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Holy junk am I behind on the last 2 months. I am only taking online classes so I wouldn’t have to take a semester off or miss class for Master D’s homecoming and a few little trips thrown in, and … Continue reading
Another set of cliff notes for our holiday season. I can tell you it flew by. If time just keeps speeding up at this rate, when I am 70 I am not going to be sure anything at all is happening if I don’t write down the moments in the very next moment. I think
I must need more blueberries or ginko biloba or to join lumosity.com, most likely all of the above.
December 6th,
Wyatt’s 13th birthday. We made cupcakes for him and he wanted Michele S chicken lime tacos for Sunday dinner.
Lelu enjoyed herself a big strawberry shortcake cupcake.
December 12th – our annual girl’s night nutcracker performance with McKinley, Sierra & Kenzie and Christina joined us this time…a little estrogen needed in a house of testosterone.
Dec 15th – Our Christmas shopping to LA adventure begins with Tito’s Tacos. Good thing they don’t have those in SLC..So yummy and hard to resist.
The Grove decorated so beautifully, Cherie & Kelly
Christina & I…we saw the Hobbit and I slept through a lot of it…and I DID NOT eat any sugar free gummy bears this time.
December 16th, As we were eating dinner watching this incredible sunset, Cherie was on the phone finding out Kenzie was getting her appendix out. We drove her to the airport to put her on the next flight, sadly ending her much needed girl’s trip. On the way to the airport there was a three car pile up right next to us on the 405. Yikes – as if our nerves were not already shot.
The sunset only got more beautiful. Such a bitter-sweet moment. We went back to our little beach house and I finished my final paper and emailed it to B to print and give to one of my babysitters who drove it up to the U and dropped it off in the philosophy department. I dreamed all night long there were problems and in my dream was told I was going to get a ‘C’ for Cinnamon. Also in my dream I was crying about how many things I like with cinnamon but that “I COULD NOT GET A “C”. I woke up laughing. I went out and told Kelly & Christina, we were all laughing and the next day got better, especially when we found out Kenzie did great in her surgery and was on the mend.
December 17th Perfect breakfast with a Cinnamon spiced Chai – even if I did end up with a “C” – life is good! (I didn’t end up with a “C” – but the hardest earned “B+” in the history of my schooling.)
Crazy people in LA do crazy things for attention. Poor cat and I don’t even like cats.
December 18th Successful shopping safari – as B would say – we were ready for Christmas, if not ready to leave 75 degrees to go home to a snow storm.
December 20th Ari’s Christmas dance recital.
The most festive and out of my comfort zone Christmas nails. It’s like Christmas lights on the end of my fingers.
We went to see “Walter Mitty” – great movie! but my favorite moment of the entire season (next to talking to Master D) happened in the bathroom at the movie theatre. You all know how I love Seinfeld…I went into a stall and realized too late that there was no toilet paper, Ari was in there with me so I say to her “Please find me some toilet paper” when underneath the stall comes a hand with some TP and the woman says “I can spare a square”. If I hadn’t already been where I was – I most certainly would have peed my pants.
We made trains with the J&C and boys, opened our pj’s and dreamed of talking to Master D the next day!
I saved the best for the last….there is not better gift than when you are deprived of part of your family on Christmas day, than to skype for an hour – always emotional to say goodbye but only for eight more weeks.
Is there anything wrong with living a little vicariously through your children? Oh my, did I have so much fun! Warning: a whole lot of photos in this post. Cherie and I have been friends for going on 15 years. Lelu and Chandler spent a lot of time together growing up. Now that Lelu can date, she really wanted to go to homecoming. I didn’t realize how much I wanted her to go too! So here’s how it all went down;
On a Monday night at about 10:15 there was a very loud knock on the door and this was left on the doorstep. The next morning I got a text from Cherie with the super disclaimer that Chandler came up with asking her on his own and obviously made the poster on his own – she would have made Lelu sugar cookies (her absolute favorite). I think It is way more fun this way – sorry Lelu no sugar cookies – but I love that neither of us moms orchestrated their date.
Inside the marshmallows were these little power rangers because all Lelu remembers playing at Chandler’s house was power rangers – she was always pink. And we thought Bridger and Kenzie would like them too. Dropping this off was hilarious because we took the twins and Madison to answer and Chandler was in the garage working on his jeep and Cherie was in the driveway talking to her parents in their car and my kids thought they could somehow still pull it off in stealth – needless to say..they were totally caught and I had a very good laugh!
I did her hair….I still got it…yes? We had to show off the very cute back of the amazing dress – that I would totally wear if it fit me.
My friend, Ann, who is very talented at make-up came over and transformed minimal make-up Lelu into something quite spectacular without making her look like she had on too much.
Ari was a little bit envious of all the attention – but I assure you when her day comes – I will be just as excited!
TT didn’t think it was that big of a deal and wanted to know why he had to pose for a photo
Um she didn’t know how to pin it on, I made an attempt and poked him with the pin and then Madison’s mom made it work.
Lelu and Chan Man all grown up and ready to hit the town – Okay so honesty moment, Cherie and I did orchestrate the outfits and went shopping together and picked out Chandler’s outfit too. One of the perks -that I don’t think will happen again
The group: Lelu and Chan, Tanner & Maddie and Tanner & Maddie – Honestly that’s their names! The night was a huge success. They are all friends so it was totally comfortable, had a great dinner, the dance was super fun and then they went swimming in a pool that was heated to ninety degrees and then Cherie made them all delicious hot chocolate. First date – TOTAL SUCCESS!!
My house was the last stop so all of the parents showed up here to take photos. I think I had as much fun as Lelu did.
I am a month behind. Such is life. The last three weeks I’ve been in dodgeball match with lemons being pelted at my head. This is the truth about blogs and my blog is no different really: They just don’t tell the “whole truth”. How can they? I love my life overall, that is true! But I am not immune to the downs, I am working on being resilient – but that is another blog for another day, when I am actually caught up. If ever. But if I am going to leave a written legacy for my children about my perspective on our life – I want to remember the positive. The ego LOVES the negative and happily replays those stories over and over especially when a lemon comes hurtling at your face – that lemon carries the weight of all the past and it hurts more than it should. And as such (that’s for you, B) I am sick to death of lemonade and therefore I will be creating quite a compost heap.
Lelu turned SIXTEEN! And it was a big deal. I wasn’t writing my blog when Aub turned 16, but we went to Hawaii for her birthday and then Master D had the big limo party. I’ve set myself up for creating big events. But Lelu is different and this was a challenge. She didn’t want a big party, or a surprise party (heaven forbid), or a limo and school had just started so we couldn’t go on a big trip. She is my most frugal child (B’s prodigy) and so I had to get creative:
First stop – hair being done at 7 am – yes SEVEN AM for the drivers license photo.
8:00 am DMV then home to get SS card we forgot – back to DMV – late to school and breakfast through the drive thru because she had a test. (This is a photo of an instagram screen. I lost the original photo of this on my old phone and for technical reasons that I have no patience to figure out, cropping out the instagram part is not taking)
Friends decorated her locker and the hallways
40 of them distributed around the hallways – that the administration decided needed to be taken down. Alta didn’t have that stupid policy – what the heck is wrong with party poopers in the schools??
Since I got a new car (that B surprised me with for my bday – and will get brownie points for a lifetime) Lelu gets to drive the pilot – which I decorated and left in the parking lot at school.
B and Jeff bright and early went to the round-a-bout in Draper and put up a banner which I “accidentally” went the wrong way to the DMV with her in the car for her to see. She didn’t kill me.
Lelu’s dinner request…..Michelle S recipe for chicken lime tacos – mmmm
After football & soccer practice The family celebrated with at home dinner and strawberry shortcake including J, C, Landon & Wyatt
Final fun….one short night between tennis, soccer, volleyball games and practices – I took Britney, Madison, Madelyn, Aubrey and Lelu to stay in a hotel in Park City – they got their own room to hang out in with mom across the hall enjoying my own book and more sleep.
Was it as awesome as Aub and Master D? I think she thought so. Phew Good thing I have four years to plan for the twins!
08/19/13 New schools for everyone except me. Not just my kids either, Jeff and Christina took the leap of faith to join us in Zion. haha – that’s a joke. But they up and sold their house in CA in one day and moved up here just in time to start the new school year with my kids. They’ve been staying with us the last two weeks and tomorrow they are thrilled to move into their own house here in Draper. I still can’t believe it and Continue reading
I bought the twins a dirndl and leiderhosen and I LOVE THEM wearing them. My time to dress them up is probably coming to an end soon so I will make as much of it as I can. Think I can talk them into wearing these for halloween?
B found a great place to drown himself – what’s up with the Mr. Incredible angle?
The whole Austrian adventure loving bikers. from the Left Saxtons, Seacrests, Sullivans, Saxtons (they aren’t related), US Zimmermans, Grangers and Lakes. Our guides in the front row Dennis, Ron and Mirjam
Cherie and I coordinating our outfits before we start riding. She actually went on a totally different adventure to an ice cave. It took them four extra hours to get to Salzburg.
I tried to take a photo of the riders behind me while I was riding. I got a great photo of a corner of my helmet and Cherie blurred behind me.
Dinner out by the lake Zell am see. Great friends, great laughs, good food, great view…doesn’t get much better…..at least I didn’t think so until the next day! B is taking the photo.
07/17/13 Today we took a gondola up to the top of the ski resort on Mt. Schmittenhöhe. Ahhhh I am in my happy place, hiking up there! It was gorgeous beyond words, the hills were some killer climbing and it could have only been more perfect if Continue reading