Fun with Todd and Kristen (with LOTS of videos)

When we visited Idaho Falls a couple of weeks ago Todd came over to hang out with us for a while. The kids had him jumping through hoops- literally.

Enjoy.






Here's a video of attempt #1.


I videoed this right after the first attempt. I didn't realize the camera was on, but I caught some pretty funny audio.


One more time...


The next day we went up to Rexburg to spend some time with Todd & Kristen at their apartment. They broke out the only toys they had- some poppers/snappers and a package of balloon rockets. Lemme tell ya, they were a hit.
Here's me trying to blow up one of those suckers.

Here's me seconds from an aneurysm. Todd thinks aneurysms are funny.
Not so funny now, huh, twerp? I like how his face matches the balloon. Heehee.

And here's Kristen trying to get an aneurysm & me looking retarded. See, I don't mind posting stupid pictures of myself. But this only further demonstrates why I try to stay BEHIND the camera as much as possible. Sarah = NOT photogenic.
See, you use these itty bitty straws to blow up these long skinny balloons (that I think are made of the same thing as Michelins) , then when/if you get them filled you toss them into the air and watch the kids chase them as they fly all over the place making the most annoying sound. They were very entertaining.




You had to know I'd post this one, Todd. Just to make Mom shake her head in shame. :)


One last video. Pyper taught her self how to hula-hoop while we were there. She got it down in one day, but the next day when she tried to do it she said, "Ow! My stomach hurts!" Sore muscles from too much hula-hooping! How hilarious is that?!

Of Birthdays, Back To School & Blogging...

I remember when I was younger, that my mother would say to me, “Don’t try to grow up so fast!” That must have been back when I knew ‘everything’ and was so ready to get on with life… Now I realize that I don’t know ‘everything’ (but I have raised some smart kids who do), and despite my efforts NOT to grow up—I did! This has been an eventful year for me—thankfully, all good stuff for my kids: sending a daughter on a mission, a new grandson, two sons marrying their sweethearts (which means two more daughters), my first born turning 30 and my baby starting her senior year of high school!

I did some calculations the other day and realized that this will be the 25th year that Dad and I have had at least one child in public school! Bryce was 4 years old his first day of kindergarten, turning 5 like the next day, I think. He looked so small to me, but he was smart enough to keep up with the best of them.

This past Thursday, Jennifer had her last ‘first day of school’ picture taken; Sarah likely was taking Pyper’s FIRST ‘first day of school’ picture at the same time and she is starting a new phase in her life as a mother.

I admit that I am getting a misty eyed, reflecting on all the blessings I have—not the least of which is my six children, and now their spouses and grandchildren! Forgive me if I wax nostalgic these days, but FAMILY is what it is all about, and I don’t regret a single minute of the sacrifice and hard work it took to be a mother, because I have the best family ever—perhaps in spite of, and not because of me!! How did I get so lucky?!?

Mom, I’m not trying to grow up too fast any more, but it would seem that all of a sudden my kids are! So I will enjoy their milestones, rejoice in their accomplishments, be happy for the years of joy that they have given me—and look forward to the fun ride that lies ahead!!

So, in honor of Bryce’s birthday 'milestone', here are a few parting photos…enjoy the memories! Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I love you guys!
Mom

Funny Stuff

Children's Books That Didn't Make It

1. You Are Different and That's Bad
2. The Boy Who Died From Eating All His Vegetables
3. Dad's New Wife Scott
4. Fun Four-Letter Words to Know and Share
5. Hammers, Screwdrivers, and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Book
6. The Kids' Guide to Hitchhiking
7. Kathy Was So Bad Her Mom Stopped Loving Her
8. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence
9. All Cats Go to Hell
10. The Little Sissy Who Snitched
11. Some Kittens Can Fly
12. That's It, I'm Putting You Up For Adoption
13. Grandpa Gets a Casket
14. The Magic World Inside the Abandoned Refrigerator
15. Garfield Gets Feline Leukemia
16. The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy
17. Strangers Have the Best Candy
18. Whining, Kicking, and Crying to Get Your Way
19. You Were An Accident
20. Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will
21. Pop! Goes the Hamster.and Other Great Microwave Games
22. The Man in the Moon is Actually Satan
23. Your Nightmares Are Real
24. Where Would You Like to Be Buried?
25. Eggs, Toilet Paper, and Your School
26. Why Can't Mr. Fork and Ms. Electrical Outlet Be Friends?
27. Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things
28. Daddy Drinks Because You Cry

Google Voice

First of all, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. If you guys agree to celebrating your 30th for a few more years then I'll agree to stay 29 for a while. Sound good?

I just thought I'd take some time to share a little with you guys about a new toy I've been playing with that you may or may not have heard about. Google Voice is currently in an "invite" stage, but all you have to do is give them your e-mail address an wait a few days to get your invite. Once you have that, you select a gVoice number to get started. You then associate all your other phone numbers (home, cell, work, etc.) with the account. From here there are almost limitless options to customize how it works for you. Whenever someone calls your gVoice number you can decide how the call is routed. You can have all or none or any other combination of your phones ring depending on who is calling, the time of day, or even day of the week. One of the coolest things you can do is that it lets you make free long distance calls anywhere in the US if you can access your account from a computer. All you do is tell it who you want to call and on what phone. gVoice calls you on the phone that you select, then as soon as you answer, the call is connected to the other line. They also say they have very good rates on international calls, although I don't make any international calls so I don't really know what a good rate is. You can also send text messages for free from your interface.

I'm still just starting to play around with it, but I think as it starts to catch on it will become a pretty commonplace. There are a ton of other uses that I'm not going to go into since there are lots of people out there that can explain it better than me. Let me know if any of you decide to try it out (or if you are already using it).


-Bryce

Dad's California Trip

Shortly after we got back from New Mexico, Frank surprised me and asked if I wanted another week off. Of course I said yes (duh!) and took the opportunity to go to California to visit Grandma. I ended up swinging through Palmdale and picked up Cheryl, Taylor and Bryson (who is taller than me now). We had a fun week. Grandma made me an applesauce cake and I managed to gain about 5 pounds on the trip. The 4 of us (Grandma stayed home) went to Chinatown in San Francisco on Thursday. I thought of Jennifer and Kimberly when we were there. It's one of their favorite places. On Friday, Janae and her kids (who are all getting HUGE!) came over and we all loaded up and went to Bean Hollow. It’s over on the coast, just south of Half Moon Bay – about an hour and a quarter from San Lorenzo. Anyway, we had a great trip. Nice day, good weather, fun beach – what more could you ask? ."Baby" Sarah checking out a crab.
And yes, the crab in the picture is pinching my finger.
Before I found out I was coming to California, there had been a party scheduled at Grandma’s house on Sunday (more on that later). Ryan and Jan couldn’t make the Sunday thing because of church commitments so they decided to come spend Saturday with us. But on Friday night, when we got home from Bean Hollow, Grandma went into the utility room for something and several loud “oh no!"'s echoed through the house. Her water heater had sprung a leak (just a drip, but there was water all over the floor). I took a look at I and thought I could change it out. So guess what Ryan and I got to do on Saturday? It wasn’t too tough a job, and went pretty smoothly, except for the shut off valve that also needed replacement. Turns out Ryan had helped Granpa install the old one 16 years ago. But after that we got to play cards and have fun.
The Sunday event was planned before I know I was coming, but worked out beautifully. My cousin Grant and most of his family were in Palo Alto (across the bay) on vacation, and they had decided to meet up at Mom’s for a mini reunion. Wally (another roommate) and his son came up from Monterey and Bart came as well, so we had 4 of our college roommates together again. Much fun was had by all. . 4 Old Guys .
I like driving up the north coast when I’m there, so on Monday, Cheryl, Grandma, Bryson and myself (Taylor stayed at Janae’s house to play with her kids) drove up into Sonoma County and along the coast. We went up to Fort Ross and Salt Point State Parks and then came on home – about 270 miles. Sonoma and Mendocino counties in California are among the most beautiful places on earth (that aren't sand dunes). Driving east from the coast through the redwoods is pretty cool, too. I really do like going up there and seeing the coastline. .Fort Ross coastline.
Not a good trip if you're prone to carsickness, though.

And on Tuesday we made the long drive home. But it was a fun trip and good to see Grandma again. It’s funny how things tend to break down at her house when I go for a visit. Last time (or the time before) the plumbing under her kitchen sink broke and Ryan and I were able to fix it. This time it was the water heater. Timing is everything. But it was nice to be able to be there and able to help when something goes wrong.

Anyway, that was my trip. I'll have to do it again sometime soon, I guess. I recommend it to all. Dad