Playing Spaceships

The last night Dave and Polli were here they had a BBQ at Polli's parents. This was on Tuesday night the 26th. We were thrilled that we were invited and had an excellent time. Noah kept playing on their outside swing. After a bit Dave went over and sat by him and asked what he was doing. Noah used his "TahTah" sounds to show shooting and then showed him he was flying. So Dave asked if he could play too. They figured out that Noah was Obiwan and Dave was Darth Vader. They spent a good long while flying their X-Wings and Tie-Fighters. Fighting in the Galaxy for a better world. Noah loved and adored playing spaceships. Even after Dave had to leave. He stayed on that swing almost the entire night and played. He even roped Chesney my cousin Rosemarie's oldest daughter to play with him most the night. I am sure that is not the idea of fun for a 16 year old. If Chesney moved away, Noah would go in search of her and ask her to play again. He really liked her. She was a really good sport and really was darling with him. My cameras batteries died so I only got a few pictures of Dave and Noah playing spaceships. It made me sad I was unable to get more pictures of everone there. Polli took more pictures she promised to send me. I am really grateful to Dave for taking the time to play with Noah and doing something with him that he clearly loves. This is now one of my favorite memories of my cousin. The pictures tell the story. They are priceless and hilarious.

Senior Year Meme

1. Who was your best friend? Carrie

2. What sports did you play? Hmm, none, but I did take dance until I graduated.

3. What kind of car did you drive? Porshe Red 1981 Honda Accord, Stick shift

4. It's Friday night, where were you? Wherever it was I was with Carrie and Chris, I went to most of the football games with Carrie, She taught me all I know about football, Kersten worked Friday nights so our dates were usually on Saturday

5. Were you a party animal? I had a small circle of friends that hung out a lot. We partied with ice cream and crazy dances

6. Were you considered a flirt? I am famous for my flirting.

7. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Orchestra, Concert Choir and Ladies Ensemble

8. Were you a nerd? Definitely not academically but I was a bit of a nerd socially

9. Did you get suspended or expelled? No, but I did have to do community service to make up a lot of my U"s

10. Can you sing the fight song? Yes, I am singing it right now and Noah is putting his hand over my mouth

11. Who were your favorite teachers? Mrs. Brough and Jack Ashton (he teased me a lot and called me Lawrence of Arabia)

12. Where did you sit during lunch? If we were at School usually on the grass, most of the time we were out and about searching out money for food.

13. What is your schools full name? Olympus High School.

14. School mascot? The Titan.

15. Did you go to Prom? Kersten took me to prom and all the dances that year. He was graduated so it was sweet he took me to all of them. I wore a pink dress and we doubled with my friend Quinn Cannon and his date Kelly. We went to Five All's for dinner and after the dance went to Quinn's house where his mom Kay had all these fun games set up in their antique room and yummy treats. It was fabulous.

16. If you could go back and do it over, would you? I think not

17. What do you remember most about graduation? I was in the orchestra and instead of walking off the stage and then getting back in my seat I just walked to my seat on the stage. (bit embarrassing). Kerst, Care, Chris and I went to the After Graduation party. We snuck Kersten in. It was really fun. Afterwards, Kerst and I went and got Sconecutter and then made out until 4 in the morning. It was awesome

18. What was your favorite class? English

19. Where were you on senior skip day? Every day was Senior Skip Day for me. (had to copy that from Carrie)

20. Did you have a job your senior year? I worked for my mom through high school and that summer. convienent

21. Where did you go most often for lunch? McDonald's

22. Have you gained weight since then? Yes, right now definitely

23. What did you do after graduation? Hung out with Kersten a lot, he left on his mission in Sept. went to Utah State University a week after he left

24. Who was your Senior prom date? Kersten, of course

25. Did you go to your 10 year reunion? No, it was not advertised very well. I found out about it 2 days before. My friend Alicia called to see if I was going and it was a little expensive. I see most of the people I would still want to see from high school anyway. But it would be fun to go to the next one with Carrie

Weekend Update

On Friday Night we were lucky and privledged enough to see my cousin Dave and His wife Polli and their cute baby Kaite. They are in town for a whirlwind event and long weekend. (I still in all my confusion can't figure out links they are the Gatnnos Family). It was so fun and comfortable to be with them. Dave has not been here in over two years. The last pictures I have of him and Noah are when he is a tiny babe. Dave is also Noah's Godfather. So they tried to get in some bonding time. We had a small BBQ in Polli's parents backyard. Noah warmed up after a bit and finally started playing Star Wars with Dave. We just talked and hung out and then watched "A Night at the Musuem". Noah stayed up until Midnight. I thought he would fall asleep during the movie but he was hard core and stayed up. Their baby Kaite is getting so big. She is a smiley fun cute baby. We were just relaxing and having fun so all of us forgot to take pictures. They leave tommrow and I am going to try and grab them for a minute to take a couple of pictures.

On Saturday we drove down to Provo to visit our friends Ben, Shaunelle and Jaimason and also to see their new house. It is a really nice house with a beautiful yard. I am really happy for them. The boys were shy at first, although Noah was talking about Jaimason on the drive down. He was tired and a bit cranky from staying up so late the night before so we were a bit worried that he would not be nice. Things turned out well though and we had a wonderful day. It was good to see our friends and enjoy their company.


We went up Provo Canyon for lunch for a hot dog roast. It is a beautiful canyon and had really nice picnic areas. It was really fun to be out and about and be with friends. The boys were playing well with each other. They were fasinated with the river and fire. They ate a ton and were the silliest boys. It was good just to talk etc

The boys had a hard time staying away from the fire. And had to "help" build the fire. They hot dogs and smores were really yummy. It was marvelous being outside. We went and splashed in the river a bit and threw rocks in. It was hard for the boys to wait for us to come.

When we got done with lunch we came back to their cute new house and turned on the sprinklers for the boys. It was really hot outside and now late enough in the day. They had a cool attachement for their hose that had two shooter guns that you could shoot water on this thing that spun around. Noah of course Loved it. Then we put the sprinkler on so they could just run around. They had sponges they would get wet and squeeze on each other and on us.

After awhile of course Kersten had to join in all the fun and get wet. It was really hot outside and was really refreshing to have some relief.

Noah was so onrey and done after the water fun that we decided to save us all a bit of grief and head home. Emilee called and let us know that she found Noah's "MOO HAW". It was behind her love sac in the family room. I am glad she found it. So we stopped and picked it up on the way home. Noah caressed it like an old friend. He kept talking about how he now has two blue Moo haws. I feel lucky to have a backup.
It was a great weekend. Lots of fun friends and people we love.

Last Enrichment-Anita Stansfield

Thursday night was my last enrichment night that I had to help with. I was released last Sunday and it was interesting to feel how the mantle of that calling had lifted. I could not focus on what needed to be done for that night. I had set up back at the beginning of the year to have Anita Stansfield come speak in our ward. We invited one other ward and all the young women. I was a bit worried about the turnout for their was a wedding in our ward that night and girls camp was rescheduled for that week.

Before the meeting Anita came up early and went to lunch with my sisters, mom and I at Cafe Rio. It was fun to see and chat with her beforehand. My aunt Patty is here from Texas and she came also and brought my Grandma. Her two girls Mary and Anna were dropped off at my house to spoil Noah during enrichment. We arrived at the ward and as I had dreaded there were not that many people there. I had been really nervous about the introduction. I was a little dorky because I wanted to show my enthusiasm for her books and how much I admire her as a person. I shared some stories and such but forgot to brag a bit about how I am on the cover of 3 of her books. I even brought the framed picture of them in my house. Silly me.

I have heard her talk before and it never ceases to amaze me how the things that she says touch me and make me think. She talked about how us as women always feel inadequete. And how Satan uses this as a tool. The spirit was very strong. One thing she said that struck a cord is that she tells her children that Heavenly Father loves them the most, that is not Mom and Dad because they are human and have flaws. But Heavenly Fathers love is absolute, perfect and never wavers. She shared experiences from her life that show what she calls "Relief Society Moments" where women and people have answered her prayers. We need to be there for each other as women. I wish I could have taped it. By the end of the evening most of the women did not have dry eyes. Anita made the comment that she knew she was there for certain women. So it made me feel better that the turnout wasn't that great. It was really a fabulous evening. It was a great way to end my calling as Enrichment Leader. I will miss the counselor I worked with. It is a bit bitter sweet.

"Moo Haw"

Tuesday was a very tragic day for my sweet Noah. As everyone who knows him or reads this blog has figured out, Noah Loves, is obsessed, is overly zealous and excited about Star Wars. He has 2 lightsabers, a blue one and a green one. The blue one is his favorite because Obiwan has a blue lightsaber. Green is cool because Qui Gon Jin has one and so does Luke. As Noah watches these movies numerous times a week, he acts out the entire sequences as they unfold on the movies. He swims, holds on to the ledge when they slip, he fights, spins, jumps and makes all the sound effects possible. His blue lightsaber is offically the Moo Haw and the Green one is the Eee Haw.
Tuesday was one of those days were you run and run and never stop. I had the doctor, we had lunch at the park with Kristin for her birthday, Noah had his Little Ninja class and then Kristin's Birthday party that evening. In the late afternoon, I realized in the events of the day we had lost, misplaced or dropped it somewhere in our adventures. It usually is snuggly placed in my purse or in the iron grip of Noah's hand. I did not alert Noah of this but we did go back to all the places and do a search as he screamed home. At bedtime he asked where it was and I said a casual remark that it might be at Aunt Emilee's.

The next morning the first thing he asked was if I had called Emilee to see if we had found it. When I responded in the negative. He sat on the ground and started crying. I held him in my arms and tried to comfort him. Emilee had not done a through search as of yet. So I said we would keep looking. All morning long, he would look at his Star Wars books we got at the library and find the blue lightsaber and come and show me. He lamented and had a hard time all morning. This is one of his first dealings with grief and loss. He was genuinely mourning the loss of his precious "Moo Haw". My sister Amy called and I was chatting with her as I did the dishes. Noah comes running in with a grief stricken look on his face. He started crying and wrapped himself in my arms. Amy could hear him on the phone. She started mourning with him. She started thinking about when she was young and she lost her favorite piglet. She said she could not handle it that was so sad. Before she hung up she said "I am just going to run to Walmart and find him a new one". She showed up a tiny bit before she had to go to school to give it to him. We made a big fanfare about how lucky he was that Amy loved him so much to give him a new Blue Lightsaber. He gave her huge hugs and said thank you a million more times. He shows it to everyone now and say "Mimi" to tell them that she gave it to him. The joy in that boy is completely undescribable with his new "moo haw". Wed morning was so heart breaking to watch my son go through such genuine grief over his favorite toy. I am eternally grateful that Amy came to the rescue and brought peace back to his soul.

Little Critters Premiere

Noah is now officially a movie star. I think that two movies makes it so that he is now a STAR* On Saturday June 16th 2007 was his second premiere of his second movie. It is called Little Critters and they had all the shoots they did with animals. Noah was not in very many of these shoots so he was only in the first part of the movie. There were some moments of brilliance and it was cute. But, Little Adventurers is still my favorite and not just because Noah is in it more. Kersten was of the same opinion.
Before the movie started they had all the kids have a photo taken for promotional purposes. Noah gave a big smile and coroporated with them marvelously. Because of this they started about 40 minutes late. Which was a bit frustrating with keeping the kids happy. They gave them some fun toy animals to play with. And a package with the movie in it for each of the kids in it and some candy. But the kiddies got restless. And the older ones got really bored and were vocal about their opinions of the movies. Which in actuality was quite entertaining. These movies are targeted for kids 0-3 years old. And they kids in that age group were highly entertained and adorable.

We invited our friends Kevin, Kieran, Heber and Avery to join us and His Uncle Jason and Aunt Verity. At the last minute Verity was unable to come. We had a lot of fun together. Jason made a big deal to Noah about how cool he was and made him feel really special. I am really grateful to him fot all that he does for Noah. It was fun having our good friends there to share. Noah talked about having Heber and Avery there the whole rest of the day. After the movie we all went to Cafe Rio for lunch. Which I love and is an obsession for me. It was heaven. I was at one of my favorite restaurants with one of my favorite friends with our families, you cannot for anything better than that.

The Premiere was fun, but not as fun or as novel as the first one. First of all. Our camera was not working properly so we only got this one picture the entire time. They had some issues with cancelling and then rescheduling this premiere. So I think it was a little less well planned. I was also not so emotional about seeing Noah in the movie. I am still so proud of him, I feel ready to burst but I am able to temper my feelings a bit more. What a sweet talented boy I have

Happy Father's Day

Ten Reasons Kersten is a marvelous Father and Dad

1. He tells Pal or Star Wars stories to Noah at bedtime

2. When he is fixing something or doing any kind of project, he takes the time to show Noah how to do it and even lets him try the tools.

3. He wrestles, help save mom from Zurg and Plays Lightsabers to Noah's heart content

4. He reads to Noah everyday and if Dad is there, Mom can't read

5. He is constantly thinking and finding new things to explore with the boy

6. He builds forts and even crawls around inside with him

7. He teaches Noah to respect and be reverent during prayers

8. He is a stickler for manners and makes sure that Noah at least tries to be polite no matter what the situation.

9. My husband is not known for his patience, but when it comes to Noah it comes in leaps and bounds

10. He snuggles, kisses and loves his boy to pieces

We love you Kersten, Happy Father's Day

Name Scattergories

Your Name: Laurie
Famous Artist/Band/Musician: Led Zepplin
Four letter Word: Love
Street Name: Lancaster Ave
Vehicle: Lambougini
TV Show: I Love Lucy
City: Louisiana
Boy Name: Lawrence
Girl Name: Lola

Drink: Lemonade
Occupation: Landscaper
Flower: Lilly
Something You Wear: Lai
Celebrity: Lauren Bacall
Food: Lettuce

Something Found in a Kitchen: Ladel
Reason for Being Late: Lion ate my homework
Cartoon Character: Little Lulu
Something You Shout: Look Out!

Goose Girl

I know I just did a book post but I could not just let this book pass by. I swear that I read this book awhile ago but I must not have because it did not ring a bell as I was reading it. "Goose Girl By Shannon Hale," My friend Kristi recommended it to me after I read "The Star of Kazan". Thank you Kristi for this recommendation. I loved it. This book is probably in the top ten of my list so far this year. It is another Young adult fiction book. It is clean, fun, fantastic, original and riveting. I finished this book in a night and a day. I read it as I ate breakfast, as I did dishes, as I watched Noah in his Ninja classes, and any other activity that I could read and do it at the same time.

In the front jacket of the book it says 'She was born with her eyes closed and a word on her tongue, a word she could not taste. Her name was Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildrenree, and spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt's stories and learning the language of the birds, especially the swans. When she got older, she watched as a colt was born, and she heard the first word on his tongue his name, Falada.' Okay if that did not make you want to read the book, it totally should have. As the story moves on, you see as she struggles to find her place and all of her unusual talents and embrace who she it to become the leader of the people that she has made her own. This book is full of everything_ mutiny, murder, knights, magic, language, love, friendship, class issues, animals, betrayal, intrigue, disguises and the discovery that you can do more than you thought. I don't want to give to much of the plot away because it would just be to sad. But, I hope I have put enough enthusiasm into my words. I know I am not the most eloquent writer or speaker but I did love this book more than most. So Enjoy and let it quench your thirst for a good book

Happy Birthday Grandma

Today is my Grandma Billie S* Birthday. She turns 88 today, which completely amazes me. I remember celebrating her birthday when she turned 69 and she has kinda stayed that age in my mind ever since. She is the ephiphany of beauty, grace and pose. She is so incredibly beautiful that I would count myself blessed if I look like her when I am her age. She is an amazing example of unconditional love. All of her grandchildren think that they are her favorite and I think that all of us would be right. Everyone loves and reveres her as the matriarch of our family. I have rarely heard her complain about any kind of ailment. She does talk about how much she misses my Grandpa Larry, which I don't blame her. It would be hard to be without the man you love. I love talking to her. I love talking about silly things and going over the same thing again. She gives the best hugs. She is one of the few things that still makes me feel as safe as I did when I was a child. I love this woman and hope I can be more like her.

Happy Birthday Emilee

My Sister Emilee has a birthday today. She is the oldest of all my siblings. Growing up she did like to be the boss and was always telling us what to do. Amazingly enough, all of us would do it most the time just to be with her. She is the one I looked to growing up for flirting tips, how to do my hair and makeup and all those other really important decisions that women have to make. I really looked up to her and wanted to be like her. Now that we are grown we are really good friends. I still want to be like her but I am also happy for our differences. It makes life more fun and our relationship richer. She is an amazing woman of faith. She sticks to her convictions and rarely strays. She is an amazing mother. I look to her a lot for tips and advice. I adore her two kids, they are amazing kids. She has been through a lot and has come through victorious. Being a single mom could not be easy. She has accomplished so much and has so much to give. I am glad she is my sister.

What Movie is Your Love Life Like?

Your Love Life is Like Casablanca

"Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time." For you, love is never finished. If you've loved someone once, you'll always love them. You're an old fashioned romantic... even if your relationships don't end up as romantic as you'd like. Your love style: Traditional and understated Your Hollywood Ending Will Be: Complicated and ambiguous

What Movie Is Your Love Life Like?

We did have pictures taken for our engagment pictures in Casablanca style so I thought this was appropriate

MeMe MeMe

I MISS: my friends who live far away and chicken taquitos from Los Hermanos
I HATE: people talking on their cell phones while driving
I HEAR: my son practicing his lightsaber moves upstairs
I REGRET: not traveling more before I had kids
I LIKE: creating, implementing and finishing a project
I SING: almost daily
I GOT THIS SURVEY FROM: the blog world, I can't remember I had it saved in my drafts
I SHOULD: clean my house

[IN THE LAST MONTH HAVE YOU...]
KISSED SOMEONE?: yes lots just today and everyday
CRIED?: ummm... more than usual
HELPED SOMEONE?: yes, I have tried
BEEN ILL : just fatigued and nausea
GONE TO THE CINEMA?: On my anniversary
GONE OUT FOR DINNER?: yes. going out is my biggest extravegance
WRITTEN A REAL LETTER? there is nothing better than a handwritten note
WRITTEN IN A JOURNAL?: my blog and doing better in my actual journal

[WOULD YOU EVER...]
EAT AN INSECT? probably not
BUNGEE JUMP? Totally have always wanted to
HANG GLIDE?: Yes
KILL SOMEONE?: Only in defense my family
WALK ON HOT COALS?: To get to my boys absolutely
GO OUT TO EAT WITH A COMPLETE STRANGER?: Totally would. I love eating out especially if it was an awesome restaurant
BE A VEGETARIAN?:impossible! I do like meat to much
PURPOSELY HURT SOMEONE?: I would only do it to protect my family or myself
RUN A RED LIGHT?: not on purpose
DYE YOUR HAIR BLUE?: I might do streaks in it, that wash out
MAKE SOMEONE CRY?: My sister Emilee but not on purpose
STAY UP ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT: I have before but cannot remember doing it for awhile

[THE LAST PERSON WHO...]
SLEPT ON THE SAME BED WITH YOU?: Kersten and Noah this morning for cuddles
SAW YOU CRY?: Noah today in the chevron parking lot
YOU SAW CRY? Noah today when he bonked his head on corner cupboard
WENT TO THE CINEMA WITH?: My husband Kersten and Noah to see Shrek 3 on our anniversary
WENT TO DINNER/LUNCH WITH?: My fabulous husband, Kersten
THAT CALLED YOU ON THE PHONE: my husband
TEXT YOU: Can't remember, texting in not on our plan
MADE YOU LAUGH: my dear sweet Noah Boy

[DO YOU PREFER]
FLOWERS OR CANDY?: Daisies, tulips and the occasional yummy smelling rose from my Grandma's garden
GRAY OR BLACK?: Black, gray is to drab
COLOR OR BLACK?: Love Color. I love bright, beautiful things that have personality but everyone needs a black dress
SUNRISE OR SUNSET?: Sunset but if I am ever in Hawaii I want to see a sunrise
STAYING UP LATE OR WAKING UP EARLY?: Right now I am not good at either of these, usually it is staying up late

Star of Kazan

I just finished this book that is made for 10-16 year olds and I just adored it. It is an honorary Newbery award winner and a Parents Choice award for 2004. I randomly saw it on the shelf at the library and picked it up. So glad that I did. The characters are so loveable and the descritions are amazing. I loved her feelings and her insecurities and her moments of complete brilliance. I also loved that it was based in Vienna Austria in the time of the Great Emperor. I would encourage any girl to read this book no matter what age. I was just delightful.
Here is what was on the side about the book.
"Annika is a happy eleven-year-old foundling living with the cook and housekeeper who found her in a house in Vienna belonging to three eccentric, kindly professors. Bright, cheerful and ardworking, Annika nevertheless puts herself to sleep at night by imagining that her real mother will arrive someday and sweep her away to a wonderful life complete with dog. In the meantime, her rich nemesis across the square persuades her to take her place caring for her ancient, bedridden great-aunt stuck away in an attic. This elderly invalid, who becomes Annika's great friend, tells about her life in the theater and how she was given beautiful jewelry by admirers - including "The Star of Kazan."
When her beautiful mother does arrive, almost as she envisioned, Annika is so smitten that she refuses to accept the realities of her increasingly difficult life. Fortunately, because of her goodness, she always has true friends. With Annika suffering terribly and the plot twisting ferociously, this book will be beloved by its readers. It is a compelling read in which young readers will detect more than the naive main character, which ups the tension. This is an almost perfect children's book".
I agree with that last sentence.