To Boldly Go . . . to Peppermint Bark Brownies

A relative of a relative posted a link on her blog to someone who had a recipe for these brownies on her blog.  I guess that's why they call it the web, right?  Well, here's my production: (that's a drum roll you hear in the background, in case you were wondering)

These were very delic, using Martha Stewart's brownie recipe.  So, how do you serve a dressy brownie like these?  With peppermint ice cream and homemade chocolate sauce, of course.  

Overall, I really liked this recipe.  I wouldn't use Martha's brownie recipe, though, I'm happy with my own.  Plus, I'd double the amount of chocolate available for the two layers, at least the white chocolate.  I liked the idea in the blog of how to cut and serve the brownies, making them even more dressy, but I don't know what BJ would say if I ever pulled out a ruler to cut a pan of brownies!  

A Holly Jolly Report

We had one of our best Christmases ever this year.  And (surprise, surprise), it had nothing to do with the packages under the tree.  (But don't get me wrong, those were great fun . . . thanks, everyone, for your love and generosity).  I think my kids got the idea this year that Christmas is about loving everyone around us and being generous with our time, talents and resources.  Every year my family does a service project, most often we donate to a "Bishop's Storehouse" where bishops can send families in need to shop for Christmas.  Bug was totally into it, Belle did very well and Guy didn't understand why the man at D.I. was taking his toys away.  We'll keep working on him!  After that we had a great night of family, food, stories and games.  I honestly don't think anyone would have noticed if we hadn't opened one present.  (But, again, we did, and they were fabulous.  Thanks, everybody!)

A Boy And His (well, his Grandparents') Train . . . Priceless.

Christmas Eve was a fabulous day.  A huge storm had been promised on Christmas Day so we visited with my parents just in case we couldn't see each other the next day.  It was so great to be relaxed and calm and just have a chance to visit.  Oh, yeah, and there were presents.  Great presents!

I think my favorite Christmas memory was listening to Bug and her Grandpa play "chopsticks" on the piano.  I tear up everytime I think about it.  My kids have the incredible blessing of having the best four grandparents ever.  

In the evening we had a cyber-Christmas Eve.  What a blessing to have web-cams where even if our family is half-way across the world, we can still be together.  We sang, read scriptures, told stories, laughed and cried (literally . . . would you expect anything else of me?).

Christmas morning was a typical child's Christmas: chaos.  There were puzzles and books and clothes and candy and dolls and balls and candy and candy.  I always insist that there at least be an orange involved somewhere in the mess!  

Really, I promise, there's a house here somewhere.

After all of our storm-planning, the snow didn't arrive until evening.  So, Grandma and Grandpa came to our house, too.  It was great fun, but full of chaos and a very cranky, over-stimulated three year-old.  We were lucky to have Erin and Kara with us not just for Christmas Eve but the next night as well, due to our late-arriving storm.  Thanks, Mother Nature!

We were blessed with an amazing Christmas, one that I will always remember as a favorite.   We hope yours was just as great!

A Christmas Photo Shoot

Take One:

Really, Guy. And I thought my girls were dramatic.

Take Two:

Not bad, group. But do you think we could all look the same direction?

Take Three:

Well, two out of three isn't bad, I guess.

Take Four:

And we have a winner! Merry Christmas, everyone! Have a fabulous week.

Self-Portrait #1

Apparently the self-portrait obsession is genetic, and does not skip a generation.

Deck The Halls

It was the elementary school Christmas program tonight.  This was our first year participating, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  What I got was a zoo.  600 kids, 2,000 parents/relatives all with at least two cameras and a camcorder in tow, all vying for prime picture-taking spots.  It's a jungle out there, people.  But it really was a great night, one of those memory making moments I'm working really hard to build up with the kids. 

We had a fun night and enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa with us (they were presented with medals for being the best sports at a grandchild's school event).  We're screaming into the yuletide home stretch and I must say I'm enjoying Christmas so much more this year.  Slow down, make memories, enjoy the season, bake a lot, watch Christmas movies, read Christmas stories, look at all the Christmas lights, enjoy this great time of year.

Speaking of baking (well, sort of) I made myself a batch of this delic stuff tonight.  To give away, of course.  Oh, don't worry, I'm not a selfless baker/cook.  My batch is coming up tomorrow.  This is a great carmel popcorn.  Do not ask for the recipe unless you're prepared to look the other way as you combine obseen amounts of butter and sugar.   This batch is for the girls' teachers and Bug's piano teacher.  They're welcome.

Up next on the baking schedule, spiced nuts and Christmas bread (minus the pectin . . . sorry, Mom).  Stay tuned!

A Ghost of Christmas Past

Meet my old friends, my Department 56 Dickens Christmas village. We haven't put this out for about 6 years now because we had small children and nowhere perfect to put it. But after a visit to a friend's house and seeing her village on the floor, 6 children under 12 notwithstanding, I got brave! The Guy helped us put it out, and both BJ and I told him "Now Guy, we don't touch this, right?" about a million times. I did notice our firemen had been rearranged after my shower this morning, but no damage done, so we're OK.

This is one of BJ's favorites, our hotel. Love the doorman?

I'm glad I dusted this guy off. The kids already love it and I can tell it's going to be a fun new tradition to pull it out and set it up. I'm also glad we gave him a break, too. It felt like we were opening something completely new last night. I think I'll put a few more things away and pull them out in about 5 years. Great way to save on the shopping bill!

On 8 more shopping days left!

Priceless

-- Reflections is over! I only had one mom come up and question the judging. She started the conversation with "I don't want to be one of 'those' moms, but . . ." and then proceeded to be just that. But overall I think it went really well.

-- We celebrated St. Lucia day today. Well, Bug served breakfast. We're going to continually add to our St. Lucia traditions. What a great way to stretch out Christmas!

-- A great big snowstorm with nowhere to go!

-- A rousing game of "Grocery store" taking over the whole house. I'll let you know how well the cleanup goes!

-- Christmas is coming and I'm actually ready for it, not stressed out about how much I have to do!

-- Comfy pajamas and no reason to take them off!

-- A new crochet project and a complete lineup of Christmas movies!

Watch for those priceless moments in your life. They pass by way too fast!

Ebert & Roper . . . & Me

OK, so I saw "Twilight" this weekend with my sister. Giggle, giggle.




This was my sister's third viewing. But I'm not judging. It really wasn't a fantastic movie, but I would go again. Two hours of giggling and knowing glances with my sister. I was twelve again watching "The Man From Snowy River." Only four people on this planet get that reference and they've all been sworn to secrecy.

My favorites about this movie:

-- The casting. I think they did a good job capturing Edward, Bella, the Cullen clan, Charlie and Billy.

-- The soundtrack. Very cool. I'd own it. Hint hint.

-- The "Edward/Bella" chemistry. Wow. I loved the first seen when Bella goes into Chem. class and Edward looks like he's going to throw up. It just gets better from there.

-- Charlie. Nothing like a small-town Sheriff cleaning his gun, drinking beer and then introducing himself to the boyfriend, shotgun at his side.

Nice try, guys, but:

-- Edward's hair and the hand-me-down girl's coat he wears. The mother in me wanted to spit in my hand and flatten his hair. And for all the money the Cullens have, you think they'd have spent money on the coat, even if he didn't need it!

-- Edward's jumping and scaling of trees, and the "diamond skin" look. Sorry, it was just weird.

-- Carlisle's skin in the opening scene. It only bugged me at first, and then got better, so all's forgiven there.

The best thing about this movie was it helped me finish "Breaking Dawn." Not a fan of that book, at all. But that's another post for another day . . .

On a completely unrelated note Christmas is coming together quite nicely around here. We're to wrapping stage (it only took me 10 years to get this organized about Christmas!) and we're ready to go. Next week I start baking! I'm determined to try some of mine and BJ's Christmas favorites. Wish me luck! Have a great week, everyone.

Everyone's Doing It . . .

Both Erin and Bri have done random lists on their blogs, and since I'm running dry right now on "bloggable" material, I thought I'd give it a try, just so you don't miss me too much!



-- Our Thanksgiving was great but I really feel like I shortchanged this important holiday. We were so busy cooking turkey, eating (way too much, twice) and decorating for Christmas, I did not take even one picture! Feeling more than a few guilts about that one.



-- I will create a new blog design this week, you hear me! It's a matter of personal pride now.



-- I have every phobia you can name . . . water, enclosed spaces, open spaces, heights, public speaking, should I go on? I added a new one recently: that I will die and some well-meaning relative/neighbor will go to my house to clean and open a cupboard or closet. It's a great motivator, however. My closets have never looked better! My sister and I have a pact that we are the only ones allowed to clean each others houses if we have a stroke. Don't judge me!



-- We are 90% done with our Christmas shopping! This is a first for us and we're both busting with pride on our organizational abilities. Of course, if we go into the storage room and see all of the presents from Nana, alphabetized and categorized by age and favorite color, we realize we've gone some room to improve.



-- I volunteered to chair the PTA Reflections Contest at our elementary school this year. Why didn't anyone warn me?



-- Dark Chocolate is good for your heart and therefore considered a member of the fruits and vegetables food group in our house.



-- Bug "found out" about Santa this year. This kid is just so smart! Sigh.



-- My sister has seen Twilight twice since it hit the theaters and I'm going with her this weekend. My mom would probably say our time would better be spent cleaning out our closets. She'd be right!



-- I think I was born about 120 years too late. I love going to Gardner Village, This Is The Place State Park and watch reruns of Little House on the Prairie and Avonlea. I have a secret urge to darn socks and churn butter.



-- I am a closet country music fun. Remember "Go Team Shelton!"?



OK, there you go. Now I'm off to clean a closet so I can die in peace!

Hail To The Guy

(Guy's newest picture-taking phase -- "smile, Buddy!")

My sweet little boy turned three on Friday. Steady girl . . . deep breaths. He is such a funny little guy, he really makes our house a happy place. It's almost impossible to discipline this kid. The crocodile tears just come falling out of those gorgeous blue eyes, and it's enough to melt the toughest of parents, which I'm not!

Guy loves anything with a motor, and anything with a screen. We're looking forward to our guest house on his estate he'll build after his dot com goes public. He also loves running around outside. We can't pass the park fast enough before I hear "Go to the park, Mommy!" from the back seat, repeated about 100 times.

He is definitely his Daddy's boy. Those two are a dangerous pair, I tell you. Remember the incident with the alien's head being chopped off and Guy telling us, "It's OK, I'll kiss it better"? Yeah. They are just about inseperable and all day long I hear "When's Daddy coming home?" The minute BJ comes home, he becomes a little "Parent Stalker", and Guy will hardly let his daddy take his shoes off! However, I selfishly think there's a pretty special bond between the two of us as well. We love reading books together and playing on the floor with all of his cars. Did I mention he's additced to anything with a motor or a screen?

We were up North on a road trip visiting Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa, so his wasn't a traditional bday this year. We did go to their ward dinner that night and the cute ward sung Happy Birthday to our Guy. It actually made me cry! (That's my DH in the background you hear saying "Really, that's so unlike you!")

We just love our guy! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Can I Still Blog About Halloween?

I know, it's been over a week, but I have a laundry list of excuses. More on that later.

We had a short Halloween due to rainy weather and one reluctant superhero. Our evening started out at Auntie Kara's, where we took all her candy because we decided no one was going to knock on her door. Well, the kids decided that, anyway. Bug and Belle canvassed a couple of streets in our neighborhood and then had enough sense to come in out of the rain. (I've always wanted to say that!)


I'm so sorry that this picture does not do justice to the Halloween costumes, particularly Belle's. She truly was the most glamorous kid on the block. Bug and I just kind of put hers together, but she had a lot of fun with it. "But where's the Guy?" I hear you all shouting at me. Well . . . in the car, having absolutely nothing to do with Halloween. No mask, no door knocking, nada. He clung to my sister's pants until I thought she'd be arrested for indecent exposure, so we let it go.

Until . . .

It's amazing how big his smile got as we started sharing some of the candy his sisters got. Well, not really that amazing if you know Guy at all, I guess. Luckily we bought their candy back before he could eat the whole bag at one sitting!

We finished up our evening with pizza (a firm tradition in our family) and a double-feature of "Ghost Whisperer." So, not the most exciting of holidays but we all enjoyed and I made copious notes for some fun ideas for next year!

Confessions of a Halloween Non-Lover

Hello, my name is Julianne, and I really don't like Halloween all that much. There. Thank you. I feel much better.

I hate the creepy side of Halloween. Since when did eating gummy severed fingers become cute? No skeletons and ghosts, blood and gore for me. And I hate the teenage trick-or-treaters pounding on my door, demanding free sugar.

So, to couneract my own bad attitutude (is that BA is blog-speak? I don't know), I'm going to force myself to "fake it 'til you make it" with this day. The kids have darling costumes (well, Bug's is kind of a cop-out, but she'll still look darling anyway) and I'll make it a great day for my kids sake. Halloween in DH's family was a totally cute family event, and those are memories I want my kids to have. But I'm not dressing up, do you hear me?

So, since I've laid it all on the table for you, it's your turn now. Do you really like Halloween, or are you just going along with the crowd on this one? Come on, we're all friends here.

Everything With a Plug Hates Me Today

Electronics are not my friend today. Let me 'splain.

Exhibit A:

Camera's still sand-fritzed. Mom took her's back (fair enough, but where's the princess special treatment here?) It's not under warranty anymore but a fab little camera. So until we bite the bullet and take it somewhere to get fixed, I'm outta luck.

Exhibit B:

Turned on brand new laptop yesterday afternoon to see a black screen telling me my hard drive can't be found (IT'S RIGHT THERE, YOU MEAN LITTLE MACHINE!!) So, until DH calls India (can't do it, just can't), I'm again outta luck. Thank heavens for our workhorse desktop, which was supposed to be the kids computer. Problem here is, I took everything off the desktop and put it on the laptop. Now the desktop runs like a champ, but is completely empty! (AAAAHHH!) DH even told me he's got a Costco card for my bday to print out some scrapbook pages. Great idea, thank's hon, love ya tons, but until I can access some of those scrapbook pages I've been slaving over, well, you see the problem. (DOUBLE AAAAAHHHH!)

So, if my next blog post is scratched on a rock and hurled through your front window, you'll know why. Wish me luck.

Creation . . . Compassion . . . God's Happiness

Thank you, President Uchtdorf. I was completely blown away by President Uchtdorf's talk at the Relief Society Meeting last week. So simple. So "easy." So true. I think women have an innate knowledge of this truth, which is why we, by our very natures, love the creative process and are so compassionate, or at least that's how we should be.

Read his words again and look around you at all you've created today, even if it's just a mess! Take advantage of all the opportunities around you to show compassion. Be happy!

Would It Really Be That Bad?

With all of this talk of our crumbling economy and what our government should do to fix it, this thought keeps coming to my mind: Would it be that bad for us to learn some of the lessons our grandparents learned from the Depression?

-- Would it kill us to only have one car in our garage?

-- Would we all expire if Christmas was just a time to be together with family?

-- Certainly our children be scarred for life if the family all had to work together to raise a garden and preserve fruits and vegetables for the winter, right?

-- Isn't it illegal in some states not to have your children enrolled in 4 after-school activities each? (says the music teacher sheepishly)

You get the idea. Now, I'm certainly not promoting we return to a time when umemployment was at about 60% and many people went hungry, but I think it's interesting that the children of the Great Depression grew up to be labeled by many as the Greatest Generation in our nation's history. Could it be that having few material possessions causes you to be creative, hard working, unselfish and empathetic? And could it be that having more material possessions than you can possibly handle makes you expect everything (including answers to financial disasters) to be handed to you on a silver platter?

Certainly one of the biggest contributing factors to this mess we're tangled in right now is the fact that we as a generation have grown up believing that the only symbol of a successful life is the accumulation of material wealth.

Maybe its time to redefine what "successful" really means.

A Gold Star Moment

There are certain moments in my life that I consider "Gold Star." I will never forget them and I will always treasure them in my heart. Saturday was definitely one of those days.

It was funny, but I went to write in my journal that night, and all I could write was "Bug was baptized today." There were no other words that could describe how proud I was of her and how much I love my babygirl. She's growing up to be a greater person than I could ever hope for.

I love you, Sweetheart!

Pause To Think

My niece told me yesterday that I needed to update because she was running out of things to do at work. Let's hope her boss doesn't read my blog!

I had two "thinking" moments this weekend. One while reading the "Oprah" magazine at the hairdressers, the other in church today. Actually, that just gave me a third "thinking moment"!

Oprah's "A-ha" moment this month was written by Angela Bassett. It was the last paragraph that caught my attention. Her basic idea is that if you are doing what you love, what you are passionate about, you won't be able to do it in an average way. It really made me think about the effort and passion I put into every part of my life.

A sister in our Relief Society made a comment today that I never want to forget. She said that it is the "Seekers" in life who will be the happiest in the next life. The ones who seek the Spirit the most, the ones who are constantly seeking opportunities for learning and service. She said you can almost predict how they will act in any situation because they are a Seeker. Later someone else made a comment about being doers of the word and not hearers only. The phrase "Seekers and Doers" has been ringing in my ears all day.

Think of how we would act if we were all Passionate Seekers and Doers! I think we might even get this political system of ours straightened out!

Happy week!

Will the Best Candidate Please Stand?!

Beej and I have been following the presidential election very closely and I have to say, the whole thing is really starting to give me a monstrous headache! Here's why:


-- We live in the absolutely, hands down, no doubt about it, most wonderful country on earth. I truly believe our Heavenly Father guided the establishment of our nation. Read David McCullough's "1776" if you don't believe me. BUT, most of our politicians (notice I didn't say leaders) are doing their best to mess that up by making us a nation of sides: culture v. culture, man v. woman, party v. party, religion v. religion, rich v. poor, etc. When has that ever really solved any problem? I guess it keeps all of us wondering, the debaters screaming, and their paychecks coming.


-- I would love to make a completely educated vote in two months (I absolutely refuse to vote straight party-line, sorry Mom), but I don't know that I will ever be able to do it. The truth is buried under about five thousand layers of spin, hidden somewere between sound bytes, rallies of party die-hards, celebrity endorsements, and media bias.


-- We seem to have come to believe as a nation that all you need to run this most fabulous nation on earth is the ability to give a fabulous speech. I'm pointing an accusing finger at both sides here, people.


-- There are still many true patriots left in our great nation. They must be even more frustrated than I am, having the desire and ambition to work for all of us but being hog-tied by a system that only rewards and promotes those who follow the party-line. I'm sure some of them have simply thrown their hands in the air and left the life of public service.

-- On a very self-critical note, it also seems everyone in this blessed nation of ours is an expert, knowing exactly what should be done to solve all of our ills, how each of us should live our lives, and what each of us should think, but being totally unwilling to do anything about it. We have too many people clucking their tongues about "how broken the system is" but who are more than willing to let someone else do the dirty work, whether they do it right or not. I'm one of those apathetic voters, I admit. But being a more educated voter is a start, right? Right?!

So I'll climb down off of soapbox now and continue my quiet life of raising three kids in the 'burbs. I'll keep trying to do my best to sort through the information being chucked at me at the speed of light and try to find a patriot to lead our nation.

Will someone hand me an Excedrin, please?

Whoops!

So, DH calls me this afternoon and starts quoting my last post to me, telling me I've made promises to my blogging public and I didn't follow through. Bad me, bad! It always takes me a week or two to adust to the school-year routine! But we're now safely into our routine, getting up before dawn, packing backpacks, doing homework . . . all those fun school-year to-do's.

So, here's some 1st day pics. It went really well and I didn't even cry! Well, not much. I just miss my kids when they're at school! Belle had no problems adjusting. She kept asking me, "Mom, do you really have to be here?!"

Cutest 3rd Grader. Ever!

Bug's more nervous than her sister! Go figure!

"OK, Mom. You can go home now." (Sigh.)

And we're back ... sort of.

Mom gave me her camera for a couple of days, so I can show you what we've been up to and I can take some "1st day" pics.

First off: my missionary returns!

My more than a little handsome newphew served his mission is Cambodia, but spoke Vietnamese. All of the sudden he's this grown up man, ready and able to take on the world! It's great to have him home.

We also had our annual "putt n' swim" end of summer mini golf/swimming party at my parents house yesterday afternoon. How fun is it to be together with your family, laughing and just having a great time?!

So tomorrow morning I send my girls off to school. Don't worry, I've got my kleenex ready. It's a great thing to get back into a school-year routine, but I'm sure going to miss my little stinks all day long. I'll post some more pics tomorrow before I have to give my mom's camera back to her. Thanks, Mom!

Sorry, guys, I got nothin'!

I've been trying to think of something clever and witty to dazzle you with, but . . . nothin'. I'm more than a tad bugged because my camera's on the fritz. We may need to pull in a birthday favor a little early. Sigh.

The highlight of this week was the return of my handsome nephew from his Cambodian mission. Seriously ladies, line forms to the left! I guess we share some common genes, but I can't see any. I'd love to show him off, but remember how my camera is not functioning right now? Sigh.

I've purchased my back to school box of Kleenex, two this time! We're excited and ready to go. And in case you're worried about me, my back to school blues last about 5 minutes and then I'm headed off to buy myself a celebratory soda! And I'm sure the Guy will make sure I still feel needed.

So, I promise to resolve my camera dilemma and post a list of some of my latest pet projects soon! Think scrapbooking, crocheting, sewing, canning ... have I gone off the deep end a bit? Don't answer that!

Calling All Readers!

All of you readers out there (you know who you are) why don't you join me at Goodreads? I've been having the best time tracking what I'm reading and getting great recommendations for a growing "to-read" list. If you sign up and want to be friends, let me know.

Happy Week to All!

Aloha!

After several days I'm finally emerging from my jet-lag haze (I'm pathetic, I know) and getting back to real life!

Our vacation was one word ... fabulous! We can't thank everyone enough who made it possible for us. Grandpa, Nana, Jim and Kathie... you're all amazing. Some of our favorite spots:

-- Kua 'Aina Hamburgers (of course)

-- Liliha Bakery cocoa puffs (we had these bad boys in our hands within an hour of arriving)

-- Ala Moana mall (if only we could afford to actually buy something there!)

-- Lovely Ladies' Luncheon (Thanks Kathie!)

-- Matsumoto's Shave Ice ... these are no snow cones, people!

-- The Polynesian Cultural Center (ask Adam about this one!)

-- Teddy's Bigger Burgers (sigh, more food!)

-- Kailua Beach (at least the big people liked it (Bug and Guy both got slammed into the beach, end of beach experience!)

-- A true favorite spot was Jim and Kathie's pool and home theater. At least I think the theater was our favorite spot, I never really stayed awake long enough to find out!

-- Haleiwa Joe's, where the scenery is gorgeous and the Prime Rib is indescribably huge!

But beyond all the food and the fabulous scenery was the great time we had being with our family and friends in Hawaii. We celebrated Grandpa's 90th birthday, caught up with old friends and were generally spoiled! I have to admit it was a little hard to come home!

But we did come home to our life, family and friends here! We're now getting ready to start school, 3rd grade and Kindergarten! Get your kleenex's ready, people!

A Mountain Party

Over the 4th weekend, we all gathered at our cabin for a birthday party/4th celebration/general family cabin fun-time. All my family was there, except for my missionary nephew (who comes home next month -- yeah!) and my nanny niece who was too busy raking in the money to join us. Didn't blame her a bit, though. I look at the money some of these babysitters make and sometimes I think I'm in the wrong line of work!

The birthday "kids." Bug, her Daddy, Uncle P. and her Auntie. Happy Birthday, everyone!

Our three trouble-makers cooking up a cousins' team for the Wasatch Back Relay next year. I volunteered to drive the van and hand out the band-aids! C'mon, Adam, you know you want to!!




I have cute kids. 'Nough said.

Two of my all-time favorite ladies, doing one of my all-time favorite things . . . dishing up cake and ice cream!

My favorite pic from our day. My greatest happiness in life is knowing my children have such a strong relationship with all of their grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins and just love being with them. It makes me think that between the temper tantrums and messy bedrooms, I must be doing something right!

Up next: Aloha!!

Celebrating the Fourth and Auntie Kara Returns!

Our home is right across the street from the local golf course, and every year they do a big carnival and fireworks show. Sounds like a reason to party, don't you think? So we gathered BJ's cousins and family friends (honestly, I think Lindsey Lohan could have showed up and we wouldn't have noticed, there were so many people there), fired up the barbeque and celebrated!

The carnival, to be honest, was alot more pricey and not as much fun this year. But the kids didn't know any different, and had a great time.

(BTW, see those sock's Bug's wearing? I made those . . . just sayin'.)

After dinner, the cousins started running laps around the house. I think my favorite moment came from my favorite red-head. She climbed on the rock wall, and yelled: "Attention all parents, look at me!" At this point she started doing a striking impersonation of Elvis singing "Aloha-oi." I love you, Maddie!

This is about a third of the kids at our party. We had a great time, and nobody got lost! Yeah me!

The next day our favorite Kara returned from her London adventures! Yeah us! How did we celebrate? We ate, of course! What did we talk about at dinner? What we're going to eat on our Hawaiian vacation, of course! We're not stress eaters, we're celebratory eaters! Erin also came up for the weekend and we enjoyed a 7 hour game of Monolopy and a good old-fashioned run through the sprinklers. Nana made a very true comment as we watched Aunties and girls run through the sprinklers: "We don't need a pool, we've got sprinklers!"

Right after I took this pic, they all dragged Kara through the sprinklers, just so she could match Erin. Thanks, ladies!

Up next: A Mountain Party!

A Road Trip, Eh?!

It's been one of those summers where we've been so busy living life, I haven't had the time, or the energy, to blog about it. So I'm backing us up a bit to our road trip up North. The kids are fabulous road-tripers, except for bug's motion sickness, so we really enjoy a nice long drive. And now that I have a lap-top, guess what I spent most of the drive working on? Digital Scrapbooking, of course. Stay tuned for an update on that one.

The Guy really took to his Great-Grandpa while we were in Canada. This time we camped out at their house instead of the local hotel, which gave us a lot more time to just visit and have fun. Grandpa was a fabulous sport to let Guy "push" him in his chair, and Grandma gave cooking and punch-needle embroidery lessons. We even attempted Chinese Checkers. Help, Erin!

So I came home with more projects that I left with, which DH is absolutely thrilled about, and we're already trying to decide when we can go back. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

Next up: Fireworks and the Return of the Roving Kara!

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day, even though you'd never hear BJ mention it. His Father's Day celebration? He took Belle home from church during Sacrament Meeting with a fever. What a day! BJ is the best dad for my little kids. They adore him. There's nothing like the screams that erupt from our house when he walks in the door. He lets them eat candy, stay up late up and watch TV shows that are too mature for them, and they love him for it! And I love him for being such an active, engaged Daddy.

Here's my daddy with his girls. My dad is my unfailing champion. He never tells me anything but that he loves me and he's proud of me. The best gift he's given me as an adult is his respecting me as an adult. I'm sure (ok, positive) I make choices in my life he feels are wrong, but he would never say anything. He never checks up on me, never says or does anything to make feel like less of an adult, he just lets me make my own, very large, pile of mistakes. I adore my daddy!

And I have to mention BJ's dad. His devotion to his faith and his family are amazing to me, and inspiring. He sets a very high standard for himself and inspires others to do the same. I'm so grateful for the things he's teaching my children by his example, and, selfishly, that my two year-old has a passport thanks to his service. We love you, Dad!

So, to all of the Dad's in my life, have a wonderful day. You're strong and loving and inspiring. Thank you for working hard every day of your life in service of your families!

My new toy . . . I mean, um, essential household tool

Thank you, President Bush!

Our stimulus check (or bribe money, I don't know) came on Monday. Guess what we came home with Monday night? Our new Dell Inspiron 1525. I'm in love. Sorry, Honey. And don't worry, Mom and Dad, there's still plenty left to stimulate our bank account, thanks to my three mess-makers. It was definitely time for an upgrade in the household technology department with all the work I do on the computer. And, thanks to Beej, we have a brand spanking new copy of Office '07. So sweet. Outlook is my new best friend because it will color code my numerous appointments and tasks. OC but not D, right everyone?

Other than a new computer at our house, it's been a very quiet beginning to the summer season at our house. Here's a picture of my graduate, the preschool graduate, that is.

Ellie and her Preschool Teacher, Miss Sue

So if you'll excuse me, I need to go check Outlook and see if it's time to brush my teeth yet. Have a great week everyone!

Remembering

We had a very fun, busy Memorial Day weekend. I love to go to the cemetery each year I can to visit the graves of my grandparents. They all died before I was born, with the exception of my paternal grandmother, who died before my first birthday. So to me, visiting their graves is kind of like going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. The girls have gotten into the spirit and enjoy it as well. My sister and niece went with us so it was kind of a party!

My kids loved being with their beautiful cousin. She'll graduate from Murray High School this weekend (go David!) and plans to study child psychology. Let me know how that goes, kid!

A new stop this year was the Salt Lake City cemetery, where DH's great-grandparents are buried. He'd never been there, so I was excited for the hunt. We scrubbed and shined the tombstone and were pretty happy with the results.

Monday, we had a "barbeque" (meaning we grilled chicken outside but ate downstairs) with some old Hawaii friends. We love the rain (mother nature's irrigation system) but it certainly can be inconvenient! But I'm sure we'll get more than our share of sun. Belle's preschool graduation was today, out in the sun. I forgot how cranky that can make me! Sorry, world!

I'll do another post from "graduation" this week. Take care, everyone!