Was that really just a week ago?

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.

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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!