Filling in the gaps...Thanksgiving

Things I loved about this Thanksgiving...

!. Visiting Ezra and Lisa and their FABULOUS kids for the holiday. We always come home with great ideas after being with their family.
2. Watching the kids giggle and squeal as Ezra puts on a "magic show" much to their delight.
3. Our first trip to a Children's Museum. It was so much fun.


I remember LOVING pretend grocery shopping as a little girl...so why do I dread it now?4. Jed's traditional family pies....YUM! I love that he and his brothers are all baking the same thing on the same day...sort of bonding.
5. I mean really, does it get cuter than this little pilgrim?

Filling in the gaps....Davis and Aiden turn Four!

As I said before, despite my requests for Davis to remain 3...he turned 4 in November and boy did we celebrate! It just so happens that one of his FAVORITE friends, Aiden, has a birthday around the same time. We were at a fundraiser auction with Aiden's parents (Beth and Shae) and decided to buy a joint birthday party at the fire station...It was the best party EVER...at least the boys thought so.


That is one hot fireman!

The firefighters even provided this cake and gifts....Let's hear it for Public Safety!

And thus it continues...

Here's the latest on the light war...after the Pages tried to burn our sign and posted the "No Lakers" we posted this sign on their front door....
I fully recognize that this does NOT compare to the lighted signs, but Owen and I had fun taping it to their front door in our "spy clothes". We also left little bags of coal around their house...one on the front doorstep...one on the back...one on the cat food...one in the mailbox...one on the truck...On one bag we posted the note "To the Grinch who TRIED to burn our sign". We thought it was funny. Then the next day this appeared on our fence...I am sorry that the picture doesn't do the sign justice...it reads "Todd Margo live here". If you have seen "Christmas Vacation" you get this and are surely laughing right now. We are having too much fun...I'm sure this is teaching our kids something good, right?

Okay? Okay? Okay, bye!

Last night the kids were saying their prayers and this is what Kate says, "Heavenly Father. Thank you my friends, my family....okay? Okay? Okay, bye." It was SO funny. Like she forgot that she was praying and started mimicking me on the telephone...or maybe she was really communicating with "The Man Upstairs".

Filling in the gaps...Halloween

We got this giant pumpkin from our neighbor's garden...thank you Joe and Shirley! The pirate design was Owen's choice.

This was another little pumpkin that Owen drew on for a contest at school...yet another pirate. Do I detect a theme here?What can I say? She pure joy in a little body!
Davis loves riding his bike and insists on wearing flip flops...no matter what the weather.Don't we love having sisters?Jed as Emeril....BAM!

Do I look like Napoleon Dinamite's girlfriend, Deb?
I feel safer with these two around, don't you?
And finally...our little Hawaiian beauties.

Point for the Pages...

Update on the Light war...the same night we put up the sign...the Pages moved it and set it on fire....hmmmm....do you think we hit a raw nerve? Luckily Jed found it burning and put it out. The next night it appeared back where we had put it with the "Go" gone (aka burned and sawed off) and in it's place is a lit up circle with a line through it...now it reads as no Lakers...well played...point to the Pages...stay tuned to see what we come up with next...I guess the purple and yellow lights all over their house might just send them too far over the edge...time for plan B....

Tied...one to one...

Many of you may remember that we have a lovely tradition in our family in the form of a Christmas Light War with our friends/neighbors, the Pages (if you need a refresher look at the post under Dec. 14, 2008) . This year we headed to spend Thanksgiving with our good friends Ezra and Lisa and their four fun children (more on that later...). When we returned home we found this sign on our garage...

You may look at this sign and think that it has something to do with the big BYU/Utah game (go Cougars!) which was played that day, but in fact their is another meaning...We were with our neighbors (Dallas, Jodi, Bradley and Dave) and our friends Beth and Shae at something and Shae mentioned that he knew Jed and I at BYU. Then he casually mentioned that he even took me on a date. Of course then they all started to tease me a bit saying that I dated everyone at BYU...not true, but we had a good laugh. So basically, this sign was for me. :)

Now the war was on...last year we had to bow out gracefully because the Pages had a tragic death in their family. This year we had to get them good. Now how do you get a family who LOVES the Utah Jazz...we thought that this sign out in front of their house would do. What do you think?

P.S. The "LAKERS" has lights through it that hopefully will be legible in the dark. Oh, and by the way...while our family was putting up this sign out in the FREEZING cold (cars would drive by and the three big kids would fall flat on the crunchy icy grass...so fun to watch) in our full spy/army attire the Pages were in their house...watching the Jazz game...gotta love it!

Cougars Don't Cut Corners...

So, the following experience also took place a couple of months ago now, but it is just too good not to document. Back in October Jed had a crazy schedule. Several weekends he was out of town with the youth from our church. So, one Friday morning before he headed off to work I said, "What can I do to help you get ready for your trip?" He jokingly told me that I could mow the backyard so that he didn't have to worry about it. I knew that he was joking, but decided to do it anyway. After dropping Owen off for his half day of school I got straight to work. I went out to the out building and got the mower out and started mowing. I kept thinking about Gracie's safety, so I went back in and brought her outside in her car seat just a few seconds after beginning. I decided that it was better to sacrifice a little of her hearing (sorry Jeff) than to wonder what Kate and Davis were doing to her. Okay, back to mowing...I am moving at super speed and laugh as I think about the student body president my freshman year at BYU. He gave a speech at orientation about how "Cougars Don't Cut Corners". Of course it was a metaphor for life and how we should always do our best...does anyone else remember this who was at BYU that year? Of course they put up signs all over campus that said "Cougars Don't Cut Corners" and some wise guy went around and cut the corners off of all of them....I'll admit, it made me laugh. Anyway, so I am mowing and thinking about this and I decided then to embrace the fact that we are now Redwood Roadrunners and just have to move fast...I skip going around the fruit trees...maybe in this instance it is okay for cougars to cut corners...
A few minutes later Davis comes out and tells me that the phone is ringing...I stop mowing and go in...it is not ringing Kate has pushed the "page" button. Oh and by the way she is now COVERED in lotion....in her brand new shirt....gotta love it...clean Kate up...back to mowing...Davis appears again...Daddy is on the phone....I go in...nope...Kate is listening to old messages...Man am I getting a work out. The thing that keeps me going is know that Jed is going to be SO excited when he discovers that I mowed the lawn. Maybe this will even give him an hour to spend with the kids...this is going to be AWESOME....

The lawn is done...whew...just in time to shower and go get Owen...

And now for the rest of the story...Jed had an emergency patient at work and came home just in time to pack up his car and head out the door. So much for extra time with the kids. His smile was worth it though when I told him that I mowed the lawn...oh the things we do for love...

It has been two months ago that this happened now, but one morning I saw Kate rushing around, grabbing diapers, wipes, etc. and then heading back to the couch. This is not uncommon as she loves to change her baby's diaper and is constantly throwing out diapers that have only been used on a doll...ugh. It took me a minute to realize that not only was she changing her doll's diaper, but Gracie's as well. I love in this picture how Davis is just standing by witnessing all of this...probably as caught off guard as me. I am telling you...girls are a different breed!

The tooth fairy's first visit to our house...

So, I am definitely playing catch-up here...On October 13th Owen lost his first tooth (well, his second if you count the one he knocked out on the airplane just days before his first birthday). He was so excited when he woke up the next morning and discovered that the tooth fairy had found the tooth under his pillow leaving a golden dollar in it's place.

Davis, Davis, Davis...

Davis is at a fun age right now. I am constantly telling him that he is disobeying me by growing up. I told him that he absolutely was NOT to get any older than three and you guessed it...earlier this month he turned 4. Of course every time I say this he flashes his darling melt your heart smile and dimples. I thought that it was time for me to record a few of the things that he has said and done lately. Oh, and by the way, the above shirt is his new favorite...who cares that Halloween is long gone, right?

Several weeks ago now we flipped on the TV and "Perry Mason" was on. He asked me what the show was (he is a child that runs when he hears the TV turn on and will literally watch anything--scary but true) and I told him. He asked me if the guy was a "good guy" and I told him that he was and he was a lawyer. He asked me then if he fights a lot. "Fights a lot?" I asked several times actually as he continued nodding his head. Then I realized that he thought I was saying "Warrior" and not "Lawyer"....there you have it Uncle Rob...Davis must think you are REALLY tough!

When Davis has a stomachache instead of saying that he has an "upset" stomach he says that he has a "grouchy" stomach--I love that.

Davis was throwing a MASSIVE tantrum one day I don't even remember why, but he was crying and crying as we were driving down the road. Then when we got home I opened the door to let him out and he starts laughing hysterically. He then tell me..."Mom, did you think I was crying that whole time? I was really laughing!" Okay, that was seriously just weird, like someone had flipped a switch in him...I don't pretend to understand, but I thought it was mysteriously amusing. He got out of the van and ran off to play...like I said...weird.

One afternoon the boys were playing legos and I overheard Davis say to Owen that maybe they could borrow some Star Wars Legos from their friend Gavin (as if borrowing anything that small is ever a good idea). I took this chance to pipe up and tell Davis that his birthday is coming up and maybe he should think about what he really wants for his birthday. He got all excited and said, "I want Grandma Jones Legos!" Hmmm...I was a little confused by this and asked, "You want Grandma Jones Legos?" (Note: My Grandmother's name is "Jones") It was almost as if it didn't sound quite right when I said it back to him, so he paused and stared at me for a minute. Then, as if a light suddenly turned on, he said, "Oh, I mean Indianna Jones Legos!"

Check out Davis' soccer moves...he played in the month long program at the local YMCA. At first he was nervous about it, but in the end he loved it. In fact he was sick and missed the last day and came to me and said, "Mom, what is my team going to do without their star?".

Our Second Annual Family Service Project

Last year our family (on my side) decided that it would be nice if we worked together every year on some sort of service project. This was really my mom's brainchild and I am excited that my children will have this legacy of service in their own personal histories. Last year we worked to make life my comfortable for an immigrant friend of my sister's who had witnessed a terrible crime and this year we are working together to do Christmas for my mom's cousin's daughter's family (did you follow that?). Because the whole story and explanation was on the Totally Ready blog today I am just going to copy her post. If any of you feel inclined to donate to the cause, please let me know or go to blog.totallyready.com and now on with the post...

With the holiday season approaching many of us are thinking about those who may need our help. This year I know a family who needs help and I would like to invite you to join me in helping. There are some emergencies you just can’t be prepared for.

Last spring I received a phone call informing me of the death of a cousin. This young mother was killed in a car accident while traveling with her infant son and three year old daughter. She died at the scene and her daughter was taken to the hospital with internal injuries. After surgery the three year old daughter is recovering but dad was left with a hospital bill of over $100,000. Unfortunately, this is not the end of the story. This special family was in the process of adopting their niece whose parents had previously been killed in another car accident. This wonderful little 10 year old has now lost two moms and a dad to tragic accidents. As you can imagine the entire family is struggling and trying to cope with this tragedy.

Dad is now left with horrific debt on top of his grief. He is also dealing with child care expenses on top of this, while he tries to comfort his children and continues to work.

I have made a wall hanging which I am raffling off in an attempt to raise money to help provide Christmas for this family. It is 31×31 inches square. I felt hearts were perfect choice for this project as we share our concerns for the well being of this wonderful dad and his very young family.

Please remember this benefits a family unexpectedly in need and donate generously. All proceeds will go directly to the family.

H1N1

If you know me well you know that I am a total germaphob (Is that how you spell that?) and you also know that my mom is an expert in the area of preparedness. Luckily this is a good combo. Our little town has really been hit with the H1N1 virus and it has me totally freaked out. I just really DO NOT want Gracie to get this one. I feel really grateful that I have had my mom's wisdom and knowledge during this time. As many of you have come to me and asked me what my mom is recommending that we do to prepare to deal with pandemics such as the H1N1, I thought that this might be a good idea to remind you that she does have an AWESOME blog (blog.totallyready.com) and she also has an e-book (Prep Not Panic: Keys to Surviving the next Pandemic) that you may also find really helpful. Let's hope we can all stay healthy this fall!

Hawaii '09

Alright folks, here it is the post you have been waiting for...Hawaii 2009!

Jed, Gracie and I went along with our business partner and office staff to a dental convention in Hawaii for 8 days. We left several days early in order to have some "play" time before the "work" time began. The morning we left I was SO ANXIOUS. Jed and I literally have NEVER done anything like this and I was nervous about leaving my mom with our three young ("big") kids for the week. Honestly I was more worried about her than about them, but I am a worrier so I was worried about them too. In the end how grateful I am that we went. We had a really great time.

Here is a "brief" rundown of our week....

Day 1: fly to LAX (hated this airport...it is CRAZY!) for a layover then on to Hawaii, Gracie sleeps on and off and while we were tired at the end of the flight all of the people around us were raving about how good she was...whew! Arrive in Hawaii...ALOHA! I love all of the Polynesian people who are greeting us and I decide that a mistake was made in heaven before I came to earth...I was suppose to be Polynesian! After 16 hours of travel we collapse in our bed.

Day 2: We visit the Dole Plantation while waiting to meet up with the rest of Jed's staff. The Pineapple is delicious, but we are anxious to get to the water. We swim at Waimea Bay. The water is warm and beautiful. Are we in heaven? After swimming we head for lunch at "Ted's Bakery"...yummy Mahi-Mahi sandwiches. Then we visit a historical temple lookout and some beautiful gardens and then head for Sharks Cove for a little snorkeling. We see amazing fish and I can't help but think of Kate when I see one that is bright pink. Then on to find our first shaved ice....so fun. We make one last stop at the "birthing rocks" before heading to Costco and Wal Mart for a few things to get us through the week. Jed and I laugh our heads off when we discover that the Snuggie has even made it to Hawaii. Gracie is a champ throughout the whole day. We think she is loving the attention that she is getting.


Day 3: Jed, Gracie and I spend a lazy morning together, eat shrimp from Giavonni's Shrimp Shack (Amazing!) while sitting in front of the LDS Temple in Laie (beautiful and peaceful) and then head to the Polynesian Cultural Center. When I hear that in Samoa the men do the cooking, I know that I was in fact suppose to be Samoan! How could such a mistake been made in heaven? We loved learning about the customs of these island countries and of course loved the fire in the night show. We recommend the PCC to everyone. I was grateful on this day to be on the side of the island where they were not warning against a tsunami!
Day 4: We head to Pearl Harbor where I feel in awe and reverenced by what happened there. Jed and Tyler tour the Bowfin submarine while I tend to Gracie and check in at home (the kids are fine and not missing us much--yeah Nana!). We tour the AZ Memorial...I put on my sunglasses to hide my teary eyes as I look at the names of all of those who lost their lives on that one ship. I am also amazed that you can still see oil in the water some 40 years later...unbelievable. We head to the stadium to check out the swap meet and buy all sorts of stuff for the kids. I decide to kill two birds with one stone...the girls will be Hawaiian Girls for Halloween. Now we are hot and tired, so we head to Tyler's resort at Ko Olina for some swimming in the lagoon and pools. This is Gracie's first time swimming and she loves it, until she starts to get tired that is. We BBQ Tri-Tip with several of our office comrades and have a great time visiting. A very fun day.
Day 5: This is Jed's first day of classes...he thinks they are less than stellar, but is excited to run into our dental school friend, Julie! I am kicking myself for not contacting all of our dental friends before we came to see who was going to be there. Our schedule didn't really permit us to get together with them before Julie and her husband leave the next day...a true shame. On this day I read an entire book. I have NEVER in my life done that...read a book in one day. It was fabulous. We go to check out the pool and to my dismay they have drained it and have started replacing the tile...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? Oh well. I walk around the international market place and head back to paint my toes and meet up with Jed (this is rough, eh?). We eat at PF Changs and walk around Waikiki. We decide next time we would probably not stay right there in Honolulu. It is fun, but much like any big city in S. Cal.

Day 6: Jed likes his classes this day...whew! I spend the morning doing a little laundry, walking around Honolulu and drinking a smoothie. Yum! Once Jed is out of class we head to Paradise Cove for a luau and some delectable Virgin Pina Coladas...oooh, that sounds good right about now. The entertainment was good, but the PCC was much better. We enjoyed this time with our staff and had a few good laughs. The sunset and the ocean are beautiful.

Day 7: I sleep in…oh yeah! Jed heads to class. I spend the morning reading, organizing for our trip home, putting Gracie’s hair in a pony tail and painting her toes…too cute. Once Jed gets back we head to Ko Olina once again for swimming. LOVE IT! Jed and I are loving this carefree time together and with just one child with us we feel so free (ironic…I was so stressed when we only had one child…funny how we adapt and change). We eat dinner at Outback Steakhouse and head back to our condo.

Day 8: We all sleep in…horray! We pack up our things and check out of our condo. Now we have about 11 hours before our flight leaves for home. We buy a last minute surprise at the LEGO store and FINALLY find some sugar cane to show the kids. We eat lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise and go for an AMAZING drive overlooking Honolulu, Diamond Head and the Punchbowl Cemetery. We are disappointed that the cemetery is closed, but we love the view. Then we head to turn in our rental car (funny thing about our rental car—the windshield wipers would turn on out of the blue for no reason…it drove Jed crazy…I laughed every time it happened…so FUNNY!) and head to the airport. We are both saddened to leave but ready to get back. That’s a good sign, right? We miss our kids and I think they miss us. Owen slept with our picture one night, but other than that they haven’t shed any tears. They had a lot of fun with Nana and we are so grateful that all went well with us away. Let’s hear it for Nana!!!