The Cleveland Gang in Maui, Hawaii January 2012

If this isn't worth blogging about, nothing is! Pictures and details to come! Thanks Tyler! (That's me in the red tankini swimming with the turtles:)

Remember How I Used to Post Stuff?

Isn't that a lovely picture to have for this post? This was from a storm the other day. Wicked cool looking and didn't kill us! Win!

Anyway, where did I come up with that much time before? Because no matter what I do I can't seem to find time to get on here anymore and write anything even remotely worth reading. Someday I hope to upload tons of pictures and find witty things to say again, but in the meantime I suppose lame tidbits that prove I am at least still alive will have to do.

So:

• I'm alive
• We still love Colorado. Don't believe me? Look down...
  

• My kids need to go back to school

• Rylan has the nastiest bruise of all time on her leg from a fall from "her" horse (ooohh! I could post that video!)

• Keaton won't stop begging me for a tarantula.

• We took our kids to Disneyland in May for the very first time. They lurved it. Someday I should upload all the pictures and write about the trip (not for you, for more proof that Boone and I are good parents when our kids start telling us otherwise).
  

• Branik is still a technophile and has decided that nothing in the world is as fantastic as helping me play Words with Friends (essentially Scrabble for your phone).
• Boone is rocking the house at work, loves his staff, and is THRILLED with post-army life.
• I'm alive (if I just keep telling myself that I may in fact make it to August).
  

So it's no secret that I'm a big "list" person. I mean seriously, look up. I blog lists. I love lists. I need lists to feel valuable. I write things on lists after I've done them just do I can cross them off the list and prove to myself that I am actually accomplishing things and not merely repeating tasks day after day after day.

Anyway, Sunday when it became apparent to me that I would not be getting anything out of church (again) because of my middle child (again), I decided that some good old list making was in order. So I wrote down everything Keaton said to me during sacrament meeting. Here is that list:

• Are we ever going to be done at church (meaning done FOREVER)?
• Is a spider cage called a "ter-i-um"?
• A crab isn't an arachnid.
• Is a horseshoe crab an arachnid?
• Branik, do you want a tarantula too?
• Branik wants a tarantula.
• When I have my pet tarantula I'll come home from school and sprinkle food in the terrarium.
• I just WANT a tarantula!
• Mrs. Wainwright loves those blue butterflies with eyes on their backs. One landed on her coat.
• Don't touch me! I can only think about Jesus when you stop talking to me and let me go!
• Why would you keep a spider in a net? It would just walk out.
• Is a terrarium the only house for a spider?
• The middle of this book has green pages.
• I love the "collecting" section.
• It's almost 2:00!
• Margi! (Bishop's wife -- sitting next to Keaton in our pew) Move your bag so I can lay down!
  
• I think I feel my bone right there in my mouth.
• Is Rob really going to get a pet black widow?
• Is there a road from North America to South America?
• I'm going to outer space in a rocket...never mind.
• Look! All these are widows!
• (Wailing) I bit my tongue just now!

So yeah. That was uplifting.

Wanna see Rylan jump a horse? And then fall off?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjv_LS6fDBY

Ooh! Oooh! Just found this gem when I was uploading my daughter's injury! Want to also see the freaking cutest video of Keaton and his cousin when they were about 18 months old? Seriously, if this doesn't make you smile you have ice in your veins...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8B-Zau7gHE&NR=1



That's all I've got for now. I was trying to upload photos from my phone but it's taking forever and I'm too tired to wait for it and if I don't just publish this now I probably won't ever do it.

Peace out, homies.

***Like how lazy I am? I literally dragged and dropped some pictures from my email into this post without formatting or compressing anything. It worked so I'm going with it.***

***Oops. Apparently it didn't work after all. I could see them but you couldn't, or so I've been told. Problem solved, I think. Sorry about that.***

***Also, we are under contract on a new house and are moving in 3 weeks. NOT the plan, but okay. Just when I thought my life was sort of stabilizing...***

At it again...

Apparently Keaton sent this email to his teacher 3 days ago. Wish I would have seen it before he hit "send". Oh well!


"Let me guess, you want me to feel better right, because if I throw-up, I'm going to be sad and I will
miss you! But I'm still at Spring break. I have a stuffy-nose all the time! when am I ever gonna get it out!? It's crazy!!!!!!
I am so sick -of iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!
I hate my nose! My nose is dum! I guess I lied about rest but I forgot. So I shouldn't have forgotten about that.I don't like Sunday because we have to go to Church.

We have Primary, and Church -class at the end,we do hang-man.That is what
we do. I like Larspur-park(a park I like to go to) We've been to a different park all around Aurora Colorado. It's fun to be in this place Is it?I say yes.It is fun to
be in Colorado.I hiked up to the Y before in Utah.Utah also has mountains just like Colorado.


Your friend,
Keaton"

Rylan's 9th Birthday (Part 2)

You can thank Rylan for these last two posts -- not because her birth 9 years ago is the subject matter, but because she's been so sick for the last 3 days that I've been forced to stay home. It came down to cleaning the house or blogging, so here I am.

Rylan started taking riding lessons shortly after we got here to Colorado and she LOVES it. She has read her Horse Care for Kids reference book about 5 times, and considers herself quite the expert after a short 6 months of instruction. Anyway, she asked for a horse riding party for her birthday this year and her fantastic teacher Margi (who is a regional dressage {English riding} champion and also our bishop's wife) said she'd be happy to do one for Rylan.

Here's the crew getting some instruction before the riding...


Everyone got a chance to do a regular ride and then do some vaulting, which is basically "trick riding", and Rylan was happy to provide a demonstration.





We had gorgeous 60 degree weather the day of the party, but right around cake and present time the winds really picked up, so we had to shield the cake in the back of the car. It still tasted good.


So there you have it, Future Rylan -- your parents really love you and went out of their way for your flowery, weird breakfasty, donuty, Olive Gardeny, Bliss Cupcakey, presenty, Galan-y, spa-package-y, Paradise Bakery lunch-y, horsey, school skipping-y 9th birthday.

Now what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?


Awwww...you're welcome:)



HUGE thanks to the Galans who made this birthday so much fun for our whole family. Thanks to Sarah for flying with 2 kids to be here, and thanks to Perry for holding up the fort at home with the other kids. We love you guys!

Halfway to Marryin' Age! (kidding -- I'll kill her if she's a day under 30)

You might think having a 9 year old child makes me feel old. And you'd sort of be right except for that part where I'm only 31 because I got married at 18 and gave birth when I was a wee lass of 22. Which means I am still young and full of vim and vigor! Huzzah!

Anyway...

Rylan turned 9 last week and I'm going to document the crap out of this birthday so she can't ever say I don't love her.

***Attention Future Rylan -- take a good hard look at everything we did for your birthday this year before you tell me how I ruined your life again. Sincerely, Mom***

Our baby girl has made some wonderful new friends here in Colorado, but with some regularity tells us how much she misses Abby, her best friend from Georgia. After talking to Sarah and realizing that Abby missed Rylan equally as much as Rylan missed her, The Two Best Moms EVER (who had nothing at all to gain from this totally selfless plan) planned a huge surprise for both girls and booked flights for Team Galan to come to Denver. We'll get to those details in a bit, but here's how the day went BEFORE the biggest surprise:

7:30 am -- Rylan wakes up all smiles to a bouquet of tulips from Daddy

7:35 -- When asked what she'd like for breakfast, replies, "Hard-boiled egg whites and fresh strawberries". Her awesome mother obliges (but thinks it's kind of weird).

8:00 -- Devours requested breakfast.

1:00 -- Has donuts with pink frosting and sprinkles delivered to her classroom by the same awesome mother.

1:30 -- Awesome mother is in Walgreens picking up photos of Rylan and Abby through the years for awesome "BFF Shadowbox" project when Branik tugs on leg and says, "My tummy hurts".

1:32 -- Leaving Walgreens

1:35 -- Branik is on the couch at home watching How to Train Your Dragon

3:45 -- Ry and Keaton need to be picked up from bus and immediately taken to Rylan's riding lesson. Movie and blanket moved to car with Branik.

4:10 -- Arrive at Rylan's lesson.

4:12, 4:13, 4:15, 4:17, 4:18 -- Branik throws up all over car.

4:25 -- Back at house to bathe Branik, clean off seatbelt, booster seat, carpet, start laundry.

4:50 -- Put Branik on other side of car to avoid wet seat belt. Drive back to get birthday girl.

4:55 -- Boone calls to make sure we're still on for Olive Garden dinner and Bliss Cupcakes for dessert, per Rylan's request. I tell him Branik threw up but seems fine now. Still on for dinner out.

4:57 -- Branik throws up on other side of car.

5:00-6:00 -- Pick Rylan up from riding, take puke-mobile home, send kids #1 and #2 with Dad for birthday dinner while Awesome Mom starts ANOTHER load of laundry, bathes Branik again, cleans other side of car. Eats cereal for dinner.

6:15 - 10:30 Branik throws up 3 more times, falls asleep on ottoman, poops pants in sleep 5 times. Take home message? Being an Awesome Mom is glamorous and exciting.

Anyway, the other family members returned home from OG with cupcakes in hand for a round of "Happy Birthday" and the opening of family gifts.







Here's what Branik did while we celebrated:



After all of the evening activities had worn down, I asked Rylan if she'd had a good day. She smiled and nodded, and I laughed maniacally in my head because she had no idea that the biggest surprise was flying towards her at that very minute.

Sarah, Abby, and Baby Harrison didn't get to our house until close to midnight, which felt like 2:00 am to them, so we decided to let the reunion take place the next morning:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150139215335380

So I let Rylan skip school Thursday and Friday so she could chill with Abbs and they didn't have any fun at all:




I totally lucked out with a Groupon for this little girls' salon near my house so the girls got mani-pedis, up-do's, and glitter lotion, hairspray, and glitter-heart-face-stamp (it sounds weird but was cute) for $18. Rylan chose princess hair and Abby chose pop-star hair. Cute place.




As you can see, the girls had no problems at all picking up right where they left off, and it was great to see them enjoying each other so much. And maybe their moms enjoyed seeing each other too. Maybe. It's possible that we ate at 4 different restaurants in 4 days and that I got 2 desserts for myself at one of those restaurants while Boone and Sarah hid their faces in embarrassment.

Blogger won't let me upload any more photos to this post for some reason so I guess I'll call this Part 1 and post her actual party in another post. Probably sometime in September:)

Sunday Anatomy Lesson

"That was hilarious last week -- you know, that thing Keaton said to the bishop!"

This was said to Boone as he was in the hall today, and he responded with a confused look and the words, "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about? You mean you didn't hear what he said?"

Boone, still confused, assured him that he'd heard nothing about Keaton and asked what had happened. Our friend was all too happy to tell him...

Apparently last week Keaton was sitting in Primary (Sunday School for kids ages 3-12) listening closely to every word coming out of the bishop's mouth as he was presenting Sharing Time. In his remarks, he mentioned Sister So-and-So -- "the pianist" -- at which point Keaton yelled out,

"Bishop! She's a girl and girls don't have PENISES! They have VAGINAS!"

And our poor, poor bishop said, "No no Keaton, I said PIANIST -- a pianist is someone who plays the piano."

Keaton: "Oh. Okay. Sorry Bishop."

When Boone mentioned this to a few other ward members today, they replied, "Oh yeah. That's a good one! My wife told me all about it last week."

And just like that, I found myself even more grateful that I was on the other side of the country last Sunday:) Love that kid's face off.

Question

Do you think it's abnormal that when I am speaking to or quoting my friends from England I am totally incapable of refraining from doing so in an English accent? Because I can't not do it. It makes Boone crazy, which is sort of the best part.

Also too, it takes me all of about 3 minutes around them to start saying things are "lovely", "wonky", "brilliant", "dodgy", etc. And maybe I also say "bullox", which I think might be atrociously profane. Don't tell me if it is, because I like how it sounds and I don't want to stop saying it.