Swimming Lessons 2009

We of course did swimming lessons this summer. Anna and Andrew did great! I love that they love the water.

On another note, about a month ago I went to get my haircut. I told the stylist I wanted my hair cut to my collarbone. I guess she must of heard collar of my shirt because it was a lot shorter than I was going for - luckily hair grows!

Soccer Season

Fall soccer season has started. Only Andrew is playing, as the games for Anna's age group are on the same day as dance. She is only sad about not being able to play when we go to one of Andrew's games.

Andrew I would say likes soccer just okay. Sometimes he really enjoys it and other times he wants nothing to do with it. His attitude is actually pretty consistent with his personality.



My parents were here for Andrew's first game. My dad is never been known to shy away from helping in anyway that he can, especially at a sporting event. The kids all the loved the assistant coach that game.



My dad giving the pep talk before the game.

Anna is 7

Anna turned 7 on August 25th. The weekend before her birthday my parents were here for BYU Education week and to help me with the kids while Danny was in India. To celebrate her birthday we went bowling and out to dinner. We had a great time!

On her real birthday she picked out some cupcakes to take to her class at school and dance class. She then requested for dinner that I make steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad. She loved the gift card to Wal-mart that she got from Grandma Mary, when she opened the envelope she squealed, "I always wanted a credit card." Seriously, where did she get that from?

At Fat Cat's for bowling with Grandma and Papa

I don't know how, but Nathan slept through the first part of the bowling

Where did these ramps come from? I remember being little, using two hands, spreading my legs and trying to roll (throw) the ball down. Bowling has gotten way too easy for kids. :)



Andrew is going through the lovely stage where he does not know how to smile.



Nathan is up and ready to party.



We are so glad Uncle Jason is back from his mission and going to school at BYU.



It wouldn't be a party without at least one melt down.



Happy Birthday Anna! We are so glad you are in our family. You are such a sweetheart.

First Day of School

I won!

I won my first blog give away. I am the lucky winner of not 1, but 2 So You Think You Can Dance workout DVD's. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would win - dreams really do come true.

Nathan 9 months

Nathan turned 9 months on the 14th. He is all over the place. It will be interesting to see when he starts walking. He can pull himself up to stand and can even balance by himself for a couple of seconds. However, he is such a good crawler, I don't know if he will try to walk. He is a good eater and still loves green smoothies.

Here are the 9 months stats:
Height - 29.5 inches ( 86%)
Weight - 22.3 pounds (76 %)

What!? 10 Years!

Wow! I can't believe it has been 10 years. The first thing I think of every time I see this picture is, "Man, I am short!"

It has been an incredible 10 years. I am so thankful that I have such a kind, wonderful husband. I never thought I would be so lucky. Here are some highlights from our first 10 years together:

Year 1 - We both graduated from BYU in three academic years (Danny because he did the shortest major at BYU, only 30 credits and me because I crammed in the classes the last year, so I could graduate too!)

Year 2 - We moved to San Diego! Danny started graduate work in computer science and I worked full time at the corporate headquarters for 24 hour fitness.

Year 3 - Danny finished his graduate work from Cal State San Marcos, we bought our first home in San Marcos, and our first child Anna was born.

Year 4 and 5 - Danny worked full-time as a software engineer for Buzztime Entertainment, we played in San Diego, and we tried to figure out how to be parents!

Year 6 - We sold our first home, bought our second home in San Marcos, and our first son, Andrew, was born.

Year 7 ,8, and 9 - We moved back to Provo, so Danny could start the MBA program at BYU (which is probably one of the best things we have ever done). If you haven't caught on, we loved the BYU MBA program. We made such good friends and loved all the activities.

Year 10 - Somehow we are still in Provo (we still can't put our fingers around it), Danny started working from home in his pajamas, and our second son, Nathan, was born.

I can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring and I am really hoping we are still not living in Provo!

More summer activities

The last 2 weeks Anna participated in the Bright Ideas summer camp put on by the Alpine School District. The theme for the camp was ancient idols. Anna was in heaven. She is one of those kids that really likes to learn. She loved learning about dinosaurs and ancient Egypt. One of their projects was to create a dinosaur. Anna named her dinosaur Satasorus, it was orange with purple stripes. The kids then voted for their favorite dinosaur and Anna's won! She was pretty excited, I asked her if she thought she would win and she said she didn't know, but thought it helped that she put purple stripes on her dinosaur.

Andrew is quite the character. He is really emotional, which throws Danny and me for a loop as both of us rarely show any emotion. Here are a couple of quick Andrew stories: Last week Andrew had to say the prayer in opening exercises for primary. This is how the prayer went down, "Dear Heavenly Father. Please bless the food. Oh, no! That's bad, that's really, really bad." He couldn't quite get over that he asked to bless the food in primary. Luckily the primary president was close by to help him get back on track.

We have been listening to a lot of radio disney in the car. One of the songs they play all the time is "Love is like a battlefield" by Jordin Sparks. After this song played, Andrew said I think this song is about enemy love. I asked him what enemy love is and he replied enemy love is loving people who are bad, just like Jesus does. I thought that was pretty funny, but glad to hear that some things are sticking that we are talking about concerning the gospel.

Then there is Nathan. I am sure is going to be just as crazy as Anna and Andrew when he becomes a toddler. Luckily, he is still a baby and pretty good. He is crawling around all over the place and loves to dance to music.

Oh what do you do in the summertime ........

We love to go swimming! We are so glad our good friends the Ramages have been able to go with us.

Ashley, Anna, and Katelynn



Taylor and Lindsey (Can you believe she had a baby 10 days ago!)



Nathan loves the water. I am so paranoid he is going to get a sunburn, I am not used to fair skin kids!



Andrew running away from the camera.

Fourth of July 2009

Wow! We did it all on the 4th of July.

Run in 5K - check
Sell snow cones at parade - check
Sell bottled water at parade - check
Lose Andrew at parade - double check
Family Barbecue - check
Stadium of Fire - check

Of course I did not have my camera, but my wonderful sister-in-law Amy did. Thanks Amy for the pictures! Here is Amanda (Amy's sister), Amy, and me after the race.

I was really happy with how I ran. My time was 23:52, that averages out to about 7:45 miles. I was 31 out of 1100 and 5th in my age division. I even had the opportunity to get my picture with Mark Madsen of the Minnesota Timberwolves.



We ended the night by going to the Stadium Fire. It was great. Glenn Beck was the MC, Shedaisy performed, and the Jonas Brothers closed the show. It was cute to watch Andrew dance to the Jonas Brothers songs. The fireworks were also amazing. Poor Andrew though was terrified, he kept on thinking they were going to land on his head.

Taste of Tuesday - Sweet Cabbage Apple Salad

I am always looking for recipes that my kids will like that have fruits and veggies. This is one of their favorites - Sweet Cabbage Apple Salad. I even have been known to have left overs for a quick breakfast.

Well, I did it! I blogged every day for the month of June. Thanks Leanna for putting out the challenge, it has been a lot of fun for me to post daily.

I just have to include this picture of Nathan. He crawled around the house all afternoon with a rubber band in his mouth. He is a fun kid!

Monday Miracles - We love our dad!

I stole this quiz from friend Poppy's blog. It is fun to see what the kids think about their dad.

1. What is something daddy always says to you?
Anna - Go practice the piano and have you brushed your teeth
Andrew - I love you
2. What makes daddy happy?
Anna - When Andrew and I play together
Andrew - When Anna and I don't fight
3. What makes daddy sad?
Anna - When I hit Andrew or Andrew does something mean to me
Andrew - When I fight with Anna
4. How does your daddy make you laugh?
Anna - Telling me Little Jimmy stories (Danny always tells them a story at bedtime about a kid named Little Jimmy)
Andrew - When he says, "Hot, hot, hot"
5. What was your daddy like as a child?
Anna - He liked to play baseball (What?)
Andrew - He liked GI Joe and Transformers
6. How old is your daddy?
Anna - 32
Andrew - I don't know
7. How tall is your daddy?
Anna - 13 feet (I guess we need to talk about measurement this summer)
Andrew - I don't know - tall
8. What is his favorite thing to do?
Anna - Play basketball
Andrew - Play basketball
9. What does your daddy do when you're not around?
Anna - He is on a business trip
Andrew - Works
10. If your daddy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Anna - Basketball
Andrew - Basketball
11. What is your daddy really good at?
Anna - Basketball
Andrew - Basketball
12. What is your daddy not very good at?
Anna - Doing somersaults
Andrew - Nothing
13. What does your daddy do for a job?
Anna - I don't know (I don't know how you would tell them)
Andrew - I don't know
14.What is your daddy's favorite food?
Anna - Chicken rolls
Andrew - Candy
15.What makes you proud of your dad?
Anna - When he wins a game
Andrew - When he plays basketball good
16. If your daddy were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Anna - Little Jimmy
Andrew - A transformer
17. What do you and your daddy do together?
Anna - Play games
Andrew - Go places
18. How are you and your daddy the same?
Anna - We have brown eyes
Andrew - We both play basketball
19. How are you and your daddy different?
Anna - He is peeling from a sunburn and I am not
Andrew - Daddy's tall and I am medium (I love that Andrew said he was medium)
20. How do you know your daddy loves you?
Anna - He tucks me in bed at night and tells me Little Jimmy stories
Andrew - He tells me
21. What does your daddy like most about your mom?
Anna - That she is a great mom
Andrew - That she is pretty
22. Where is your daddy's favorite place to go?
Anna - Basketball games and visit his family
Andrew - To a friend's house

Spiritual Sunday - Journals

While I was in Casper I found some of my old journals. I am so glad I kept a journal while I was younger. I have been reading my old journals and it has helped me to understand my kids so much more. I went through a lot of the same things they are experiencing. It has also shown me again the importance of recording things from our lives.

It is also fun to see the things I would write about. Here is a sample of something I wrote when I was 10 and shows that I loved sports even at a young age:

"Today was the Super Bowl! The 49ers killed the Bronco's 55 to 10! John Elway was playing bad while Joe Montana was unstoppable. It was a great game."

It is also fun to see how my testimony has grown and neat to show my kids my testimony when I was a kid.

Super Saturday

This morning was the Provo children's parade. The library always have the kids come and walk/ride bikes in their summer reading T-shirts for the library entry. Danny took the kids and took some shots with his IPhone.

Then this evening we met up with some of our friends from the MBA program (Widdisons, Ramages, and Wrights) for a dinner in the park. I am so grateful Danny came back to get his MBA. We were able to make such great friends.

Then on a totally unrelated note, here is a picture of Danny and Nathan my sister in law took from the family reunion. Everyone was playing Rock Band and they both zonked out.

Fantasic Friday - Look who's 30!

Today, I am 30 years old. I can't believe my parents have a 30 year old, they are way to young to have a kid that old!

This morning when I came back from the gym, Anna surprised me with a party she planned all by herself. I would not be surprised if she is a party planner when she grows up, she loves to organize parties.

Anna at her party station. This is where she kept everything for the party.



It is not a party without decorations.



This is my goody bag - an apple, fruit cup, and a bracelet. Nathan got cheerios and a party hat. Andrew got a nectarine, a party hat, and a jolly rancher. Danny got an apple, party hat, and jolly rancher. Where was my candy? I have my kids fooled that I never eat candy.



Here is Anna handing out one of the activities, a dinosaur puzzle.



Andrew was quite impressed with the party - he said it was one of the best he has ever attended. I am glad he enjoyed it!

Thursday Thoughts

How much fun is it to be a kid?

Workout Wednesday - Yoga

I wish I could do more yoga. I always feel so good after I have done it, but I really don't have enough time right now to add it to my exercise regime. I found a great site though that has multiple yoga videos that are under 10 minutes. Now, whenever I have a couple minutes I can fit in some yoga. I really like the yoga for runners, it really stretches tight hips.

Taste of Tuesday - Green Smoothies

I have joined the green smoothie bandwagon. They are so delicious and good for you too. I don't have an exact recipe I usually just throw in whatever greens, fruit, and liquid I have around. You can type in green smoothie in google to get a lot of different ideas on the Internet.

This is one I made for the kids and Danny (I usually put in more spinach in my mine). It had the following: pomegranate juice, spinach, blueberries, grapes, apples, oranges, and bananas.

Anna who is a very, very picky eater loves these smoothies.



Andrew on the other hand will eat anything, so I am glad it is nutritious.



Babies also love them and yes I am feeding him on the kitchen floor - it was one of those days!

Monday Miracles - Garden

Nothing beats fresh fruits and vegetables. I love when I can eat a fruit/vegetable straight off the plant.

The house in Provo has a great garden. My parents came in the spring and helped us get everything ready. They even transplanted some strawberries from their garden to put in the garden. Luckily, my parents know what they are doing or I am sure the garden would be disaster without their expert advice.

The lowest level with carrots, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, and cantaloupe. Two years ago I planted cantaloupe and got a really good crop. You would not believe how good it tastes fresh. I hope I get another good crop this year.

The second level we let my brother and his wife use. They planted a salsa garden with peppers, tomatoes, and onions. The thought of homemade salsa is making my mouth water.

The third level with zucchini and corn. I love my zucchini!

The fourth level is where we transplanted the strawberries. They are doing really good. We are even getting some fruit which is amazing. I still remember as a little girl sitting by our strawberry patch and eating the strawberries.