Video of Sofia's Dance

I just filmed this on my point and shoot camera but you get the idea

Lights on Temple Square

Every year the day after Thanksgiving

We have a marvelous party downtown

with my husbands fam.

We eat amazing food 

hang at the Plaza

And see the glorious lights on Temple Square

In Salt Lake City.

bundled up family

 It is always crowded.

This year a bit bitter cold.

Magical.

This is one of my very favorite traditions ever.

I look forward to it every year.

Sofia by the pink lights

 Sofia is at the age where everything is 

wonderful,

magical,

and extra special.

She loved every minute of it.

She saw the Christus through the window of the visitors center

and insisted we go up there.

It was so packed we barely got up there.

The look on her face as she gazed at the statue of Jesus

made the crowds and hassle totally worth it.

At least for me

Noah under the "Red Tree" we got engaged by

Noah is older and it getting into stories of our little families history.

It was a big deal to him that this is the tree, we got engaged by.

They both wanted to walk around to see the nativities from around the world

just to see the cute baby Jesus'.

This was a marvelous night.

Ask Me about Dom

A couple weeks ago  on a tuesday,  my Sofia informed me that her husband Sal had died.  He had been her husband for a couple of months.  She would wax poetic about what they did together and that "he Love me".  I was horrified that my son in law Sal (who I always secretly thought was a trucker) had died.  He died of old age.

"He was really really old."

 She informed me then, that she had married Dom that afternoon in the Juna Temple.
I asked her to tell me about him.

"Well, He is a husband."

Like a husband is some kind of species.

She then explained that he had spiky hair that is dark.  He is tall and big.  He is a good dancer at a ball.  He loves to use keys.  And he likes to eat fish.

And he is really old.  He is eighteen.

Sounds like an amazing husband

Happy Halloween 2011

Add caption

 Happy Halloween!

Good Ninja with Stealth and Awesome fighting moves

I am Tangled, you have to dance and make funny faces

Mashed Potatoes I think

courtesy of KFC

I wish I could sit down and type something witty, sarcastic and so funny your gut would hurt.  I have blogged numerous times during my sleepless, hacking, coughing nights, mulling through all the thoughts in my head, finding that one who would be worthwhile to actually sit down and type as fast as my fingers would allow.  They are all just mashed up like potatoes, gooey and messy.  Sticking to all the corners in my mind.  So I decided to just spread the potatoes all over the plate and sculpt them into a volcano until gravy erupts all over.

You would hope as you grow older that you would learn that others opinions do not matter in the scheme of things.  And that you would stew and simmer the little things someone has said over and over until you go a bit dizzy.  A thoughtless word or joke turns into bubbling cider that its so hot it burns.  The way you want to be.... is not how you are seen... and you have to be okay with that.  The endless talking and talking.  More thinking ....All any of us can do is our best right.  As they say 'until you walk in their shoes or my shoes".  So I have to tear down walls brick by brick.  Keep trying and moving forward,  doing and being my best, moment to moment.

Now I am choking on my next thought,  I can't swallow,  Oh, oh, oh,oh, oh
I was called to the principals office.  And not for my son, but for me.
 And if you want to get technical it was the Vice principal i actually spoke with.
Did she really just say he has been Tardy NINE times and it is only October?
Yep I am an awesome Parent.  I swear it has not been that much.

Oh, and now a private meeting with the teacher.
heart hurting again, pressure behind my eyes.......
It has happened, it is beginning.
Oh, how being a mother can hurt.
Grateful it was swiftly, artfully handled.
Noah did not even hear a thing.
Small blessings.
So nice an apology email from one of their dads.
Kids can be so mean.
Wow, my boy has so much self confidence.
Another blessing.

I seem not to be able to stay on top of everthing this school year.
I did remember picture day at Sofia's preschool.
She really is stunning.
Wow,  my girl is beautiful.  I am not bias in any way.
She is a tough one, my Fia.
Her new things is that she can't walk and I have to hold her.
Luckily sometimes her legs can still hop like a bunny,
waddle like a penquin or crawl like a puppy.
It seems to get us to where we need to go.

Picture by Ashleigh Butler

Oh, she has a kissable face.

And just for so you all know who I hung out with this weekend

My Brother in law Jason

Creepy isn't he.....

Things you might have missed

june 2011

 Kersten's work had a trivia contest.

And Team Ninja Zombie reached the final 2.

Do you LOVE their t-shirts?

Pure luck that Kersten got questions he for sure knew about

like Arrested Development and Green Day.

And as luck would have it THEY WON

and he got a gift card to the movie theatre that basically

we could take our family to 2 movies a month.

This is how we saw Pirates, Smurfs, Harry Potter, Cars 2, The boys saw Transformers,

Noah and I saw Captain America, X-Men First Class etc

So we really took advantage of this card and even got popcorn too.

We still have a bit on it and we are saving it.

We are a movie loving family so it has been an extra treat this summer and on.

Aug 2011

 Yes. this is our family at a Mustache Party.

We look totally awesome.

Everyone at Grahams birthday had to wear a mustache.

Maybe for my birthday I will have a 

Aug 2011

 An In-N-Out Burger opened close to our house.

Everyday we would drive past it.

Noah would update us on it's progress and what was new.

We have gone a couple times since it opened.

On one of the visits our kids received Hats.

For 3 days straight my kids played In-N-Out

they would take orders and make burgers.

I heard them laughing so hard once and when I asked them what happened

Apparently, Phineas and Ferb's dad (Lawrence Fletcher)

kept coming in trying to order a chicken salad.

And they only serve burgers.

It was hysterical and they were entertained for days.

Sept 2011

Hooray!

We got a new car, a Honda Pilot 2005.

My Corolla had 3 big things break in a week.

So we traded it in.

LOVE my new car.

I love the space, the way it drives.

It makes me happy.

Noah and Sofia named it the BHB

the Blue Honey Badger.

The Honey Badger is the fiercest in the animal kingdom.

Just ask YouTube. 

Sept 20,2011

 Sofia went on her first field trip to the Apple Orchard.

Her cousin Kaitlyn went to her preschool last year and came with us.

It was super fun.

We went on a hay ride and got to pick apples and leaves.

She was really excited to meet the farmer.

And was very disappointed when Farmer Randy

did not wear a hat and overall.

Sept 21,2011

For Amy's Birthday all she wanted was 

The Captain Jack Sparrow Barbie.

We went on a treasure hunt to find him.

It was delightful and delicious.  

We found him and he is absolutely beautiful.

I collect Barbies too and have not wanted one for awhile.

But Johnny Depp is just to beautiful for words.

In all forms including Barbie form. 

Sept 2011

 Sofia loves her picture taken.

She wanted a picture in the new car

Pretending to sleep.

She usually wears her jammies to drop Noah off unless it is a school day for her.

Silly little woman.

Sept 23,2011

 Noah class learned about the Constitution.

His whole class can recite the Preamble 

and do it in Sign Language.

It was really impressive.

They went on a Field Trip to the State Capital

and had to dress up like one of the delegates from 

the Constitutional Convention.

Noah was assigned a delegate from Virginia

named Edmund Randolph.

He could not make up his mind so he didn't sign.

Luckily we have hookups.

Papa Al has period clothes.

So everything but Noah's socks and shoes are period.

He was the hero in school.

I came in the day before to show them the clothes and a powdered horn.

I love the hat.  I think he looks rather dashing!  Don't You?

Fly Like an Eagle

I helped out at Noah's school on Monday.
I was the spelling helper.
One of the words this week is eagle.
I asked the kids if they knew how to fly like an eagle.
One kids said he could if he used a hang glider.
Most of the kids gave me blank stares.
Which made me sad, cause this means they are growing up.
After I demonstrated flying like an eagle across the room
while spelling the word eagle.
Some of the kids totally got it after that.
I had a lot of fun helping out.

Later that night, I asked Noah if he liked me helping out.
'Oh Yeah"
I said that it was fun seeing his friends and meeting his new friends.
Then he proceeds to tell me that Tyson said at recess

"Your mom is kinda weird"
Noah responds  "yeah she is"
Tyson says "Is she always like that ?"
Noah clarifies  "yep all the time'

I have arrived..... My sons friends think I am a bit crazy.  I love it
This has made me smile all week.