Girls Overnighter

Last year, my friends Kieran, Kiersten and I went on a girls overnighter. This year Kiersten is really pregnant so she was unable to come this year. So it was just me and Kieran and we went up to my family cabin in Midway.  It has been quite awhile since I have been up there and it made me really happy to be surrounded by the memories of it all.  Kieran was nice and indulged me and let me ramble about all the silly things we did there.  
Friday Night we watched like 4 movies , Footloose, Hairspray, Juno and Dan in Real Life.  We had a hard time getting into the groove of scrapbooking.  We needed our tiaras for some creativity.  We talked, laughed and ate a lot.  Which is just as important.  We went to bed around 3 am.  Woke up around 10, finished a couple more pages.  Cleaned the cabin like mad woman and drove home.  We stopped at McDonalds in Park City and Jim graciously gave us some free food.  

It was so completely heavenly to get away.  It just did not seem long enough. I came home refreshed and ready to be a better mom.  Noah ran into my arms he was so happy I was home.  It was a nice welcome.   We went and saw Clone Wars that afternoon when I returned.  So I had a party day.    So grateful to have such a fun friend,  Thanks for being creative with me Kieran.  Love your guts.

32 is cucky

Today is my dear husbands birthday and as you can guess from the title he turned 32 today. Noah cannot except his new age. My boy has a hard time with change. Whenever we would talk about Daddy turning 32 today, he would pout and say "No, 31, 32 is cucky" which is yucky with a c. It made us laugh so hard. He had to work today so it has not been to exciting for him today. Plus I caught a bug and am totally out of it. So it has been a bit uneventful.

We did celebrate a lot this weekend. Yesterday we had a b-day party at his parents house. His little sister Christel has a birthday the day before his so we partied yesterday. We had yummy pitas for dinner and Monika made tiramisu for Kerst and Christel or "Mo" and chocolate cake for everyone else. It was a lovely time.

On Saturday, after I arrived home from my girls night sleepover (more on that later) our family packed it up and we went and saw "Star Wars, The Clone Wars". Nik and Lena accompanied us to the event. The best part of the movie was watching Noah reenact it as it was going on. You can image the intense excitment in our house, since Star Wars is beyond an obsession at our house. It has really cool battles and did not disappoint my boys at all.

Another big event going on at our house is that our little Sofia is on the move.  She crawls with her right leg tucked underneath and scoots along.  She is getting faster everyday.  All I can say is that she is trouble now.  She slowly follows me around the house.  Cries at the bottom of the stairs if I am putting laundry away, pulls off all the magnets  on the fridge.and grabs anything that is near.    She is so fun right now.

Middle Name

You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name.

 Each fact must begin with that letter. 

If you don’t have a middle name, just use your maiden name. 

ELIZABETH

E

Energetic

Of, course when I was young I had tons more energy than I do now.

In high school, I was at an assembly and was bouncing in my chair.

My friend Jake, teased me that I was always full of energy.

I don't think I will ever forget his laugh.

Now, that I am older and a mom, most of my energy is used up by my children.

That is one reason my word for the year is Capacity.

I want to do more with the time I have.

L

Loyal

Watch out because once I become your friend,

you probably won't be able to get rid of me that easily.

I try hard to be a good friend, sister and daughter.

I really do love people deeply.

I like to stick around for the long run.

I

Inspired

I find joy, beauty,silliness and inspiration all around me.

My mind is constantly seeking and looking for things to

create,make or do better. I love creating something and seeing the finished product.

Whether it is my scrapbooks, cards, painted furniture or designing my house.

I take great satisfaction from these things.

It keeps me sane if that is possible.

Z

Zany

Z was very hard to come up with a word. I think I am silly and a bit nuts.

I love to laugh and make my son a bit embarassed.

Some of my antics make even my husband blush.

I think it just keeps them on their toes.

A

Airy

Kersten came up with this for me.

It is funny for my first reaction was that I was off in space and flighty.

But, Kersten said it describes how when you are with me, I try not drag people down.

I try to lift them up and feel less weary from the dregs of life.

I try to be positive and happy and fun to be around.

B

Beauty

Okay, now I did not put this word down because, I think I am beautiful.

I did it because I really enjoy having beauty surround me.

I feel like I am able to find beauty in things that don't inspire much.

E

Enchanted

I love anything that uses your imagination.

You can come up with way more interesting things in your

mind than in the real world.

I really encourage this in my children,

We go on amazing, fantastic adventures everyday.

I knew that something was getting through,

when I asked Noah if he wanted to take his lightsaber

on his California trip and he responded,

"No, I will just take my pretend one, I'll be in the car, and it won't get lost."

I love being a princess, playing in a fairy garden,

having tea parties with the transformers,

fighting off the bad guys with Noah, and

seeing the Ewoks all over Costco

(I bet you did not know that Ewoks play and shop at Costco,

They are all over the place. In the rafters, under tables and even in the freezer).

This makes life so much more fun for me

and I hope my children also.

T

Tenacious

I am tenacious and a bit stubborn also.

Both of my beautiful children have inherited this trait.

It makes life more fun and a bit more of a struggle.

I have had to learn when it is worth it to be this way

and when it is better to be a bit more laid back.

H 

Health

My health is always in  a teeter totter motion.  

Sometimes it is right on,  all systems a go.

Other times I am fighting, struggling, crying and ripping out my hair.

Trying to be stable, productive  and happy. 

I know it will always be this way.  It is one of my struggles.

It is a relative anyway.  

I just wish that one of my strengths was self discipline.  

Grateful Sunday 8-10-08

Today I am grateful for:

Staying Home:  this week I have really been contemplating how blessed I feel that I get to be home with my sweet children.  It is not easy and there are so many emotions connected with it.  But I really am so grateful that I get to be here with my children and they grow and learn.

Kersten's Job:  He has had to travel a bit the last couple of months and it always is so good to have him come home.  He is still excited about his work and comes home happy most days from work.  It think it challenges him just enough.  This makes me so glad for it is miserable when you don't enjoy what you do.  

Quiet Moments:  We had such a busy July that it has been really splendid just to stay home most of the time.  All of us have needed a bit of recuperation time.  It is nice to have a bit of time before school starts and open enrollment at work for Kersten.  

Missionaries: We had the missionaries over for dinner on friday night.  They both were such nice young men that you could tell were on their missions for the right reasons.  It got me thinking about all the people I know and love that have been on missions.  And also the time when Kersten was serving and I was writing him.   It has built my testimony and my faith in the gospel contemplating what they do and who they serve.  I have really been built up thinking about it this week.  

Olympics:  I loved watching the amazing opening ceremony to the Olympics in Beijing, China.  Looking forward to all of the events.

Good Friends:  I don't know what I would do in my life without some of my friends.  They really stretch me and make me want to learn and grow and be a better person.  It is also nice to realize that your friends need you maybe just as much as you need them.  That you can all laugh and have a good time just being together.  

A Reed

I want to be like a reed. So that when the wind blows I go back and forth easily with each new gust of wind. I let my body and mind flow with the rhythm of world around me. I would not get flustered with a change in direction, I would flow with it. My roots would be strong and secure deep in the earth. And even as I flutter here and there, I would feel serene with each new direction.

As my days go by with lightening speed and at other moments seem to drag along. I have contemplated how easily I get agitated and thrown off kilter, Being a mother their will always be interruptions, spills, baths to give and messes to clean up. I want to be the type of mom that goes with the flow more. That clings to those precious moments when all is right and all are happy. There has to be a balance between getting all the household chores done, the other needs of the family and having fun with your children and taking quiet moments for your own sanity. I have not found that balance yet and don't know if I ever will, since children change along with their needs. I need to just be in the moment as much as possible for their childhood is just a moment

An Evening with JT

Last night was heavenly. It all came to past because of my friend, Kieran's sweet husband. Months ago when Kieran found out James Taylor was coming, we were talking on the phone about it. And she wrote a comical note to her husband that her other love was coming to town, with section, seats and row that she wanted for the concert and instructed him to call me if he was going to surprise her so we could go together and she did say she loved him most. Well, Kevin took the bait. He called me that evening and said that if I took her out to dinner we would be even. Well, that is a no brainer. Of course, I would take her out to dinner. She called a couple days later when she discovered the tickets taped to her computer

So we ventured out on our night with Cafe Rio, Pork salads safely in our tummies. Talking, laughing and a bit giddy. On our way in I made the comment that I would like to meet him and rub his cute bald head. We bought t-shirts and sat down just perfectly. He is so cute for an older man. His voice is so soothing to me. I could listen to it all the time and I do. One thing I loved about this concert was he talked with the audience between each song more than I had seen before. He joked about being a broad for a year and switch to say overseas. Told the story of how he wrote the song "Sweet Baby James". He commented that when he learned "You've Got a Friend" from Carol Keane. He did not realize that he would have to sing it every night for the rest of his life. At one point, a guy screamed "I love you James" , and James promptly said "I just don't know how to respond to that, I love you too, Sweetie, Snookums or Honey". It was really fun. These pics are from Kieran's camera phone. I could not load my on my computer. I need tech help often.

I think my favorite songs were "Shower the People", "Your Smiling Face", "Fire and Rain" and a song written by the Dixie Chicks. It was really funny watching some of the people in the crowd. There were these three twenty something boys a couple rows ahead of us that were really high and probably drunk, that were dancing so hysterically, security moved them so that they would not be right in front of everyone. At the end James asked security during one of his encores to allow everyone to dance around as much as they would like.

Kieran drew this picture of us at the concert. I stole it from her blog. I love her depiction and wish I could make out her comments more. The evening was amazing and so very needed. I have been really agitated and a bit irritable. I needed some time out and this was perfect. Thanks again, Kevin and thanks Kieran for being the kind of friend that we have fun no matter what we do. This was a memorable evening.

Out of Town Visitors

Since the end of June, we have had a ton of fun visitors here from out of town.  We have been busy, happy and having a ton of fun.  I think we are all suffering from a bit of a party hangover but we really would not have had it any other way.  More for me than anyone else I want to document some of the highlighs of what we have done this month.  

*Hung out with Carrie, Lincoln and their boys for the afternoon, talking, playing with paper airplanes and just enjoying being together. (here between moving from Boston to Seattle)

* Double date with Lincoln and Carrie,  went to dinner at Citrus Grill and the went and saw Get Smart at the theater.  We were giddy being out, it felt so good to be out with couple friends, that we love.   

*Going to the Sweet's Candy Factory with my cousins, Mary, Anna and Jenna. We went on the tour and ate yummy taffy.  Noah laughed hysterically that even Sofia had to wear a hairnet.  Sofia loved getting passed around with the girlies.  Noah is their little king and loves playing with them. (here from Dallas Texas)

*Playing at Grandma S* running around the backyard with the girlies.  Talking and enjoying being with my aunt.

*Playing at the park with Stone and Grey,  eating yummy Chinese food with Mara, while the boys ate McDonalds.  Walking along the bridges and talking.  Wishing the boys would just play and being so hot.  

*Going to lunch at Training Table with Kieran for her birthday and playing in the park afterwards.(they live here)

*Taking Noah and Lily to see Wall-E at the theatre.

*Hanging with Mara's family for the 4th of July and eating yummy food and talking with her family.  They are such comfortable people.  Talking books with Mara's mom Diane  and lighting fireworks and watching the joy in Noah's face with the sparklers and the colors of the fireworks.  Luckily the noise did not bother Sofia that much. (here from Vienna, Austria)

*Visiting with Rainer, Moni and Jan and Clemens that first evening.  Noticing the similarities between Kersten and his uncle,  Loving how much joy Moni found from life and loving her laugh. (here from Austria)

*Nodding and smiling while everyone around me spoke German, pretending like I understood a little bit.

*Watching my children making connections with their cousins from Austria.  Noah is used to people not understanding him.  He, Jan (11) and Clemens (9) started playing pretend swords and guns right away and jumped on the mattresses.  It did my heart good to see that they liked each other.

*Treasuring the moments when Jan plays with Sofia.  He laughed at everything she did.  He just marveled at her babyness.  He just loved her.  

*Going to Murray Park with Mara.  While she took pictures of my children.  She is so talented and has a magical way of capturing what my children are like right now. I loved having that afternoon just to be with her.  

*Kersten hiking up Donut Falls with Rainer and the boys

*Having lunch at Cafe Rio with Rainer and the boys with Jason and Verity.

*Noah and Kersten going Miniature golfing at Mulligans with Rainer and the boys.

*Endless hours of playing video games with Josh, Jan and Clemens.

*hanging out with the old gang.  Dinner at Cafe Trang with Matt, Mara,Ryan and Kristine.  Walking around Gateway talking.  The boys going to a Manly Movie while the woman go back to my house and talk late into the night.  

*Kersten and Noah going to Southern California on Vacation with Kersten's family and Rainer's Fam.  They got to hang out in downtown San Diego,  Go to Sea World.  Two days of Disneyland,  and see Wall-E and hanging out.  Lucky them.  Missed them a lot.

*Having a sleepover with my best friend Carrie.   This was so needed.  We had dinner at Hires.  talked late into the night.  Watched Kate and Leopold.  Had muffins for breakfast.  This was the best.  

*Hung out with Alicia and Brady (they live here) for an afternoon.  Watching Brady play and laughing with Lish.

*Christopher B-day party at the park

*Sadly we missed the BBQ with Sharon, Rich and their fam.  Their kids got sick and that was the night that my boys got home.  We are so sad we did not see them.   

*We also missed Polli.  We talked on the phone quite a few times.  The two afternoons I was not home while the boys were gone were when she stopped by.  I still am so sad about this.

*Sofia and I going to see Mamma Mia with Aunt Verity and Aunt Virginia on Pioneer Day.

*Going to my Dad's 60th birthday party on Pioneer Day.

*Visiting Todd at the hospital 

* Seeing the Cannons at Katie's wedding.  It was beautiful Hawaiian orange, so lovely

*Going to Noah's swimming lessons the first two weeks of July and starting them again tomorrow.

We are so lucky to have such good friends.  We love all of you so much.  It was divine getting to know Kersten's family better and seeing our dearest friends again.  So sad we missed some of you.  We love you all