member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints". Except that I know for a fact that only people in my family and a couple of close friends read this blog, and they'd darn well better know that already. If they don't I'm in biiig trouble. Conference was good and I don't dare tell you any parent revelation I got because I know that Hayden will read this and tell the others. I always wonder if they are listening to the be a good parent talks and getting the inside scoop on my strategies. Of course I do hope they heard the part where someone said that I HAVE to correct them--it's my job.

In unrelated news, I will share that when I got up this morning and the pork I'd put in the crock pot last night was cooked on the bottom but raw on top, I decided it might be time for a new crock pot and that we weren't going to have pork roast after all. You see, as a newlywed, I foolishly opened the crockpot we were given, only to find that THE CROCK WAS NON-REMOVABLE. Soon after that, we were given a good, removable kind, but I had already opened the dumb one, so we exchanged it for something else. My mom then gave us her old crock pot, which we have used for another almost 16 years. It is avacado on the outside, to give you an approximate age. The moral of this story is either A) don't open any boxed gifts until you are really sure or B) it is cruel to give newlyweds gifts after they've been married for a month. heh heh. who am I kidding? Presents are always in style!

the internet is forever, you know.

2011-02-20T18:17:00.005-07:00

My children in their red-eyed splendor
the deer they named Scruffy in our yard. watching us.
My little baby is getting baptized in two weeks. wah.

So I broke down and wrote a new post. I asked Mike about it and he reminded me that stuff stays on the internet forever and even if the post didn't embarrass me, it could (but shouldn't ) affect job interviews and insurance coverage down the road.
So here is the more "pc" summary: I've been down for a few months. It's getting better. I don't feel like blogging when I feel like that, so I haven't. Guess I should've put someone else in charge. Didn't care enough. Also, please don't feel badly if I haven't commented on your blogs. I've read and enjoyed them but couldn't muster a comment. It's a reflection on me, not on you. Sounds like a break up speech, eh? But I am almost myself again, so watch out! I will have to wean myself from re-runs of tv on the internet. Got so desperate to avoid reality I was watching "Welcome Back Kotter". It was funnier than I remembered, but still....

Merry Christmas and here's to another year.

2010-12-22T11:46:00.003-07:00

Things sure do have a way of getting away from us. And you all know that clean socks and clean dishes trump blog updates. Then there's another thing: our boys are addicted to an online game that only works on the laptop (minecraft). Sometimes it's just not worth the fight to get online.

Here is our year-in-a-minute update:

MIKE
new thing: went to Germany, conducted first funeral
same old thing: coached Emily's soccer team

TONYA
new thing: in primary presidency (but old thing because it's my third time)
same old thing: still starting lots of projects instead of finishing them
news on my back: got the all clear from the doctor to do reasonable things and shouldn't have much trouble until arthritis kicks in

HAYDEN
new thing: in jr high, got taller than mom, went deep sea fishing
old thing: still on the computer non stop, still working towards Eagle scout

EMILY
new thing: in intermediate school, playing the flute,
old thing: still making crafts and drawing

TATE
new thing: new elementary school, likes Mike's fish 'n' chips, reading chapter books
old thing: still wants to do everything Hayden does, still likes to hug and snuggle

Our big tree is gone!

2010-10-03T18:46:00.002-06:00

First, Mike and I have been sick for what seems like forever, or at least most of September. REALLY didn't feel like blogging.

Our Sycamore/cottonless cottonwood tree has been dying. The dying accelerated this summer, and after many false starts, we got it taken down before some big branches could do damage to the neighbor's home. Here is movie made from multiple clips to show the process (beware: the sound ranges from silent to super loud, so you might want to turn the sound down...)

Willard Peak-what a ride...

2010-09-06T17:00:00.003-06:00

Hayden's in misery.
View of Brigham City
Perry reservoir
View of Ogden valley and Pineview reservoir
Loverly mountain flowers

So back in July we grabbed Subway (to please Emily) and drove up to Willard Peak. Mike's always wanted to check it out. The view in 3 directions was sa-weet!!! We never made it to the end of the road, though, because all three of the kids were very very unhappy. Emily hates driving on mountain roads with cliffs, Hayden said it all made him feel sick, and Tate was distraught because everyone else was. sigh. The ride WAS pretty rough, but the view more than made up for it to Mike and I. Sounds like a good (but long) date idea for next summer.

People on a Beach

2010-08-22T20:57:00.005-06:00

Three silly kids on the beach
three silly kids, their dad and his kite on a beach
Mike and Emily and rocks on a beach
Hayden sitting on rocks on a beachTate looking like a manta ray (in his reflection) on the beach
Emily and her baggie of shells she wouldn't touch on the beach
A fine example of the stride I love on the beach
Me taking my own photo on the beach
my boys looking for stuff on the beach
Hayden and Mike. The beach was so big, and the water so far out right then, it just seemed so cool, these two guys, in the middle of the beach.

PS I am dividing our many many photos (which I will not bore you with all of) into categories. These are pictures of people on a beach.

pps don't you think I need a fancy camera with super zoom???

Deep-sea Fishing but not for Me

2010-08-15T15:27:00.004-06:00

The boat. Or, as they say on "Phineas and Ferb", bo-at (bow @).
Hayden felt he'd caught enough after 6 (including two at once). So he napped.
My dad, working on a big one!
Mike and my dad.

Hayden and my dad.

I didn't go because Emily and Tate are scared of boats. It was ok, because we all hung out with my mom that morning. That was fun. I bought $$$ of salt water taffy. Yikes!

I didn't include pictures of the bloody rubbermaid tote with all the fish inside...if you'd like to see them, e-mail Mike, who will gladly share them. Not me. ick.

Now, a word from Mike: We didn't actually take any pictures of the fish as we brought them in because we were just busy fishing. I wish we had some photos, but no, we don't. When I brought in the big ling cod I knocked on the window to get sleeping Hayden's attention. He looked out, but he didn't bother to come take a picture. Here is one photo I took using my phone because it was easier than getting the camera out early on when Tonya's dad had caught 2 rockfish and Hayden and I had caught the slightly smaller but larger number of rockfish in the other tote. We caught larger ones after this. Really.

In the end we ended up with a whole bunch of rockfish, one "sea trout" (really a kelp greenling - very pretty colors), and a nice ling cod (the biggest, meanest, and reportedly tastiest of them all). We now have a whole lot of fish fillets in our freezer, vacuum packed and awaiting future dinners.

Certain smaller kids need to get over this boat problem if they ever want to go out whale watching one of these days...

Part one of vacation pix--the aquarium and waterfront

2010-08-10T18:51:00.006-06:00

The very entertaining and very stinky sea lions!
the lovely Yaquina Bay bridge
the lovely Yaquina Bay
Even the bathroom at Mo's was cool! This is the light fixture in the bathroom.
Mike and one of the many awesome murals!
My phone didn't make Em look good, but the whales are sooo cool!
Underside of a bat ray!
jellyfish!
Scary huge crabs from Japan-spider crabs
the turtle's gonna get Mike!
Hayden naps on a whale...
Em and one of her favorite creatures--a seal

This is just like on TV when people invited their friends over to watch slides of their vacation photos. Poor you! The photo quality is not great because I forgot the camera on these two jaunts and had to use my phone. :(

Phew! No knife to my heart!

2010-07-28T16:42:00.003-06:00

I went school shoe shopping with Emily. I saw these shoes, and they were marked down to $7!! Now, if I had been a teen or pre-teen and stumbled onto these, I would have considered them a gift from heaven for being a good girl. Also I would have possibly died from joy. Emily didn't necessarily like them--she says she's not a bright color girl. She tried them on and then went to try on something she liked better. I told her to go ahead, break my heart. It would be a sin to pass on a gift like this. Eventually she chose another ok and reasonably priced shoe and DECIDED TO GET THESE, TOO! Phew. Crisis averted.
To my great surprise, Hayden chose these on his own without any encouragement from me. Hooray! Also, his feet are getting freaky huge.

more blah-blah-blah

2010-07-27T10:46:00.002-06:00

This is a lovely photo that Hayden took of the Seattle Temple. It's pretty cool and I don't really have any other photos to blog about.

This hasn't been the summer of our dreams for the kids and I. Mike, he has no expectations because he is trapped at work all day, every day. Makin' money for the kids and I to waste on day trips to places like Cherry Hill. If you don't ride the waterslides, that place is a rip off-for how much they charge, there ought to be more to do!

It's less fun because I still hurt some and still haven't gotten my strength back, so I get tired fast. People keep saying I look good and how is it to be back to normal? and I think, "if this is back to normal, I'm pretty depressed about my future". I want to be doing all the stuff I used to do, but I just can't. My kids were thinking I napped every day because I like to nap. OK, it's a tiny bit true, but I have to nap or I can't keep going. It's a good reminder to me to not judge people on what I can see. Maybe I need a big handicapped lanyard to wear when I go out (yes, I can hear you saying how everyone knows I'm handicapped in the head)...

Our fifth of July festivities

2010-07-18T17:16:00.003-06:00

This is the unbelievable strawberry Emily had to photograph before eating.
This is lovely Mantua reservoir. Everyone but Hayden went fishing, because Mike had Monday off. It wasn't too catching-ish, especially for me because afterward, I discovered the point of my hook was broken off. sigh. But it was fun to be outside.
Tate and Mike
Mike's huge bass.
We grabbed dinner in Logan and ate it at the park by the first dam. The kids are silly. You knew that.
Way cute baby ducks.
Tate suggested that this would make a good picture. He was right. It was also the only spot at the second dam where no one was fishing. Talk about crowded!
Tate's 25¢ mustache. hayden has one too, but it is scarily the same color as his hair and in the right light, looks like a band aid. heh heh.

Manti pageant (in reverse)

2010-07-11T16:56:00.001-06:00

This is an electric perm machine. It is quite frightening in person, used in the 1940's. It was part of a display of beauty shop and barber shop items in the Fairview Museum.

Just part of a collection of hats. I love old hats. They had dress patterns, clothes, shoes, etc.
This is how much the kids loved the museum. They were tired, hungry, too warm, they said. Not pictured is Emily, who was too scared of most of the exhibits. Sigh.
The beautiful Manti temple. After the pageant.
More pretty temple, stupid scaffolding and lights ruining my photo.
The kids, passing around a story to kill time.
Tate must have set his DS down at the moment I snapped this. Otherwise, you'd see four people and four DS's. I took pictures. I have no attention span for games.

We'd never been to the Manti pageant, and we figured the kids were just the right ages to appreciate it. We camped at a joke of a campground (well, if you have an RV it'd be ok) just around the corner from the temple so that we could walk there and back. The time waiting for dark wasn't as bad as I'd expected, except for Mike, who sneezed a lot. The crowds weren't as bad as I'd expected, either. We all really enjoyed the pageant, and that was the important part. We all felt the Spirit, and giving my kids that experience made up for the less enjoyable parts of the weekend.

On the way home, on a whim Mike stopped in Fairview to see the city's museum. It was much more than you'd expect in a place like that. Tons of artifacts, collections of all kinds of things, and a huge collection of Avard Fairbanks' work. Impressive. We didn't stay as long as we'd like to because our kids were not so impressed. Sigh.

The drive home seemed 3 or 4 times longer than the drive there. That ever happen to you?

Two birthdays for the price of one. (we wish)

2010-06-20T13:48:00.003-06:00

Hayden's birthday cake. Out of sequence. sigh.
For Memorial Day, we were too tired from our trip to WA and end of school festivities to do much of anything. We went geocaching using our friend's gps. It was pretty fun!
The Adams' grandparents' poppies are doing well in our yard. Love that color.
This is what the decorations look like when you celebrate a 13-year-old-boy's birthday. Food. We didn't decorate the living room like we used to and Hayden seemed ok with that.
Emily had a more traditional birthday; friends, streamers, cake, etc.
Emily's cake had ocean sprinkles. Dolphins, seahorses, whales, turtles, blue sprinkle ocean. She loves that kind of thing.

We did something fun in April. SURPRISE!

2010-05-31T08:10:00.002-06:00

Tate and Em give the news while Hayden has a snooze. heh.
The look of happiness on his face was great. He loves this place.
I guess Hayden and Emily are getting too old for even this part of the museum. Tate was ready to reprise his old role of popping up and disappearing like he did a couple of years ago. He was the only one interested in the re enactment.
Who doesn't love a helicopter??
Ha ha. Hayden's in front of a green screen. Should've dressed him all in that shade of green so he could be a bobbing head.
Didn't get to spend long enough in the building area.
Hayden shops for rubber fish and plays his DS at the same time. He insists he can't multitask. hmphf!
No! I'm the cashier! NO! I got here first!
Tate loved riding the front runner!
They really did look out the windows sometimes, I promise.

We went to the Gateway Children's Museum on the Front Runner (commuter train) on a day off from school in April. We grabbed McD's and ate it on the train. The kids enjoyed it and I didn't have to stay awake behind the wheel. When we missed the trax back to the FR station, we had to walk to the next stop. My back didn't love that back then. It'd be ok now. Tate loves the museum, but Hayden and sometimes Emily are too old. Hayden grouched enough to make me mad. Overall, we had a good time. It's the overall that counts, right?

My brother got married!

2010-05-26T08:31:00.003-06:00

Ty, Lauren, and kids from our sideMy handsome guys
The cousins
My niece
My kids.

I still haven't really recovered from the quick trip yet. In fact, I put on my back brace for a little bit this morning. I was asleep before any of the kids last night. Thank goodness Mike could keep his eyes open long enough to put them to bed!

Old pics clear from April. Of this year.

2010-05-18T20:13:00.003-06:00

Emily and Tate holding bunnies, before Em's bunny freaked out and started thrashing which freaked her out. It scratched her, she wants you to know.
Took a lot of convincing to get Emily into the pen with the baby cow. Tate's behind her, kneeling by it.
Seriously brand-new bunnies. Teeny baby bunnies. SOO cute!
Em petting a bunny
Tate petting a goat.
Me holding a tiny turtle!
Not one of us feeding a baby bear.

I pulled Emily and Tate out of school to go to baby animal days in Logan. Hayden was under the mistaken impression that he's too old for this and he chose to stay at school. Crazy. (head shake)

Next week I'll post pictures from my brother's wedding! Yay!

Don't hit the bears with the train!

2010-04-25T19:22:00.011-06:00

(Apparently Tonya is too busy reading books to bother with blog posts. Doesn't she know that this is the age of the Internet, not books? So I'll post more things that she intended to post while she tells me all about building schools for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the book she's reading.)

After fishing for bluegill at the ATK Ranch, we headed to the Golden Spike National Monument, since it's only a few miles from the ranch. Here are the kids standing on the final tie where the spike was driven, apparently waiting for a train to hit them as some kind of cruel joke played on them by their parents.

And here I am next to the track contemplating how boring life would be after the train came.

Then we headed up to Pocatello for the night, then on to Idaho Falls the next day. We went to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you... (Curse your catchy tunes, Peter Paul & Mary)

We learned that Tate does not quite measure up to a golden eagle. He better keep working on that. We also got to enjoy the wonders of the Sloth Bear. There were Sloth Bears at the Calgary Zoo and we always enjoyed watching them. They are goofy. From listening to our kids during the video, apparently they are just as goofy and do the same things.

Then we went to the 17th annual Eastern Idaho Fly Tying Expo for a while - which everyone enjoyed, really - and then checked out the falls downtown.

And that was last weekend. Whew.

As for this weekend, we were back to soccer games for Emily and Tate while Hayden went to EFY (three hours of church meeting with all talking and he loved it - ha). Then I went fishing in Paradise in the evening and caught many, many nice trout. It was a great time. Funny thing is that I caught most of them - including all the largest ones - on the exact same fly I used to catch all my bluegill last weekend. I finally lost it hooked into a fish in the end. I tend not to take many pictures when I'm fishing (but will gladly let others when there are others with me) yet I did take this one with my cell phone. Ah, sweet trout.

Fishing and etc

2010-04-18T13:26:00.005-06:00

These are my $5 shoes that I made un-plain. Hayden gave me props even though I'm still "mostly fuddy-duddy".

Either Emily or Hayden's bluegill. Should've gotten the child in the pic, too.
Hayden. Can't see his face, but you know what that looks like. This shows what a pretty spot it is. Hayden caught six fish.
Also illustrative of the loveliness.
Mike getting Emily untangled.
Yellow-headed blackbird, Mike tells me.
Mike's fat bluegill from the small pond.
One of Tate's many, many fish. He kept telling everyone, "Dad says I'm a pro now!"This is the muskrat Emily named Fuzzy. He swam around a lot, not even caring that we were there.
I swear that I turned and saved this picture. But it's all about Tate's sweet shirt. Hayden has one too.

Since the kids had Friday off, Mike took the day off and we went fishing at the ATK ponds near the Golden Spike site. We stopped there, too. Then we went to Pocatello. We'll take care of that next post.

cop-out dinners and a photo or 2 or 10

2010-04-03T18:40:00.004-06:00

I've been playing with fingernail polish. I kept seeing enamel-coated metal stuff in jewelry, and I thought, isn't fpolish like enamel?
I took a class at JoAnn's about making clay flowers. This one I burned in the little toaster oven, hence the bubbles on the edge, and ta-da, fingernail polish to cover up the burned spots.
This was a poster we saw at BYU.
This is the reflection of the top half of a piece of sculpture, in the water of the bottom half. Springville Art Museum.
He did not pose for this! I snuck up and took it with the zoom. see comment on Tate's photo.
Sweet tea-party sculpture.
Tate didn't pose for this, either. Someone said that we should take our kids someplace fun instead of to museums. I feel sorry for her. My kids like museums. Tate's totally got the museum stance! Sometimes we ask them which piece they like best and why. It's neat to see they are developing their own taste.
Bean Museum at BYU. The butterfly is made of butterflies. Pretty cool.
Tate has horns too.
Emily's DNA. Not from her body, from class. The different colors of marshmallows represent different things. See, they shouldn't close Bunderson because this is the coolest DNA I've ever seen.

I know I can't nor do I want to have a regular theme blog. But I've been in need of what I call cop-out meals lately. You know, like spaghetti: start green beans and pasta water to boil, grab sauce from the freezer and defrost in the microwave. 20 minutes, max. Found a short cut for my friend Chelsea's faboo potato soup, even though I like the fresh veggies more. Frozen cube hashbrowns and frozen chopped carrots, celery, and onion. Do you have a cop out meal you want to share?

I'm ready to move.

2010-03-25T08:44:00.003-06:00

Six months ago I thought about what would happen if Mike lost his job. I thought I'd be devastated to leave my home and yard and friends and great ward. I do still love those things, but I don't know if it's worth it anymore. I want to leave. I am ready to go.

Last night at the school board meeting I was sick. Watching the ignorant, angry, ugly, virolent exchange made me sick. People were not behaving like adults. On both sides. Grasping at straws, holding up flimsy arguments, twisting the truth. I thought Brigham was a nice small town. I guess it is until you disagree. People north of Brigham in the even smaller towns hate Brigham people so much that they'll stick it to 'em whenever they can. What the heck? Why live like that?? It's like the Hatfields and the McCoys. Do I need a gun for the grocery store? It wouldn't surprise me. Give me the big city where I won't see people who hate me at Wal Mart.

I know this is a knee-jerk reaction. We're not going anywhere. It's going to take a long time, though, before I can forget the ugliness of last night. I'm not reaching out again for a while. My foray into the community has left a very bad taste in my mouth. Good thing I have a husband who still believes people are basically good. 'Cause I don't.

Help! I live with oviraptors!

2010-03-23T07:38:00.001-06:00

That's right, my family has turned into oviraptors. You know, egg-stealers. Those dinosaurs that eat eggs. I bought a bag of cadbury mini-eggs yesterday. It entered the house at 3:50 pm. It was gone by 8:30 pm. I had three, and Emily had five. Where did the rest go????? I guess I shouldn't buy them and maybe my fam will change back...

Checking to see if I'm still "wick" ....

2010-03-12T15:39:00.004-07:00

First, Adams siblings, it's not the kind of "wick" you used to talk about when Mike and I first got married, if you know what I mean....:) It's from the Secret Garden. Mary is talking to Collin, who knows about gardens. He explains something about how a plant might look dead during the winter, but can still be alive. If something is wick, it'll be green inside and come back to life in the spring. That's the general ideal. I started taking pictures of a few things I was doing to coax spring, and it got me thinking about the whole wick thing. I've felt less than alive and green this winter, in some ways, and as the sun is coming out I'm trying to figure out what I can do right now (walking 1/2 mile--sad,eh?) and what is still out of the question (like digging). Injuries can be depressing, and it's not just me, I'm finding out. I'm off my pain meds now and my brain does feel more clear, but some days just don't go so well. So that's my whole speech about seeing if I'm still wick. Here are some pictures.

Tate's birthday cake. He wanted cherry frosting and he decorated it himself. Then he decided he didn't like cherry frosting after all and never ate another piece....
My tray of tomato and tomatillo plants. I scaled back to two trays this year. Peppers, tomatoes, and 2 kinds of flowers. I will start the squashes at the end of April. Now I just have to convince the kids to plant them when the time comes....
Dollar bracelets from Wal Mart. COLOR!!!!!
My yellow wreath. On my almost finished brown door. Soon. Soon.
My latest creation. Perhaps it seems too out there, but I promise, I saw something like it in the stores. And it makes me feel spring-ish. so there.

Lastly, my daffodils have appeared. Hooray spring!

Old fun, no fun.

2010-02-28T20:26:00.003-07:00

Man, am I lame. I accidentally erased this picture which was at the end. When I added it again, it's at the top. I really should take some time to figure out how to do this properly. Maybe in a few weeks. ha. I do dream, don't I??
You'd think I'd remember to put the pictures in reverse order when uploading. Not so. This is a sad try at a cool picture op. Didn't have time for a retake, because they called our name for a table at THE OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY. Emily and Tate had coupons for free kid meals because they are geniuses. Love that veggie lasagna. Hayden ate a whole adult portion of ravioli and some salad. Sheesh. No more kid meal prices...
Hayden and Tate hang with the giant fake coral.
Tate and some girl who wouldn't get out of his picture.

For Human Rights Day we went to the Aquarium in Sandy. It was a quick trip because I couldn't handle a longer trip. The aquarium and dinner and then home. I used the generous Greenhalgh's wheelchair at the aquarium. I was grateful, and it presented a unique experience. Kids kept coming up to me, much more than when I am upright. One even came over on his crutches, cast on his leg, to sympathize with me. I told him I'd used crutches before and I knew how tough it was.

This was the last thing that we did that was much fun. Well, except for being rear-ended on Feb. 13. Can't catch a break, eh? I think next time I will post all two of the pictures from Tate's birthday.
I just checked the camera and there are pictures of dish o' dirt from Groundhog day and family goof-a-lympics. That was special.

Mom and Dad

2010-02-19T18:44:00.002-07:00

Here's a picture of my mom and dad. This June will be my parent's 40th anniversary. We're not having a party this year because my brother is getting married. So next year we'll have a big huge party. With mints that really are mints and not pats of butter in fancy shapes. Maybe I'll go nuts and get chocolate transfer sheets. You should check them out--pretty dang cool. Now would be a good time for me to wax gushy about my wonderful parents because they are wonderful. But I'm a private person (don't laugh, I really am about personal things) and I try to tell them that I love them and appreciate them as often as possible by note or by phone. So here's to long happy marriages!

Master of Nothing

2010-02-08T16:15:00.002-07:00

Most days I just do my thing and if there is time leftover, I do something I like doing. Then there are days when I realize that for all the things I've tried (and bought equipment for), I'm not really good at any of them. My birthday cakes will never be on a magazine, my sewing should never be closely inspected, my scrapbooks fall just short, my singing is only for choir, my cello is elementary (0r worse), my blogging just gets the job done. My pictures require heavy editing, my cross stitch projects have gone off the grid, my woodworking actually falls apart. Now mind you, I am not fishing for compliments. That is not my point. My point is, making a hobby of collecting hobbies sometimes leaves me wishing for more. There are days when I wish I was really good at one thing. I realize, of course, that such success would require extensive effort on my part and that is just not going to happen. How could I pick? The repetition would become monotonous for me. So there I am. Don't worry, I'm not asking you to fix this for me, I just wanted to tell you about it. Will the next thing I try be my thing? Should I get rid of that calligraphy stuff since I never really caught on? At least I got rid of my latch hook rugs when I went off to college....

A bit of this and that.

2010-02-03T15:29:00.003-07:00

Above and below are just two examples of all the lovely flowers I received. Thanks, everyone!
What was left of my cool fall display in Mid November.
Typical snow time: Mike shovels and the younger two play. Note the curved sled track.
Our Christmas village. It's small, but we add something every year from the after Christmas sales.
Mike is a way nice daddy. He makes grilled cheese for Tate almost every Saturday, and most times he makes it artistic. I won't do it. Too much pressure.
Sadly, this is an all-too-common sight: Kids attached to a DS. Even at Grandma Julie's house.
Grandma Julie and Grandpa Dave working on dinner.
The kids all bundled up at Temple Square. The kind Greenhalgh family loaned us their sporty little wheelchair so Mike could push me around. haha
PS I learned to spell miscellaneous by working hard in school. Get the hint, kids? Hard work?
PPS I went to physical therapy today. I can only do little baby exercises for a while, being very careful to keep my spine immobile. This could take a while.

The Good old Hockey game, it's the best game you can name!

2010-01-30T15:10:00.003-07:00

I decided that I would fix Tate's red-eye, even though it gave the picture an awesome creepy effect.
See how Mike and Tate are both watching the game, just at different ends of the arena. Also how Hayden got so bored he had to play his DS and kept asking what happened when people would cheer.
The game. But not an exciting part. I would have been too busy watching to take a pic.

We got tickets to a Utah Grizzlies game last night. The Grizz lost, but my, what a high scoring game: 5 to 8. It's fun to cheer when they score, so that's all good. It was my first big outing without my brace and I was glad to sit in seats with a back on them. The churros cost three times as much as at Costco and aren't any more tasty. We saw Elder L. Tom Perry outside and inside the arena. It was a fun time, as the pictures depict. Next time on our blog: miscellaneous pictures and how I came to spell miscellaneous properly the first time.

Yes, Virginia, there really is beauty in Idaho!

2009-12-21T10:21:00.003-07:00

These are just a few scenic shots of Mackay, Idaho. I've never really found Idaho to be a lovely place, but now I know why Mom and Dave got a place there. It's pretty! And who doesn't love riding a four-wheeler to the grocery store???

New Pics of the kids and an experiment

2009-12-18T09:01:00.002-07:00

Mike happened to be walking past and I told him to stop and be in the pic--the overall effect wasn't what I wanted, but the smile on Mike's face is. That's the kind of smile I have trouble getting from him when I take his pic alone. But that's a real smile, and it's for Emily!

They all need some more editing, but I wanted to put something up on the blog that was cheerful.
PS thanks for all your love and support and kind words. I can't say how much I appreciate it. Really.

Not REALLY a pity party

2009-12-06T15:49:00.003-07:00

still no pictures. I've had a setback trying to find a drug to manage the pain without killing the rest of me. It's been pretty dark in my prison bed lately. I have lost a lot of weight, but that is not really worth it, when it feels like I've lost a lot of days and weeks too. Days just gone that can't be redone or gotten back. Christmas seems like a particularly cruel time to be in this position. I'm thinking there will be no cards or pithy comic book letter this year. there will also be no chocolates, even though the cute little take out boxes were bought months ago. The house will only get partially decorated. Thank goodness for internet shopping. So, just when you think this is a pity party for me that you didn't want an invitation to, I hope that I can share some things I've learned this weekend.

*We all have to make choices. For one, is the end goal ( to live with God again) worth the price we have to pay? I think so. I really really hope so.
*Stuff like this, in one shape or another, happens to everyone.
*There's stuff we're supposed to learn.
*We're supposed to endure it well and bare it cheerfully. Haven't figured out how yet. Let me know if you already have.
*Apparently, we forget things we already knew. Like how bad stuff eventually gets better. I seem to recall that that has happened in the past, but it doesn't seem to apply now.
*As much as I hate depending on other people, it seems to be part of the learning process. I don't even want anyone else picking up or dropping off my children, but I don't have a choice and by the way, I am grateful.
*Who you marry is just about one of the most important things you can decide in this life. Thank you, Mike. I can't type much more for crying.

So, until I learn some more or someone else logs on to blog, I'll wave to you from my hospital bed covered in pink princess sheets in the middle of my living room.

NO PICTURES BUT YOU HAVE IMAGINATION, DON'T YOU?

2009-11-15T21:09:00.002-07:00

I am using our new laptop, which we were going to get anyway, but my dumb accident hastened. Eventually I will get so I can get pics from the network, but I will probably be able to get downstairs easier before that happens. Soon I will post pics of my new turtle shell (back brace) and my sweet hospital bed and walker (borrowed from a generous Crae and Laurie). And even though this blog (and life in general) is all about me, I will post pics of the kids and blog some about our fun outing to Mackay. There were moments during the last three weeks (lucid ones, mind you) where I thought alot about being on the receiving end of service, about faith, and about grace. Then I'd realize that they were too personal to share yet. Mere words cannot express the gratitude I feel for everyone who's helped me. I'm still ashamed about how much some of you have helped me and I feel that I don't dare talk to you until I pay you back or figure some way to properly thank you. Or at least be able to not cry when I think about it.
I guess my plan to be humble enough without the Lord's help to avoid having trials had it's flaws....:)

Black Island Farms Fun

2009-10-11T07:58:00.004-06:00

This is Emily enjoying the big slide.
And Tate doing the same...
Hayden waiting for the hydraulic corn gun man.
I wasn't even trying to capture this, but as I was taking it, they announced the pig races, and he was pretty excited...
"Get back in the maze so I can get a picture!" "smile. stop touching each other. scoot in"
The hay ride was missing the hay.....but it was still fun. Tate is not an adventurous soul. He kept telling the driver to slow down and be more careful. It was funny and embarrassing at the same time.
Mike and Emily picking out pumpkins.
Tate waiting for the Great Pumpkin, or the guy with the utility knife to cut his pumpkin. Either one.

We went out to Syracuse to Black Island Farms. It was a great time. Next time I'll post videos of the corn guns, the pig races and what the kids liked best. The slides were pretty cool and the pigs were pretty cute. It was a good day.
Conference was great too, wasn't it? It's good to know what exactly to work on for the next bit, even if self-improvement isn't super fun. It's more fun to improve someone else, isn't it???? Just kidding. Mostly.

Did we really have a summer? Really?

2009-09-06T08:34:00.002-06:00

These are not exactly stellar photos. However, you can probably guess that my children were not in the mood to stand still for a photo. "I'M GOING TO BE LATE!!!", they shout.
We try to take the first day seriously, we try to leave lots of extra time, we try to make it special, but I have not gotten the hang of it. I guess I have five more tries with Hayden. YIKES. That's not long at all. Sigh. Is it better to commemorate and think too much in the process, or to slide through life and not have sad thoughts? I haven't decided. I guess I have done some of both.
Anyway, the kids are growing. Maybe on Tuesday morning, I'll pretend it's the first day and take better pics..........

Ode to our late van.

2009-09-04T11:22:00.002-06:00

This is the side that got smashed while we were spinning around. The door no longer closes.

This is the side the at-fault driver hit. (I'm so p.c.) That is the back bumper on top of the van, and there is no glass in the sliding door window. The pictures don't do it justice. They don't show the smell of gas (still!) nor all the wasps that moved in while it sat here. THAT was fun.

so now to the ode. Oh van, we loved your eight seats, your power sliding door, your cupholders, and your huge gas tank. We loved your great gas mileage (hey, everything beats the Explorer), your trip odometer, your mileage and compass and temperature display. We loved your clean carpet and brakes. Ah, we will miss you.

A select few photos from WA

2009-09-02T21:42:00.004-06:00

So I decided to come back to the funeral pictures later. I think we took about 500 pictures on our trip to Washington to see my family. I'm not exaggerating. It took a while to upload from our camera. So these are just a few of the delights. In a few days I'll post the before and after pics of our late, departed van.

A sad reason for a fun reunion.

2009-08-18T19:20:00.005-06:00

On Monday, we went to Orem and Provo for the funeral of Mike's grandma, Rosalind Bandley. It was a very nice, very moving service. My favorite part was that all of Mike's siblings were together for the first time in four years. I enjoy watching them enjoy each other's company and watching cousins chase around. Outside the church, of course. Chasing inside isn't reverent. :) I have more, but that will have to wait until next time. Lots of pics to share.

The Zoo and Hayden leaves the house!

2009-08-10T19:35:00.002-06:00

This was an accident, but it looks like Hayden has long Mike Meyers hair! (It's really Emily)

the baby giraffe we all wanted to see

Tate wanted a lot of pictures taken of himself

this is the after picture. Tate's only annoyed because this is the fourth try for a picture.

The sprinklers were on at the park.
Hayden happened to be upstairs at the moment and was persuaded to leave the house and go get wet with Tate. It was a lovely spontaneous moment. When I say "happened to be upstairs", it's because he's been in the basement, on the computer, playing some game I don't care about for so many days now. A power outage might be just the thing......

We did the Zoo very quickly on Saturday (sorry no time for visits) because the weather was so cool and pleasant. Sadly the weather will not stay that way....

I'm not so clever.

2009-07-18T19:28:00.002-06:00

So many of you have enjoyed Mike's imagination-interactive post that I know I can never top that. So I will not compete. That's how I roll. If I can't win, I won't play. Just kidding. sort of. So we don't have any pictures from our last two swimming trips because the camera doesn't belong in the water, and Tate doesn't belong in the water unless I'm right next to him, in the water. Which is why I am sunburned, despite my children's best efforts. They do pretty well, but there are always strange-shaped sunburn spots on my back. Ah, summer. Also I didn't take a pic of us hitting the garage sales this morning. We all found some kind of treasure. I found two upholstered armless chairs. They were sturdy and the springs were good. They had clean lines, so covering them in new fabric won't be a problem. I was stunned to find they were $1 each. I grabbed them and threw them in the van. On the way home I think I figured out why they were only $1......the smell was overpowering. We had to open all the windows. So it looks like I will have to slice them open and strip them down to the springs, cover with new muslin, padding, muslin and fabric. Which is more than I had intended to do. Now mind you, I will not back down from this challenge, although it must get in line with all the other half-finished projects. Perhaps the smell will bump them up in line some. They can't sit behind the house forever. See, I told you that I'm not so clever.

Salt Lake Bees vs. Colorado Springs Sky Sox vs. Camera at Home

2009-07-12T00:06:00.003-06:00

So, we went to the Salt Lake Bees game tonight. It was fun. We like to go to at least one baseball game a year, just for the experience. We used to go to games in Calgary (usually when they played against Salt Lake) and we go to Ogden Raptors games sometimes as well. This particular game went into extra innings, but only the 10th. No one even scored in the game until the Bees scored 2 in the 7th, Colorado Springs scored 2 in the 8th, then sadly Colorado scored 1 in the 10th, winning the game 3-2.

Anyway, we forgot the camera, so this is a Use Your Imagination post. Just pretend that the following photos actually exist. Enjoy.

[Photo of all the family smiling, sitting in a row in the ballpark]

[Photo of baseball players on the field starting the game]

[Photo of the Bees mascot entertaining kids]

[Photo of the visiting San Diego Chicken entertaining kids]

[Photo of the visiting San Diego Chicken beating up Barney the Dinosaur]

[Photo of the kids looking tired later on in the game with Tate on Mike's lap instead of in his own seat]

[Video of us singing during the 7th inning stretch followed by commentary about how it would be funny if we sang "The Good Old Hockey Game" song instead]

[Photo of the kids eating purple cotton candy]

[Photo of the scoreboard ending the game after 10 innings]

[Video of the kids running around the bases on the field after the game]

I hope you enjoyed the imaginary photos and videos of the game just as much as we enjoyed being there. Next time I'll have to try this type of post for my fishing trips.

The lovely colors of summer.

2009-07-08T13:16:00.007-06:00

Ok this makes twice I've accidentally deleted a picture and it takes so freaking long for the pictures to upload that I feel like screaming. I feel all cranky now. I'm not going to retrieve the missing ones. Here are some pictures. I was going to say how much I love color and all that. How my favorite color is lots of color. How these pictures are a portion of the colors I love about summer. And how I didn't take a picture of the lobster red of the back of my neck. Bah. dumb computer.

Hayden at Scout Camp

2009-06-30T22:04:00.003-06:00

Hayden is at Scout camp right now. He went Monday (yesterday). I drove him and several other boys up in the van. 250 miles with a van full of scouts is quite the adventure in and of itself. It's Camp Loll, located a whole 2 miles south of Yellowstone and 4 miles north of the Tetons in the middle of nowhere. It's a beautiful spot. I stayed overnight and most of this morning, then came home today. So I took some photos in between swatting mosquitoes (I'm sure Tonya is jealous that she missed those) while I was there.

Let's start with Hayden in camp as we were just moving things in from the trucks and trailers (yes, he was helping, he just happened to be sitting when I took the picture).

Shortly after arrival, the scouts had to do a swim check in the ice cold lake. Lucky them! Here they are eating quesadillas quickly before heading down to the lake for aquatics orientation.

Arrival at the waterfront gate (a photo which I will not rotate, in keeping with Tonya's work on the blog). ;-)

There were a lot of canoes stacked up by the lake. Some of them have stickers on them going back quite a few years. There's a lot of history at this camp since it has been around since 1960, if I recall correctly.

The end of the lake. It's really pretty. And cold.

It rained a couple of times very lightly. Suddenly the sky darkens, everyone throws on rain gear, it rains for 20 minutes, then it's nice again. Fortunately, the mosquitoes disappear during the rain.

Hayden this morning shortly after waking up remarkably cheerful.

Hayden cooking the hash browns for breakfast, along with which they also had French toast, sausages, chocolate milk, and orange juice. These boys are not suffering for food. They are eating very well thanks to Bro. Greenhalgh from the ward. He's great at organizing the cooking.

Chess and Stratego have been in use quite a bit. Notice the nice screen canopy to keep out the mosquitoes. Stupid mosquitoes.

And lastly, here's a campfire from last night so you can pretend you're at camp, too. I was sad to leave and come home.

Oh Dear!

2009-06-28T09:09:00.003-06:00

dumb pictures.
Tate and his ladies.
What Emily wants in her room.
view from powder ridge

I'm sorry! I deleted that snarky post to avoid making anyone feel bad, but in mentioning it, I made people feel bad. I promise that if you even a tiny bit worried that it might be you, then it wasn't you. :) I ought to make a time limit for myself: no posts after 10 pm. Anything I say after that time I can't be held responsible for. :)
PS--how do I make the text come first, with the darn pictures underneath it?
PPS have a lovely Sabbath, everyone!

Don't I always have an explanation for everything?

2009-06-25T08:05:00.003-06:00

baby Vinnie
All but 2 of the grandkids
Baby Vinnie
Paul and Emily
My Fam

So a few nights ago I was on the computer to do something and everyone else was in bed, even Mike. I was cranky, it was late, and I made a super-snarky post about mushy-brag posts, and I even posted it. I went upstairs, and five minutes later I was back downstairs deleting it. So there you go, that's why I had no new post from the weekend. Aren't you glad you clicked here just to know that???

more swimmin' pics

2009-06-16T19:19:00.003-06:00

Swimming with Grandma Julie and the cousins

2009-06-15T12:25:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures (about 1/6th of what I took) from swimming at Powder Ridge last Thursday. I was able to take so many because I got to hold baby Vinnie while he napped! I can post some more later, but I will fall asleep if I sit here and wait to upload anymore pics right now. FYI, Emily, in her board shorts and swim shirt with her dolphin, was pretending to be a dolphin trainer at sea world. Pretty cute.

willow park: these are kind of loud

2009-06-12T20:44:00.004-06:00

heirloom flowers, sort of

2009-06-10T12:40:00.002-06:00

These are some flowers in our yard that used to be in Grandma and Grandpa Adams' yard. I'll never forget the first time I saw all those poppies in bloom that lined their driveway. WOW. If I can find it, I should scan in pictures of one-year old Emily with those poppies. I hope someday they'll fill in the space and produce more than 2 blooms, but I'm just so happy that they finally did bloom. From what Mike knows, Grandpa Adams' mother bred irises or made new kinds or however you put it. Thanks to Shaney for rescuing these flowers for us. Maybe someday I'll have a plant that people remember me by. I hope it's not a dandelion. :)

soccer. soo much soccer. and a gift w/purchase.

2009-05-17T20:23:00.006-06:00

He's the red shirt in front, in his "silky soccer shorts".
lEmily had to sit out 2 quarters. Better pictures of her do exist.
aHere's Hayden waving from the goal.
One day Emily set up a stuffed animal photo studio. She has a lot of clients. This is one of my favorites. She needs to retake the pics of the sock animals she made. They are pretty sweet. You should ask her to make one for you!
Yesterday was the last soccer Saturday until 2010! Hooray! Tate scored his first goal ever, and rumor has it there's a picture of it out there somewhere! Your gift with purchase (ok, with viewing) is this website: www.instant-origami.com/. There are delightful movies of origami being created. Delightful meaning unusual and funny. It's safe; would I send you there otherwise??? Have a delightful week. I will; I am going to run errands by myself until I just don't have any to run, because this is about Tate's last week of school. MY BABY ISN'T OLD ENOUGH FOR FIRST GRADE. But that is another post........

this and that. with pie.

2009-05-04T12:50:00.004-06:00

FYI I KNOW SOME OF THESE ARE SIDEWAYS. I am in a hurry and don't really care.
mmm. strawberries in gel-stuff. awesome red color!
Tate petting a pygmy goat (NOT a baby goat or kid, as they led the other kids to believe).
Tate fishing at Mayor's pond.
Hayden also fishing at the same pond
Emily, same, same
the stupid puzzle.

So there was some of the last week or two in a nutshell. Tate went on a field trip. Saw animals and such. We had strawberry pie. Took the kids fishing at Mayor's pond, where there have been several hundreds of fish stocked. They caught nothing. Too fun. Then Tate got out this 500 piece puzzle that ANGIE gave us. (grrrr) and insisted on doing it. My obsessive compulsive tendencies make puzzle-doing an unpleasant experience. I can't stop. My back hurts, I'm bored, I'm hungry, the kids are hungry, but I can't stop. Thanks be to Mike and Hayden. With their help it was done in under 24 hours. But my house looks like crap. NO MORE PUZZLES, please, Tate, whose sole contribution was opening the bag and dumping out the pieces. Now that I've told you all about this, I really have to let it go. Really. This week promises to be just as special as last week. You know what I mean when I say special, don't you???

These pics are repeats if you're on FB. But my parents aren't.

2009-04-26T11:17:00.002-06:00

So here are some new family pictures. Not too much exciting has happened to us this week. Well, Tate had a field trip and Emily's class had a chocolate party in conjunction with reading "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (Was that supposed to be underlined instead of in quotes?). We still need to edit our Sea World movies. And spend way too many hours working in our yard. And....well, that list is just too long. We are a service project waiting to happen. Pathetic, eh?

Miniworld deserves its own post

2009-04-20T09:36:00.004-06:00

Emily and Grand Central Station

Leave it to Mike to find the fly fisherman

Mike and I each found what we think are sets of missionaries: white shirts, ties, backpacks, book in hand...........

This is how I play chess

the kids and the NYC skyline

teeny pop machines in the alley in Vegas

the Guggenhiem, for heck's sake!

mimes and cops in Central Park

Fastest CA Vacation Ever. (Only CA vacation ever)

2009-04-19T10:06:00.003-06:00

The kids driving lego volvos. That was funny. Maybe we'll post video later.

Emily and "Shamu" (if that's his REAL name....)

me and the kids at Sea World. Looks like California, eh?
This was an accident, but I decided it was cool. It's our shadows: Mike, Emily, Hayden, Tate, me. We're watching seals.

The closest we got to the beach. We were driving around looking for some fast dinner.

Mike and the kids in line to ride the bionicle spinning ride at legoland. You can tell because of the palm trees. This was one of the lines where we saw a little lizard running around.

Proof they've been there. Although I guess someone could just come and take a pic in front of the sign and go home. Like my kids would let that happen to them.

I've been a bit busy lately, but I keep hoping that this week will be better. I hope to post more pics and some family pics we took on Easter soon. Here's my bit to save the world through blog: family is important. Save the family. the whales can wait.

No pics, only blah-blah-blah.

2009-04-05T16:42:00.004-06:00

So like many of you, I was watching conference today. One of the talks (ok, several of the talks) was about following the prophet (which in my mind, includes the twelve also). I thought, "hmm....what am I not listening/obeying the prophet about?" Well, what popped into my mind (mind you, this is not the only thing, just the first thing) was the encouragement they've given us to use our internet presence for good and blog/post/fb/twitter about the church. I feel hesitant to do that because I don't want to cheese people away. I mean, at Christmas I blogged serious and almost everyone disappeared from the comments. Another reason is that I am actually quite reserved about things that matter to me. You might be saying to yourself, "Pigs will fly when she acts shy" (then I would say, "you're a poet and you didn't know it"). Think hard, have you ever known me to wax loquatious about my husband? Do I gush about my kids (I mean gushing with praise, not frustration)? Things that are really, truly important to me are very difficult for me to discuss. I kind of think that I'm not the only one who feels this way. So other than pick fights, which goes contrary to the purpose of all this, what else can I do? Mostly only our family and ward friends look at this blog anyway, so how much do I need to say? Feel free to tell me what you think. What to do, what to do........... besides eat Easter candy, I mean. It really is the holiday with the best candy: coconut nests, choc bunnies, peanut butter eggs............Russell Stover has the best Easter candy. yep. P. S. don't go away--next week we will have pics of Legoland and SeaWorld to bore you with!

Was that really just a week ago?

2009-03-29T19:58:00.003-06:00

Giant garbage sack air monster above and PVC circles below

Balloons
a gazillion packets of duck sauce--isn't it pretty?
Yummy brisa de mora negra (hope that's right)
Among other things, it was nice weather last week. Not so much anymore. We went to Provo and Orem and IKEA (in that order) last Saturday. We had lunch at Los Hermanos (ALWAYS). We went to the art museum at BYU and saw some pretty cool exhibits and got BYU mint brownies. Yum. Then we went to visit Mike's grandparents for a little bit. We went to Ikea and only spent $40. That's a record for us. Record low, that is. Dang. Didn't get batteries. Better go back soon. We were testing out our new van for a road trip later on. The kids had all this room to spread out and not fight. But they were all three doing wireless chatting on their DS-s. Fighting on the gameboy instead of in person. Then they played Mario all together on their DS's. "Hey, that's my mushroom!" "You never let me have any!" "This round is MINE!". Wow. The lengths they go to to be able to fight..... Yesterday we started our annual 8 weeks of soccer games, 3 each Sat. fun, huh?

The bird refuge.

2009-03-15T19:15:00.003-06:00

Tate insisted that we had to go to the bird refuge yesterday. His teacher told them there would be trumpet swans. Considering how much he hates Hayden's trumpet playing, I was surprised he wanted to go. I'm pretty sure he meant to go to the visitor's center, but that isn't even really in the refuge so we drove right past it and did the loop. The van isn't really a dirt road kind of vehicle. We finally saw some birds. And animal tracks (like maybe a racoon!) and animal droppings. Two pairs of binoculars wasn't enough. I also found that we need a giant zoom lens. And a bird field guide. Maybe Mike should get one for his birthday. So here are some pics, not necessarily in the order described, because I can't seem to get that right: a pelican, some birds, some kids.

We also saw Ty, Kelly, and Josh. Maybe I will blog about that next week since there is a blackberry pie upstairs screaming to be eaten. :)
I told you I can't get the pictures where I want them.

One Day Later

2009-03-09T17:33:00.003-06:00

So take a look at yesterday's van photos in our driveway. Then take a look at our yard and these ones of the van taken just less than 24 hours later.

And that's after shoveling the driveway (twice) and Emily the Tour Guide cleaning off much of the van. No, it hasn't been driven today. This is an Explorer day.

The New Van

2009-03-08T17:51:00.006-06:00

To make it easier to "assist" Tonya with the blog posts when she really wants to post something, even if she doesn't know it yet, but she's tied up making quiche or something else equally or more important, I sort of broke into her account and added myself as a contributor. The kids think it's a good idea so it must be.

Anyway, here are some photos and a video tour of our new vehicle, a 2000 Chevy Venture. We still have the Exploder, but we also have a van now. It's only been about 10 years since we had two vehicles, so it's a big deal. It was getting difficult to get the kids and ourselves to all the different things we have going on, so we gave in because how else should one behave responsibly in times of economic uncertainty but by buying a car. Take that stimulant, you economy!

Enjoy.

My version of a 365 project. It's more of a 5 project.

2009-03-05T12:53:00.002-07:00

So I guess we're not going to be eating this onion. Maybe I'll stick it in the ground and see if it grows me a pineapple.
This is for my mom, who doesn't even surf the net. But she taped things inside the cupboard and now I do too.
This is my newest addition to our decor. It sums up what I think many wall sayings are saying. Also what happens in the kitchen more than cooking.
Here is one Mike took at Union station on Tate's birthday. His face appears to be permanently frozen in this expression. All his pics look like this.

So I saw this thing that scrapbookers are doing, and they call it a 365 project. I cannot possibly take a picture a day for an entire year, let alone scrap them. But it is a nice reminder that I should be taking pictures of everyday things, like laundry, and unusual things like an empty sink. So I might do that. But I'm not committing to anything. That would be like promising to stay in touch better than I have. It never happens.

Finally, a few pictures!

2009-02-24T09:32:00.004-07:00

The kids making sugar cookies. This was our FHE activity. We decided that a ten minute lesson and scriptures wasn't cutting it. We told the kids that all their homework and chores and practicing has to be done before dinner because from after dinner until bedtime is all family night now. Emily made us a chart and we have an activity, too. So far we've made cookies, played with Emily's ello toys, and played a board game. Tate only ever wants to go bowling, so I guess that will be what we do on his turn. :)
These are the flowers that Mike got for way cheap when he went to the store Valentine's night for milk to get us through Sunday. Clearance flowers are the only flowers I like. Because they die, you know.
Yummy kisses.
This is Hayden with his "eye of Sauron" (sp?) cookie. Can you guess what he read last week?
These are the cookies of Mike and me. Note the meeples and the skull and crossbones. Not mine.

This is my current excuse. It's not a bad one at that.

2009-02-22T17:24:00.002-07:00

Our hard drive crashed last week and Mike replaced it, but picasa hasn't been installed again yet, so I don't have new pics ready to post. Also, I was working on the ward activity for the last few days, and not much else. So now that we have clean dishes again, maybe tomorrow I will download me some picasa. I guess it's not as good an excuse as I thought. It's not like I'm in the hospital or pregnant or stuck in a heater vent. That last one really happened to a lady in SLC. It makes me want to never live alone so that I wouldn't be stuck for a day or two. Not like I'd fit, but you know what I mean. Have fun storming the castle this week!

i'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell

2009-02-08T10:48:00.002-07:00

do you remember that Matchbox 20 song? "I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell."
Well, I didn't mean to worry anyone, I was just having one of those dark humor days. Because I'd felt crummy for days. Sadly, the sarcasm lingers on, even though the fever is gone. I don't know whether to blame the sarcasm on Mike or on the mucus that fills my head still. Maybe next week we will have pictures of some fun outing or something of good report to report. Maybe I'll start seeds this week and take pictures of that. Starting seeds cheers me up until I actually have to put them out in the ground and then I think, " this is a lot of work. Why was I so excited?" Isn't it so much funner to buy the bulbs and the plants and seeds than to actually plant them???

What a lame week.

2009-02-01T21:09:00.002-07:00

I wasn't feeling all that great at the beginning of the week, and it was all downhill from there. Now there are extra dishes and extra messes that I would have kept up with, had I been up. I don't remember what even happened this week. Mike took Emily and Hayden to the museum here in town, to GameStop, and to Shopko. Whoopee! Too bad they didn't bring the camera along, eh? I forgot to mention last month that Tate was student of the month at school for his class, a feat not accomplished by either Hayden or Emily. They are convinced that it is a not a reward for good kids, but an incentive for naughty kids. They may have a point there. Being the fabulous mother that I am, I neglected to cut out his picture in the paper. He was the one in the back row, with his hair sticking up. That's ok, now he and Hayden have both been let down ( I forgot to mail in a release form when Hayden was going to have a poem published in a book that costs more than a new car). Two down, one to go. What can I ruin for Emily? hmmmm........
Is sarcasm a talent I can do to win a talent show?

total annihilation blogging by tate

2009-01-30T11:49:00.002-07:00

news a tiger escaped from the zoo.

written by Tate, typed by Tate

Ah, our friend tv.

2009-01-18T08:17:00.003-07:00

So, we went to the Draper Temple open house yesterday. I guess it's just as well that I forgot the camera, because all the time we spent in line outside the temple was spent in tent tunnels. So I wouldn't have been able to get a picture of our fam outside the temple anyway. Except for the lines moving so slowly and our RED bus not coming until about six blue and green buses came first, our kids liked it. I was glad we did it, and I think the kids were glad also. But I read a on a scrapbooking blog about a 365 project where you take a picture each day and scrap them a week at a time. Well, obviously I am not up to such a project. But since we have no new photos this week, I thought I'd find a couple of accidents that happen to be somewhat meaningful to us. The remote and a tv. Not our tv, of course. That one's from the children's museum. But of course the remote is ours. Why we have a pic of the remote, I cannot say. But here it is. What better representation of my media-addled children can I offer you? But I cannot say more. I think my favorite show is on now. See you!

This is why my kids don't do the news. But it'd be funny.

2009-01-11T19:07:00.005-07:00

So does anyone know how to change the order of the pictures that get posted? The video was supposed to show up first. Anyway, this is cute niece Emmalee.
Here we are at the Discovery Gateway. It was a last minute decision. But it broke my heart. Hayden was too old for pretty much everything there. Emily was close behind. Only Tate could have stayed for hours. I don't want them to grow up. Not cool.
Very cool water play area.
Ah, marimbas bring such a joyous sound to the world.

Finally, the thing you came here to see, my kids behind the news desk. Wow.

Mourning the disappearing Christmas decorations.

2009-01-05T09:18:00.003-07:00

The first week in January is sad sometimes, because all the pretty stuff gets put away. So here I will mourn our decor.
the tree is stripped and waiting to go to the green recycling place. I will miss the smell. sigh.
It's hard to tell that our icicle lights are red and white in a picture. I miss seeing everyone's lights when I'm driving around. sigh.

Only pictures. Nothing exciting.

2008-12-28T18:31:00.003-07:00

The best picture of Hayden I've taken in a while....
Messing with my pictures in Picasa. It's so fun.
I can't believe my baby will be 6 in February. Wasn't I just changing his diapers and making him bottles??? I guess it has been a few years. It is harder to let your youngest grow up. Not that I don't love Hayden and Emily, but they don't ask me to snuggle them any more...and also, they wouldn't sit still for some pictures.

He's ok

2008-12-21T20:56:00.004-07:00

We made a lot of movies. Emily was barely inching down the hill, so it was too painful to watch hers. But I included a still shot of her.
The picture of our tree was right side up when I looked at it in preview mode. Just tilt your head. The other pic is just the light breaking through the clouds. It's one of my favorite things to see.

Breaking with traditon (ever so slightly)

2008-12-14T20:23:00.003-07:00

In the last few years, we've taken the kids to temple square to see the lights AFTER Christmas. It's less crowded, we thought, and it's something to do after Christmas. This year, we decided to hit Steve & Barry's before they close forever. Such a shame. Seemed like a great idea....Nothing in the store over $19.98, $8.98 or less on sale. Maybe that's why they went out of business....... Anyway, we thought we'd just pop over to see the lights. HA. POP OVER. We sat on West Temple for over 20 minutes, mostly in the same block. But the weather was pretty nice, so the kids complained less than in the past. It seemed so quick and less painful than past visits. Maybe because we skipped the visitor centers. But we kept with tradition taking mostly crappy pictures. (No one wants you to set up a tripod when it's that crowded!) Here are the least crappy ones.
Happy 11 days until Christmas!

So witty, so clever, so fabulous.........

2008-12-12T14:54:00.002-07:00

After that stunning ward dinner we did last night and then volunteering at school, I would like to crash for 3 or 4 days. I looked at some blogs and felt sad, because I needed a new post. One that would make me seem so witty, so clever, and so fabulous. Well, this is all I can provide at the moment.

witty witty witty witty witty witty witty
clever clever clever clever clever

there are so many, aren't there??????

Something different for Christmas time.

2008-12-03T15:53:00.004-07:00

It being Christmas, I felt like doing something different. This is one of my favorite scripture verses, because it conveys the urgency I feel when I think about how I want everyone I know to know about Jesus Christ and what He offers us. Just a little something different. Feel free to share with me and my family some of your favorite verses about Jesus Christ. It might be fun to print them out and keep them. Merry Christmas!

2 Ne. 2:8,9

Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead...he shall make intercession for all the children of men.

Spiders, Mice, Squirrels, Rattlesnakes, Deer--And Now Turkeys

2008-11-23T20:01:00.002-07:00

Yes, we found five of these fine turkeys in our yard last week. They have pretty good timing. Mike says it's like Abraham's ram in the thicket. I don't really think that it compares because we aren't exactly starving. And we would need to be starving, and near death, for me to be able to pluck and gut and clean an animal. Ick. Who knew living here would put us so in touch with nature. The italics signal sarcasm and disdain. I like pretending that my meat just appeared on a foam tray. And there's a reason they call rodents pests. The deer poop and eat my garden. Did I leave anything out???

There really hasn't been too much excitement at our house lately. Hayden had a band concert. That wasn't at our house, so it doesn't count. Emily had a pinewood derby, and that wasn't at our house, either. Tate doesn't have anything new to tell you, because no girls have kissed him for months and months now. We got flu shots. That wasn't at our house, either.

Have a nice week.

Now that I am old (plus 2 pictures)

2008-11-09T20:48:00.003-07:00

Top photo: my skeleton Zorro (his description), my stick figure, and my little black cat.
Next photo: our big furry spider. We did NOT keep it for a pet.

I will not wear red. Ok, maybe I will when I feel like it. But not because crazy old ladies tell me to.
I will embarrass my family. Oh wait, I already do that.
I will sit on the curb (doesn't that poem include that?). Because we never get a decent seat for the
peach days parade.
I will wear hats. Because I have crappy hair days or I don't want new freckles.
I will not say whatever I want, even though I think about doing that alot. It may seem that I already do, but no, I think worse things than I say. Scary, eh?
I will still be alive, because if not, then I would be dead.

New Post.

2008-11-01T13:38:00.000-06:00

Lovely place, eh?
The bench we photographed the kids on six years ago is gone because the flows overtook it.

Mike by Fishing Cone. He's not dumb enough to straddle it to fish from it.

Blogthis! yourself, picasa.

2008-11-01T13:26:00.001-06:00

Maybe you thought you'd find Halloween pictures today. No, according to my schedule, those are two weeks out. I feel sure you will want to see all 300+ of our yellowstone pictures first.
(If you don't sense my sarcasm, maybe you don't know me all that well.) Here are my cute guys by some river in Yellowstone. Next is not my cute anything,
it is a coyote. Mike says it's not near as mangy as he's seen before. Then
there are some truly mangy looking elk. We found it an odd sight to see so many sitting there, in between the buildings. Then a lovely picture of Mammoth Hot Springs. Apparently you can only send four photos at a time from Picasa with the blogger button because there are two more somewhere.

Oh yeah, I did it. Took me long enough.

2008-10-23T09:26:00.003-06:00

Well. There you have it. More pictures. Only problem is now we have about a gazillion pictures from Yellowstone to go through now. This is like the slide shows of yonder days, where you have people over and trap them in your home while forcing them to watch your slides/home movies of your vacation. At least that way you usually got dinner for your torture. This way you have to feed yourself.

Ah, phooey!

2008-10-14T21:10:00.001-06:00

I meant to add about seven more pictures. After my fourth attempt, I got mad and quit for the moment. Today I had to finish Emily's new leotard and now Mike is canning grapes. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

Wanna see some pictures from our leaf-peeping expedition?

2008-10-13T16:45:00.004-06:00

I dance, I sing, I (don't) steal things: the tag part two

2008-10-09T09:50:00.008-06:00

I believe: (now that's a loaded question) that the church is true, some people aren't;most people are basically good; we reap what we sow; that everything will be ok in the end and if it's not ok, then it's not the end yet.
I dance: whenever I can and not as well as I used to. But it's still so fun.
I don't: pick up after myself. I should, I just don't.
I argue: in my head with people that I think are wrong. Most times it won't change anything to do it outloud.
I write: lists more than prose.
I win: uhm, almost no board games, but most of the "take a bath" fights.
I lose: at most games I play with Mike, but I don't care. He has to put away the game after. ha!
I wish: for world peace (that Miss Congeniality enough for you, Dave?) and to be translated before things get really ugly here on earth.
I listen: to music! All the time! All kinds! (ok, not all kinds. I really hate country and gangsta rap and heavy metal)
I can usually be found: asleep. At church, at home, in the car, you name it.
I am scared: of mice. very scared.
I need: way more sleep than other people, it seems. And something to watch or listen to while I do dishes.
I forget: (whoa, big list coming) all kinds of things, things at the store, to show up for visiting teaching appoinments, people's names, things I'm supposed to do..........
I am happy: when my kids are happy, when Mike laughs, when I listen to my favorite music loud in the car and think how beautiful the world is, when I think about how good I have it, when I think about how the Savior died for me so that I can be with my babies and Mike and my mommy and daddy forever, when my kids make good choices all by themselves, etc etc etc

ok, now I think Mom Julie should do this. That's what you get for saying you're waiting for my answers!

Don't feel bad, Julie A; I'm just not patient enough to find all those pictures.:(

2008-10-05T19:37:00.003-06:00

Ok, Angie, I give. Part one:
I am: too impatient.
I know: just enough about things to be dangerous to myself.
I want: to feel good all the time.
I have: lots and lots of things to be grateful for, and also dirty dishes.
I dislike: pet hair
I miss: Washington
I feel: like I can never get caught up
I hear: pretty well. Try sneaking a cookie or planning a crime out loud in this house....
I smell: every smell, and some are not good.
I crave: whatever I want at the moment. Now, chocolate.
I cry: when men cry. How do you not?
I search: for keys and shoes and earrings and bills and everything
I wonder: what people think about me
I regret: moments I could have been nicer or reached out to someone
I love: Mike, my kids, family, sleeping, rain, (can this be a separate tag???)
I care: too much about people getting along and if people like me
I worry: about my kids, about people I love dying, about money, about other people's problems.. (this deserves its own list)
I remember: enough good things to feel happy and enough bad things to keep me careful

Next time: part two, including things about dancing, winning, and losing.

(insert evil laugh here)

2008-09-28T20:04:00.001-06:00

I wasted too much time on facebook to make a real post. So now all of you with feeds will think I posted and you will come here and look and find that I have NOT really posted and I will have fooled you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peach Days Kid's Parade and other business

2008-09-21T19:42:00.005-06:00

My Handsome Husband. Yes, the capitals are on purpose. That's his name.

Our super-duper high quality first day of school photos. I think it might work out better if we took the first day of school photos on a different day. The important thing to notice here is that all three kids are wearing Mario shirts. Super swell!

The fam at the Bees game.
Tate and Hayden in the "rejection" seat. Haha.

Tate's chillin' on the corner. He's a Bunderson Bear now, and he's waited a long time to be one!
Emily and Tate are ready to roll. Well, Emily was walking, but you know what I mean. I didn't get any decent pictures during the parade because they were moving too fast. This was Hayden's first year as a spectator. I believe he found it very stimulating. NOT. And where were the popsicles afterwards???

2008-09-04T13:43:00.004-06:00

Grandma looks just fine in a hat, doesn't she?
For our friends.
feeding the emu
Last night I got things messed up and then I was too tired to change anything and also I didn't care.

Labor Day, Fun Day

2008-09-03T19:47:00.003-06:00

We went to visit Grandma Julie and Grandpa Dave, who took us to the EASTERN IDAHO STATE FAIR! Here are some of the highlights.

"OH MY"

2008-08-24T16:32:00.003-06:00

I finally learned how to edit movies. I cut a bit off this movie of Tate playing with my parents' neighbor's cat. Mike just told Tate that I was putting videos of him on the internet and he said (waving his hands in the air), "No, no, no. Not if she's putting it on youtube...No, no, no.." What a kid. Mike and I have been too sick to care much about anything. So we have been very lazy. But tomorrow school starts. This would be when some might blog about how much they love their kids and what they hope for the future. My kids don't read my blog, they only want to see other people's pics and videos. So I am going to actually tell them, to their face, "You're just so darn fetching precious to me, you little stinkerheads. Don't do drugs." That is how they will know I love them. Also because I get up in the night when they call and I make lunches and listen to them when they talk and I tell them no all the time and yes sometimes. And also, I might tell them that I love them, sometimes. I am cranky when I don't feel good. Now here is the video.

2008-08-17T19:05:00.004-06:00

So this is why I have so many posts with one picture each: I was using Picasa and I hit the "Blog this" button. But then I had to save each draft and then I couldn't figure out how to consolidate them. I hope it's ok I posted your child's picture, but it's easier than sending an email and I AM the lazy one here. Also here is a movie of Cody splashing. ha!

2008-08-17T18:57:00.001-06:00

Nephew Josh--too quick with the fork and me too slow with the camera!

2008-08-17T18:55:00.001-06:00

Niece Alexis

2008-08-17T18:53:00.001-06:00

The Emilys/Emmalees

2008-08-17T18:52:00.001-06:00

Kaleigh

2008-08-17T18:50:00.001-06:00

Grandpa Ken and some of the grandkids. And Kaleigh.

What constitutes a post?

2008-08-10T21:32:00.005-06:00

it's a river otter. just love the otters.
yeah, yeah, I know. Tate has super powers too

it's art, right?

Do I need pictures every time I post? If I was not me looking at my blog, I guess I would wish for pictures. Because text is boring. Also I am boring. The universe, too, at times, is boring. As are many text books. So is sunny weather. I really enjoyed last night's storm.

The end.

Yeah. I am tired now. All done.

2008-08-03T19:53:00.001-06:00

Ok. just so no one gets offended. I am adding links. Angie is the only one I had memorized. Now I am too tired to look up everyone else's. Tomorrow, ok? I know you are all excited to get links on my page, but you will have to be patient.

2008-07-30T10:41:00.002-06:00

Some of my lilies this year.

The backstory is that we were trying to eat our sandwiches and the ducks had no fear. They came right up to us and the kids were freaking out. They found that if they threw some bread, they'd all go away. For about 30 seconds. So they were taking turns throwing so that the others could eat their lunches. That and the huge splash the ducks made were causing the laughter. When I get it figured out how to shorten the video clips, I will post the one where they are playing with grandma's neighbor's cats. THAT's funny.

2008-07-27T19:04:00.004-06:00

here is a video of my kids. Because I know that's all anyone cares about--my kids. But I love to hear them laugh. It's like a machine gun, only they shoot bullets of happiness. ahh

Really, what's the point?

2008-07-26T10:36:00.003-06:00

Before I comment on The Poll that has been added, I must share my internal struggle with you. Can you sense my mock seriousness? What do I want this to be? Obviously, I will not share my innermost feelings with you, that would just be craziness. Also, I just don't do that. Do I post what people will want to see, or do I write like no one's reading, and dance like no one's watching?hahahah. Do I just post some pictures, is this a documentary, do I have a theme? I would rant, but that seems to have been done before-- all over blog world. Also, people might think I'm crazy, which is so not true!!! So maybe this blog will have identity issues, which brings me to the topic of Mike's poll. Really, this is supposed to be for all of us. Also, I would have trouble remembering a different password. So there. Mike, you will make people think that we never talk and never see each other... like how you are gone all day today!!!

2008-07-26T10:33:00.000-06:00

Cheese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
emily was here.