To All Our Friends and Family

We hope that you have a magical Christmas!
We miss and love you all!

Save the Last Dance for Me

We are down to just over a week before we leave for Chicago and are just starting our "official" good-bye's. Kelsie had her last ballet class tonight and I was lucky enough to get there in time to take some pictures and video tape a little bit of it. (She is the one next to the girl in the blue shirt.) She is going to miss her friends that she made in her dance class and especially Miss Lyn, her teacher.

I should be packing, but....

I couldn't resist. There are just too many fun things to share! Not only did Kelsie get some teeth pulled, but Caleb started clapping! In this new world of technology, we thought we'd share that with all of you.

Also, Brandon is into sneaking anything and everything right now. It ranges from candy, video games (a story for another time) and even the camera. This time he was caught, red handed! The best part is how quiet he is. He knows he's doing something that he doesn't want to get caught doing. Sneaky little thing!

We've hit a milestone

When Kelsie was in kindergarten, it wasn't too long into the school year when she began noticing that some of her friends were losing their teeth. She often asked us when she was going to lose her teeth. The same thing happened again in first grade. "Soon" was the regular answer and expected response each time she asked. Finally, half-way through SECOND grade, she finally lost not one, not two, not three, but FOUR teeth.

Here is how it happened.

A couple of months ago the exciting announcement was made that Kelsie's two bottom adult teeth were growing in. We looked in her mouth and saw the pearly whites just starting to break through her gums. We were all excited for the much anticipated loose tooth process to begin (including Brandon who suddenly told us that he was getting his teeth too).

We waited.

We waited a little longer.

We waited until both teeth had grown in behind her baby teeth but still no loose teeth. She tried and tried to make them move, but they were just stubborn (hmmm, apple doesn't fall to far from the tree on that one). A couple months later when she went in to the dentist for her cleaning, they got a good look at those stubborn baby teeth that would still not budge.

"I think we're going to need to extract these two baby teeth to let those adult teeth grow in where they are supposed to," said the dentist. "Extract" is the secret code word for "yank" so as to not scare small children. Didn't work.

So, we set the appointment. And wouldn't you know that the day before the scheduled extraction, Kelsie came home with a BIG surprise. One of those little stubborn teeth finally gave in and started to wiggle. I think she secretly was hoping that this meant that she wouldn't have to go to the dentist and have them yanked out. No such luck. We went to the appointment where they "extracted" her two baby teeth. After looking at the damage, the dentist then said "I think we're going to have to pull two more teeth." Apparently her mouth is a little narrow and we will be referred to an orthodontist in the near future. So, after half an hour in the dentist chair and enjoying a little "happy gas", Kelsie came out of the office with 4 teeth missing across her lower jaw.

After waiting for so long for a visit from the tooth fairy, she finally came to our house last night and left a certificate and a nice little chunk of change. Kelsie is all smiles now and loves to show everyone the long-anticipated holes in her mouth!

Like Father, Like Son

Enough said.

Star Wars Mania

In case you didn't already know, Brandon is OBSESSED with Star Wars. It is all he talks about, thinks about, draws about, I think it's been absorbed through his skin. He tried talking both Grandpa's into being Luke Skywalker with him for Halloween and wants to buy them each their own Star Wars toy for Christmas. The first thing he wants to do when he gets up in the morning is look up star war pictures on the computer and, if he's really lucky, a video or two as well (he's got a sucker for a dad!). You can pretty much guess what the last thing he wants to do before bed each night as well. When we go to the library, the ONLY books we check out are , yup, you guessed it, Star Wars. I'm sure if we gave him the option, he would sign up for the Jedi Training Academy and learn the ways of the force. (We just won't tell him about it.) We had no idea that a couple of classic movies would result in such obsessive-compulsive behavior from our 4 year old. I think we'll hold off a little while longer before introducing Indiana Jones to a young impressionable mind.

A recent conversation (if you can even call it that since it's pretty one-sided) took place on Wally's way to work this morning.

"If Darth Vader comes to our house, I'll shoot a dart at him," Brandon says.

To which Wally replies, "If Darth Vader comes to our house, you need to fight him with your lightsaber."

"But my lightsaber is just a toy."

"If Darth Vader comes to fight you, your toy lightsaber will turn into a real lightsaber."

"Oho! Then I will have to take him outside to fight him?"

Pause. He has to think about this for a little bit.

"If I fight Darth Vader, then I will turn into Luke Skywalker. Then I will start doing flips over him like in The Return of the Jedi and I'll just keep doing flips. Then I will flip so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, sooo, far that I will be in Pennsylvania and turn back into Brandon again. Then Darth Vader will find me and I will turn back into Luke Skywalker and flip over him so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, sooo, far back home."

Silence.

"So, did you beat him?"

"Yep." he says with a shrug of the shoulders.



What do you say to that?

Gobble, gobble

There's nothing like a great turkey, with all the trimmings, and fun people to celebrate with. My sister's family came down from Seattle to be with us which was especially exciting for me since I haven't spent Thanksgiving with anyone in my family for about 6 years. Wally's sister and her family also came down from Idaho to play games with us the night before Thanksgiving. We had lot of fun and decided to bake the pies Kelsie helped me make for everyone that night. We all enjoyed some good homemade apple, pumpkin, and chocolate velvet pies and played an exciting game of Killer Bunnies.

We started our holiday morning participating in our family's 3rd annual Turkey Trot 1-mile fun run. We were lucky enough to talk Ben and Whitney into running with us. As we all got ready to go, Brandon insisted on wearing his boots during the run and was a little put out when we told him there was no room in the stroller for him. It was a cold morning, but once the race started we were able to stay warm. I pushed Caleb and my niece, Lydia, in the double jogger while Kelsie ran with me and Brandon ran (more like walked) with Wally. Kelsie and I finished in14:49 while Brandon and Wally crossed the finish line at 24:41. We were proud of our kids for running and finishing the race. Kelsie mostly enjoyed the race and Brandon informed us that he does not want to do that again, ever (maybe the boots had something to do with it?). We'll see how he feels about it next year.

Upon returning home from the big race, the major cooking operations began. We marinated our turkey overnight in a salt-water solution (1 c salt and 1/2 c brown sugar per 1 gallon of water) and then stuffed it with fruit (apples, oranges, pears, and limes), an onion, and some garlic. We then seared it for half an hour in a 550-degree oven with a homemade tin-foil hat, and then let it cook at 350 for the next 3 hours. In the meantime we set to work mashing potatoes, making candied yams, roasting green beans, cooking the rolls and stuffing, and finishing off with a nice crisp mandarin salad. (Nothing says Thanksgiving like a mandarin salad.) When everything was ready, we all sat down and enjoyed the ever popular Thanksgiving dinner. All the food turned out great, especially the turkey, if I do say so myself. We went around the table and said what we were thankful for, stuffed our faces and our bellies, and then retired to the couch for a long winter's....oh wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The rest of our weekend was pretty quiet. Whitney and I braved "black friday" shopping and were able to get a couple good deals. Here's a tip: I will forever and ever shop at Target if I ever shop on black friday again. They had plenty of their great deals there when we went at 9 a.m. which proves that you DO NOT need to get up at insane hours of the morning to get the deal. I was so happy about that, I even let one of those nice people in a red shirt know. Also, there was NO LINE when we went to the check out. We just walked up and paid and walked out. It can't get any better than that.

OK, 1 more tip: check online. We found some some deals online that were just as good as going to the store, except we didn't have to get up early or wait in line for 45 minutes.

Wally and Ben took Kelsie and Brandon out shooting rockets (one apparently blew up which made the excursion that much more exciting) and we enjoyed kicking off the holiday season with music and movies.


We also made this cool "Thanksgiving Garland" out of tissue paper and glue. I got the idea from a friend's friend's blog and thought we would try it out. (It's a lot like making a pinata. Kendra, this should make you proud.) It was super fun to make and maybe next year we'll add what we're thankful for around it.

Has it been 9 months already?

It's funny how 9 months seems like such a LONG time when I'm pregnant, and then fly by so fast now that our baby is 9 months old. Caleb is now crawling all over the place, pulling himself up on his feet and can't figure out how to get back down. He is mostly eating regular food now and loves to chase balls. He is now weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces and is 27 inches long. He looks pretty small for his age, but is actually pretty solid. He even got his first real bump on his head after hitting it on a piece of furniture. He's such a happy little guy and so much fun to have around!

My New Favorite Song

Click HERE to see the video.

Trick or Treat!

Once a year, I get a very strong desire to make my kids' Halloween costumes. We have a lot of fun planning together, picking out the fabric, and anticipating the final product. This year we had Hannah Montana, Luke Skywalker, and a pirate. The costumes all turned out good (after a lot of phone calls to Grandma and fixing some boots that were sewn on backwards) and we had so much fun dressing up, going to parties, and trick-or-treating. Wally and I even dressed us as Luke and Lorelai from the Gilmore Girls for the ward party (a little tribute to our show!).

Instead of dressing up at school, Kelsie had crazy hair day and went to school with two braids that stuck out like Pippi Longstocking. After school, we went to the Uptown Center and tricked-or-treated to our hearts content. Needless to say, we came home with their bags about half full of candy and still had our trunk-or-treat party to go to. We headed on over the the church parking lot where we had an endless line of Halloween hopefuls expecting candy. By the time we handed out our last pieces of candy, Kelsie and Brandon came back to the car with their bags overflowing. We came home and Wally took Kelsie and Brandon around the neighborhood (I know, like we really needed more candy, but hey, it's Halloween after all!) By the time 8:00 came around, Brandon was bouncing off the walls, and Kelsie was asking to eat more candy. It was time for bed so we said good night and good bye to the ghosts and goblins and treats of Halloween.

Kelsie takes her role as rock star very serious.













This Jedi's definitely got the force!












Caleb's ready to sail the seven seas!

We're living the dream, baby!

We're moving to Chicago!

Well, Evanston, anyway. Wally accepted a position at Northwestern University (hence the purple type) to work with a Rock Star in the chemistry world. We will be moving right after Christmas and he will start in January. We are very excited for this opportunity and for our new adventure. Kelsie is a little nervous about moving (who wouldn't be at her age?) and Brandon just shrugs his shoulders and says "good" when we ask him how he feels. Wally will fulfill a two and a half year commitment at the university and then will apply for a faculty position at another university after that. He hopes to eventually have his own lab to do research and have one more title, Professor.

Because Dr. Paxton isn't enough.

We will keep you updated with our plans as they unfold. . .

Hi! I'm Daffy Duck!

Caleb makes a funny noise that many people, mostly strangers, have labeled as sounding like Daffy Duck. It is the noise he makes when he is really excited about something or when he gets bored. We were at the airport last night on our way home from Chicago (more on that later) when he decided to let his presence be known and started his Daffy Duck impersonation. It started in the bathroom when I was changing his diaper and women would come over to the changing station to see who was making all that noise. He continued on once we got back to the waiting area at the gate and had the attention of just about everyone sitting around us! There was even one lady that would echo him just to keep him going! It was at least a little more entertaining than the headline news that was played over and over in the airport, so I guess it wasn't so bad!

This was also our way of keeping Caleb entertained during our flight. He sat between us and we pushed a car across the tray in front of him for about 20 minutes. It was the most exciting thing that happened to him during the whole 3 hour plane ride! If you listen really close, you'll hear his duck noise.

Everybody needs a hero

Is this just about the cutest Luke Skywalker drawing you've ever seen?!? Brandon has finally shown some interest in drawing and decided to draw a picture of Luke Skywalker, his latest hero.

Apples, Pumpkins, and a little Flag Football

We have had a very busy week here in the Paxton home. Sunday afternoon Wally suggested that Kelsie and Brandon ride their scooters around the block (listening to 4 hours of conference can be very taxing for those so young) and get some energy out. It was a pretty big deal for them to do this without an adult. Kelsie was in charge, of course, with Brandon happily scooting along behind her. They came home and wanted to go again and Wally decided to go with them. While out on their adventure around the block, a lady in her car stopped and asked Wally if he was the father of those two kids. He said "yeah" and she continued on to tell him that she saw them riding their scooters with no sign of adult supervision around and took it upon herself to call the police. To which Wally replied, "Yep, their mine." and walked away. A nice gesture from a concerned lady driving along, ended with her calling the police back and letting them know all's well.

Our week continued on with all our regularly scheduled events (FHE, dance, baths, etc.). Wally has been sick all week with a pretty bad head cold. I don't think I've seen him this sick since the first year we were married and he couldn't swallow his spit because his throat hurt so bad (it went into a cup in case you were worried). I was able to finish Caleb's Halloween costume and get started on Kelsie's and even come up with some fun things for us to do. We were excited for Friday since there was no school and we could sleep in. Well, with a baby it's not as easy as it sounds. Caleb was up and ready to eat by 7 a.m. and Brandon was already downstairs playing his morning's dose of video games.

We decided to pick some apples at a local farm here that morning and really had a great time. I'm sure it was pretty comical watching me herd 2 kids along plus our apple-picking buckets, our boxes, and the stroller with Caleb. We managed to have a fun time except for Caleb's crying and all the bur's that stuck to our pants, which Brandon had a really hard time with. We still managed to come home with 42 pounds of apples, a little more than the 25 pounds I was planning on. The plan was to start making some applesauce together until I couldn't remember where all my canning jars were (still haven't unpacked them).

After eating some lunch and getting everyone going on something I was too tired to think of anything else so I decided to read my book until Brandon got bored and thought it would be fun to repeat things over and over in my face. In an effort to keep my sanity, we decorated our trick-or-treat bags, watched what Rachael Ray was cooking for dinner that night and two compelling episodes of Arthur. Kelsie then had a friend come over for a few hours that ended up being a sleep-over, which meant a late night and early morning with the kids.

Saturday started out really fun with Brandon's final flag football game of the season. The weather was great and he was happy and he even scored a REAL touchdown this week and outran one of the bigger kids on the other team to do it. He did end up getting tackled and fell pretty hard on his face, but he was OK after the tears subsided. If you happened to see his almost touchdown from last week, here's another video of him scoring his real touchdown today.

We also drove out to what is probably the ONLY bona fide pumpkin patch here in the tri-cities. Located at the Country Mercantile Market in Pasco, we were able to enjoy a hay bale maze, hay bale pyramid, tractor hay ride to the pumpkin patch, a corn maze, a barn with some animals in it, and some ice cream. Kelsie and Brandon each picked out the perfect pumpkin that they could carry (very important) and found a nice small one for Caleb, who quickly marked it with his drool. We had a fun time together enjoying the nice weather and the harvest.












Just to prove that I was, in fact, there with my family, here is a rare picture of yours truly:

Perhaps the things most noteworthy about our week:

Caleb started crawling! He has been rolling around all over the place for some time now and has even been up in the crawl position rocking back and forth for a while. He finally figured out how to scoot forward and move. It is an exciting time here for his newly discovered mobility, but also a time to remember how to baby-proof our house. Oh yeah, and buy a gate.

For those of you who know Kelsie, her eating habits are nothing less than fastidious. We have never known another kid who is as picky as she is about food. The food on her plate cannot touch at all, and can only consist of cheese, tortillas, or pizza. This last week we reached a milestone here, folks. Kelsie ate LASAGNA! I figured that she just wanted dessert really bad that night but then she double wow'ed me by eating it again another night! For such a momentous occasion, we happily provide a picture!







Until next time...

Go Crocodiles!

Brandon started playing flag football this fall through the YMCA here. He is part of the green team, better known as the Crocodiles. It has been a lot of fun to watch these 4 and 5 year olds figure out how to play such a complicated game! I mean, aren't you just supposed to tackle the kid with the ball? No, this one involves flags. It didn't seem to take too long for him to get the concept of pulling a flag instead of pulling someone down.

Last week was his first official game and he scored two touchdowns, but who's counting, right? He was having lots of fun until he got tackled by a bigger kid and then had a few reservations, and a lot of tears, about going out to finish the game. (It also didn't help that about a week before had been stung by a bee on his ear and has been afraid to go outside ever since. During his game, another boy got stung by a bee which reminded him of his own incident and made him all the more nervous about going out onto a field where a bee might get him.). He did finish though and we were proud.

Today, he had a lot more fun, but played a little more cautiously. He caught on enough to stay away from the bigger kids so he wouldn't get hurt. He finished his game with all smiles and an almost touchdown (his flag was pulled at about the 40-yard line, but he kept going until he reached the end zone). At any rate, we were proud of him for running as fast as he could and for finishing the game.

What are YOU watching?

Watching hours and hours of TV so YOU don't have to.

Since it was Premiere week on the major network channels last week, I thought I might as well offer my own opinions and ratings about my favorite shows and some of the new ones this fall. Based on a 1 - 10 scale, 1 being beyond help and 10 being just great, here goes:

How I Met Your Mother - 9

This AWESOME show just makes us laugh. We love the humor and all the characters in it. It just keeps getting better every season! You could even say it's LEGEN... wait for it....wait for it.....

The Big Bang Theory - 3

I think if you are way, way, WAY into all the scientific humor then this show is for you. It's about the dumb blond that a bunch of nerds fall for but make stupid jokes that you don't get because you have no idea whose theory or what algorithm they're talking about (or maybe that's just me). It was pretty funny when they went off about Superman and tried to prove why flying to rescue Lois Lane is worse than if she would have hit the pavement when you consider velocity and, blah, blah, blah. It's probably because I know some people who can get pretty eccentric about those kinds of things...like Star Wars (come on, we all know someone, right?). I will say it is fun to watch it with Wally because he totally gets their rants about whatever and will shout out in agreement every once in a while. Hmmmm, what does that say about Wally?!

Chuck - 7

As far as a "nerd" show goes, this one is more my style. It's about this guy that is just trying to get along in life and not really doing anything too out of the ordinary. He receives an email (by accident) containing all these top secret things from the government. He is now being protected by the beautiful CIA agent who also happens to be a blond. Do nerds and blond's just go together?


The Unit - 9 1/2

Wally and I have watched this show for a couple of years now and we both really like it. It ended last season with a great cliffhanger and started out just as good. It is based off Eric Haney's Inside Delta Force about all these different military operations that are so top secret they come straight from the president and nobody else knows about them. As far as an action military drama goes, this one is great! If you haven't seen it, rent the first season and start there. You won't be sorry



The Biggest Loser - 7
I think this show is very uplifting and fun to watch the major changes that these people make in their lives. It makes me want to be a better person when it comes to health and nutrition. I just think it is ironic that they have been 2-hour episodes lately, meaning that whoever is watching the show is sitting, inactive and probably enjoying some good dessert while they are watching other people work their butts off, literally.


Kid Nation - 5

I have a hard time with this show. It is too much like Survivor for little kids. I hate to see the smallest ones upset and the older ones bullying everyone else around. It's a nice idea, especially for kids, to prove that they can build a city and work together to make it run, but I don't think I'd sent my 7 year old out on her own to fend for herself.



Bionic Woman - 3

I guess this is based off some old TV show or something, but I didn't really get it. Was the accident on purpose? Suddenly she's this machine that can do anything and she knows what to do with it. I really am not into the Sci-Fi type shows and this one didn't bring me any closer to liking them. Oh, and by the way, Sara Corbin says "Hello".

My Name is Earl - 7

This season started with Earl doing jail time and how to stay alive while in prison. It seems that karma doesn't stop once you're on the inside. He's just such a nice guy that he's willing to even help out the guy that's trying to kill him. And then there's poor Randy who can't survive without Earl, even after all the hard work Joy went through to get him to think on his own. It's just too bad that rock was conveniently next to the car Randy smashed. Yeah, he came a long way, but still has a long way to go.


The Office - 8

This is another one of those shows that we look forward to just for laughs. I was very anxious to see what was going to happen between Jim and Pam. I'm glad they're dating, but I think it's funny they tried to keep it a secret. It will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the show are now that they are "officially" together. As far as a season premiere goes, it could have been better. I wouldn't say it was their best. The 5k run was pretty funny, especially when the 4 guys took a taxi to get drinks and wait out the race. Classic.




DARY!


I guess I need to find something better to do with my time after all that.



Oh wait, I guess I could blog.

Simpsonians!

Help! We've been Simpsonized!

Our kiddos

I thought it was about time to update with some recent pictures of our kids. It is a lot harder to get some pictures of them than I thought, especially when I take so long to get the settings right on my camera (still trying to figure that thing out!).



Kelsie - 7 years old













Brandon - 4 years old
(incidentally won't sit still for a picture, this is as good as it gets for us)











Caleb - 7 months old

Einsteinians?

I don't usually write about news articles and such on this blog, since it is primarily about our family. I came across this article about the Baby Einstein videos and found it to be very interesting, (or maybe it's my health education background coming out in me).

In a study from a research group at the University of Washington in Seattle, they found that babies (8-16 months of age) who watch an hour or more of the Baby Einstein videos a day, tested below the normal range on a language-assessment test. "They said it's possible heavy watching of the videos hurt children's language development but also proposed other possibilities — that some parents of children with poor language skills expose them to more videos or that some parents leave their children watching the videos by themselves."

In defense of her videos, Julie Aigner-Clark, founder of the Baby Einstein Video's, said they were never designed to make babies smarter.

"I believe we've done what we've always set out to do — expose kids to great things. And when used the right way, by interacting with a parent or a guardian, they're positive ways to engage your child." (You can read more of her interview HERE.)

Hmmmm. So, I guess what they are saying is that if you stick your kid in front of the TV to watch a video that is supposed to expose them to great things, they won't be as chatty with the next baby that comes along? I mean, really, how do they measure verbal communication in an 8 month old. Aren't all babies supposed to grow and learn at their own rate? Brandon would have completely failed the test not only at 8 months, but also at 16 months since he was 2 before he started talking anyway.

By the way, he DID NOT watch the videos.

(Fast forward a couple of years, Brandon's now 4 and we can't get him to STOP talking. Go figure.)

Friends

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget."

~G. Randolf

We were lucky enough to have some of our friends, the Racette's, from Pennsylvania stop by and visit us recently. It was so fun to get together, talk and let the kids play. I even got a bonus haircut! We took them to one of our favorite parks and showed them the zip line we love so much. It was just great to hang out with them even though it was for only a few short hours.

A good friendship is when you can pick right up from where you left off, even when it's been a long time since you've seen them. That's how it was with the these guys. I don't think you really realize the impact that people have on you until you move away or you don't get to see them whenever you want. We also realized this to be true with all of our friends from PA that we saw in Utah in July.

What a great feeling.

Another year begins. . .

Today was Kelsie's first day of 2nd grade. We've been gearing up for the first day of school all month. We bought the supplies we needed and also did a little fun shopping for some new school clothes too. When we would ask her to make sure she really wanted to go to 2nd grade, her response was,

"I've got to go to get my brain working!"

(I'm not sure how that reflects on me.)

She spent the better part of yesterday figuring out the right clothes to wear on her first day, "maybe my pink skirt with a white shirt. No, I think my white skirt with a pink shirt. Maybe my pink shirt with my brown pants. I just can't decide!". Yes, we're still in the pink trend here. I was also instructed to curl her hair in curlers so she could be "beautiful" on the first day.

Her alarm went off at 7 a.m. this morning and before we knew it, there she stood all decked out in pink and with curly hair. She was so excited! We got everyone ready on time and started our walk to school, where I continued to ask her if she really wanted to go. That I could teach her everything she needs to know in 2nd grade. Would you PLEASE stay home with me? I might miss you too much! To which she replied, laughing, "Mom, I just have to go!".

So, there we were, standing outside her new classroom, waiting for her new teacher to open the door, and looking at all the new friends she is going to make. I think she looked a little anxious, but very excited. As she entered her new classroom, she turned around real fast and gave one last wave good-bye.

And that's when it hit me.

My little girl is growing up.














And then I cried, just a little.

Sunday Night Ritual (SNR)

After spending 3 hours at church every Sunday, we come home to a "quiet" afternoon with the kids. Kelsie and Brandon are really good about our quiet time and we usually only hear them fighting just as we're waking up from a good nap (or maybe we're being woken up?). We have a nice Sunday dinner, where we try to convince our kids that pork is, in fact, the other white meat and that peas will not kill them. Sunday is a pretty uneventful day for us, just the way we like it.


Then, the kids go to bed.


And our night begins.


We have a fun little game at our house that Wally and I like to play every Sunday night. It is a game where wit and strategy are not necessarily enough to bring to the table. You also need some thicker skin and immunity to spite and malice! We were given Carcassonne from Wally's parents for Christmas and it has quickly climbed to the top of our favorite games. It involves placing tiles together to form cities and roads and getting points for those things that you complete. The secret weapon of the game is the farmers who can help you win the game at the end if they have been placed just right, or totally throw it for you.




There are a few RULES (in addition to the rules of the game, of course) that we have when we play:

1. I am ALWAYS BLACK, no matter what.

2. We have to have some type of game food; popcorn, ice cream, usually both.

3. Plan on playing at least twice.

4. What happens at the table, STAYS at the table.

5. BRING IT.











I have also learned a few noteworthy things:

1. Farmers are a good thing, not a waste of a man.

2. Don't try to help anyone out, unless you're helping yourself. You won't get anywhere with that kind of attitude.

3. Don't try to farm in the middle of a circular road.

4. Finally, if you ask Wally what his strategy is and then try it on him the next game, 9 times out of 10, you'll WIN.

This is a "super-galuper" fun game to play, as Brandon would say.


Especially for me.


Because I usually win.


Yeah, I'm competitive.

I've Been Everywhere, Man!

We recently drove to Eastern Idaho and Utah to visit some family and friends that we haven't seen in a while. We were able to take about a week and a half for our trip and we really had a great time. We started out visiting a couple of my sisters, Whitney and Shayne, and Wally's brother, Nick, in Idaho. We had a fun time with all of them and showed our kids our old stomping ground, Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho). We played at the splash park, rode the carousel, and ate dinner at Craigo's, where Brandon was so tired he could hardly stay awake for the meal! We drove up to Mesa Falls the next day, and Nick's wife, Angie, showed us where an old train tunnel was that we could hike through. It was really fun being in the mountains and hiking around.

After spending time in Rexburg, we drove down to Idaho Falls and spent some time with our good friends from Pennsylvania, Natalie and Corrie Nichol. We taught them how to play Carcassonne, have a great bbq, and let our kids play for a while. Unfortunately we couldn't stay long and after saying our good-bye's, we headed on down to Utah where spent the next few days with my sister, Kelby and her family. While we were in Utah Valley, we went to BYU, saw a bunch of friends from PA (the Gee's, Katy Knight, and Dan Heist), and hit a few of the water parks around the area.

We caught up with Wally's sister, Danelle, and her family one day and hiked up to the Timpanogos Caves. It was a tough hike, but the caves were pretty cool and we were really proud of Kelsie for hiking the whole way by herself. After our hike, we drove to Bountiful where we stayed with Wally's brother, Christian, and his family. We had fun swimming again with cousins and went to the Handcart Days parade and fireworks.

The next morning we drove to a cabin near Evanston, WY where we met most of the rest of Wally's family. We spent t he last few days of our vacation at the cabin where we got to visit, relax, and ride motorcycles and the 4-wheeler. Kelsie was especially proud of herself for learning how to drive the 4-wheeler, and I did an impressive jump off the motorcycle when I tried to drive straight up a hill. We had a really great time visiting all of our cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends. The time seemed to fly by and we were ready to head home.

All in all it was a really great trip, but as it goes, every good trip has to have a little downside to it also. On our last day, Kelsie and Brandon caught some kind of bug and were sick with the stomach flu, throwing up and sleeping most of the day. Luckily, it turned out to be only a 24-hour bug, but unluckily we passed it on to some other family members. We're all fine now and happy to be home. We had a great time playing with cousins and visiting with family from both sides of our family.

I confess...

I am a Harry Potter fan. I soared through the previous six books and was anxious for the last installment in the series to debut. We picked it up on our way up to a cabin with Wally's family the day it came out. It took all I had to leave my copy in the car so I could be sociable with the rest of the family. I even controlled my urge to pick up the book after we got home until we had finished unpacking and got through the rest of the birthdays for the month. Finally, I picked it up and couldn't put it down until I finished it. It took me about 3 days to finish the 759 page book, hence the delayed posting to my humble blog.

I had a hard time putting the book down, which resulted in very sore eyes. I eventually had to put my glasses on and Kelsie told me that I look weird, probably my out-of-date frames. My poor kids weren't really sure what to do with themselves while I was reading, but they at least decided that it must be "quiet time" so they picked up their books and started reading. Kelsie was especially interested in what page I was on through out the book and would frequently ask me where I was. Finally, she told me (in only a way she can say it),

"I can't believe an author could write a book that long and that scary!"

Brandon, on the other hand, thinks that Harry Potter is cool. So, what do I think? There were some parts that were a little slow for me, and some parts that I feel like I need to read over again, just to make sure that I'm following the story right. All in all, it was a good read (obviously) and another book would probably just put it over the top. It was a good time to end the fantasy of Harry Potter.

I think I finally convinced Wally to read the books so I can talk to someone about them. I would love to hear your thoughts from the series. What did you think? What did or didn't you like? Try not to reveal the end, if you can help it, for those who have not read it yet. Feel free to comment if you wish. And with that, I say, farewell to Harry Potter, on a most appropriate day.

Fireworks Galore!

Fireworks are always a huge thing for us on the 4th of July. Anyone who really knows Wally (and me for that matter) understand what I mean. We have noticed that "pyromania" is being passed on to our children too, well Kelsie at least. Brandon still isn't quite sure how he feels about sparks flying everywhere. Caleb really didn't know what was going on, but had a great time watching the fireworks and would kick his legs every time, as long as he could see around the big towel we used to cover his ears. I was really excited to try out some of the stuff that I have been learning about by taking some cool pictures of the fireworks and sparklers. I'm pretty pleased with the results. We especially had fun actually seeing our names with the sparklers instead of just pretending like we've done for so long! We were even impressed with Kelsie, who wrote her own name clear enough to read.

We had a really fun 4th of July which included sleeping in, a bike ride, 100+ weather, a BBQ with some friends, and fireworks at night. We had a great time together and hope that everyone else had fun too.



































Our names are not all perfect, but we had fun doing it and think it's pretty cool.