Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Easter 2011


This years Easter was pretty low-key. We've had our outfits chosen for a really long time. I didn't start shopping for goodies until just a few days before the big event.

The kids got to hunt for their baskets and eggs before we went to church. Andrew had some issues at church but once I got him to eat some snacks he started to snap out of it.

The choir at church performed and it was beautiful. I got to go to Relief Society instead of sharing time. That was pure bliss. When we got home we colored eggs and sat around the table together laughing and sharing memories.

We didn't think we were going anywhere for dinner but at the last minute that  changed and we were able to spend Easter with Paul's sisters family and his parents. All I had to make was make an obscene amount of funeral potatoes. It's always nice to not have to prepare the whole meal.

It was a nice day. I couldn't have asked for more.  

Monday, April 25, 2011

Fourth Grade Rendezvous

Andrew has been learning about Utah history. He has learned about mountain men, bartering, the Golden Spike etc. He is even the lead in his class play about the Golden Spike. It isn't until mid-May but we can't wait to see it.

This past Friday they had an all day rendezvous. It started with mountain man games. Each of the four classes had two games they hosted. The games were things like bows and suction-cup arrows, cow chip toss (Frisbee), bean bag toss (I can't remember the mountain man name) and a bunch of other stations. I ran the leg wrestling. It was a blast! We had so much fun. They divided each class into two sections so there were eight rotations. I was out there screaming rules and counting and cheering for two hours. I almost lost my voice. Here is Andrew wrestling his best friend.











Andrew didn't win this round. By the end of the day I was itching to wrestle someone. When everyone got home we cleared out the living room and went to town. Paul flipped me but then he let me win a couple of rounds. It was a great day. 

A Quick Catch Up

Since I lost my hard-drive I have decided to not do Life 365 anymore. All my kits devoted to the project are gone. I'm still taking a lot of pictures but I think my other blog may be officially declared dead. Anyway here are some of the shots I took with that project in mind. I'm putting them over here instead.

I'm trying to eat healthier. I want to lose some pounds before New York. I may have lost a couple pounds but it's hard to tell since my scale is possessed. One day we will all gain 2.5 pounds and then a few days later we will all be back to normal. I was down a little more than my previous normal so I am counting that as loss. It works for me ; ) Anyway last week I did really well with my eating and exercise and you know what? I couldn't even fall asleep for my naps. What??? Who would have thought eating better would prevent carb comas? LOL!


I bought a bag of spinach at Costco. I've had salad after salad after salad. I've had several green smoothies. I've given some away and I still have a ton of spinach left. It seems like I've eaten more spinach in the last week than I have in my entire life!  At least it's yummy. 



Andrew got two remote control helicopters for his birthday. They are so tiny and lightweight they shouldn't be used outside unless there is absolutely no wind. We've had bad weather so they have been buzzing all of us in the house. Yep, that's fun. I know one of these days I'm going to have a helicopter tangled in my hair. 


We waited until the very last possible moment but Andrew earned his Bear right before he turned 10. It was painful every step of the way. He pretty much hates scouts. We had pack meeting last Tuesday night where was awarded his patch and he was suppose to pin me with a little bear pin that moms get. I wore this shirt (because it was the only one with a collar that I didn't mind getting a hole in) just so it would be easy for him to pin the pin on me. (The first year I wore a tighter t-shirt and he had to stick his hand down my shirt!) Did he use the collar? Nope he pulled it way out and stabbed it in like he was trying to puncture my heart. He was on one that night. I was so embarrassed by his behavior. I didn't get one good picture with him. He can be such a turd. 



 Lately I have been crazy for cardigans. They are everywhere! They aren't expensive and they are so comfy. I need to stop leaving the house. Each time I do I buy something I shouldn't. 

Spring Flooding Again?

It looks like it. 


I took this picture a few years ago from the west side of the lake. 
This is Mount Timpanogos. It's the mountain we live...on? At the base of? Near? I'll go with on. Anyway, it's big and there is a lot of snow on it and it's in my backyard.

I got these stats from Wiki. Mount Timpanogos is the second highest mountain in Utah's Wasatch Range. Timpanogos rises to an elevation of 11,749 feet (3,582 m) above sea level. (People climb it! It's actually on my bucket list. Am I crazy? Don't answer that!) Timpanogos is the 47th-most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States.


This is also Timp. At the base of one of the small canyons near our house is the retention basin (on the other side of the green hills) where spring run-off is collected. (This is where the kids and I often play in the water throwing rocks) This is a big spillway where extra water can escape over the top if needed. (I think?) Anyway, we had flooding in 2005. These are some pages I made back then that I thought I had lost in my hard-drive debacle. Luckily I had them stored on my computer also. 





This year there is a lot more snow/water in the mountains then there was then. The city is warning all of us to be prepared. They are also making sandbags available. Where our house is we shouldn't have any problems, but it will effect our friends and neighbors. 


Everything looks calm and normal right now but there is already a lot of water coming out of this little canyon and the snow hasn't even really started melting yet. As a matter of fact it is raining a lot. More and more snow is collecting


It's funny. We've been told we can use as much water as we want to water our lawns. Ummm, it's been raining several days each week. We don't need to water our lawns. If things warm up quickly we could have some serious problems. I'm hope we warm up gradually and all of this concern and sandbagging will be much ado about nothing. 

Running

When I first started jogging I had my doubts that I would ever make it through the Couch to 5K program.

This is the first day of the program. Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. I was able to do it but it was hard.

When I had to run for 90 seconds it was even harder. When I saw five minutes on the schedule I was sort of freaked out, but I did it. Then I thought I might I die.

Almost every new week I was able to do what was asked of me. I repeated some days but that's okay. It wasn't always fun, heck I don't think it has ever been fun. It was hard. But I stuck with it. That makes me feel proud of myself. I'm so glad that Paul has been running too. I wouldn't say I'm competitive but in this I was. I was a day ahead of him in the program and I liked that.

Today was a big day for me. I did it. (I may have done it before but today I KNOW for sure I did it) I ran a 5K. Don't get me wrong. I am as slow as molasses going uphill in the winter, but I did it. I ran a 5K and I didn't die. I didn't even feel like I was going to die.

The official race isn't until this weekend. It will be harder because there will be hills but I am now capable of running over three miles without stopping. I truly never thought I would see the day.

Wish me luck in my race!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

I'm Still Alive


I've been enjoying a wet and soggy spring. From what I hear there is a major concern for flooding once the snow begins melting. For now though I am enjoying all the spring colors. Everywhere I look I see blossoms and blooms. Things are coming to life, slowly but surely. It makes me happy.


I feel as busy as a bee but if you asked me what I've been doing it would be hard for me to answer. I'll have to think about it and create a post. 


Tomorrow I get to go to Andrew's school and help out with the 4th grade Rendezvous. It is scheduled to be an outdoor event. I'm crossing my fingers that it's dry tomorrow. 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Andrew is Ten!

We can't believe our baby is now in the double digits. 

We began celebrating Andrew's birthday on Saturday. We had lunch at Texas Roadhouse with his grandparents. He chose Texas Roadhouse because he wanted a place where they made a big deal out of birthdays. Once we got there he was anxious to open his presents. 


He got a glow in the dark Hex Bug


This is him ready to say "YES!" when he saw that we got him Bucky Balls. It starts out as a cube that's made of a bunch of tiny magnets. They are all little balls that you can make into a million different things. We've all had a blast playing with it. 


He got to sit on the saddle while the whole restaurant yelled "Yee Haw!" 


He got a pogo-stick, a new swing seat and a Lego set from my parents. 


He got pis-cash-io's from Paul's parents. If you look closely there is something special rolled up in the jar. He loved it! 

Sunday he got a bookmark and a scripture marker at church and they sang to all the kids with April birthdays. 


We are out on spring break this week. Paul came home for lunch with pizza for all of us. After we were done eating Paul went back to work. I took the kids to Wal Mart so Andrew could spend his birthday money. (He had had it less than 48 hours LOL!) Then I took them to Yogurt Bliss for a little treat. Andrew actually got his yogurt for free since it was his birthday. 


We picked up his balloons that he had picked out and the "cake" he had me order at the grocery store next door. They gave him a Crunch bar since it was his birthday. This kid was on cloud nine. 


We had to wait for Paul to come home from work before we could officially celebrate. All afternoon Andrew kept asking when dad would be home. Finally he arrived and we headed out to Five Guys. It's where Andrew wanted to go for dinner. 


This sign cracked me up!


I got the small cheeseburger with mayo, mustard, ketchup and grilled onions. The onions were too large and not cooked enough (still crunchy) so I got those off and then it was quite good. I liked their fries a lot and I enjoyed the peanuts you get to munch on while waiting for the food.  


Andrew was really excited to get home after dinner so he could open the rest of his gifts. 


I did manage to get him in a picture with all the potatoes before we left. 


Here he is with the Lego that he bought with his birthday money. 


Andrew didn't want a cake this year. He wanted a maple bar and a Texas ring that made a number 10 so that's what I ordered for him. It was the cheapest cake we've ever had. Under two bucks! 


He had me buy trick candles and I wasn't allowed to tell Paul. 


Hey look the flames are coming back. 


Our house got really smokey. 




He got another Lego, two little remote control helicopters and some action figures.


Right now Andrew is into skateboarding, rip-sticking, Legos, action figures, pushing the limits and growing his hair. He is a funny little dude with a super strong personality. It's hard to get him to do something if he doesn't want to do it. I had to threaten him with no birthday if he wouldn't shower before we left the house. (He had been playing outside, he stunk to the high heavens and had mud all over his shoes and pants) Well he showered and then got dressed back in his dirty clothes and there was nothing I could do or say to get him to change into something clean before we went out. I'm pretty sure that he is going to make me an expert at the art of negotiation. With Andrew you really need to pick your battles or you could end up really...frustrated. The next several years are going to be interesting but I sure do love this guy. I am so happy he is part of our family. 

I'm Getting Excited for Spring!


Sunday we woke up to this. 


But yesterday we had this!



I love all the blooms and buds. I'm thrilled to have the world back in color again.