2009 - Year of the Dad

As we were preparing for bed the other night Brett informed me that Ryan has decided that 2009 is going to be "Year of the Dad". I asked Ryan what that meant and he said that it meant that he was going to spend more time with DAD and let DAD do more for him.

I hereby delegate the following to DAD

- Making lunches in the morning
- Changing sheets when accidents happen
- Running forgotten homework to school - Hope work doesn't mind you coming home a few times a week to do this
- Following up on homework
- Making sure the table is set for dinner

I think I can handle the rest since it falls under the umbrella of the MOM job

Ahh....

A toast...

to 2009 - Year of the DAD

Balance

How do you do it all?

1. Primary Meetings
2. Scout meetings
3. Ward Council
4. Cleaning house
5. Breakfast
6. Lunch
7. Dinner
8. Cleaning house
9. Exercise (what's that)
10. Volunteer time at the school
    
11. Time with kids
12. Time with husband
13. Alone time (is that possible without neglecting any of the above?)

Oh how I need to find Balance. Do they sell that in stores? I've heard that Calgon will take you away, but I haven't found a product called Balance yet. If you're out there and you have a product, let me know....I need it!

If you have done it unto the least of these...

Yesterday Brett stayed home from work in the morning as he had a Doctor's appointment and I had some errands to run so we thought it would be best if we just went together.

Sydney was being naughty and had a couple of warnings to stop or else get a spankin' from Dad. Well, the behavior didn't stop, so she got a big whack on her bum. I have found that time-outs work out much better for me when I am disciplining her, but until today, I don't think Brett has completely shared in that. Not because he disagrees, but he really doesn't have to discipline her a lot because he is working.

Anyway...

After the crying had stopped, Sydney came upstairs and into my room to get ready to go. Her face was flushed from crying and I asked her what had happened. (I was in my room when all of this happened so I didn't know the details).

She explained to me that she was being naughty and that Dad had spanked her. Then the conversation went something like this:

Sydney : "Mom, it's like he spanked Jesus."

Me: "What?"

Sydney: "You know, when we do things to people it is like we are doing them to Jesus. So, it's like he spanked Jesus."

Ouch!

Making Memories

Today is Ryan's 3rd Grade class party. I am the room mom for his class and since we have VERY few mothers who signed up to help, I signed up for the Christmas party.

Let me just preface my comments by, yes I know I am an idiot.

Ahem,

I made the suggestion that we might want to make gingerbread houses. I did that for Ryan's class in 1st Grade, and I've learned some things since then so thought it might be fun.

Well....then I found out that I only had one other mom helping. Ahh, good for me! I e-mailed the teacher and let her know with such little help, doing gingerbread houses probably wasn't a great idea anymore.


Well...then I called the other mom that signed up to help and she really wanted to do gingerbread houses, and maybe we could get more help

and....

Then I got another e-mail from the teacher saying that she could get more help....

So, I asked Ryan when he got home from school what he thought we should do for his Christmas part at school and he said "My teacher said we were decorating gingerbread houses."

So....

Over the past week I have baked, cut out and assembled 25 gingerbread houses. It was not a cheap endeavor. It took a LOT of my time.

And...

It's all about Making Memories.

Magic and Tradition

I'm a little behind in updating my blog, so here go a few updates Enjoy.

For years my family has had the tradition of taking Santa to needy girls and boys, families, elderly, friends, etc. There has only been one year out of probably 20 that I haven't had Santa to take around to my heart's content.

Sometimes our visits are the last a person ever gets from Santa Claus.

This year we were able to pick up our tradition and take Santa to some friends. I always love getting the special visit. Sometimes I get to enter the homes with Santa, but most of the time the fun comes when Santa gets back into the car with us and tells us of the fun he had inside. Since we live far away from Santa's home, many people don't know who he is, thus making the joy even better.

I know who he is though, and I know the families in our neighborhood. It's all about the Magic and the Tradition.

Thanks Santa.

Turkey

Tonight I did some mindless TV watching. I enjoy watching the 'how it was made' shows. Well, tonight it showed all of the things you can do with turkeys.

I had no idea you could use nearly EVERY part of a turkey. They even fry up the turkey version of Rocky Mountain Oysters. They say they taste like popcorn shrimp. Surprisingly not chicken.

I'll stick to the traditional turkey breast, Brett can have the legs, and no thanks on the turkey left overs.

Felt Prayers

I don't know that I have ever really 'felt' the effects of prayers being offered in my behalf. At least not until the past 24 hours.

A nasty rumor was started and spread, and originated with something that I said that was taken out of context. While I don't make it a habit of talking smack about people, especially smack that could ruin a reputation, this week sure hasn't proved that to be true if you don't know me.

It is true that gossip can feel like a double-edged sword that pierces your heart. I have felt that this week. I don't suppose I have ever felt such a darkness surround me. Even though I have met with all parties involved, there are still some that believe that I am a person of no worth. It's amazing.

I have actually 'felt' the prayers that have been offered by friends in my behalf. Peace is beginning to return to my existence. A couple of days ago, I didn't even know that this day would even come.

Well, that's dumb

Today Ryan came home from school with MANY questions about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

One question he asked was if we caught the terrorists. I explained to him that they were the pilots of the planes that hit the Twin Towers.

He promptly replied, "Well, that's dumb. Those terrorists are dumb."

Yes, they are my fine son. Yes, they are.

Forwards

Can I just tell you how bad I hate Forwards?

What are forwards you ask? - Let me tell you....

They are e-mails that get sent from heaven knows who that I really don't want to read. Many people don't know who the heck they are even sending them too, just their address book that they have acquired.

Most people don't clean up the e-mail before they hit the 'Forward' button, thus giving me a 10 page e-mail with the world's e-mail addresses in it. I hate them. If you are sending them to me...DON'T!

If the e-mail is funny enough, do the courtesy of copying it and pasting it into a new e-mail and send it directly to me.

I am now on an e-mail list that I'd rather not be on and I get multiples of the SAME E-MAIL from different people on that list.

I don't care about politics and I don't think the world is ending tomorrow either.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

The End

I KNOW WHO IT IS

Yesterday our bishop announced in sacrament meeting that we needed to come to church next week to sustain a new bishopric. Huh - they don't usually announce such things....oh well....

With the release of our bishop, I thought it appropriate that we have our bishop come into primary during the last hour to present him with some art work that some of the children had done. We were talking about things we are thankful for, building a "Thankful tree" with beautiful, colorful leaves. We invited our bishop to tell us things he was thankful for in Japanese. He served his mission there.

We had a very sweet spirit in the room. At the end of the hour, we invited the bishop back up and we sang a song to him. I offered to have him give the last words to the children. He told them of things that he learned while being a bishop.

Then it happened.

A little 8-year old boy on the front row raised his hand, and with a smile firmly stated "I know who the next bishop is!"

He turned back to look at his mom with that same smile on his face and....the smile was not returned....

Hmmm, I think I might know who it is :).

One Down...

Well, we did it! The Primary Program is finally over WOO HOO! While the stress of of the whole thing could have been done without, I don't suppose I have ever been to a primary program that I liked so much. The kids were amazing, they sang as they should have and nothing like the practices. All kids were in line for the parts, much better than anticipated. Nobody fell back on their chairs causing blood blisters, and my daughter sang like an angel.

One of the kids that had a solo part came down with strep throat and Sydney really wanted a part in the program, so we asked her if she would be willing to step in and sing for him. She willingly did so.

5 years old.

Solo part in front of a couple hundred people.

Priceless.

Of course this doesn't compare to my cousin who sang the Star Spangled Banner in front of thousands at a Diamond Backs game when she was the mere age of 3.

Not the point.

I surrounded myself with angels yesterday. They ranged from ages 3 to 11 going on 12. I generally don't do well with the noise. I like reverence. They are all reverent for me. Not so much for others, but for me they are.

In a season of giving thanks I am ever so thankful for these angels, even in the midst of their noise.

You're a BH for doing that

Today I helped Brett and his dad put some fertilizer in our garden spots. I didn't do too much work, but one of my tasks was to put a bag of steer manure on one of our garden spots. I opened up the bag and started pouring it in the correct spots. I got the 'crap' all over my hands. I HATE having my hands dirty. When I looked up and Brett's dad was smiling at me.

I could just read his mind....ha ha ha, Deni has crap on her hands....

Okay, so he probably wasn't thinking that, but it felt as if he was thinking it. This took my thoughts back to an experience I had when living in Springville.

We were remodeling our kitchen and our good friend Jake Woodland was helping us with the electrical work. Jake's hands cannot feel the electric current like most people feel it so he had me do an experiment. He had me touch the two 'live' wires together. Nothing happened, so I thought - Hey, I must be like Jake. Then he had me lick my fingers....go ahead...laugh now - and you guessed it...it shocked the crap out of me!

Jake, you're a BH for doing that!

If you need to know what BH stands for, ask Ryan...he knows.

In My Defense

Since Brett doesn't allow comments on his blog, I have to post a rebuttal to his latest post

I WAS IN THE BATHROOM!!!!

Answered prayers--or lack of

I'm not sure how this is supposed to make me feel, but my kids are always praying that I can clean the whole house, just like their friends' mom. It is a daily occurrence around here for at least one of the kids to say that in their prayers.

I digress, I am not the best housewife. I hate laundry, I hate cleaning the dinner dishes, after all, I slaved away making dinner - I'm tired when I finish eating. There always papers stacked from Hell to Breakfast, and heaven forbid if anyone put their stuff away.

I think I might start praying that the kids help a little better. That'll teach 'em.

Projects

It's not often that I get to do a project that I really like, but making rag quilts does something for my psyche. Even though nothing is cheap anymore, I wanted to do something special for my secretary, who just had twins. So, here are the final products.

FUN!

New Dress

The Children's Place recently had a sale on some clothing so I bought Sydney a new dress. She was in desperate need of one and this was like $5, not too bad--Can't even buy fabric for that anymore.

Here she is. Isn't she pretty.

Halloween Fun

This year for Halloween Ryan wanted to be a pirate. We got his hat/wig at his birthday party at Boondocks, so we just needed to get a costume to go with it. We ordered a costume and the package arrived safe and sound on Thursday afternoon. I let Sydney open it, and SURPRISE - there wasn't a costume. Just a package full of Baby Einstein puppets. So, I went to work sewing a costume.

I will probably tack the boot covers to the actual pants. They don't stay up on Ryan's stick legs. He was pleased with his costume, after a night of drama and sadness. He let everyone know it was 'hand made' too.

Thanks to my mom for making a billion costumes for us when we were young. That is where the black coat came from. Who knew that George Washington was once a pirate?

Sydney was Giselle from Enchanted (Thanks Uncle Ben for help with that). She also wore some Cinderella slippers that lit up when she walked. It was great for trick or treating because we could see her up ahead.

A Lesson in Fast Offering

This morning we were filling out our Fast Offering check and Ryan was in the room. He expressed the desire to pay Fast Offerings, so we told him he was welcome to do that. He said "Great!" Then he proceeded to grab MY checkbook and look for a pen. I said, "Uh, are you going to write a check out of my checking account?" He said, "OH, does this come out of your account?"

Umm...yes, it does.

Good Bye Freedom

Well,

The day has finally arrived! Our kids have figured out how to pick the lock on our door.

Last night we were going through a box of things I had ordered and deciding which would be for Christmas, Summer, etc when all of a sudden I turn to Brett and say - "They've figured out the lock"

In comes...RYAN and SYDNEY

Ryan declared "Bullseye! I got ya!"

I quickly jump on the bed to cover what is uncovered and Ryan looks up - deer in the head lights look - and says "Oh Sorry!"

Lucky for them I wasn't covering up anything else

You know it's bad when you have to buy flip locks for your own bedroom

Around the World and Back

I have felt a need lately to be sure that Sydney knows that I love her. I learned very recently in a training I went to that we all need love. Our families are no different. As I lay down with her at night I make sure to have her look in my eyes as I talk to her. I tell her how I love her beautiful blue eyes, her beautiful body, her beautiful smile. I tell her that I love her more than the world. To which she replies, "Mom, I love you Around the World and Back."

Best Friends

I don't know what causes a good friendship in siblings, but I feel very blessed that my children are friends. Not only friends, but best friends really.

Last night I was getting ready to go Visiting Teaching and Ryan told Sydney he wanted to play with her. They both got their socks, shoes, and coats on and went outside.

I watched out the window and was filled with love and admiration for both of my kids. The ball they were throwing went across the street and the both took each other by the hand, walked to the front of our yard, looked both ways, and then crossed the street to get the ball. I love my kids. They bring so much joy into our home.

Last week while I was away at another scout training, Brett took the kids up the canyon and took some pictures.


This one depicts what I see so much:

Super Powers

Today Sydney announced that she wished she had SUPER POWERS


On inquiring why, she firmly declared that if she did, she would change her age to 3 when McKaylyn came over, and she would be 5 when Kayla came over, and she would make me 5 and her dad 5 and Ryan 5 when she needed someone to play with. If she wanted to hold a baby, Ryan would then be made an infant, of course Dad would change the diapers she mused, to which I agreed with an astounding YES, he would


I'm not sure why it is so hard to revert back to 5 some days. After all, I could play with Barbies for hours without worrying about what things in the house weren't getting done. I could watch High School Musical a million times and squeal when I saw such things in stores without a care in the world.

I think I need to give Sydney SUPER POWERS for a day. She might feel like she has conquered the world.

Conversations with Ryan...

Yesterday I spent the day at my neighbor's office doing some work for them. I took both kids as they were out of school. Sydney got bored so she was drawing in a notebook I had there. She is learning to read so she was writing some of her sight words, ever so proudly.

Now, let me invite you into my conversation that came next...

Ryan: I can't wait until Sydney is in 1st grade.

Me: Oh, why is that.

Ryan: Because, then she will see all of the hard work that I have been doing all these years.

Me: Giggle

Ryan: Mom, did you know that there is a kid in 2nd grade that still can't spell WAS?

Me: Ryan, you are a very lucky kid because these things come easy to you.

Ryan: Yeah, I bet if they did studies on my brain, they would see that it is working really hard.

Me: Yes Ryan, I am sure they would see that it is.

The End

You're MORE fun than SWIMMING

Tonight we were going to take the kids swimming. They have been begging us to go, and Brett needed to help some boys get their Swimming Merit Badge for scouts, so we thought it was a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

WELL....there were too many boys for our kids to be able to fit, so we were unable to let Ryan and Sydney go. Needless to say, they were both devastated. Sydney whined most of the evening. I told her we could make cookies, hoping that the thought might turn the whine-o-meter OFF. (I hate whining!)

As I finished the dough, and we were rolling it out on the bar for our Halloween Cookie Cutters, Sydney found the HS Musical 1 CD, so we of course had to BLAST it and sing at the top of our lungs.

Did you know that rolling pins make for great microphones? I'm pretty sure they could go head to head with any technology out there!

Sydney turned to me as we were putting the last of the cookies on the pan and said "Mom, you're much more fun than swimming!"

What?

Me?

WHOO HOO!

More than Love

A few years ago I was counseling with a friend and he said "the goal you want in your marriage is that it becomes more than love." He related a story about serving an older couple for some time. The wife was starting to deteriorate in health and the husband was caring for her. He posed the question "You love her, don't you?" The gentleman replied, "Oh, it's much more than love now." So, to me, the friend said, "You'll know when you're on the right track with your relationship when it becomes more than love."

So, this morning the realization came to me that "it's much more than love."

Last night was a bad one. I think I went through all of the stages of grief in one night. Sadness, anger, all of it.

My kind husband sat quietly, and unknowingly I'm sure, buoyed me.

It was after midnight before my mind stopped reliving the events of a year ago and comfort set in enough for me to go to sleep.

I awoke this morning at 7:23am in somewhat of a panic. I could hear Brett in the other room, and I knew I needed to hurry and help get the kids ready for school and Brett off to work. I got dressed and walked out of the bedroom and to my surprise Brett was still in his pajamas. I asked him if I could help him hurry and get to work and he said he had taken the day off to spend with me.

I know he stayed home because he knew I would need someone today. He helped me get the house completely cleaned.

This my friends is More than Love

Reflection

The day after Azure's funeral we took a walk to the cemetery with Eric. I didn't notice Brett taking pictures, but when we got home he showed me this one. It is a picture that very much shows the separation of temporal and spiritual life. It's taken me a year to think of what we could name the picture, but I think Reflection best describes what is happening here.


The baby in the picture is Eric, Azure's little guy. He was almost 5 months when she passed away....Man I miss her.

More Funnies

Azure was always doing things to make us laugh. One day I came around the corner in our home to This:

What is it you ask? - Why, it's Eeyore...and Dad. Definitely picture worthy.

Funny Memory

My sister Azure lived with us from October 2002 - May 2003. For much of that time she didn't have a job. She got a job some time in the spring at Wendy's. It was her first day of work and she had to come home for something and she locked her keys in the car. Brett and I were standing outside, along with a friend while the Police officer unlocked the doors. Azure forgot something in the house and Brett thought it would be funny to put a key on the driver's seat and hold a key and then lock the doors. WELL, when Azure came back outside she went to open the door and SURPRISE - it was locked! She turned around to Brett and Said - "YOU @* IDIOT" - You locked my keys in the car. We all laughed and Brett pulled out the 'spare' key. Well - little did he/we know that the key that he was holding was for the IGNITION. The key that opened the doors was sitting on the seat locked inside the car. We all felt really stupid when the officer had to come back a couple of minutes later and get the key out of the car, but we still laugh.

The end.

M-O-M

This morning just before 7am Sydney climbed in bed with me for a little snuggle. I love those mornings, and they rarely happen with her. She normally wants DAD.

Well, this morning she wanted ME!

As we lay in bed together, she looked up and said "I love you M-O-M." So, with a smile on my face I say, "Oh, I love you too S-Y-D-N-E-Y."

SURPRISE

Well, I got an e-mail today yesterday from my Primary Secretary stating that she had her baby. Then I opened the e-mail and she said, well - babies! There were 2 of them. How she was carrying 2 babies is all a mystery to us. She is so tiny and made it almost full term (only 12 days early). She told us from about 7 months on that they couldn't tell in the ultrasound if it was a boy or a girl. Well SURPRISE - She got one of each. The doctors were surprised and so were mom and dad, and yes so is the rest of the world who knows them.

Congratulations Lucille and Scott! We still can't believe it!

Who Says Adults Can't Have Fun?

As I said in my previous post, Brett and I spent a week at a scout training called Wood Badge. I don't suppose I have laughed so hard so many days in a row for a VERY long time. While a lot of instruction was given, a lot of fun was had too. Here's to the staff and all of the participants of the W7-591-11-08 Wood Badge Course. Thanks for a GREAT time!

This is Hal, our course director. He did a great job picking the staff and leading them for a wonderful experience to be had by all.

I am so happy I shared this experience with Brett.

food (fd)n.

1. Material, usually of plant or animal origin, that contains or consists of essential body nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals, and is ingested and assimilated by an organism to produce energy, stimulate growth, and maintain life.

2. A specified kind of nourishment: breakfast food;

Thanks Quartermasters

fun (fn)

n.

1. A source of enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure.

2. Enjoyment; amusement: have fun at the beach.

3. Playful, often noisy, activity.

intr.v. funned, fun·ning, funs Informal

To behave playfully; joke.

adj. Informal Enjoyable; amusing

This picture portrays independence to me. We put our camp together on our own, and we were on our own. It was a beautiful experience! Way to go ladies!

Update

Whoa - did I end on a sour note or what? Sorry to all you blog reading friends. I must have been having a bad week last time I posted.

Much has gone on in the past week and a half. Brett and I just got home from a scout training called Wood Badge. It was a wonderful week and I know more than ever why the LDS church uses BSA as their activity arm for the young men. I think there is a huge misconception among church members regarding this program. I must say thought that Lord Baden Powell had a vision that would help mold good men if followed.

It is good to be home. I'm convinced that I need a maid. I'm also convinced that I need to learn how to say no to people. One of my good friends told me that I needed to say no to housework. Well, if you were to see my house today, you would pretty much know that I do that quite well.

I had my 31st birthday on Sunday. It wasn't quite as traumatic as last year's birthday. It was a chaotic day at church with classes missing teachers and misbehaving kids hitting me more than I like being hit, but other than that it was a pretty good day. Brett made dinner, which was a very nice thing.

Not much else going on around here. Maybe I'll come up with something good for my next post.

An About Face

Brett is on another camp out tonight and I have to admit, although I probably shouldn't, but I was happy to see him head out. I guess it has been one of those days. While I looked forward to him leaving so I could have a break, I quickly realized how much I needed to change.

I took the kids to eat tonight so I didn't have to make dinner and as while were standing in line I was observing the people around me. There was a man behind us and several people in front of us. A woman quite a bit ahead of us spoke over the top of us (to the man behind us). She said, "There wasn't anyone in line when I got here so I didn't order your food." I looked back and he kind of shrugged his shoulders. We went about our business and ate our dinner. Just before we were done eating I looked over and noticed this couple that had their previous exchange in line. To my surprise the woman stood up and said, "I'm done eating so I'm going." Hmmm... These two were MARRIED!!!

I immediately felt horrible for being glad to have a break for the evening. I can't imagine meeting my husband at a place to eat, ordering without him, and then leaving after I was done eating. I'm grateful for Brett. He works hard for our family. He magnifies his calling and I know that we are in his best interests. He would never think of doing any of the things that I mentioned above. So, here's to an about face for me. It's crazy sometimes that it takes something so small to help us realize what we really have.

One More Day

Grief is such a crazy thing. You can go hours, days, weeks, possibly even months without feeling down and then a memory, or a thought can up and consume you.

We are nearing the 1 year anniversary of Azure's death. I feel somewhat selfish as I want my family here to surround me. I think back on this time a year ago. I was attending a funeral for a dear friend, and trying to understand what it was that caused him to take his life. Little did I know that I would be grieving the loss of my sister.

So, to that end, Azure, this is what we would do if we had just One More Day....

If you were here we would take another walk in the park with Eric and marvel at the miracle of life just one more time
We would lay on the bed laughing at our feet
We would go and get Chinese, only this time we would not do take out. We'd sit and talk and share advice
We would take pictures, pictures and more pictures and we would take the time to write about them
I would say 'I love you' just a little bit more
I would Thank you for doing my laundry, such a selfless service that meant so much

Oh how I wish I just had one more day, one more moment to tell you that I Love You and let you know how important you are in my life.

For now I just pray that I live my life to merit the blessing of spending eternity with you. I marvel at this life and our purpose here. I picture you wrapping your arms around the young children who have lost their lives recently in your home town. I can see you teaching many spirits about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You were like that, always happy, eager to share your testimony of Christ.

If only I had One More Day, I would be the better person. I miss you Razz. Here's to One More Day....

The Funny Things Kids Say - Part 2

Before I forget... My kids have been pretty funny the past couple of days, so I thought I'd share.

Yesterday, Sydney and I were having lunch together and it was her turn to pray. Her prayer went something like this, "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the bodies and the food, please bless the laundry..." So, everyone, please pray that Sydney's prayers come true. I'm pretty sure if they do I won't have to do laundry.

Last night as I was putting the kids to bed and we had just finished a book about a wimpy dog that exercised and at the end he looks into the mirror and sees a buff dog. Ryan said "Mom, I wish I could gain weight. Not the eat and get fat weight, but I wish I could gain muscle weight." Ahh, me too Ryan. I wish that I could gain muscle, and not the flab that is ever so present around my midsection. I like to refer to it as my 'muffin'. That's right, just call me blueberry.

Early Birthday

Well, I treated myself to an early birthday present. I sold our bike trailer and canceled my gym membership to be able to swing it, but I'm pretty sure it is one of the best birthday gifts a girl can buy herself.

What is it you ask, why, it is a Bosch Universal Plus Mixer, and a Wonder Mill Wheat grinder.





Let the bread making begin....


Brett made some mashed potatoes in the mixer tonight and it only took a couple of minutes. Bread went from taking 4 hours to make to taking 1-2 hours to make. It goes directly from the bowl into the pans and it is light and delicious.

Thank you Self for buying a mixer. May your days be full of yummy bread.

Baptism Day

Well, our day finally came for Ryan to be baptized. I have been so busy with my calling that I have taken only one day at a time. Of course we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off and I had trouble with the program, so I ended up being 10 minutes late. Lucky for me others were walking in as I entered the chapel.

Our baptismal service was very special. I could hardly control my emotions. It is one thing to have to speak to children on behalf of the Primary Presidency. It is another thing to speak to my own children. I am so very proud of Ryan for making the choice to be baptized. I know that he has a special spirit and that he wants to make good choices. We love him very much.



When Brett was 8-years old his grandfather confirmed him and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost. We decided that we would continue that tradition so Brett's dad did that for Ryan. It was a special experience.


After the baptism, we had family and friends come over for Navajo Tacos. It was fun to have everyone at our house. We did miss having Rob and Jami Martinsen for lunch. Jami was Ryan's 2nd grade teacher and has become a really good friend. They were able to make it to the baptism, but had to go home. Ben and Emily Williams and family were also there, but their kids were in the house and they were the ones taking the pictures...thanks to them. Here is the rest of the crew. We are so fortunate to have so many loving friends and family support us.

First Day of Kindergarten

Well, I am officially old. My baby is now in Kindergarten.

Sydney started Kindergarten today and she loves it! She is my VERY independent child and she did NOT want me to walk her to school. She said her brother Ryan could do it. So, I agreed. Well, DAD didn't like that idea, so he stayed home from work this morning to walk her to school, and then he drove the van.





It is hard to believe that by next year I will have a full day to myself. For now, I have 2 1/2 hours to exercise and do whatever I desire. Ahh, the life :).

Just in case you didn't know

Just in case you didn't know...

We're Gardeners - yes, we grew those onions, AND those peppers

The Berger's really aren't German. I'm pretty sure we're more Native American. Check out the tribal headdress here.

I turned around this morning in the kitchen to this sight. Yet more proof that we are Native American. We start them early by teaching them these calming rituals

First Day of School

Ryan had his first day of 3rd grade yesterday. It's hard to believe he is growing so fast. We are so very proud of him and all that he has done in his lifetime. He is a sweet boy with a tender heart. We love you Ryan. Good luck in 3rd grade!

Lego Star Wars

A few weeks ago I sent Brett to Wal-Mart to get some ant traps (we were having serious ant problems), and he found some great things on sale. We got a Lego Star Wars ship for $15 (regular retail $50). That's what Ryan got from us for his birthday and he was thrilled. It took us about 6 hours all together to put it together. It had 575 pieces. It was a fun thing to do together. Ryan isn't much of a puzzle person. He likes legos, but he would rather we put it together and let him play with it. Sydney on the other hand loves puzzles, so she was a great help. I don't have a picture of the finished project...hmm, guess that will come in another post.

Ryan's Party

I'm a little behind on my blog postings. For Ryan's birthday this year we took him and a few friends to Boondocks. It is a fun center about 45 minutes north of Spanish Fork. I have been purchasing gift certificates for quite a while when they go on sale so when Ryan's party came up we paid about 1/2 the price that it would normally have cost us. (still an expensive b-day party, but 8 years old is a pretty big feat) I think the kids had a fun day, and I'm glad that it is over with.

I went in ahead of the group to make sure we were all set up for the party. I came out to this...

Poor kids waited an hour to ride the go carts.

The '4' is how many shots it took him to get the ball in the hole


Just in case you didn't know, I'm a professional cake decorator. Ok, so not really, but this T-shirt has come in VERY handy. You can put any design on a T-shirt, and I feel so talented when I'm done. :)

Timpanogos Cave & The Dinosaur Museum

Our friends Chris and Jolayne Kline are in town and they graciously invited us to hike to Timpanogos Cave with them yesterday. The hike is 1 1/4 miles up a steep mountain trail.

There were several switchbacks and we heard our fair share of whining. I think Ryan learned a good lesson to listen to his mom. I told him not to drink all of the water in his Camelbak. Well, he didn't listen! We got almost to the top of the hill, and there was a restroom there. He went to the restroom and we continued on.

We had to wait an hour before going through the cave so during our wait he went to the restroom again. About 5 minutes before we got into the cave I asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom. He said NO. So, we went into the tour. MAYBE three minutes into the tour he started dancing around and asked if there was any way he could go to the restroom. So, I asked the ranger there and they let us out and he ran down the hill to use the restroom once again. Once we got caught back up to the group in the cave he enjoyed the scenery. We were in there all together about 45 minutes to an hour. As soon as we got out of the door of the back side of the cave, I looked down and he had his hands down his pants holding himself. I told him to get his hands out of his pants and he said - Mom, I can't I'll pee my pants if I let go. So, as quickly as we could, we made our way down the mountain a way, and then back up to the only rest stop that they have there. After descending to the bottom and getting into our cars, we met at Wendy's and had lunch. Ryan used the restroom TWICE while at Wendy's. I asked him what he would do next time when I told him to be careful about how much he drank. He quickly replied that he would listen.

Here we are in a little archway before we got to the top

Below is the most beautiful view from the rest area, we were almost to the top

We made it!

Here we are inside the cave. It is fascinating. There are several different types of rock that have formed here. The inside of the cave stays at 45 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is a bit chilly inside.

After Wendy's we went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. They have $2 admission on Tuesdays through August. I don't think I would pay full price to get in there ($10 each), but I think the kids had a great time. I am fascinated with history, and museums and such, so I very much enjoyed being there. The kids got to draw a picture to help build a mural, and they got to play with sand and water and watch how erosion works. They also got to go into a huge sand box that allowed them to dig in the sand and find dinosaur bones. I was a bit of a germaphobe yesterday. There were so many kids there that I could hardly stand it. I am not normally that way, but yesterday it all was over the top for me. I did get some fun pictures however.

I guess they didn't have enough 'cave' for one day

Here they are at the erosion exhibit

Ryan found a dinosaur in the mix that was headless. Poor dinosaur. Maybe that's how they became extinct...one heat at a time.

We woke up with sore muscles this morning. Sydney was yelling from the basement to have me come down there so I went down to greet her for the morning and she was crawling on the floor saying she was so sore she couldn't walk. Of course I did what every good mother would do and I laughed! Now the kids understand what it feels like to exercise hard. Ryan said he never wants to feel that way again, so I told him we needed to exercise more so that he didn't have to feel that way. I think it is important for my kids to grow up understanding how important it is to exercise and take care of our bodies.

Thanks Chris and Jo for a GREAT day!

Here Kitty Kitty

I've been doing some yard work the past couple of days and today I went out to find one of my favorite things. CAT POOP in MY yard! Uggghhh. I hate cats. Sure, little kittens are cute to hold for a while, but they all grow up and eventually they roam the neighborhood as if they own it, dropping their trash in other people's yards. Of course the sand box it the best place to dispose of their digested food. I've threatened before that I might just get a trap and take the little buggers where they rightly belong. (That's anywhere my house isn't). I guess I need to call my good ol' friend, the DHL man to come pick up a package again. So, here's for my list of To Do's

1. Go buy cat trap
2. Put some yummy tuna in cat trap - Catch CAT
3. Call DHL - Have them come and pick up a package and oh yeah, take the extra cat too.
4. Can't find a package to mail through DHL? No worries -- Go on a LONG ride with cat in tow.
5. Drop off cat, and come home hoping it doesn't find its way home

OR

6. Take cat to pound and pay a little extra to have it go to Heaven.

Repeat as necessary

Just the Sharp tooth and me

Well, I'm all alone, just the Sharp tooth and me. Ok, there aren't really any dinosaurs in this house, (Land Before Time if you didn't know) although, I do consider a few things that I own from that era. Like my wheat grinder for example. It's pretty old and dinosaur-ish.

Brett is at a week long scout camp. It's amazing how much quieter things can be when just one person is out of the house. The kids even set the table for him tonight, forgetting that he wasn't coming home. I didn't realize what time it was either because I wasn't expecting to have to make sure dinner was ready when he walked in the door, so needless to say we had dinner a little later than usual.

We went to the grocery store after FHE tonight. Sometimes it's just nice to get out of the house, even if it means going to the grocery store. Ryan wanted to see if Wal-Mart still had Lego Star Wars stuff on clearance. Well, they didn't and MAN is he ever going to be excited on his birthday. He has no idea what we have already purchased. Good thing I sent Brett to Wal-Mart to purchase ant traps. They had lots of clearance items and we cashed in on their loss.

Not much else to report. If any of you would like to move to our neighborhood, there are plenty of homes for sale. Heck, you can even rent one if you want to. I'm in desperate need of Primary teachers and Cub Scout leaders, so please purchase at your own risk!

Burley, ID Spudman

Brett and I competed in the Burley, ID Spudman on Saturday. Both of us improved our times. My run time was the same as last year, but I didn't run the entire route. I very much enjoyed the race this year, and it only makes me want to improve for next year.

A man died in the swim this year, and it breaks my heart. My condolences to the family of Donald Morehouse of Provo, UT. I am sure it is a huge loss to his family and friends. I know it affects all of us who raced that day in one way or another.

Here I am before the swim. To the left of me is Denise Berger (Brett's cousin's wife) and to the right is a good friend Erin Gregerson)

Here I am after the swim. My swim time was 18:44 (much better than last year)

My bike time this year was 117:04

My run time was 1:07:36 - not my best run time, but I was pleased overall. I didn't play the mind game that well during this race. I hope to do even better next year.

My overall time was 2:49:55 - 8 Minutes faster than last year. Improvement is improvement.