The Sullivan Standard

A Room with a View

2011-06-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

This is the view from room #822 at Hawthorn Suites in Wichita, KS. It was stormy on this night and I have to admit, I love the humidity.

The VIVINT Guys

2011-06-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Every day at noon, these guys have a meeting. They pile in 1 room and go over daily goals, sales, news, changes, etc. It was hard to miss these guys walking all over in bright orange shirts. It made us feel like part of a team and that synergy has been awesome.

Kansas Kind

2011-06-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

I want to remember how kind people are in Kansas and if I were to describe HOW or WHY they are kind, here are some examples:

1) Everyone says "hello" or acknowledges you in some way. They look you straight in the eyes when they greet you and they smile. There is not a barrier to this kindness that would be construed as shy or snobbish. They seem very genuine.

2) When we walked into a restaurant, the staff would greet us and then bend down to greet our children. They would ask how old they were, how they were doing and were very complimentary towards Lucy. This didn't just happen once or at a certain location, it happened every time.

3) Bill is selling door to door here. He said the people are so nice that they will talk to you for 30 minutes before they will tell you they have no interest in what you are selling. There is good and bad to this as Bill felt it was a waste of time, but they were still kind.

4) The teachers at the school (all of the teachers, not just my kid's teachers) would greet you as you walked down the halls.

5) Max got a terrible splinter in his foot so I asked the Manager of the hotel we stayed out where we could find a medical. She offered to take it out for him. I lacked the first aid supplies needed, but she pulled out a kit and proceeded to do "surgery". He kicked and screamed for over an hour in her office. She was in a business suit on the floor with a needle working hard to help him. It took 3 people and over 2 hours to get it, we finally did. Because of her kindness we were able to save money on a medical bill. She was very gracious about helping us. I was so grateful.

6) I was shocked when I realized the ringing phone was in our "hotel" room. It was the Bishop of the ward here. He has a fabulous Australian accent. He just wanted to welcome us and see if there was anything the ward could do for our family. Nice!

7) When I called before we left for Kansas to find out what ward we attend there, the Bishop's wife was darling. She offered a lot of information and included her 2 daughters as babysitters. I sure wish I would have taken her up on that offer!

These are just a small few examples, but the hospitality and kindness of the people in Kansas is not lost on my family.

TO my kids,

LIFE LESSON: Be kind.

Love, Mom

Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet School

2011-06-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Though this school is old and don't you just love the light blue tiles up the walls? But what I really love is that this is the hallway where they have set up these little "centers". It's difficult to determine from my cheap camera (got my camera for free from Visa Rewards = CHEAP) how wide the hallways are that there are centers on each side of the hall and plenty of room for all of the students to walk in the middle. I also love the amount of natural light that comes in from the windows.

Another thing I love about Minneha is that the teachers stand outside their doors every morning and greet each student and say, "Good Morning" to all of the parents. This made it easy for me to talk to the teachers and ask questions.

Zoo Day Cont'd

2011-06-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

From the back: Tinneris, Max, Rita, PJ, and Bailey (I think Bailey is Max's crush, though he would never admit it.)

Zoo Day in Wichita, KS for Kindergarten--Max

2011-06-28T14:19:00.001-07:00

Lucy was my helper.

Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet School

2011-05-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

The first thing I noticed about this school was the grass. It's terrible! The grass here is either really lush and green or really bad like the school's.

However, the teachers are nice and very accommodating to our kids.

The school requires uniforms: plain shirts without any logos or markings on them in red, white, navy or light blue. Tan or navy pants/shorts can be worn.

Minneha is named after a group of Indians known to this area.

Core Knowledge is based on a core curriculum the Kansas School Board approved.

A magnet school is one that gives students from all over Wichita an opportunity to attend Minneha through a lottery. Thus, it's very diverse.

The building itself is enormous! For comparison sake, it would be similar to stretching out 5 LDS church buildings and lining them up in a wide V-shape. (Kind of intimidating for young kids!)

The boys enjoy eating hot lunch and I enjoy not having to pack lunch. I drive the kids and pick them up. I also have to walk them to their classes and it takes me a full 6 1/2 minutes to walk from one end of the school for Jack's class to the other end for Max's class. (When you are always late like me, 6.5 minutes is a LONG time!)
Max attends Kindergarten full days and the schedule is similar to that in Utah: 9am-4pm. His teacher is Mrs. Deutsch (pronounced Die-ch). She seems very kind and was delighted to meet Max. She has told us repeatedly what a sweet boy he is. She has been teaching for 26 years.

Jack's first grade teacher is Mrs. Lamb. She lives on a farm and their class shares a baby chick with the class next door. Jack made it in time to see the egg and then the baby chick hatch. Super cool!

Jack and Max are on opposite sides of the school and do not have the same lunch or recess schedule. By the end of the day, they are so glad to see each other.

I am soooo proud of them for going to a new school and giving it a try. They are very brave boys. Now that they have attended for a week, they say it's OK, but they do not like uniforms! :)

Things we do in Wichita, KS

2011-05-08T12:00:00.001-07:00

On a positive note, the staff is friendly and kind, there is a continental breakfast and a cleaning service that comes in a couple of times a week to change out bath towels and empty garbages. There is a swimming pool and a hot tub. The pool is not open yet, but we don't know why because it is a hot 90+ degrees out! The boys sit in the hot tub every day and use it as their little swimming pool. (*Notice Max's fake tattoos on his chest. Thank you to Bill for this "souvenir" gift he got the boys. Arrr!)

There is a sport court and you can check out a basketball, volleyball or tennis rackets at the front desk.

Wichita, KS--Our "home"

2011-05-08T11:36:00.001-07:00

We live in the Hawthorne Suites #822, which is an extended stay type of hotel with a kitchenette. We are on the second floor, which is 2 flights of stairs. Lucy is still learning how to climb them, but it is going down that is much more difficult for her.

We also have a steep flight of stairs in our unit. It leads to a loft area where there is a bed that the boys share and another bathroom. We have a small living room area, a small galley kitchen and a separated "master" bedroom with a desk and all our files to run Large Landscape from long distance.

Everything about this place is great, but a few small things: the stairs, the spotty and SLOW internet, the old, smelly couch and chairs, and the stinky carpet.

MOVING!!

2011-05-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Because we are the Sullivan's, there just cannot be a road trip without a LOT of crazy things happening. Previous to the move, Bill was working in Wichita Kansas and flew home on April 27th to help drive us out there for the summer. So this is how the story goes:

After 10 days of being a single parent with 2 rowdy boys off track (out of school) and 1 very sick baby girl (fever was 104 and then dropped with antibiotic shots, then started back at 101 degrees and NOT sleeping at night), preparing for our Easter holiday, packing our house up: dividing things that needed to "stay" and things that needed to "go." I was spent--absolutely and completely overcome with stress and exhaustion and it didn't end the way I had hoped. A few days before we were to move I found out we were going to Wichita, Kansas to stay for a month in an extended stay hotel. Oh, joy.

It was important to Bill that we all be IN the airport when he came home. Aiming to please, I dragged 3 tired kids into the airport to wait for his flight that was an hour delayed. Because it was past bedtime, Lucy was very FUSSY. She wanted to walk around the airport all on her own. She gave the "parade wave" to everyone as she passed. And whenever I tried to pick up her, she cried and fussed in my arms. Jack kept complaining that his stomach hurt. He was bent over, clutching his stomach and looked horribly uncomfortable. Max kept begging for the million dollar candy out of the rows of vending machines. I kept saying, "No!" to the point I was tired of hearing myself. The delayed hour felt like an eternity.

After Bill's long awaited arrival and the joys of being together again were over, we get settled into bed. An hour after I fell asleep, Jack came running down the hall into our room to announce he had thrown up. It was a healthy portion of chunky vomit all over the sheets and pillows I had just spent the entire day washing. Poor Jack! In addition, the bathroom that I had scrubbed clean, was infested with vomit germs and the kitchen floor I stayed up late the night before to mop was also dotted with vomit and sticky with the Big Gulp of Sprite that Max accidentally spilled earlier in the day. My To-Do list for leaving the next morning was increasing exponentially.

We stripped the bed, and gathered newly washed blankets for make-shift bedding. It was early in the morning by now and sleep was slow to come as I lay awake reminding myself of all the things that needed to be re-washed and re-cleaned. I was also hoping that Jack's stomach felt better and that he would be OK in the 18-hour car ride we had ahead of us.

Thursday, April 28th, 2011 Day of Departure...maybe

Things to do before we leave: make and clean up breakfast, 6 loads of wash, clean bathrooms, mop kitchen floor, empty fridg and freezer, finish the last minute packing, load the car, run last minute errands, schedule fertilizing company lawns for the rest of the week, etc., etc.

Bill went to the Dr. to pick up a prescription and talked to the nurses about Jack's tummy. They gave him some vomit bags that would be convenient in the car. He filled them before we even got on the road. Poor kid!

Bill went to run a work errand and ran out of gas in the truck. The catch is that it only takes Natural Gas. You cannot just get a gas can and fill it, it HAS to be towed. So he had me pack the 3 kids (sick Jack with vomit bag to boot) and tow his truck to a Natural Gas station--it can't be just any station because it has to have a NG pump and only certain locations have this. Bill tied the metal chain to my car and then to his truck, we started to drive into 4 0'clock traffic when one of the links on the metal chain broke. We were right in the middle of a traffic jam from a car accident on the other side of the road. Now we created a jam on our side of the road--why are we always in such a mess?

While waiting for Bill to figure out a way to fix the chain, it dawned on me that I left a pot of boiling water on the stove. I was boiling eggs for Lucy and forgot! I called my next door neighbor Debbie to go over and shut it off. Fortunately she caught it just in time, but one of the eggs exploded and our house STUNK! We were lucky, it could have started a fire. Thanks for your help Debbie!

We finally got the truck towed and filled, but it put us behind another hour in our travel plans.

We finally just threw (literally) everything in and left just after 5pm. We drove ALL night only stopping for gas. By 8am Friday, April 29th we were in Kansas. We stopped at a diner for breakfast and I could hardly hold my head up. Despite the cokes I drank for the caffeine, I felt like I was fighting a sleeping pill. The toll of the last 2 weeks kicked in high gear and I was flat out EXHAUSTED.

Friday, April 29th, 2011 Wichita, KS

At 10am, we rolled into the extended stay where I could hardly wait to drop onto the bed and fall into a deep, blissful sleep. We walked into a room with 2 guys sleeping on the beds and all of their things strewn about. My excitement waned and I almost started crying. We needed to wait for sheets to be changed, cleaning to be done and the guys to move out before we could unpack our things. No rest for the weary.

Later with blood-shot red eyes and fatigue beyond belief, I took the kids to register at their "new school". I'm not sure the impression the office staff has of me as again, I felt like I was fighting sleep. I managed (with a LOT of crossing out and scribbles) to fill out an endless stack of paperwork. We walked around the school trying to figure out where things were. The boys were very disheartened and little Max said, "I don't want to go to school with all these brown people." He didn't mean it in a prejudiced way, he was just so anxious about the cultural diversity and the poverty of the place. They were also very saddened to learn that they have to wear uniforms.

The rest of Friday is a blur of quick groceries at the local Wal-Mart, cleaning, unpacking and counting the hours until I could finally fall asleep.

Happy Easter 2011

2011-05-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

We usually do a fun Eater breakfast and 1 large family Easter basket. To get this basket, we go on a scavenger hunt to find it. This year, the Easter bunny left a trail jelly beans that the kids had to follow in order to discover their hidden basket. They got the "Tangled" DVD, a bubble maker for Lucy, summer PJ's for all 3 kids, Legos and Phineas and Ferb activity books for the boys, and of course candy.

I had 3 matching outfits for the kids, but the weather was still very frigid and snowing so we will save the Spring outfits for another time. To explain our happy photo, things were a bit stressful for us as Bill had been out of town working in Kansas for 10 days, we were packing to move and Lucy was sick, which we later found out she was actually teething...Thus, there was not a "happy" Easter.

We went to church and later ate dinner with Linda at Alison and Roman's house in Lehi. It was a simple, but nice day. There is something to be said about holidays being about togetherness, family and traditions. Since Bill wasn't with us, it didn't feel the same and we all missed him.

Max's Indoor Soccer

2011-05-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

After a bout of Karate for the boys, we encouraged them to chose another sport to try. Jack tried break dancing and Max did indoor soccer with his buddy and next door neighbor, Braxton Gregory. His certificate is for the "Biggest Go-Getter"! He really enjoyed it and we loved going to his games each Saturday to cheer him on.

Sullivan Family Sunday Dinner

2011-05-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

Ben and Taisha holding Lucy
Eric, Rachel and Lucy's cousin Hanna.
Jessica and Dave (his oldest daughter)

Kathy and cousin Elle

Sunday dinner was at our house with the Sullivan Family so we continued Lucy's Birthday celebration. For some reason, we love FIRST Birthday's and make a big deal out of this milestone. It is a delight to have these little spirits with us and we think that first year is magical and full of changes and growth.

Dinner menu included: marinated BBQ chicken breast, tossed green salads, pasta salad, fresh fruit, and sliced artisan bread. Can you guess what we had for dessert? Yep, cupcakes and homemade ice-cream.

It was a nice evening and again, everyone was generous and thoughtful with gifts for Lucy. It's official, she has dolls! No more having to play with trains, cars and building blocks.

Cupcake Party!

2011-05-08T10:06:00.001-07:00

Out of focus, but you get the idea...Grandma Patsy is on the left in the rocking chair. She was here seeing specialists for a wound on her leg. See a future blog post about her experience. Happy Birthday Lucy Goosey Girl!

Happy 1st Birthday Lucy Jane!

2011-05-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, March 19th 2011 Lucy turned 1! She is eating scrambled eggs for breakfast, a usual favorite. Today, uncle KC and his family were endowed in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple in preparation for their sealing next week. In addition to the Temple, the boys went to Kid's Camp at Kaitlyn Gardner's (their babysitter) and a neighbor's (Dara Doolkhani's) Birthday Party at Lifetime Fitness and a soccer game for Max. Misty's family came over for cupcakes at 6:30pm.

2011: Happy New Year!

2011-01-18T10:11:00.001-08:00

One of our most favorite traditions is attending a neighborhood New Year's Eve Party as a family. We all bring food to share and a bottle of sparkling apple juice. We play games, eat and visit. Then at midnight, we watch the ball drop in New Year on television and yell, "Happy New Year!" We clink our plastic glasses of apple juice to "cheers" and throw poppers of confetti. We love that we can celebrate together as well as with dear friends.

New Year's Resolutions:

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." Luke 2:52

Intellectual Goals:
Read 12 books
Play piano more

Physical Goals:
Run another half marathon
No sugar for at least 3 months
No soda for 1 year

Spiritual Goals:
Read the Book of Mormon again
Increase Temple attendance
Less t.v. watching (get rid of cable)
Update 72 hour kits and add Lucy's
Increase record keeping (journal more, blog more, take more pictures, etc.)

Social Goals:
Plan and execute a girl's trip
Publicize the postives in others, including my family

A Decade to Celebrate

2011-01-17T23:05:00.000-08:00

We went to Vegas for a couple of days for our Anniversary. We saw the Cirque Du Soleil show, "Mystere" and indeed it was! But, we were part of the act at the beginning and that was really fun. We just went along with whatever the actor did. He gave us someone's popcorn and sat us in front row seats, kicking out the person that was sitting there. He asked me to give him a kiss on the cheek and then when I did, he hurried and turned his face, which made me catch him on the lips. YUK! It was really fun and something unique for our special day.

We also saw Gordie Brown, an entertainer that I thought was fantastic.

We ate at a restaurant for breakfast called the Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian and fell in LOVE with their red velvet pancakes. WOW! (I say get them WITHOUT chocolate chips, but Bill says WITH. You decide.)

We went shopping and to art exhibits. It was a fun get away!

Christmas Day

2011-01-17T22:53:00.000-08:00

After opening all our gifts, we had grandparents come to visit us through out the morning. Then late in the afternoon, we went to see the movie, "Tangled" which we loved!

Stockings

2011-01-17T22:48:00.000-08:00

Stockings are full of little presents all gift wrapped. I try not to include candy, but there is usually 1 favorite treat for them. This year's treat was fruit snacks, which I do not usually buy because of the sugar content. They each got their own box and they were gone by the end of the day! Other gifts include a new toothbrush, fun tooth paste, a yo-yo, snowman crayons, swim suit mesh bags, fun bath drops that color the water, etc.

After stockings are opened, we eat our special holiday breakfast.

First Things First

2011-01-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of December, I make a list each year with 3 columns:
"Food to Make": Danish Almond Puff Pastry, Monkey Bread, Wassail, and Party Punch
"Service to Perform": shovel a neighbors walk ways, do Sub for Santa, and donate to a charity
"Fun Things to Do": Thanksgiving Point Light Show, Temple Square on Traxx, deliver neighbor gifts and Karl Bloch Art Exhibit at BYU with dinner at Magleby's and Buttermilk Pie and Chocolate Cake for dessert (which are The Best desserts ever!)

Christmas Eve we went on Traxx to Temple Square to see the lights. We went early and ate dinner at the Nauvoo Cafe first and then as it got dark we walked around. And right as the crowds starting coming, we were done and got on the train to go home.

Once home, we watched the Luke II video (usually we read it, but the kids were so tired we didn't think they would make it through.) Then we open the traditional pajamas and slippers and Christmas book. This year's book was, "God Bless Your Way." We set out cookies and milk for Santa and Max added reindeer food to boot.

Then Bill stays up wrapping gifts he got for me while I set and decorate the table for our special holiday breakfast. This year's menu was simple: Danish Almond Puff Pastry, scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, Monkey Bread, orange juice, hot chocolate and wassail.

We only get 1 gift from Santa and the rest are from mom and dad. This year's gift was a Wii game for each boy and an umbrella stroller for Lucy.

Tis the Season To Be Jolly....Or Not

2011-01-17T22:12:00.000-08:00

Karate Yellow Belts

2011-01-17T22:09:00.000-08:00

Jack and Max,

You LOVED Karate and here are some pictures from your belt testing, which moved you from white belts to yellow belts. Hooray for you!

Thankful...

2011-01-17T22:00:00.000-08:00

My side of the family usually does Thanksgiving dinner the Sunday before the holiday. I brought my camera, but forgot to take a photo.

On Thanksgiving Day, we spent it with Bill's side of the family at his brother, Chad's house. Again, we brought our camera, but failed to remember to capture a picture.

Every Thanksgiving I make a list of things I am thankful for and here are a few from my list this year:

Motherhood
Family
Health
America: Free & Beautiful
Running water
Warmth
The Atonement
Prayer
Perfect Moments
My beautiful children: Jack Ryan, Max Alan and Lucy Jane: I love you so!

Grandma Patsy's 80th Birthday

2011-01-17T21:51:00.000-08:00

Dear Jack, Max & Lucy,

We took a trip to Ontario, Oregon for your great grandmother's 80th Birthday. Her name is Patsy Christiansen Wise McConkey. We traveled a little over 6 hours to be at her Birthday.

This photo is taken in our hotel room. Ontario is small, so there were not a lot of choices for hotels, but this one was clean and you guys all enjoyed the swimming pool. Grandma came over to visit us just before we had her Birthday party with friends and family at a local restaurant.

Daddy was not able to be with us on this trip because he was out of town working, but you were really good for me and it meant a lot to Grandma that we made a big effort to be there. Thank you for being so good.

This entry is for family history sake. :) Happy Birthday Grandma Patsy!

Jack's VIP Day

2011-01-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

Along with Jack's Birthday he was the VIP in his 1st grade class. He attends Welby Elementary School in South Jordan, Utah and Mrs. Li is his teacher. Jack is very bright and enjoys school. He is an excellent reader and has gotten 100% on every spelling test so far. He seems to enjoy Math as well and is very fast at doing his worksheets.

Jack's 7th Birthday

2011-01-17T21:40:00.000-08:00

Jack turned 7 years old on November 5th. He wanted to have a Bionicle Birthday Bash. This is the group of friends from our neighborhood showing the Bionicle they built and the certificate they won for their creative genius.

Addicted to Chocolate Already

2011-01-17T21:39:00.001-08:00

Halloween 2010

2011-01-17T21:33:00.000-08:00

Each year, I feel a bit timid about purchasing costumes for my kids because they change their minds so much. So this year, I purchased costumes the night before their school parties. I thought I'd be saved from the changing-of-the-mind, but I was wrong. Tonight, Jack ended up wearing Max's costume and Bill forced Max to pull something (anything) out of the dress up box in the play room. (Bill told him he wasn't taking Max trick or treating around the neighborhood unless he put something on.) So this is what we came up with. Blah!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-31T19:32:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Picking at the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

2010-10-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

Sweet Lucy with Cohen!

2010-10-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Cool Max!

Cute Jack!

2010-10-31T18:35:00.001-07:00

Gardner Village

2010-10-31T18:13:00.000-07:00

We atttend school on a track schedule, which means we go year-round. From the middle of October to the middle of November, we have an off-track break which forces me (mom) to figure out activities to entertain with. One of the activities we did was going with our friends: Jack, Nixin and Cohen Williams to Gardner Village. There is a witch scavenger hunt, shopping, fudge at the candy store and a duck pond. We enjoyed walking around in the beautiful Fall weather.

Jack & Max Reading Together

2010-10-28T21:27:00.001-07:00

October 28, 2010

Dear Jack and Max,

I believe that life is not perfect, but it does provide perfect moments. When I saw you reading together, you created a perfect moment for me. Thank you. I love you.

Love, Mommy

Lucy Sleeps Through The Night

2010-10-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2010

My dearest Lucy,

You scared me silly last night because you slept all the way through without needing a midnight snack (or two). Though I am sure you meant to give me the gift of rest, I could not sleep because I was so worried that something bad happened to you. I wondered if you were still breathing, if your diaper needed changed, if you were too warm or too cold...Many thoughts ran through my mind between 3 am and 5 am.

However, you my precious child are forgiven because whether you want to sleep through the night or wake several times, I will be here for you because you are my life's work and I LOVE YOU. Let's see what tonight will bring. Good night to you my Lucy Goosey Girl.

It's About Time!

2010-10-24T22:25:00.001-07:00

My kids are growing up too quickly and I'm sad to see their childhood years flying by. Maybe if I make more effort to chronicle their lives I will have this treasure for the future (when they are grown). So here's to Jack, Max and Lucy.

Zermatt Resort 2008

2009-04-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Our family in front of the carousel at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah. We have been here a couple of times and LOVE it. Anyone looking for a great, short family winter vacation, this is it. They have awesome rooms (I love the gas fireplace), a really nice buffet and restaurant, sleigh rides with real horses, afternoon activities each day, (another picture shows us roasted marshmellows and making smore's as one of the activities). There is a huge, heated indoor swimming pool with a water fall into the hot tub (which was our kids favorite), movies in our room and more. We got a weekend get-away deal that made it very affordable.

Bill and I stayed one night without kids to celebrate our 8th anniversary. We drove to Park City for dinner and a movie and then got to sleep in. It was bliss. December 2008

Christmas 2008

2009-04-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

We usually wake early, as our kids are early risers. We open our stockings and then eat a holiday breakfast. I like to decorate the table the night before and have it all ready so there is little to do Christmas morning. We had sausage, monkey bread, orange juice, hot cocoa, milk, a fruit tray and more. After we eat, we open gifts. Our family tradition is that the kids get 1 (ONE) gift from Santa and the rest come from Mom and Dad. The gift from Santa is usually big or more expensive. This year they each got their own Nintendo DS hand held game.

We just had to capture Max's double shiners one more time. This is a few weeks after his injury.

The kids are sporting their new tool sets they got for Christmas.

Years later I may wonder or my kids may wonder why I got them the same pajamas, the same gifts, everything the same. The answer is that as long as they each have their own, they do not fight over it. One of my goals is to minimize the contention.

Christmas Eve P.J's

2009-04-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Jack (age 5) and Max (age 3) boxing on the Wii in their new Christmas Eve pajamas.

December 2008

Picasso Jack

2009-04-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is Jack's picture of Rudolph the "Red-nosed Reindeer". It's a perfect replica. (I love the antlers!) This photo also depicts Jack's love to get dressed up in costumes. The kids have a variety and he loves to wear them every where: the store, the gym, the neighborhood. It's great to be a kid!

Rare Family Christmas 2008

2009-04-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is a rare photo of my biological family. From left to right: Amber, Seth, Misty, Tiffany, (on the floor) Josh, my Dad Steve, and K.C. We do not usually have everyone together for the holidays. Seth traveled to Utah from Pennsylvania, brining his girlfriend Karen (pictured below) and many gifts for each family member. He gave us a clock, kitchen towels and a Wii game. Everyone's gifts were perfect and well thought out. Thanks Seth! We had a family dinner at my house and Bill got his Christmas gift early to help entertain all: Guitar Hero. (thanks to D.L. for all of the help and the great deal!)

Cats

2009-04-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

Jack and Max wake up early in the mornings. Often they entertain themselves until mom gets breakfast made. This particular morning they made cat whiskers out of yarn, "kid scissors", scotch tape and tah-dah! Whiskers.

Buzz Lightyear by Jack, age 5

2009-04-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

On the bottom of Buzz Lightyear's foot, he has the inscription of his owner "Andy" written. Jack did the same to Bill's foot when they were pretend playing Buzz Lightyear. Jack loves reading and writing though he is only 5 and still in pre-school. Creative kid.

OUCH Max!

2009-04-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

December 2008

Max was jumping off a swivel chair onto our bed and missed the bed as the chair turned away from his target. His head hit the footboard and caught his fall. The next photo shows his double black eyes from the bruising. Much to my sister's horror, we did not take him to the doctor. We watched to make sure he walked straight, knew his name, could recall simple memories, didn't vomit and put ice on to help with the swelling, though he didn't love the ice. He seems find now, but still has a permanent indent above his eyebrow. Ouch indeed!

Lake Powell 2008

2009-04-25T17:47:00.001-07:00

On this trip, I tried "surfing" (behind the boat) and much to my shock, got up my first try. It is now one of my favorite things to do. We also went wake boarding and skiing. We rode as a family on the giant tube. It was really fun. The kids also went fishing for their first time and caught a few small ones, but threw them back.

Lake Powell Trip--September 2008

2009-04-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

We went with several families to Lake Powell in September 2008. One of the families we went with was Bill's business partner, Dave Brown. I had to post this photo because it depicts the usual traveling "bumps" that happen. We get all the way there and realize that there are no keys to the boat. The keys were left (inadvertantly, of course) in Salt Lake--hours away. It's really hot, around 100 degrees. All of our stuff is unloaded from the cars. The kids are eager to go. And the boys are trying to hot-wire a boat. It took some time and we all felt like we were melting, but they were finally able to figure out a way to get the boat started without keys. Who says Bill's wild past isn't helpful in times like these! :)

Our Little Rock Climbers

2009-04-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

July 2008--Logan, Utah

I was teaching EFY (Especially For Youth) at Utah State while Bill took the boys out for a day of fun. He discovered that our kids are especially apt at rock climbing and they LOVE it! I thought it was important to record where their fame and fortune all started. :)

Goodbye Old Friend

2009-04-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

Summer 2008

Bill found this tandem bike at D.I. (a local thrift store). We spent ten times the amount he paid for the bike on the leather seats and white walled tires. We took this bike on Sunday evenings around the 'hood and rode it for the annual neighborhood 4th of July parade. However, our kids are growing, maybe someday our family size will grow too and we found that it took too much space in the garage. So we sold it.

The Reason for the Season

2008-12-14T21:26:00.001-08:00

As a gift to you, please enjoy this depiction of the our Savior's life. Copy and paste this URL and enjoy the peaceful reflection. It's worth a moment of your time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbzPUjabIb0

Why Is This Picture Not Centered?

2008-11-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you lose your keys? What do you do when you lose your wallet? What do you do when both are missing? Pray. Tear your house apart. Look EVERYWHERE. Ask around. Clean out your car. A suggestion came today to look in the grass (which we did).

So Bill loses his keys all of the time. It happens more than the average family. This time, both wallet and keys were missing for 9 days. We did everything we could think of and without losing faith, we were still praying.

I tried to open the lid of the piano to sing our opening song for Family Night. The lid felt stuck, as though something was blocking it from inside. We removed the lid and EUREKA! Bill's keys and wallet. (Thus the un-centered photo, on the far left side--behind the piano lid were the keys and wallet).

Moral of the story: 1) Play the piano more often than every 9 days, 2) Blessings of Family Night come in many forms 3) Make a gajillion million copies of car keys and 4) Don't carry much of anything in your wallet. Anything else you can think of here, please comment below. :)

A Tribute

2008-11-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

After being very ill, it took almost 3 weeks to feel back into life again. It was a sobering time. I was grumpy and miserable and short-tempered and impatient. I didn't feel like going anywhere (we missed a couple of days of school just so I didn't have to drive--pathetic!) or doing anything (thus my house was a wreck and no yummy dinners to enjoy...and on... and on...)

This period of time allowed me to think about those who are in pain or ill long-term. How do they do it? How do they survive and keep going? There are many in the hospital and many at home, many we do not see or cannot know, but they are suffering and surviving. So for all those mothers that survive suffering, here is a tribute to you. You are inspiring. You can keep going. Thank you for your pain for in it others gain strength.

Jack Turns 5!

2008-11-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that our child is 5 years old! When Jack was just a baby, I used to hold him in my arms and wonder what it would be like as he grew and matured. What his personality would be like, his appearance, his hopes, his dreams. So I still have a long time to go for all of that knowledge and I'm enjoying the ride! 5 blissful years.

We had an "Army Birthday" party at home complete with an obstacle-Boot-Camp-course and KP (kitchen patrol) for home-made mini pizzas. Each year we have a party, I tell myself how I am NEVER going to do that again. It is crazy! But the kids seemed to have fun. Part of the reason it was especially difficult this year is that I was sooooo ill. It was difficult to move, breath, think, and therefore do...More on this in my next blogging entry.

So back to Jack, happy, happy Birthday for many more years to come. Our sweet, first child.

A little about Max

2008-11-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

So while I am at it, (blogging that is) we were awake earlier than I would like to be--6:30 am for the record--and I was snuggling the kids in my bed. (Bill already left for an early appointment.) We were just talking and watching cartoons. I asked Max, "So, do you like *Amy?"
Max shook his head with an emphatic, no.
"You don't like her? Why not?"
"She calls me 'cute'. Babies are 'cute'. Girls are 'pretty'. And guys are 'cool'. I'm cool."
So what ever you do, if you want Max to like you, please call him cool, even though he is terribly CUTE!
(*Names are changed to protect the innocent.)

Jack's Creative Imagination

2008-11-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

Jack has been talking the last little while about his friend, "Wolf." He is a real wolf, too. Late last night, Jack came into the kitchen telling me that Wolf scratched him. He added, "Wolf has colorful scratches. See!" And thus the photo of Wolf's colorful scratches.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

Friday, October 31, 2008
Off to "trick or treat" in the hood. Jack wanted to be Iron Man, but I found "Mr. Incredible" for a cheaper bargain. It does have a black mask for around the eyes, but it went missing after the 4th Halloween party. (At least we are getting our money's worth in costume parties.) :) Max was originally Batman, but at the last second, after being Batman 4 other times, he decided to use last year's costume, Curious George the Monkey. They went around 2 blocks and scored a loot of candy and haven't stopped bouncing off the walls since. (Pictured left to right: Braxton (the firefighter, Misty, Jack, Debbie, Savannah (in silver & sequins, and Monkey Max. Debbie and kids are next door neighbors to us.)

A Day in the Life.

2008-04-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

We were on the way to my parents house for dinner on Sunday. The boys asked what city we were going to. "Sandy," was the reply. Little Max, at age 2, asks, "Is there lots of sand there?" Smart kid!
Jack, age 4, came running out of his room naked. He did this sort of slap-dance in the kitchen for Bill and I. We were belly laughing, it was so funny. Bill asked, "So what is this dance called?"
Jack says, "It's the Moby Dick Dance!" Doubled over in laughter, we could hardly contain ourselves. When asked where he heard about Moby Dick, Jack said he heard about it on TV. Who says television isn't educational? :)
Children are such a joy, but I must say that today, they were a stress. Max and his cousin Addi decided to go on a walk. They went missing for time, while I panicked trying to find them. Fortunately a neighbor down around the corner called and said she found them out walking. She felt concerned. It was so relieved and so mad at the same time. Arrr...

It's Official, Capital "O", we're bloggers!!!!

2008-04-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

It's Official. We are bloggers. We: Misty, the mom, Bill, the dad, Jack the oldest, Max, the youngest--so far. I'm feeling out numbered with all my boys, though I secretly love it. (Not so secret anymore.)
Much more to come: Jack not wanting to pick his eye booger because it would miss its family.

Stay tuned.