Back

If there is even anyone out there that is even looking at my blog anymore...I am back. I think. Life got crazy after school started and then blog post ideas started to mount in my head. Sad things happened and I just didn't have the desire for awhile to do it. However, I am finally back. All the things I have wanted to post about, I am going to go "back" in time and do it. Mainly for my sake as this is virtually, no literally, my only record I am really keeping of what is going on in my life. The kids love it too and have been asking me, "aren't you going to blog about this?" They love going back and looking.

Hopefully you will enjoy my blogs, or just skip them and go forward with me from here, or just glance at the pictures. Whatever. But if you were wondering, if you cared, I am back. :)

The Kitten Girl

Mid Oct 2009

Once upon a time...there was a girl who went to Shopko and came back with a kitten. This short story is to tell you how that came about.

Over the years, I have told the kids they have a budget for birthdays and Christmas, so give me their list from most wanted on down so they really get what they want. Katie has had only a few presents the last few celebrations, but you know, hasn't felt less loved. She knew the deal and she got what she really wanted. So, soon after her birthday in August, Katie told me she knew what she wanted for Christmas. If she only got one thing, and she got this, she would be fine and happy. Katie was totally setting me up. "Okay Katie, what is it?”

"I want a cat."

Long silence......"That isn't happening Katie. I don't do cats." My kids over the next few months decided I didn't like animals. Which is so not true. I just didn't want one more body to have to pick up after.

After days and weeks of pestering, I finally told Katie and Christian, "If you want a cat, you can. You just have to keep your room clean for a whole month, with no missed days." Translation...you will never have a cat while you are living in this house. I know, I am horrible.

Fast forward a few months later. We had mice get in the house and Mike didn't want me to use decon, so it persisted for longer than it should have. One day I said to the kids, "The only way your prayers are going to be answered on getting a cat is if these mice aren't gone in the next couple of days." Katie must have gone on a prayer binge. That weekend we went up to Logan for a wedding of some awesome friends from Oregon. After the wedding we went to Shopko really fast and on the way out I saw a boy sitting outside giving away "Free" kittens. I didn't say a word to Katie and she didn't see. Then, so quietly, I tell Mike that there were free kittens back there. Katie shouted, "STOP THE CAR! STOP THE CAR! I JUST WANT TO SEE THEM!" All while she is also opening the door of our moving car. So we went back. I mean, it couldn't hurt to just look. What a sucker I am. So we pick them up and look at them and hold them. And Katie looks up at me with her big brown eyes that I fell in love with 11 years ago that she got from her dad and I look at Mike who is sitting in the car. We pick out a cute grey 6 week old tabby kitty with big blue eyes. I fell in love with that cat on the hour ride home. Katie named her Mittens, not because she looks like she has any, but because our friends the Ostler's have a cat with both paws that look like mittens and the name to go with it. Hilarious. She is a cutie. Oh, and that free cat. $100 later that day and more in vet fees to get her fixed, yeah, there is no such thing as a free cat. It has been so worth it though.

I am now a former hater of cats. In fact, I love them. I am really a cat person. But I thought I was a dog person. In fact, a few months later in March, we got a second cat. His name is Crookshanks. We decided on the name before we got him. We were planning on getting an orange tabby, but when we got the the animal shelter and sat down on the ground to see who would come to Christian, it was another grey cat. He is all grey on grey though and a Russian Blue looking tabby. He is a cuddler, which we love.

(Right after a nap, his eyes aren't actually kitty-whompus)

(You will take a picture little kitty! I had nothing to do with this picture by the way. Can you say stolen camera?)

So I guess, the lesson here is, never say never. Oh, and by the way, we haven't had any mice...so it is still safe to come and visit. :)

No animals were harmed in these "films" ;).

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House

Having just moved to Utah we had the wonderful opportunity to go and see the Oquirrh Mountain Temple before it was dedicated and put to work. At a Temple Open House anyone can go in and have a tour of the temple. Mike was very busy last summer and we had a hard time finding a day that he could go with us to see it. It was the first time my kids had ever been inside and even for members of our church, when you do go, you don't just wander around as there is work going on in all corners of the Temple. We finally went on the very last day of the open house. One of the very last hours you could go in. I watched the blogs of my friends all summer long showing their families in front of the temple after they had been inside. They were from Arizona. It seemed like everyone I knew had gone. Here we are living an hour away and we barely made it. But we did.

Mike and I had been doing yard work all day and finally ran inside to get ready at the last minute. When I do yard work, I tend to leave the kids to fend for themselves. After we were in the car driving down trying to make our scheduled time (we didn't, but apparently it didn't matter) the kids started to whine about food and being hungry. But after telling them that we really needed to go and I am sure we would be in and out in less than an hour, they stopped. We got there and watched a movie that explained the purpose of temples. The spirit really touched me even though I had not even set foot inside. It really set the tone. It was so beautiful inside. It was a really crowded as it was the last day, but we were really glad that we made it. It being packed, it went a little too slowly for Christian, but he made it and got the reward of some yummy cookies in the end...which was close to 3 hours after we left the house. Had I known the ease of us getting in and how long it was going to take, we would have stopped for food beforehand. Those kids were troopers. They finally got a meal and a memory of what they are looking forward to in the future blessings when they get to go and be married there like Mike and I did.

It was a beautiful day and I am so glad that we got there, even if it was at the last moment. If you ever get a chance to go to an open house, go! It is free and just a wonderful place to be!

Sweet Dreams, Katie.

A Fun-Filled Fourth.

Only a few days after we arrived back home we had a slew of activity at our house because it was so close to the fourth of July. Our friends, the Porter's from Idaho, drove through and had dinner with us. The plan was that we were going have a BBQ here at our house. However, in the move, I couldn't find everything that I needed and I didn't want to go the grocery store again, so we took them out. I just couldn't get it all together that fast after having been gone for such a long time. We ended the night with fireworks of our own for the first time ever. We had a lot of fun setting them off. They were a lot better than the picture...but they were legal, so not huge.

The next day we went to visit one of the Boy Scout Camps with Mike. Camp Kiesel is beautiful. We saw it when we came out for the interview, but it was my first time back and it was beautiful again, but green and warm this time. There were butterflies flying all over in this one patch of parking lot so they all stood still and tried to get one to land on them. They were unsuccessful, but they had fun trying.

I found some pretty wildflowers to take pictures of while the other three went out in a row boat with another cub scout pack. I was glad I did as they got into a splashing war, apparently the main reason for getting in the water...in their minds.

It was my three against two filled row boats. They did pretty well for themselves. Although, Katie was not all that happy with it. She lived though.

I think Mike did most of the work, but the kids were putting forth a valiant effort. I was on the bank with some of the water front staff. Because it was the day before the Fourth, not as many campers were there as usual, so some of the staff were joking and playing around a bit...not the ones on lifeguard duty. They had no idea that Mike worked for the scouts or who we were apparently, because when we were invited to lunch with the staff and showed up, they looked a little worried. It was pretty funny. They had done nothing bad, but the looks on their faces was very amusing. I smiled and tried to let them know they were just fine, but it is also good to know, you never know exactly who is watching you. I have had that happen way too many times in my life and not always with such a gentle outcome. :)

These flowers were bigger than my outstretched hand They were really fun to see. I haven't seen anything like these since I lived in Pennsylvania.

I know, we do a lot of shooting pictures. But they have BB gun ranges at all of these scout camps. And I have to say as a proud Mom that they did a really good job at shooting the targets. Katie wasn't willing to put the butt of the gun right next to her cheek so she was a little off, but Christian really took to it and was hitting a lot of targets, including cans and bottles. He was really excited by that.

That night we had my sister's family over, since she was in town, for a pre-fourth of July BBQ. My first flag cake. It was fun to decorate, but I am going to look for a better cake recipe next time.

We did the rest of our fountain fireworks that night. I have say, this might become a tradition.

The next morning we went to a Fourth of July parade in Kaysville with my sister and her in-laws, complete with candy being thrown. It has been a while since we have done a parade with crazy temperatures in Phoenix.
They had some really good floats. I was really impressed with some of them. The bands were good too.

My sister Barbara (far right) saw my Mom's Cousin and husband while we were there. This picture is for you mom so you can see Ann and Lex. They have been around in that town for a long time and are/were very involved there. While we were talking to them, people kept on coming up and waiting to talk to them. They are rock stars here. :)

Christian made a friend with one of my sisters nephews and they enjoyed playing before the fireworks went off later that night. The fireworks were really amazing and we had great seats to watch them. There is nothing like feeling the concussion of the fireworks as they go off. I think we are going to like it here. :) Especially with so many friends and family that come through here.

The Long Trip and a Visit to the Beach

You would think that having grandparents in California, and ones that are within 2 hours of the beach, that we would have been many times over the years. But no. I learned this last trip that my dad actually doesn't like the beach because you come back with so much sand in everything. That and the fact, once again, that when we usually come it is for such a short time with so many people to see that we just haven't done it. Unfortunately, my (past) surf boarding husband was not with us to experience the kids first time really going to the beach.

After a week and a half of being in California I realized I had an old roommate that I hadn't seen in years that lived in San Jose and I actually had time to see her. So we decided to meet for a fun day visit to Santa Cruz. It was the beach I grew up going to when we would visit my grandparents (before and after my family moved there). I beat her there, but only because I had a posse (aka my parents) getting me ready for the little trip. Maybe it was because they were excited to have the house to themselves for the day (ha, ha)...but it was really nice.
When we first got there, the kids were wearing shirts to try to avoid too much sun exposure. That didn't last too long as they were not swim shirts and were just hanging off of them. But the kids loved the water. I honestly thought they would last 2-3 hours and that was it. We had been going to my parents pool and Katie didn't last over an hour there. They were the energizer bunnies...6 hours and I finally had to say it was time to go.

Look at those sweet cheeks. This boy can't keep a swimsuit up if his life depended on it. At least he never completely lost it.

This is my friends little boy, isn't he just so cute. He wasn't into the water scene. We just hung out with him away from the water and enjoyed watching the kids.

Her other son found a big strand of seaweed. It was fun for the kids to go and discover.

Christian and Joseph were born the same month. They really got along and had so much fun together. They took a little break from the water to build.

Below are all four of our kids that were willing to get in the water (obviously someone got in the way that was not part of the group.). Her little girl is in the pink suit and was just adorable too. By the end of the day, the waves were really getting big. The kids loved it. It was fun watching them, as long as the undertow wasn't too strong.

It was fun to finally get together again after about 8 years and see each others kids. Reconnecting with those we have loved and still love is so important. Thanks for a great day Maren! We will have to do it again sometime.

(Katie took this picture, I had to throw it in somewhere for her. I really like it)