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Guess which hair belongs to whom….? There’s a myth that one Sunday evening this past fall TT ran over Lelu’s bare feet with the hoverboard and therefore owed her! and she may have chosen to use her hair talents to … Continue reading
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May 20-28 For Christmas, B and I gave each other a trip to Barcelona and I admit I have a problem…no one needs point it out to me and mostly I’m not that ashamed – I am a certifiable Coldplay … Continue reading
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June 27-29, 2015 We left Korcula by chartered boat that took us to this cool beach and snorkeling area and then on to Dubrovnik. Goodbye, Korcula B found places to do pull-ups pretty much any where he could. Lunch on … Continue reading
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Another trip, another adventure, another tale to be told. This time it was to Arizona to enjoy the sun, the warmth, the nephews/cousins cuteness, visiting family and hiking between Christmas and New Years. 12/30 Camelback mountain while Ari helped Michele … 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.
The gang at Brighton on a beautiful day – minus Michelle & Aub at home ‘slaving’ away.. (Wyatt and Lelu in the helmets)
It’s a problem when you wait almost 2 months to write about stuff. I will most likely forget something. This year for Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to have Michelle & Maruan, Aub, Jeff, Christina and their boys. The day before, however, on Wednesday didn’t quite go as well as I usually like it too. I ruined the first set of rolls that I made, then the next batch just didn’t quite raise, so the rolls were pretty much a bust for our meal and then Aub’s flight was VERY delayed and a nightmare of traffic at the airport.
Thursday morning shined anew and we had plenty to be grateful for:
1. The turkey got put in bright and early
2. We went skiing. Christina skied for the first time in eight years and didn’t fall down once – neither did I. That’s a big deal. We rocked it!!
3. Michelle and Aub prepared all the veggies and peeled the potatoes while we were gone.
The adult table with an Ari photo bomb
The table of kiddos…poor Landon & Lelu. They are almost adults
4. The food was awesome – except the rolls…. yet no one complained that the rolls sucked.
I think this is Lelu’s plate so not all food groups are represented, but you get the idea..
5. i dragged everyone to see “The Book Thief”, which I absolutely loved (in my top ten favorite books) and no one else did because it’s kind of a downer story — even though the main character triumphs in the end. I’m grateful they humored me.
6. On Friday, it was fairly nice weather and we all walked to the park. We played baseball & soccer. Aside from B pulling some kind of toe/foot muscle, it was a ton of fun!
a little soccer..
An electronic game at the park, that would be Michelle diving for the button, And the little kids just hanging around..
a friendly baseball game, with little to no bad sportsmanship from unnamed players..
Lucky little Ari got a ‘massage’ from uncle Maruan
The brothers Taylor settle in for a hold-your-tummy-long-winters-nap.
7. This is the last Thanksgiving without Master D. He had 3 meals that day. So much gratitude for the people of New York!
8. I have a nearly perfect life….just the right amount of imperfection.. for me… and it’s enough. For that I am pretty dang happy!
1. She is happy 95% of the time…really!
2. She has the most infectious giggly laugh.
3. She doesn’t take any crap on the soccer field, even if the other girls are a foot taller (which many of them are)
4. She LOVES babies (and animals)
5. She really enjoys being helpful to me.
6. She is extremely observant to how everyone around her is feeling.
7. She can pretty much do anything she wants physically (gymnastics, dance, sprinting, soccer, surf..)
8. She will come to the aid of her brother whenever anyone (including us parents) she perceives is picking on him.
9. She loves hanging out with TT and all his buddies (I’m not sure I will love that in a couple years)
10. She loves loves loves loves her cousins and aunts.
11. She is a tough little cookie full of sass.
12. She’s my mini-me:)
11/2/13 Gastby Masquerade Ball. This was a girl ask guy dance & Lelu went with Tanner this time and 18 other kids including Chandler and two more boys from our old ward. Where else but UT would you see 20 kids ready for a dance and 40 parents in a backyard taking photos?
Lelu with two new girls (Megan and McKenna as opposed to Madison and Madison) as dates for the original three boys who travel together as a package. I think the 20’s was a good era to copy for a formal dance! Don’t they look cool?
11/7/13 Happy 12th birthday to my twins! I have a tradition of decorating the house with balloons and a banner for everyone’s birthday. When I went to Zurchers to get balloons I saw this one and thought a big balloon would be fun- not knowing how massive it was because it wasn’t blown up yet. They blew it up and this little old lady working there popped it. The whole store heard it and came up to see what happened and this poor little lady was traumatized with her voice shaking that it about knocked her to the ground. I told them they could just give me a refund but they hunted down another one. Getting it home was fun – I had to put it in my passenger front seat and it blocked my rearview mirror, my side mirror and the view from half my windshield. It was quite the hazard. But it was all worth it because they LOVE it!
B was out of town and the kids wanted to go to Joe’s Crab Shack. I think it’s all because they dress them up, make them stand on a chair and the whole staff sings to them. I don’t think we’ve ever gone there NOT on a birthday. I think Ari’s coconut bra is more like an 82 year old than a 12 year old….
Ari’s new beehive leader made her this cake to welcome her in. I love this kind of stuff – esp when we are the recipient! Why don’t the boys do stuff like this? haha On Sunday when they called them up to the stand to say they were moving out of primary and on to the youth program, I was really sad! The last time I felt like this was when I took Aub to sunbeams – it’s just so final of a milestone that all of my babies are now grown up. Woe is me…..We’re officially old parents!
B got home so the real family partying continued. Of course, they each like different cakes so we had a full key lime cheesecake and a full picnic cake. And they picked two totally different home cooked dinners so we had an eclectic buffet on Sunday dinner of steak, mashed potatoes and Michele’s lettuce wraps (my girls are totally wowed by her cooking as am I after making this recipe that calls for 27 ingredients) We invited the J&C fam and then their two bff families for cake and we still didn’t eat all that cake.
11/16/13 Just when you think the party is over – think again! Indoor skydiving, surfing & pizza. And the birthday is finally partied out! Ready for take-off L-R Back row Mr. T (being cool) Caden, Aubrey Front Row: Wyatt, Chase, Ari, Sierra, McKinley We adore these kids!
TT flying
Check out their shoes – Converse are the THING!
November may kill me from exhaustion, school is in crunch time, I should be writing a paper or TWO right now and Thanksgiving (that I am hosting – can’t wait to see Aub, Michelle & Maruan) is this week. One day at a time, one post at a time, one word about Plato at a time….repeat
I try to be politically correct most of the time. I do not like jokes in bad taste…normally. But this is my borderline inappropriate blog:
I have a professor that I am having a very difficult time figuring out how to get an A from him. So far I am a solid B to B+ and it’s not for lack of hours put in. I will not, however, divulge his name or even what the class is called for fear of……repercussion? A guy in my class sent me this photo of my professor and his twin:
I am not a Simpsons fan so I have no idea what this characters name is but look at the VERY strong resemblance!
Another strange coincidence that we’ve noticed in our lives lately is the race of our coaches this year. Now I know this would not be strange if we lived anywhere other than Draper UT – but I am pretty sure we’re working with the few:
So far their team is winning again. Fourth year of TT playing and fourth set of new coaches. He seems to land on winning teams. TT is getting a lot more play time in this year. He’s 1st string offense, defense and special teams.
This is B’s trainer he’s been working out with the last few months. He seems to be working miracles in B’s arms. I didn’t think his arms could ever get as big as they are right now. I will have to snap a photo to show you. Mike came out to watch TT’s game last week but sadly left just before TT made a great interception. I will have to replace this photo at some point because B does not like it.
Ari’s coach and his daughter photo bombing…I was going to try and crop her out but I think it’s one of the funniest photo bombs I’ve seen.
I thought this post would be the appropriate place to end with a joke I heard this week:
A guy died and went to heaven and went through the pearly gates. There was a massive wall of clocks behind St. Peter. The guy asks what the clocks are for. St. Peter says everyone has a clock and it only moves if you tell a lie. There was a clock that had never moved, so the guy asked whose clock is that? Oh that’s Mother Theresa’s. Another clock had only moved twice and he asked whose clock that was? Oh that’s Abraham Lincoln’s. So the guy asks “where’s Obama’s clock?” And St. Peter said “Jesus hung it in his office as a ceiling fan.”
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.