Random Thoughts About Random Things

And all his dreams came true

2011-12-14T20:23:00.000-08:00

And all her dreams came true

2011-12-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

...even if it rained all day long.

Stuff

2011-12-06T13:28:00.001-08:00

I haven't been in the mood lately.
So here's a little update.

We had a blue monster and a crazed, homeless fairy/princess roaming and haunting on halloween night.

We also had a wedding.
Edith thought she'd died and entered a fairy tale.
She wouldn't let go of the bride's hand or dress whenever she was around.
There's nothing like a real live "princess" to make your day when you are two.
And holding flowers is always fun for about two minutes, at which point handing them to your mother and locating the cake is even better.

Four is great!

2011-10-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

This little boy:

01. Wants to marry me...or Edith.
02. Asks questions about everything, like:
"Why is the sky blue?"
"What is under the ground?"
"Pipes are in houses, right?"
"Are bats real?"
"Witches are not real, right?"
03. Can hike for 2 miles without much complaint
04. Is going to be an orange bat next year for Halloween, and a skeleton the year after that, and Captain America the year after that, and Batman the year after that, and a Vampire the year after that.
05. Picked out all of our skis and boots from the SKI magazine. (It looks as if I will have to learn to Telly- ski this year.)
06. Loves preschool.
07. Tells me he loves me multiple times a day, and then kisses me.
08. Loves to sing.

A day in the life of the two year old who has reached her stride at being two.

2011-09-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Whining and moaning:

"I want some cereal
"I need my blanket"
"I don't want to go potty!"
"No"
"No"
"No"
"No"
"No"
"No"
"No"
"Oh cheerios!"
"I don't want to take a nap!"
"I'm tired"
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why?"
"I don't want to!"
"That looks gross"
"I can do it!"
"Help me!"
"No, I can do it!"
"HEEELLLLLPPP!
"I don't want to!

This is all accompanied by...

Bugging her brother because she can.
Pulling EVERYTHING out.
Not taking a nap.
Getting stuck in things, over and over and over and screaming for help to get out, only to get back in again.
Refusing to get dressed when we need to go.
Not letting me dress her.
Screaming if her brother even looks at her.
Refusing to go when we need to go.
Touching EVERYTHING at the store.
Biting her brother.
Ripping the library books in half.
(The last two happened as I was writing, which are essentially my fault because I wasn't paying enough attention...but still.)

We might just be sinking into insanity.

At least she's finally potty trained.
I'm sure the fact that she is getting a molar doesn't help the situation either.

It should be noted that my attitude has contributed to the mass chaos, and so the two year old cannot be blamed completely, and the four year old has just watched in dismay and been a perfect gem.

Awkward family photos

2011-08-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Pretty sure these should go in the Awkward Family Photos book.

"Let's just stand on either side of the door and have the kids in the middle." (and look like a bunch of random people just standing around in the same area and smiling at the camera.)

It seemed like a good idea.

But I suppose posing the children and taking the candy away might have been a good idea too.

"Let's kiss under the kids" (while Craig picks his teeth)

Yeah, maybe next year we'll have a little more success.

In other funny news...this is hilarious.

Last but not least

2011-08-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

The third and final installment of our month of reunions.

The shirts say it all.

The little red cardinal is in honor of my grandmother who passed away last spring.

Her favorite bird was the cardinal.

We played some more "minute-to-win-it"

Laughed our heads off at each other.

Went to Bear Lake again.

Ate more food than our bellies could eat.

Screamed down the mother of all slip-n-slides. (Imagine a sod farm in the river bottoms. Then imagine the coolest homemade water slide of all time.)

(Three cheers for my 80 + year-old grandpa who has instilled a sense of adventure and adrenaline in all of us. I don't know if we'd have so much fun if we didn't all get a little of his genes.)

Had a huge sleep-over in the Israelsen cabin.

My beautiful mother planned it all, and it was a success.

Thank heaven for families.

(If you click on the last picture of the water slide you can see my mother and Edith in stop-motion sliding down the hill.)

Cousin camp

2011-07-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Reunion #2:
Eat food
Go to bear lake
Baby bodies
Cousin Carnival
Hiking for boys
Sing ridiculous camp songs with grandpa
Jump on the trampoline non-stop
Sparklers
The homeless child
Marshmallows in extreme amounts
Play in the barley field
Runs and bunches
Happiness

Reunion!

2011-07-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

A little "Minute
to Win it."

Nature at its finest.

Family at its finest.

A little
mini
"Minute to
Win it."

Babies everywhere.

It's pretty tough to blow a cup off a table.

Best friends.

A day for rainbows

2011-07-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while driving through the Cache Valley Canyons we followed/were followed by rainbows that seemed to never end.

I don't think I've seen so many in one day for long time. It was a beautiful, and peaceful drive. The children were crashed in the back seat after a long and lovely Isrealsen reunion. (more photos coming soon)

I wish I could see rainbows every day but I suppose I wouldn't love them so much if I did.

Epic

2011-07-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

Ryan has had the last two weeks off.
And they have been epic.

The great thing about Ryan is that he has a lot of energy.
So anything we might do as a family is also going to involve a lot of energy.

She was dead.

Now she's not.

It all started last Monday with a hike to the SLC reflectors.
Craig was a champion hiker and made it all the way to the top with no complaints...
then he threw up the next day. We might have overdone it...a little.

Then on Thursday we decided to rent a tandem bike and hook the chariot trailer up to it.
Not thinking about the fact that we live at the top of a hill, we rode all the way down it to get to the park.
It was a long hot journey home, but we made it, and had fun.
Unfortunately we have no pictures because I'm sure it was a sight.

Today we decided to hike again, but this time carry both kids.
Ryan found a peak that held his fancy so up we went.
Did you know that the baby bjorn can also act like a child packpack?
I really wouldn't suggest trying it. Not too comfy.
It was epic.
We are tired.
But we did it together.

What have we learned these last two weeks?
If you are doing anything with Ryan, it will be epic, but lots of fun.

We can do hard things.

4 years

2011-06-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

For Craig's birthday Ryan decided we needed to have something epic and thought up, along with his sister Liz, the Jedi training course.


The final challenge required the Jedi's-in-training to lift a Bocce ball using only the "Force." (Ryan tied fishing line to the balls and someone lifted them while the kids lifted their arms) The result was a bunch of kids who now believe in the "Force" and their power to lift Bocce balls.

She's lifting...

"The Force is strong with this one."

For completing their Jedi training light-saber's were awarded.

And the natives rejoiced!

Eating chocolate cake and hot dogs to their hearts content.

Chocolate Cake Recipe (from my dear neighbor upstairs)

Cake

1 box of Devil's food cake mix

1 cup of water

3 eggs

1/3 cup corn oil

1/3 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Icing

1 12-ounce bag of semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups of sugar

2/3 cup of milk

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. Butter 3 nonstick 8-inch cake pans with 1 1/2inch sides.

Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips and beat on high for 2 minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter in the cake pans and bake until a knife comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes then pull out of pans and let cool completely.

Put the chocolate chips in a bowl. Combine the sugar, milk, butter, and kosher salt in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occassionally. Let boil vigorously for exactly 1 minute. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the chocolate. Add the vanilla. Beat on high until the mixture begins to thicken to a spreadable consistency, 10 to 15 minutes.

Assemble frosting in between each layer the frosting the outside. Decorate how you choose.

The land of my fathers

2011-06-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Just more pictures than you can probably stomach of my parents home and their view.
We will pretty much be there every weekend for the next six weeks.
I am just getting it out of my system now.
I will try to refrain from any more shots of mountains, fields and sky and try to keep it a little more interesting in the future.

Thanks for humoring me and my romantic heart.

Land of Enchantment sky

2011-06-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

There's something about evening when the sky does this,
that makes my heart sing a little.

In New Mexico, when I worked here, it would rain almost every afternoon and the thunderheads would roll in. As they passed over us and moved to the east the sun would begin to set and the never-ending sky would turn into a tapestry of color and clouds.

Summer is a glorious time, don't you think?

Summer

2011-06-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

A something in a summer's noon --
A depth -- an Azure -- a perfume --
Transcending ecstasy.

--Emily Dickinson

Flying

2011-06-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

The superhero just learned to fly...on a bike.
And so it must be documented.

Edith also has a bike called a strider.
She is learning to zoom along on it.

We wear helmets
The weather is cool.

We like to eat food and play at the park.
Ryan works hard.

McKenzie irons clothes and watches Masterpiece Theater.
She is learning to cook meals good.

(Did you catch the sarcasm and the typos? I'm a little tired today)

Forgive the background commentary, it's meant for the 4-year old.

Because I want to go

2011-06-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

Oh Happy Day is giving away a trip to Paris.
It's a long shot...but a girl can dream.

Things we hear at least once a day

2011-06-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

"I just have to dance"
"Kitty!"
"This is dog poop," referring to her chewed up meat after it returned to the plate or just referring to anything brown and globular.
"ABCD...G...keleMN..P!..S!TUB..X!...C"
"No!"

The land of cold fairytales

2011-05-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

None of these pictures capture it, but Cache Valley looked like images from some Peter Jackson production. Everything was bright green and dramatic. Sun was peeking through the ever-present clouds and I could almost see fairies sparkling across the hillsides.

The one drawback: it was cold. Really, really cold. Which makes me think that fairytale lands really aren't what they seem.

Womanly things

2011-05-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

image : eric rose photography

I've just been learning about these.

It seems like a good idea to me. What about you, my women friends?

Penny for her thoughts

2011-05-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Edith awoke from her nap.
As she was sitting in her bed she said to me:

"I just need to sing something first."

She favored me with her own rendition of "When Will My Life Begin"
from Tangled, then asked to be removed from her crib.

I remember always wondering what Craig was thinking when he was this age, he could barely put two words together. But I never have to wonder what's on Edith's mind.

Usually it comes right out without anyone even asking.

And when you do ask what's on her mind...the answer is always entertaining.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

Crag

2011-05-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

Craig (Welsh for: dweller by the crag) shows why he was given his name!
He was fearless, dad got a bit nervous for him when he was running around and not tied to a rope!

Sans children

2011-05-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

Spending some time with the red rocks.

Sunlight in the stairwell

2011-04-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

The sun finally came out today.

We found the light in the stairwell.

The shadows were fun to see change and move.

Phone aps

2011-04-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?

The day before Easter

2011-04-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

We did all the things you normally do for Easter.
We roasted marshmallows.
Went on Four-wheeler rides.
Visited graves.
Drove around the valley.
Played with cousins.
Roasted more marshmallows.

Friday, Friday

2011-04-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

The Dr. is free for two weeks.

We can't quite contain ourselves.

"We

So excited

We're gonna have a ball, today."

If you want to join in the fun, fun, fun, fun...give us a call.

(Ryan is playing Minute to Win it. He has a kite tied to that visor and he has to keep it up in the air for sixty seconds by running. Funniest thing I've seen for a while.)

Another movie

2011-04-20T15:24:00.001-07:00

I don't know if this is touched up or not, but it's beautiful to see.

Symmetry

2011-04-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

Symmetry from Everynone on Vimeo.

Two

2011-04-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Edith turned the big 2 yesterday.
We had lots of fun visitors.
We ate these cupcakes.
And hot dogs because she asked for them.
She now has a bike.
Her joy is complete.

Butter + chocolate

2011-04-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this look divine?
Now I need an occasion to use it.
Anyone want to have a party?

Lemons

2011-03-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

There's something about lemons that make me think spring.
Maybe it's just because they're yellow.

I came across this recipe from Martha.
It was really good, but I would maybe cut the lemons even thinner. If that is at all possible. They were a little bitter in the cake.

We've also been trying to eat more veggies...and make them interesting.
I purchased this cookbook a while back and I've found that everything I've made from it has been pretty tasty.

In other food news: check this out! super cool.

So here is a recipe for lemony green beans from America's Test Kitchen: Healthy Family Cookbook.

Because it's spring and lemons, according to me, mean spring!

Green Beans

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut on the bias into 2-inch lengths
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I think I used more)
1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley, basil, and/or mint (I only had parsley and mint, but it tasted great!)

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Add the beans and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

2. Clear the center of the skillet and add the remaining teaspoon oil and garlic. Cook, mashing the mixture into the pan, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir it into the beans.

3. Add the water, cover, and cook until the beans are bright green and still crisp, about 2 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to high, and cook until the water evaporates and the beans are crisp-tender and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Silly children

2011-03-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

"Step away from the dolls."

We've been having a lot of fighting around here lately.

I wonder if it's an age thing.

Or maybe it's just spring and we don't get out enough.

They were so nice to each other not too long ago.

Craig is constructive, Edith is destructive, it's a problem.

It's funny how they can share, then they can't, then they can, then they can't.

Anyone else notice this?

Back

2011-03-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

These are rad.

Parenting

2011-03-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

I found this pleasant and reassuring after reading this a while back.

Training

2011-03-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

We are attempting a little of this today.
Girls are different then boys.
Amen.

Irish

2011-03-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

A little bit of spring

2011-03-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Reading

2011-03-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Anyone have any good book suggestions?
I'm in desperate need.

2011-03-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

We awoke to this this morning.

It was a little depressing

And frustrating when I had to shovel my car out of the gutter and I was splashed by every car driving by.

Something is terribly wrong when you get a foot of snow in March.

Luckily the sun has come out and all will be well in a day or two.

We are watching the snow melt before our eyes.

This balmy weather is confusing.

Beside that point doesn't this look like loads of fun?

Craig couldn't take his off the pictures all morning.

I think he had Up visions floating through his head.

Colorful balloons that really fly things.

Every kids dream.

(And adults by the looks of it)

If you can guess what the buried object is then you must have kids.

Since we are talking about her...

2011-03-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

We went to the LDS church art museum.
They have an awesome children's hands on exhibit.
Edith really enjoyed the latin dancing and the skirt.

It's really not a funny video, but it was really cute at the time.
You kind of had to be there.
So maybe you should go try it yourself.
They have adult sized skirts too.

And a full sized Angel Maroni gold leafed and all.

Dressing herself

2011-03-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

At least she sort of matches.

Read

2011-02-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

I just finished this.
It was sweet, and verbose, and magical.
For some reason I now want to learn latin.

You might like it too.

2011-02-22T15:55:00.000-08:00

lots of snow.

The bear being caged.

We went up to West Yellowstone for the weekend.

Just imagine more snow than you can imagine.
Then imagine more snow flying sideways.
Then imagine lots and lots of swimming.
Then imagine lots of fun and little sleep.

Now imagine two cousins almost the same age of different genders.
Yeah, lets just say that the above picture was one of their better moments.

We saw bears (don't worry I didn't take any pictures) and wolves, and even a Bald Eagle.
And lots and lots and lots of snow.

40+

2011-02-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

We pretended it was warm.

There's something about 40 degrees that makes us think summer has arrived.

Something new

2011-02-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

Did you know?
Fun random facts for every day.

I like random facts.

Studio

2011-02-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

A friend opened up her studio for us to attempt a photo shoot.
I learned two things:

01. I have no clue what I'm doing
02. 1 year olds don't pose, which explains my overabundance of pictures of Craig this year and the few of Edith.

This guy looks like he has kid photography figured out.
I need to take some pointers from him.
It looks more like play.

Kid History

2011-02-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

Now to part from Netflix and Wuthering Heights, with its mind-numbing drama.
(just watched it, I used to hate, now not so much)

A little YouTube Utah filmaking.
Pretty funny.

Instant

2011-02-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

I just saw The Red Balloon on Netflix.
It was sweet and short.

Here's a few of the Instant Queue that I'm watching:

An Education(intriguing British film)
The Maiden Heist (a little silly but cute)
Howard's End (another one of those random, intriguing British films)
About a Boy (always worth it)
Ponyo (anime meets Disney, kind of cool, Craig likes it)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (a classic)
Lady Hawk (another classic)

Sparkles

2011-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

I just bought some sparkles.
I never realized how happy they'd make me.

You should get some.
It's a good feeling.

Floor puzzle

2011-01-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

My brother's family gave us floor puzzles for Christmas.
Best. Gift. Ever.
There is nothing like a puzzle to keep this little man engrossed for hours.
He sits and whispers to himself as he works.
I didn't know.
Now I do.
Thanks Ben and Emma.
You've saved my sanity a little this winter.

Love

2011-01-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

This would be fun to see. Or do.

seen here.

Get busy

2011-01-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

I really love the top skirt.
But I really think it can be made for much less.
I think I will give it a try.
Anyone want to come make a day of it?

sky

2011-01-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

Our sky has been really hazy for a long time.
So when it finally began to clear I remembered that it's easy to climb on our roof.
Here's a few pics from our tumultuous sky from the last few days.

Ah...Blogging

2011-01-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

I just read this.
It was pretty interesting.
It is kind of a silly world.
But there are worse things.
I guess.

p.s. can't wait for the green again.
p.p.s. I realize that the last post coincides not at all with the one before it.

A little bit of Baklava, a double superhero, and a spotless girl.

2011-01-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

Last night I made some Baklava.
It's really sweet.
Easy to make.

We had some friends over and also had Butter Chicken.
One of my favorite recipes when it comes to Indian food.
Not too spicy, but flavorful.

It was a success.
And fun to hang out with our friends.
Now I think I may have too much garlic in my system.

I guess there are worse things.

Superman and Dash combined.

Look at that beautiful skin.

Something I'm learning

2011-01-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

I love food.

I think I've mentioned that before.

I love really good food.

Really good food used to be pizza, and a great burger, and anything with cream or chocolate. (and it still is)

But I've noticed that the more I eat basic food and fresh things, the more I like it and I can feel it.

I actually crave veggies and fruits and whole grains.

I'm happier mentally. (less sugar ups and downs)

I have a greater desire to be active.

I've also noticed that although my kids are kids, and they are picky, they will try things and even eat cucumber and spinach because it's what is offered, and like it.

I think everything that everyone is saying about eating healthier might be true.

Imagine that.

Here's a cool new blog that's inspiring for this new year.

Hitch

2011-01-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

The lady has morphed in the last two days.
Yesterday she awoke as Hitch
Today I think perhaps her Asian blood is trying to speak to us.

In reality she is allergic to some antibiotics
The good news is that her ears are better because of those anitbiotics
The bad news is that her entire body is itchy and she didn't really sleep last night.
The poor love is not at her best, but on the mend.

This is how she usually looks.
You probably thought, like us, that those lips could never get any bigger.
There's nothing like some hives to prove you wrong.

Christmas

2011-01-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

It was a couples weeks of family
cousins
swimming
eating
sledding
eating
games
eating
cousins
runny noses
goopy eyes
throw-up
eating
toothless
iron man
eating.

We loved it, and we really love being home again.

Love this story

2010-12-19T13:42:00.001-08:00

Longfellow's Christmas - For more funny videos, click here

Confusion

2010-12-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

We met Santa.
There was some confusion as to when you get the present you ask for whislt sitting on his lap.
Why wouldn't you get it when you get to meet the big man?
Why would he come only to listen and give you a candy cane?
Do you dress up for Christmas?
Are wiches involed with Christmas?
Do Jesus and Santa go together?
When does Santa come again?
Why is he coming?
Where is he?

Trying to explain a bunch of lies can be a little confusing.
And feels totally wrong.
I don't blame him.

All the trimmings

2010-11-29T08:52:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely holiday weekend...
sharing apps, eating food, showing muscles.

Fruit salad and other stuff

2010-11-15T09:12:00.001-08:00

We had a little party over the weekend.

We had donuts, tomato soup in bread bowls, and fruit salad.

It was cozy and yummy and the company was pleasant and talkative.

As a favor I gave paperwhite bulbs. They are a great holiday gift for neighbors and friends. In case you needed an idea.

Fruit Salad

Cut up colorful fruit:
strawberries
kiwi
mangos (peaches, in season)
pears
blueberries
pineapple
whatever you feel like

Mix:
2 cups buttermilk
2 packages of vanilla pudding
fold in 1 container of cool whip
spread over fruit.

This weekend

2010-11-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

We walked

We watched some basketball

Costumes

2010-11-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

Let's just say that it was wet on Halloween.
Craig was a dragon, Pete's Dragon to be exact.
Edith was a female version of Craig because it was warm and fleece and someone gave it to me and she was happy to be anything Craig was. (we added bows)

We made a quick stop at the Trunk-or-treat and declared the night good. Really if the kids had acquired any more candy I don't know what I would have done with it.

Later that evening Edith found love during the horror flick.

A little bit of snow...and snot

2010-10-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

Horse and rider

2010-10-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

These are my favorite moments.
I hear giggling from her and directions coming from him.
I turn the corner to find a perfect collaboration, and both are happy.
Me too.

Lessons I Learned as a Boy

2010-10-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for a sweet story.
This one got me good.

Mysterious

2010-10-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

The lady is a mystery. Until she becomes clear.
It might be that Craig was this way.
And I don't remember anymore.
But she manages to catch me off guard all the time.
Then I'm laughing at what she has been doing, sometimes for
long periods of time, that I didn't understand.

I noticed her on the floor yesterday laying on the ground.
This is unusual because it was the bathroom.

Craig and I ignored her for a while until I noticed she was holding something.
A diaper.
She had been waiting for me to change her.

Fall + food

2010-10-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Made some of this today.
It filled the room with apple-y, nutty goodness.
Tastes really good with ice cream.

Cool

2010-10-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

Crisp, delightful weather has been our friend these last few days.
Don't you just love fall?

2010-10-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a grandma and a book.

I was as captivated as they.

And I'd read it ten times already.

Red/orange

2010-10-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

Did you know Aspen trees turn red sometimes?

Stop motion

2010-10-04T13:20:00.001-07:00

Yet another awesome OK Go video.

Revival

2010-09-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

I've just been listening to this.
Makes me want to be in the mountains...
with a banjo, if I could play the banjo, or maybe a mandolin.

Entertainment

2010-09-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

She likes to lounge
She smiles on command
She says thinks like "like it" meaning I don't like it, and "hop up" and "sorry" when
Craig is supposed to be the one saying it to her.
She grunts and growls
She follows Craig everywhere.
She spontaneously gives loves.
Her nose is always snotty.
She drags books all over the house begging to read them.
She tries to feed me like I feed her making the same face and noises.
She's funny.
We are entertained.
We kinda like her.

Summer to fall

2010-09-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at a lake Friday.
The little man couldn't stop saying "I love the beach!"
And promptly buried himself alive.

His sister couldn't keep her feet out of the water.

I could barely keep them fed by stuffing handfuls of anything into their mouths as they passed by my protective perch.

After we returned from one lake
We headed to another one of a different sort.

Summer to Fall in one day.
I still couldn't keep them fed.
But I had no problem with myself.

Tongue

2010-09-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

This is Ryan.
He works hard.
When he is trying to do something involving coordination he sticks his tongue out.
I find it funny and cute.
The little man does it too.

Have you ever noticed how funny the word tongue looks written out?
The more I look at it the more I can't decide if the spelling is correct.
I guess the word fits the object.

Growing up

2010-09-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

(someday we'll have a picture in a real one. ugh.)

The camera is back on line.
New lens.
Thanks Ry.

Good morning

2010-09-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

A rare, long moment of contemplation.

Fresh Peach Pie

2010-09-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

Fresh Peach Pie
(note that it only tastes good if they are fresh ripe peaches)

Crust:

1 pkg. of Graham Cracker (not the whole box)
1/4 cup pecans/walnuts whichever you prefer (you can leave them out too.)
1/3 cup melted butter

I used a heavy duty blender or food processor to crush and blend mixture. Smash into a pie tin evenly and bake at 350F for 5 min.

Topping:

11/2 cups of crushed, peeled, peaches (ripe! in season)
1 cup of sugar
2 Tablespoons of corn starch
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
a little almond extract
a few more sliced peaches

Crush peaches keeping it chunky. Cook peaches with sugar and corn starch in a saucepan until it turns clear and thick. Add lemon juice and almond extract and let cool. Add uncooked sliced peaches.

Filling:

1 cup of cream
1/2 package of cream cheese room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar

Whip cream until thick. Whip cream cheese and sugar together. Fold cream cheese mixture and whipped cream until evenly mixed.

Put filling in the crust and pour cooled topping over filling. Enjoy!

Parenting

2010-08-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes. More pictures of my little people.
What did you expect?
It's what I do every day...all day long.
I can't help that my conversation and cleverness(it's questionable if it even existed in the first place) have dissipated into thin air.
These are my companions.
They have need for a different sort of conversation and cleverness.
They are my people.
I am their person.

I just read this. There's something about a lot of statistics and reports that make me want to prove somebody wrong. Happiness is in the eye of the beholder right? What do you see?

Love and Hate

2010-07-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

These two crazies have a love hate relationship. Edith practically worships Craig. Whatever Craig does or has Edith does or wants. It drives Craig crazy, and it drives him to fits of pure joy too. The other day I gave Craig something to eat and a few minutes later Edith the same thing. She promptly sat down in the exact spot where Craig sat, and ate in the same manner.

On occasion there are the punching matches that rival movies like Rocky and Cinderella Man, but I have to be impressed by the learning curve and what they do accomplish in peace and harmony. I'll peep around the corner and find them giggling and running around in circles and saying the same nonsense word(which probably was meant to be a real word by Edi) or Craig trading with Edith his prize toy.

If we can get past these first few years and they don't kill each other then maybe they'll learn to just love each other.

Bear Lake

2010-07-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

There's something about this lake (in the middle of nowhere) that gets my heart pumping with anticipation.

As children we would listen to James Taylor as our parents drove us to the largest body of water within an hour of our house. Sometimes we would stay a week, most times just a day, most of the time we would only sit on the beach occasionally dipping our feet in the water or taking the token plunge to say we did it.

Bear Lake you see, is cold. So cold, it's actually surprising there are so many people on the beach and in the water each day. The surrounding scenery is nothing to write home about and it's windy. But it's the one activity I can hardly wait for every year. A day on a cold beach, once a year, pure joy.

I think my kids might join in my sentiment in the future. Although we almost froze when it was 100 degrees in Salt Lake City and couldn't have been more then 75 all morning at the lake. Luckily the temperature rose and our blue lips returned to pink and we spent almost more time in the water then out of it. (there's nothing that a 1 year old and a 3 year old like more then being in the water, wherever it is located.)

Bear Lake: We'll be back!

Philmont

2010-07-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

Aerial Reel - "Philmont" - Ascent Imagery from Brent Murray, Ascent Imagery on Vimeo.

Cool little video of one of my favorite places on earth.

Camping firsts

2010-07-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

Covered in dirt within 5 minutes
1 whole bag of wet wipes used
little to no sleep
rock climbing
hot dogs
s'mores
fire!
bugs
more dirt
more dirt
loads of fun
probably won't do it again for a while

Although this little video may seem unexciting, I found it quite strange a little bit crazy that she would climb this rock over and over and over again, then launch herself into my arms with no thought of what would happen if I was not there. She's pretty sure she's a 3 year old, not a 1 year old.

God bless America

2010-07-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Mullet

2010-06-25T13:50:00.001-07:00

Hair style and major tests are somehow interconnected to Ryan
Perhaps it's a way to cope with stress.

Whatever the reason our most recent life event was yesterday. Ryan took the one of those really big tests that kind of determines our future. And to make a grand entrance into his future he donned a new do.

I guess the mullet is coming back...in our house at least.

Congrats on making it to 3rd year babe!

Holmes

2010-06-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

I just read this book.
I might be lying if I said I maybe didn't have a little crush on an older version of Sherlock Holmes.

Hiker man

2010-06-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

The last couple weeks we've gone hiking.
This little dude has proved to be a champion hiker man and makes his mother proud.

Laughing out loud

2010-06-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

These clever ones are worth your perusal.

Pomplamoose

2010-06-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm addicted. Spent over an hour watching videos yesterday.

Mr. Wind

2010-06-03T09:53:00.001-07:00

Not much going on

2010-05-24T14:30:00.001-07:00

We've been:

Visiting grandparents
Visiting farms
Going on walks
Waiting for it stop raining/snowing
Hanging out on the love sac.
Dancing
Playing with cousins/family
Eating
Playing at the park
Climbing trees
Growing
note: 1-year-olds don't hold still and Craig will finally pose for me.

1 year olds don't hold still

2010-05-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

A few 1 year photos.
i love the one out of focus for her facial expression.

Wants

2010-05-06T13:52:00.000-07:00

Really want some of these.

Laughter: the best medicine

2010-05-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to put into the words how I feel about the loss of this woman last week. Since my sister put together a fitting tribute that sums up most of my feelings, I will defer to her eloquence and wit.*

Miss you Grandma!

*I was the one who snorted (you have to read Meg's post to understand)

Scout

2010-04-27T07:50:00.001-07:00

This is why I'm not a hairdresser and I'm kicking myself.
The poor girl couldn't see for my lack of putting things in her hair to keep it out of her eyes. So I cut it. Remind me next time I'm thinking she needs a cut, to just leave it.

Rad

2010-04-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes Anyone?
Some of these would be really fun to try.