Our Neck of the Wood's

Rest in Peace

2009-11-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you could guess that it had to be something big for me to find time to blog, and something big it was. Last night our family pet of 14 years died due to complications of old age. Belle was the sweetest, most beautiful cat, and everyone who ever met her agree that cats don't come better than her (I'd argue that a better pet of any sort there never was).

She has been declining in health rapidly for the last few months, and hasn't been able to eat for a few weeks. She was literally a fragment of the cat she used to be. Nathan held her as her slight body struggled with its last few movements and breaths. She is finally resting peacefully.

After we said our good-byes, Nathan fashioned her a spectacular coffin from a box and duct tape (okay, it may not win any awards, but I can guarantee it's the best that any pet of ours can ever hope for). I wrote a few words on the box, which we'll bury tonight. And as an extra tribute, Isaac wrote a special letter to Belle, which we found next to her this morning. I'd like to share it with everyone:

Dear Belle, I am sorry for the times I was mean . Please forgive me. I am sorry that you died, and I know you are old, but what made you die was you got really really sick and then you died. I am very very sorry that you died. And may you rest in peace in Heaven and you will be good there. Love, Isaac

I think we all echo the sentiments: You'll be good in Heaven, Belle.

East Canyon part 2

2009-06-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

We also went to East Canyon this week, with Grandpa Phil and Jake (Paula's dad and brother). There was more fun with hummingbirds, and a little bit of wet weather again, but lots more sunshine than last week. Emily wasn't with us because she was at Youth Conference with the ward (okay, Youth Conference is a bit of a misnomer in my opinion--they went rafting down the Green River from Flaming Gorge. Sounds more like a vacation to me!)

East Canyon part 1

2009-06-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

In honor of my dad's visit, I am honoring my step-mom's request that I update my blog! There's not enough space in the blogging world to update all of you on everything that's gone on lately, so I'll keep it simple and let you know what we've been doing the last few weeks.

Last week we went camping at East Canyon Resort. Isaac and Emily loved riding their bikes around (Emily so much that I couldn't even get her to stop for a picture), Adam hung around camp quite a bit with mom and dad (see him with a hummingbird), and Eliza was just Eliza. She ran around, got into things which should just be left alone, and had a great time doing it! It was a fun, but wet, trip.

New Beds!

2009-03-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

It's a new year, and kids are growing, so we took a couple of Saturdays and got the three youngest new beds.

You can see the beautiful bunk beds which we assembled,

and Eliza's toddler bed (thanks for the loaner, Tiffany!)

Look What I Can Do!

2009-02-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

Our washing machine stopped spinning the other day. Fortunately it was on the last load of laundry for the day, but dirty clothes don't stop coming, so I had to do something. Nathan was busy working in Park City, so I couldn't just hand the job over to him. I found this cool website with specific diagrams of any make and model of appliance you can imagine. I was able to scroll over the picture and find out what each part was responsible for. When I came to the motor coupling device I knew I had found the culprit.

The next step was to call my friend April, who seems to thrive on taking things apart and fixing them. I asked for suggestions and she offered to come over and look at my washer with me. Using the online diagram and a few tools, we were able to disassemble the washing machine down to the transmission. There was the disintegrated coupling device (see diagram at left).

So April took the motor to an appliance shop where the owner removed the damaged piece and replaced it. She then came back over after kids were in bed and we successfully put the machine back together with the functional part. And guess what . . .
IT WORKED!

So I learned lots of new things yesterday. And now if something goes wrong with another appliance (though I hope it doesn't) I just might try to fix it myself!

As a postscript, I had to include the picture of the dryer motor, as Nathan replaced that on his own just last month! I'm proud of him too!

Wishing you a Happy New Year

2009-01-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

Here are the Wood children wishing you a marvelous 2009 in their Christmas 2008 clothes. I've been delinquent in my blogging, and one resolution of mine is to do better, especially considering I sent an invitation with my Christmas cards to check out our blog to see what we've been doing. Clearly checking our blog won't help much, so I'm determined to do better. You can see the kids were in good spirits before Christmas. They were even more excited after opening their present from us Christmas morning. Just like 3/4 of everyone you know, we got a Wii (I'm sure between last year and this year, you must know at least 10 people who got the exact same thing for their family). It's been lots of fun for all of us. Even Eliza can help us make music videos on Wii Music. Rock on, and may this year be even better than last!

2008-12-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

(okay, this set of pictures goes beneath the other blog of the day, but I still don't really know what I'm doing)

Change of Seasons

2008-12-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

Not so long ago this is what my kids were doing outside in the front yard. It was close to 60 degrees, and it was the end of November.

This is what my kids were doing yesterday in the front yard. 2 weeks and 40 degrees can make a big difference!

mini mozart

2008-11-29T08:15:00.000-08:00

Eliza just loves to play the piano. Sometimes we will put her on the bench and let her go to town. But one day I was in the kitchen when I heard her start playing. I hadn't put her on the bench, and the other kids weren't home, so I had to see how she was playing the piano.

I guess she figured out that her little scoot-along car thing made a good step-ladder. I don't agree--things with wheels do not make good ladders. We'll have to work on that bit of advice.

Moments like these . . .

2008-11-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

It's true that I adore my children, but some days I'm surprised I have any hair left for all of the pulling I do. And then there comes a moment that just reignites my flame of motherhood. This is what happened:

Adam was having a hard time opening some kind of snack. I can't remember if it was the pickle jar or a go-gurt. I offered to help and he handed it over with a "Fanks, mom" (th's are a bit of a problem). After I completed the menial task, Adam took his snack and commented, "I don't know what I'd do without you." I responded that I didn't know what I'd do without him either, and he said, "Yeah, I know."
And truthfully, I don't know what I'd do without any of them. Thanks for reminding me, Adam!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's a little late, but we wanted you to know that we had a good Halloween. Our Daisy,

our extra-cheerful pirate (maybe he's been hitting the rum a little much),

our sombre vampire,

and our own Elphaba (wicked witch of the west) wish you a great Autumn!

UEA Trip

2008-10-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we headed to St. George to do some Temple work for my grandma. While there we had lots of fun:

Emily finally managed to land on the inflatable alligator,

the boys engaged in some deep conversation,

and Eliza pointed out just how cute she is!

Sleepyhead

2008-10-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, I was sitting at my kitchen table working on the computer, and Eliza was sitting on the floor by me eating a cookie. It got really quiet. I quickly figured out why. Yes, that's the cookie still in her hand!

Call Me Crazy . . .

2008-10-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be fun for the whole family to attend the BYU game on Saturday.
And this was even while I watched little specks of snow falling from the sky.
I didn't know the seats were on the very top row!

The boys had a great time (until the 4th quarter)

Emily had a great time with her cousins

Eliza thought it was nap time.

But all in all, it was fun. It has been at least 7 years since I've attended a game of my Alma Mater, and it was appropriate that it was the Homecoming game. Maybe we'll all go again in 7 years!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

2008-09-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Isaac finally turned 6. He's been waiting almost patiently through all the summer birthdays for his turn. We had a mini-olympics party with friends to celebrate, and then went to dinner at Brick Oven. He also had a party in his school class. Great day!

Boy's School

2008-09-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

From the last blog you certainly assumed that Emily started school successfully, but she's not the only one frequenting Geneva Elementary this year!
Isaac started Kindergarten on August 25. He goes in the afternoon to Mrs. May's class, and has loved it so far. I don't necessarily count on him learning a lot this year, as he entered ready to go to at least first grade anyway, but he's sure having fun. He assures me on a regular basis that he's one of the quietest and most polite students in class. I hope he's right.

Then there's Adam . . . Our school provides a full-time pre-school for those students who need extra help getting ready for Kindergarten. I figured we'd have a fair chance at being accepted considering Adam was not even 4 yet during testing week. I underestimated him. He had never written his name at home, but he did during testing. I was sure the teachers would say right away that Adam would be great for the pre-school. Instead he was asked to serve as a model student for the special needs pre-school which is also at our school. So instead of 5 afternoons a week, we only get 2, but he's having fun just the same.

So I have 6 hours a week with only one child at home. It's a start.

And the winner is . . .

2008-09-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today were Student Council elections at Geneva Elementary. Emily made a few posters earlier in the week and was the first to give her campaign speech this morning. Then when she got home from school, she announced that she had been elected to Student Council! We're so proud of her!

What did we do in the Summertime,

2008-08-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

We visited Grandma Sheila in Tehachapi, California,

Boys camped in the backyard,

Isaac lost his first tooth (teeth--it's the fused tooth bud pair) less than a week before Eliza got her first!

And we even went camping a few times at East Canyon!

When all the World was Green?

2008-08-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

We played in the pool,

And visited a Burro rescue ranch in California!

Eliza's ONE

2008-08-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hooray for birthdays!

Love that cake!

I'm finally 1!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Emily!

2008-06-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

It's Emily's birthday today, so I thought it appropriate to share some recent pictures of her. She's such an awesome daughter and sister. Everything she does, she does so well. Here's looking at you, kid!

Now Playing . . .

2008-06-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

What would Emily's summer be without performances? (I know what mine would be, but it's worth the trouble). She is currently in "The King and I" at the Scera Shell Outdoor Theatre. It goes through June 21. Great show, but not necessarily for kids (and not too cheap either). I also love the whole outdoor thing. Give it a try if you'd like!

serpentine surprise

2008-06-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

My kids love to get the mail from the mailbox. So when Isaac said he was going to get the mail, but quickly came back to the house crying, I had to ask what the problem might be. His response startled me:"There's a snake." So off I went to investigate. Sure enough, there was a Garter Snake on the edge of our lawn. He was preparing to cross the driveway, so all of us watched as he made the long trek. It's not the first time we've had a snake at our house, but the last time I wasn't here to take pictures.

2008-06-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

Marriage Tag!! Tiffany tagged me. great. here goes:

How long have you been married? 14 years
How old is your spouse? 35
Who eats more? Neither of us is afraid of food, but at a given meal, he usually eats more.
Who said I love you first? He did.
Who is taller? He is, but only by a few inches
Who sings better? That would have to be me.
Who is smarter? That would also be me, but Nathan is no dummy.
Who controls the T.V. remote? He does.
Whose temper is worse? His temper reminds me of my dad's. He gets mad, then lets it go. I can get upset, but don't do it as easily as my male counterpart.
Who does the Laundry? I do, though occasionally I can get Nathan to check to see if the clothes in the dryer are dry enough yet.
Who does the dishes? Mostly me, but every so often Nathan surprises me.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? This question always confuses me. If it's the right side when I'm in it on my back, it's me. If you are looking at the bed from the foot of it, it's Nathan.
Who cooks dinner? I do at least 85% of the time. We have a kitchen chart and Nathan is responsible for cooking every Friday. He's not always home on Friday, however, so sometimes I am still cooking every day of the week. He'll barbecue though and sometimes cook breakfast.
Who is more stubborn? We're both stubborn. I may even be more so.
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Probably Nathan, because am I ever wrong?Who has more friends? We both have a lot of friends, but I do things with my friends on a more regular basis. Many of Nathan's friends are people he associates with through work, so he golfs with them for work. We also have a lot of "couple" friends with whom we play games, barbecue, and hang out.
Who has more siblings? Nathan!
Who wears the pants in the family? Nathan. He just doesn't look good in a skirt!

Do I have to tag someone else? I don't think I have enough people on my friends and family list, but just in case they are reading, go Tamma and Sean

2008-06-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else love watching their children sleep?
- maybe it's because they are finally quiet,
or maybe because they look so peaceful (and/or funny),
or perhaps you know you can finally get something done!

T-ball begins

2008-06-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Isaac had his first T-ball game yesterday. Nathan's coaching the team, as he did the 3 years Emily played.

He's already so good at batting,

running,

and throwing!

(at least for a 5-yr old)

2008-05-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, for our school carnival, Emily wanted to decorate some cakes for the cake walk/cake decorating contest. My friend Janet has the coolest cookbooks around, so I borrowed a few and offered Emily a few choices--cakes/cupcakes I thought we could actually do. These are the ones she chose. I think my favorite is the spaghetti and meatballs (meatballs are actually Ferrero Rocher chocolates coated in strawberry jam). It was fun. I think we'll do more fun cooking this summer!

For my sister

2008-05-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

My sister, whom I love and admire so much, made a specific request, and since it's not illegal or immoral I figured I'd oblige. She just loves Adam with his fingers in his mouth. He is growing out of it, so here are a few reminders of his security blanket, lest we forget.

2008-05-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

Eliza discovers someone her size

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

For this rainy Memorial Day we did the normal holiday stuff. Here are a few shots from the cemetery. Eliza was sleeping, so she stayed in the car, but the others paid their respects to great-grandparents and a great aunt. At least it wasn't too hot.

Eliza

2008-05-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

I can't leave out little "Louie"
(that's what half of the family calls her.
Her name is Eliza Louise).

Adam's Turn

2008-05-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

So what has Adam been up to? Just the normal stuff.
He loves to "play with" his sister,
be grumpy,
and play with stuff he's not supposed to.

I guess you can say he's 3. But so cute!

Isaac graduates!

2008-05-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

This week Isaac had his pre-school program and received his diploma from Wonderland Academy. I guess he's now ready to go to kindergarten (as if he wasn't already). He's quite the little singer, much like his sister before him, and knew all the words and actions for the songs. Nathan may have been hoping for an athlete, but I think there may be more than just sports in this kid's future!

poor emily!

2008-05-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

Why does Emily look so sad? And what's with the disfigured features? Perhaps it is because she just had a little playground accident while running an obstacle course during the Scera Youth Theater end-of-season party. Instead of ducking under the bar at the top of the slide, she ran right into it. The doctor said she may have broken her nose, and he sent us to an oral surgeon who thankfully told us that her gums wouldn't need stitches, but that they would heal on their own.

But Emily has also had lots of fun lately. I'll be trying to update my blog more regularly now that the school year is winding down, and also because I got a new camera for Mother's Day so I can take pictures and blog about them all by myself! Keep tuning in, I can only get better at this.

10 pictures (finally!)

2008-03-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

(a note to Nicole--you'll notice there are no Pinocchio pictures here. Nathan tried to take some but discovered that the battery was completely dead. We will be trying to place a clip of the show on the blog for everyone to see. Otherwise you'll just have to wait until you see me and I can show you the pictures I took with my ancient, non-digital camera.)

And a note to all--I can't say these are my fave pictures of all time or anything, but they are the best I could find that were taken with a digital camera. You'll have to look at my old-fashioned photo albums to see my actual favorites.

2008-03-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

I was checking everyone's blogs and noticed I'd been tagged by Nicole. Okay, but can it wait until tonight after I get a picture of my daughter as Pinocchio? Check back tomorrow!

Catch up

2008-02-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've been a little busy lately. I do have to tell you a few funny things that have happened lately, and fill you in on some exciting events forthcoming. Last week Nathan was in Denver for meetings for a few days. Isaac decided he'd sleep in dad's spot while he was gone. About 2am I heard a large thud, and waited for subsequent wailing. None came, so I determined something besides a child fell off the bed. I couldn't go back to sleep, however, until I got up and checked the damage. To my surprise, it actually was a child which had fallen off the bed, but because his head had landed on a pillow he had already tossed to the floor, he kept right on sleeping. So I picked Isaac up, placed him back in bed, and the next day he had no recollection of any such occurrence. I got a chuckle out of it in any case.

Coming soon to our house is the rest of a new bathroom. Tiles falling off the walls told us that we desperately needed to do some fixing. So we have new dry wall (thanks, Mark!), a new tub, new window (way to go Nathan!) and all that's left is the tile (and then new bath fixtures). That is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of next week, so be watching for pictures.

Also coming soon is Emily's play. She will be playing Pinocchio on March 11, 12, and 13 at the Scera in Orem. If you want more information about tickets, comment on this post and I'll get you more details. She has learned most of her lines, all her songs, and they are doing the blocking in her class now (that's the stage word for "figuring out where everyone is at all times on stage"). I'm sure we'll have pictures of her, too!

I love my neighborhood!

2008-02-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

So here are some pictures I took today of the snow. Our recent snowstorms have been rather productive, and beautiful. It's during these extra-snowy times that I am reminded how grateful I am for super neighbors. A retired flight attendant who lives next door often shovels my front sidewalk if it hasn't already been done by another neighbor who likes to take his grandkids for rides on the 4-wheeler with the snow shovel attachment. It seems we rarely have to shovel the front walk (but there is still a driveway), and it's little acts of service like this that just make me smile.

What's new at our house?

2008-02-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

Do you see what I see? Emily is finally seeing things a little more clearly. She never knew that snow falls in separate flakes, and not in a big sheet. She can also tell time from across the room now. Now she's got the looks to go with the brains.

So here's what's new with Eliza. She is loving the whole cereal thing!

MIA

2008-01-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

I know, I haven't contributed anything to my blog in almost two weeks, but I have good reason. You see, our elementary school has a reading program called Giant Readers (they are the Geneva Giants), and there is a selection of award-winning books and other fine fiction and non-fiction which the children can read and pass off to a parent volunteer. I am the parent volunteer, which means I have to read all of the books. So I've been reading for the last 9 days whenever I found a free moment. All books are finished now, however, so I thought I'd catch you up on the latest news. Emily's theatre group is performing a show called "No Strings Attaced" in March, and they held try-outs for parts at class last Wednesday. It's a retelling of the story of Pinnochio, and Emily was hoping to get the role equivalent of Jiminey Cricket, or a few others that seemed fun to her. Yesterday they found out which roles they'd be playing, and it turns out we have a little Pinnochio living in our house for the next few months. She was shocked at receiving that part (though I'm not sure why), but so excited that she had difficulty falling asleep last night. I hope the novelty wears off soon, or I'll be sending a zombie to school for a while. She has some other news too, but I'll post that in a few days . . .(now you will want to come back!) Eliza also has news--she tried cereal for the first time not too long ago. It seems that she likes it, so we'll be trying other more interesting foods soon. I will be posting a few pictures of that experience before long also (pictures that Emily took) so stay tuned. The boys don't have much to say, except Adam's asthma has been troubling him a bit, and Isaac gave a talk in primary on Sunday, and he read the whole thing (except a few big words which Emily was there to whisper to him). He is doing great, and once we get the whole punctuation idea in his head, he'll be quite the storyteller like his sister. That's what we've been up to for a while, come back and visit again soon!

2008-01-11T21:30:00.001-08:00

incidentally, I not only got to world 7, but I conquered it--at least I have something mastered!

Of all the things to be proud of . . .

2008-01-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I feel totally ridiculous admitting this, but I accomplished something today that's been bugging me for months. Last year Nathan wanted a Nintendo DS for our anniversary, so we picked one, along with a few games, and everyone has enjoyed it ever since. Well, one of our original games was Super Mario Brothers, where there are 8 different worlds to conquer, blahblahblah. So, it didn't take long for me to figure out worlds 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8, but for some reason I couldn't even get to 4 or 7. It drove me crazy for way too long, and the other night I got on the internet to find clues for this game. I searched a few sites, and found the clue I needed to open worlds 4 and 7. Needless to say, it's now two days later, and I have successfully opened all worlds on the game (and conquered 4, almost 7). It was a great burden lifted from my psyche, and it's been a good day. Silly, eh?

At least it's not a week earlier

2007-12-30T19:43:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I counted myself quite lucky that we had no sick children throughout the whole Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas folderol, and now I'll just say, "At least it's just the boys . . ." Yes, we finally got sick, but we caught it pretty early, because Isaac could have developed pneumonia from his lung infection, but we had him in to the dr. just hours after a fever popped up, and Adam really only has a cold, it's just exasperated by his asthma. It could be worse, and with all the medications, I think we're doing pretty well. So I really can't complain. Happy New Year!

Steedman family Christmas party 2007

2007-12-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

Each year my first cousins once removed and their children, my second cousins, throw an awesome Christmas party. I've been attending as long as I can remember, and am happy that I'm still invited. Festivities include dinner, bingo, a nativity, and a visit from Santa. Here are

some of the pictures Nathan took. You will notice that Isaac was a wise man and Emily was Mary (Adam was supposed to be a shepherd, but he decided he'd rather just watch). The party provides some wonderful holiday memories each year.

A funny thing happened . . .

2007-12-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so my next blog was going to be about Emily's Christmas program she did with her theatre group, but you can see that it didn't happen, so here's the story. We purchased a live Christmas tree for our living room, as is customary, and brought it home, placed it in its stand, filled it with water, and I went to decorating. We placed it in the stand hastily, however, and did a rather poor job getting it centered. I would explain the intricacies of our tree stand, but you would be bored, and I really don't want to, but suffice it to say that not having it centered well would pose some problems that evening. Emily was at her performance, Nathan was at Young Women in Excellence, and the boys were in the tub. Eliza was sitting in her bouncy seat watching me put up the village and get everything plugged into the power strip. I heard a clicking sound which told me that the lock on the tree stand had come undone, and I knew what would happen next. Unfortunately I was on the backside of the tree, and the tree fell forward, towards Eliza. She was at least far enough away that it didn't land on her, but the water from the stand ended up all over. Only a few ornaments broke, and most even stayed on the tree, but I was stuck holding up the tree, and I wasn't sure how I would get help. I carefully balanced the tree upright and ran for the phone. Nathan was done with his meeting, so he agreed to come help. The end result is that everything got put back together, and dried, but since Nathan was helping me, he missed getting to Emily's performance in time to get pictures of her in the finale, thus there was no blog about said performance. See, I had a point. The show, which we saw the night before, was excellent and heartwarming, and you can rest assured that Emily was darling and did her part perfectly. Anyway, you can see the tree instead of Emily, because it was the tree's fault (okay not really) that we got no pictures of her.

Seven Random Things About Me

2007-11-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Okay Sean, I'll do it, but do I have to tag anyone else? You can see that I just don't know that many bloggers yet. If I do have to tag, I think I'll tag TAMMA!
Here goes . . .
1. I once held a little brown bat as it died while on a Mammalogy field trip.
2. I hate the word rural but love the word asymptote.
3. I often asked for a pony for Christmas as a little girl.
4. I was a flag twirler for my high school marching band.
5. I was on the cover of the St. Francis Medical Center's periodical (Lynwood, CA) when I was just 6 years old.
6. I can't stand anything to do with avocados.
7. I am much better at playing piano songs with flats than sharps.
Hope you enjoyed it!

Festival of Trees

2007-11-29T21:15:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to the Festival of Trees, an annual Christmas tradition for our Family.

The Festival of Trees is a fundraiser for Primary Childrens Medical Center to help those children less fortunate in paying their medical expenses.

Usually I pick out a tree that is my favorite and this year I couldn't decide between two, so I took pictures of both. The "upside down fairy tree" was really cool, and something unique that I hadn't ever seen before, and the "Darth Vader" tree was also a favorite for me and both of the boys!

Happy Holidays
(Posted by Nathan)

Our Thanksgiving Dinner

2007-11-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

Here you can see that we had a great, dishes-free meal on Thanksgiving. We ate at Golden Corral, and I really enjoyed my steak and brownie. In honor of the day I did have some sweet potato pie, but there was no way I was waiting in line for the turkey. The kids loved the kaleidoscope of food available to them as well! It was a happy Thanksgiving.

7th Day of Thanks

2007-11-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

I will conclude my posts of thanks with an extra helping of gratitude for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I think because of that I have more to be thankful for on an everyday basis. I am grateful to know the eternal nature of families, because I want to spend forever with mine. I am grateful to know that choosing the right might sometimes be hard, but also well worth it. I am grateful to be able to worship it freely in this country. I am grateful that my home is a safe haven when we allow the spirit to dwell here. My testimony allows me so much confidence in the future, not just mine, but the future of my children.
I have so much to be grateful for, and for all of it I give thanks!

6th Day of Thanks

2007-11-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

Today I was thinking about how in a few days I will allow myself to listen to Christmas music, and I began anticipating which CD I'd pick first, second, etc. I am so thankful for music. Not just Christmas music, but all good music. And good music to me can range from church songs to a good dance song, instrumental or a'cappella. There is so much that stirs my soul where music is involved (just peruse our playlist). I am grateful for musical talent, both mine and those whose talents I can enjoy, and ears with which to hear glorious sound. (and in case you're wondering, Clay Aiken's CD will be the first I pick when Thanksgiving is done)

5th Day of Thanks

2007-11-20T23:17:00.001-08:00

Okay, don't look at the date, but I haven't gone to bed yet for Tuesday, so it's still Tuesday for me. I'm not in bed yet because we were playing games with friends, which leads me to the next thing for which I wish to express gratitude. I have been blessed with wonderful friends my whole life, starting with elementary school, through high school and college, and continuing through the present time. I have been lucky in my acquaintances, and luckier still to make them my friends. Thank you all! (incidentally, I just noticed that Blogger must not know what time it is, or perhaps it's a west coast operation, because it still has me on Tuesday. Hooray!)

4th Day of Thanks

2007-11-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

Now that I've expressed gratitude for the family I have a hand in raising, I must now give thanks for the parents that raised me to be the person I am. My parents each taught me traits which have helped me throughout my life, and in all areas of my life. They taught me through example. From my mom I learned to glean all the intelligence I can from life. I learned that I don't have to pretend to be stupid for anyone, and in fact anyone worth being friends with will admire my intelligence. From my dad I learned how to forgive. He may not know he taught me this, but I never saw him hold a grudge. Sure, he got mad sometimes, but once that initial explosion was done, so was the anger. I appreciate these lessons from these people who, most of all, have always loved me and encouraged me to make good choices. Thanks to mom and dad!

3rd Day of Thanks

2007-11-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

I have already expressed thanks for my children, and I think we all know that I would have none of them without my awesome husband. I appreciate so much having a husband who encourages any decision I make, be it to stay at home and be a mom, or to put a child in this musical theater class or that pre-school. There's a decent amount of pressure involved with being the manager of household affairs, but Nathan trusts me with that responsibility, and offers his support whenever possible. I am thankful for the way he loves our children, and that he treats me well so that they can see how two people in love should treat each other. He takes his responsibility as head of household seriously, and I am grateful each day for such a man in my home and my life!

2nd Day of Thanks

2007-11-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

So as not to seem ungrateful for my other wonderful children, my thanks today go out to them. Emily is everything I could ask for in a daughter. Her intelligence, musical talents, and kind heart make me love her more every day. Isaac is what I'd call a "Good Son." He is ever-mindful of others' feelings, and always wants to lend a hand. He's the one I can see taking care of us one day when we're old. Adam has so much joie de vivre, and gives his all to everything he does, be it throwing a tantrum or cleaning up his toys. He makes me laugh everyday. I am thankful for my kids!

7 Days of Thanksgiving

2007-11-16T16:37:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be appropriate to express my gratitude for various things during this season of thanks, so starting today, through Thanksgiving, you can read about one thing a day for which I am particularly thankful. I'll start with someone I've been grateful for especially the last few days. Eliza has always been a great baby, so good that I often want to pinch myself to see if it's a dream, but less than a week ago Nathan set the crib up (finally) and I wasn't necessarily optimistic of the outcome, considering our track record of babies and kids sleeping where they should. To my astonishment, however, little angel baby has slept 8-9 hours 3 of the last 5 nights, and 6-7 hours the other 2. I know we could have some regression, but for now I am extremely thankful for such an extraordinary baby!

PLAYLIST!

2007-11-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

We have a playlist finally! I knew if I got Nathan looking at this blog thing that he would find some fun things to do with it. We hope you enjoy our songs. I wonder if you can differentiate between my choices and Nathan's . . .

Hello Dolly Pictures

2007-11-12T18:32:00.001-08:00

Here is evidence of Emily's involvement in Hello Dolly. I think you can tell from the photos what a serious little actress she is. She did 6 performances, and came home from each still singing. When her run was about over, I asked her if she would be sad when there was no more Hello Dolly, and her response was, "I know there will be more plays!" How right she is!

2007-11-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

Coming soon--Hello, Dolly photos! Emily is currently performing in Orem High's production, and we'll share some pictures with you when we get them!

2007-11-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

Pumpkins by day,

2007-11-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

and Jack-o-lanterns by night!

2007-11-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here are the kids on Halloween. They all chose relatively simple costumes (a tree-or Mother Nature, 2 ghosts, and Piglet!) You can imagine the ones that went trick-or-treating made quite a haul, and I'm sure we will all be nibbling on the booty for a number of months!

A Recent Getaway

2007-10-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is a fun family photo we took recently at Arches National Park. We took the trailer to Moab and spent a few days admiring the natural wonders located therein. This arch was especially fun, and had it been a little warmer I would have taken off my shoes an buried my toes in the fine, soft, red sand/soil found here at Sand Dune Arch.

new to the blogging world. . .

2007-10-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

We're new at this blogging thing, so be patient with us as we develop a routine. Someday our site might even be interesting . . .