Category — Holidays

It’s a holiday today. Kelly had the day off, so we ventured out on a family bike ride. I had Beck attached to my bike, which is kind of like dragging a boulder with wheels behind me. But, he is cuter than a boulder and sometimes, ok, all of the time, he chats with me about the scene around town where we ride. He noticed cars, and grasshoppers mostly today.
We rode 7 miles. This was a pretty good ride with the kiddies. We stopped halfway at a park and let them play on the swings. Kelly and I sat under a tree, his head in my lap and we chatted. It was precious.

Later, we went out for lunch, during which Kelly D. and I shared a beverage. He hates diet soda so I relented and we split a Coke. I had forgotten how good real Coke is.

I took my bike in to the shop for a tune up because I have a big ride coming in October. I have decided that the Tour De St. George is not the ride to do my first century on. I saw a map of the course, and not only am I not fast enough yet, I think the climb into Snow Canyon might be the last thing I ever do. So, instead I am doing 65 miles and calling it macaroni. It’s going to be fun!

Speaking of fun, I have signed up to do this Dirty Dash race with a group of friends. Our team of 5 women vs. the husbands. It looks like lots of fun, but um… have you met me? I don’t run. Like, ever. I was trying to think of the last time I ran a mile without stopping and I couldn’t think of even one time. And you should see some of my team mates for this thing. They are serious athletes! I asked Kelly why we were included in this group, seeing how we are totally out of shape, and he suggested that maybe we were invited for comic relief.
In an effort to avoid embarrassing myself, I have been running in the mornings for the past week. I thought a month of training is better than nothing. I wake up The Fish, my 9 year old at 6:30 am, and we run. Cough-cough. Ok, we run sporadically for two miles. You guys, he is able to run for longer distances than me. I’m worried.

Later tonight, we are going for a little hike with the family. Yesterday when Kelly D. suggested this, I said, “Seriously? A bike ride and a hike in the same day?” And he said, “Yeah. Let’s just cram tomorrow with a bunch of strenuous activities.” I shrugged and thought, whatever. But, here we are at home having a break. I’m at my computer, with the sweetest black and white puppy you ever did see at my feet, the boys are playing XBox and Kelly is probably asleep on the couch. I guess we’ll get back to strenuous activities in a minute.

On Friday, my little family was in the Bountiful city 24th of July parade.
It was interesting to be in the parade rather than watching it. We were hot and sweaty just like always though. That’s how parades are, right? Hot and sweaty. And crowded.
But this time, it was endurable because the float we were on had a “family dinner-valuable tradition” theme. So, our job was to sit at a table and look like we were having dinner as a family. We joked that to make it like a real family dinner, we should be yelling at the boys to “eat! you are going to take a bite of that before you get down! I don’t care if you hate it!” But we didn’t. We smiled and waved. The boys loved it, especially the attention-loving Beck.
A city ordinance said we couldn’t chuck candy at people, but it just felt wrong. People wanted candy! Some people even asked about it from the roadside. Well, not to disappoint, Beck did what he could. Our table was set with props such as roast chicken, corn on the cob, rolls and grapes, and Beck started chucking those things into the crowd. I’m not sure what the parade-goers thought when they were beaned in the head with a dinner roll, but at least it was something.
I took a few photos with my phone while we were cruising down main street on the float. They’re not great, but I was doing my parade wave with one hand and snapping photos with the other. They’re just to give you the flavah.

It’s not Paris, France, but culture abounds.
We spend every July 4th holiday at Bear Lake. We love it. There’s water fun, biking, camping and of course, the most perfect small town parade you could ever want in Paris, Idaho.

There are all kinds of charming scenes like this next one, to snap pictures of. Farms, old buildings, and orange poppies everywhere.

We come early to have our traditional lunch at the Paris Cafe. (That sounds more romantic than it is.)

I always drag the family into the little antique store near the cafe. I love treasure hunting in antique stores, but my male-ridden family usually go unwillingly and ask every two seconds if “we’re done yet”.

The parade starts around 1pm, and it never disappoints.
Floats are usually modest affairs with handmade touches.
I love them.

First up we have the towns’ oldest citizen.

Some plastic barrels linked together, then dragged behind a truck. Oh, my kids would love to ride in that rig.

A truckload of beauticians advertising their business. Note the spelling on the handmade sign.

Dancing pioneers…

Horsedrawn carriages…

Remnants from the horses…

Cheerleaders dancing through the remnants…(the show must go on!)

This may be the saddest parade display I’ve ever seen. Poor little pony.

The only thing this town’s parade is missing are some contenders for the beauty pageant. This is just sub-par.

I couldn’t have picked a better father for my three boys. Kelly D. is fun, affectionate, firm, concerned, involved, playful, responsible, and a bunch of other adjectives I can’t think of at the moment.
He is the best example I can imagine when I think of the men I would like my boys to be like when they’re grown.
We really are lucky over here at our house.
Happy Father’s Day!

Every year on June 14th I am older than I was on June 13th.

Guess what else? It never rains on my birthday. So, you’re welcome Utah. It’s been a wet June, but enjoy a dry, sunny day on me.

The baby of the family turned four today. He promised he would stay three, but the idea of birthday cake and presents was too much to resist, so he went ahead and turned four, but promised me that he will stay here forever.
I’m going to do my best to hold him to that.

We had a family party here today. His only requests were 1) His cousins would be there, and, 2) A carrot cake with a picture of an alligator eating a carrot on top. Oh, and his name. Oh, and fire on it.
I thought it would be fun to have a ‘make your own pizza’ dinner, so that’s what we did.

Beck was so excited for everyone to arrive and I think it made him feel like a superstar that they were all here for him.

At four, Beck is:
Full of personality. He is the only one of my boys that isn’t shy, and his lack of shyness more than compensates for the other two. He will talk to anyone that will listen, and, even some people who don’t.
He is independent, and stubborn. He is sweet and precious one minute, then full of spice and hell-fire the next.
He loves to cuddle in the middle of the day for no particular reason, loves his “soft” and his thumb. He’ll follow his brothers anywhere and fills our home with life and light (and noise).

I took these photos of him earlier in the day, and may I just say, he was utterly uncooperative.

Just before I took this one, he said, “This is too boring. You are taking too many pictures.” That pretty much ended our session. But he still looks cute to me. I love that little face.

Dear Self,
Remember that Christmas in 2009 when Tate spent the first part of winter break cleaning baseboards, and window sills and doing all manner of slave labor to earn money.
And remember that he surprised you when at Toys R Us, he announced that he was going to spend his hard-earned money to buy a gift for his beloved baby girl cousin, Marley.
Remember when you questioned his decision thinking that he would regret it, but he insisted this was what he wanted to spend it on.
Also, remember that the whole drive home from the store, he held the little, pink stuffed pig and with a proud smile, told you over and over again how glad he was that he got a Christmas present for Marley, and how he hopes so much that she likes it.
Remember this sweetness forever. Remember how it made your heart swell.

But, more importantly, remember that moment the next time he drops to the floor crying and screaming when you ask him to brush his teeth.

Thankful for the three little boys that live in my house and the bigger one that helps raise them.
Thankful for a sweet dog who keeps my feet warm at night.
Thankful for a family that loves me and helps me whenever I need them.
Thankful for the knowledge that God loves me.
Thankful for friends that fill the little corners of my heart with love and acceptance.
Thankful for a roof over my head and the work that pays for it.
Thankful for a neighborhood full of interesting characters that make life here enjoyable and anything but dull.
Thankful for beauty and art and cleverness and music that makes my soul stir.
Thankful for pajamas, pillows and hot chocolate.
Thankful for time to enjoy it all.

Something that always astounds me is the impact that even the smallest decisions have on the rest of our lives.
One little choice can change the entire course of your life.
Choices about things like friends, jobs, hobbies, classes, what to eat, where to go on a Saturday.
Every decision alters your path a little bit. Some more than others, but they all make a difference.
Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I never would have applied for that job at Hastings when I was 20. I remember sitting in the parking lot about to turn in my application and just feeling so nervous that I was inches from driving away. That silly minimum-wage job was just a fun place to work and get discounts on CD’s and books.
But it is also where I met Kelly D.

There are a thousand ‘what if’s’ tied to every choice we make. Every single day. Even the choice I am making right now to sit here and ramble on this blog.
There are people in my life that I would never have known without this blog.

Once, I decided to invite a new girl (lady? woman? I always struggle with this…) I met at church over for lunch, something I never do, and now I don’t know what I’d do without her.

About 14 years ago, I had a brand new, shiny credit card and impulsively ordered a medium format camera and started shooting portraits for people I knew. Now that business is what puts food on our table.

See what I mean?

I was thinking about this yesterday, because 15 years ago, I was in Las Vegas on a little road trip with this really cute guy and on a whim, we decided that, Hey we’re in Vegas, baby! Let’s get hitched!
So we did.
And the rest is history.

We are so doing this every year. 

I told the boys to pick something scary to dress up as this year so we could all do the spook alley together.

First, The Fish: Vampire!

Next up, T: Phantom!

Last, but not least, The Little Guy: Lil’ Vampire!

Kelly D. took the boys trick-or-treating before dark this time so they’d be back in time to man their stations.

We set up everything in the driveway, and Beck was the greeter vampire. But, seriously, how cute is that sign that Tate made?

Many thanks to Curtis, who operated the ‘freaky monkey’ attraction.

And Robyn, who was the fortune teller.

It takes a village.

Also thanks to Kelly, who, against his will participated by being the ‘head on a table’ guy.

I’ve never wanted him more.

We had lots of happy visitors and we had a blast doing this. After it was all over, Fish said, “Mom that was cool. That was a really good idea.” Then he held up his hand for a high-five.
The Little Guy said over and over, “That was a really fun spook alley!”
And at the end of the night, just before bed, T handed me this:

So, I think it was exactly what I wanted in the end. Something we could do together. Good, clean Halloween fun for the whole family.

Feeling left out? Wishing you could have been here? Well, fear not, we have video! Enjoy!

Today is October 11. Aka: Kelly D.’s birthday.
As is our tradition, I make whatever he requests for dinner. It’s usually pretty much the same thing: some sort of meat, mashed potatoes, rolls, and cheesecake for dessert. (yawn)
But this year, when I asked him what he wanted, his eyes lit up and he said, “I want an amuse-bouche!”
This is what I get for making him watch Top Chef with me.
In case you are unfamiliar, an amuse-bouche is a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre. The term is French, literally translated to “mouth amuser”.
Whenever the Top Chef competitors are making them, Kelly will say to me, “Hey, why don’t you ever make me an amuse-bouche?”
I usually answer with an eye-roll.
But since it was the weekend of Kelly D., I granted his request.
Behold!

Our mouths were amused.

We had family over for birthday cheesecake, and I thought it would be fun to have a few different toppings; homemade caramel, pecans, toasted coconut, chocolate ganache, strawberries, and whipped cream.

I am certain that Kelly’s favorite part of his birthday was not the amuse-bouche or even his favorite cheesecake. He is in love with his gift. I have not seen him this excited about anything in a long time.

Yeah, it’s a motorcycle. An old, 1975 motorcycle, and he is like a kid on Christmas morning.
It’s actually quite funny.
The boys are just as excited as he is, and apparently I am required to learn to ride it as well.

Posting next week from hospital near you.

Not too long ago, I told a little fib to get out of doing something I didn’t want to do. It was innocent enough, and I did it to spare feelings.
So, the day of this ‘thing’ comes and at the very moment it was going to start, my phone rings. I looked at the caller ID and it said,
WHITE LES.
Well, I don’t know this person, but the crazy thing is, my guilty conscience inserted an “I” right in the middle of the word “LES” and I swear to you I thought it said, WHITE LIES.
I tell you my heart started pounding, and I thought, “Crap! How did they do that? How did they know I was here? Did I leave my garage open?” I really thought that somehow these people were able to program their phones to send me an accusing message by way of caller ID.
This lasted for about 30 seconds at which point, I realized the error of my ways, and I went back to avoiding walking past open windows and otherwise hiding within the walls of my own home.
Today, WHITE LES called my home again. This time I answered the phone, and after a quick inventory of my conscience, I felt sure I hadn’t lied to anyone today so I went ahead and answered it. It was a harmless phone call.
Speaking of freaking myself out, I put up the Halloween decorations tonight. I’m so excited for the spook alley we are planning. The boys are even more excited, which is just what I was hoping for. I’ve decided that Kelly D. should be Frankenstein. He keeps telling me he’s not participating, but that’s because he opposes everything during the conceptual stage.
He’ll cave. He is putty in my hands.
Today I was at the grocery store with The Little Guy and we were in the seasonal aisle looking at their Halloween items. When he wasn’t looking, I put a scary-old-guy mask on and then waited for him to notice me.
Oh, man! If only I would have had a video recorder. He actually flinched away from me. And said, “Momma!” Then he paused, and stared with a half puzzled-half frightened expression, until he finally said, “Mom, stop it! You’re scaring me!”
I’m giggling just thinking about it.
Just wait till he wakes up to find all the Halloween decorations in the morning. He’s going to love (hate) the skull whose mouth opens and closes while it laughs.
Isn’t Halloween the best?

Every year since the birth of our oldest boy, our little family has gone to Bear Lake over the fourth of July.
We love this tradition.
We love attending the small town parade in Paris, Idaho. It’s very quaint and in my opinion, exactly what a July 4th parade should be like. We spend the hot days swimming in the lake, or boating, or even playing on wave runners. We sit around camp fires, roast marshmallows, eat breakfast outside, ride bikes and go on nature walks.
But we have never taken our kids to a fireworks show. Seriously.
I don’t know if they have one in the little town where Bear Lake is, because our kids are always so wiped out from the day’s activities that we just put them in bed.
In addition, there is a strict no-fireworks rule at the campground, so we don’t even do sparklers or any other do-it-yourself festivities.
So our kids have never seen or held sparklers. Like, ever.

 
With the recent studio move, we didn’t get to go to Bear Lake this year. So, last night we took the family to see a real, live fireworks display.
They were blown away.

 
The Fish couldn’t stop looking at the kids playing with sparklers. He said, “Mom! Those kids are totally playing with fire!”
After I explained what they were, I had to promise that we’ll get some for him to try. I couldn’t stop laughing at his amazement. It felt like we’ve been trapped in the stone age and were just discovering the automobile.

 
I wish I had pictures of the nights’ events, but sometimes, I like to just be in the moment, and not worry about documenting it. So instead, I paid close attention with all five of my God-given senses. And these are the things I want to commit to memory:

 
The sight of the amazed faces of my three boys, framed by their hooded sweatshirts, lit by the fireworks in the sky.
The sound of The Little Guy as he exclaimed, “Mom! This is amazing!” The patriotic songs being blasted over the sound system, and my cute husband singing along.
The smell of smoke and sulfer, cotton candy, and boys that have been playing outside.
The taste of Otter Pops on a hot July day.
The feeling of holding a three-year-old’s plump, soft hand. Laying on a big quilt with my family as the slightly damp grass starts to soak through, and feeling the vibrations in my chest from the loud pops of the fireworks.

 
Sunday is my birthday. It’s okay if you forgot. I forget everyone’s birthday so I forgive you.
I am turning (choke, cough, gag…) thirty six years old.
I know I have said it before, but I feel like the same person inside as I did 10 years ago. Not that I haven’t learned, or grown from experiences, but essentially, I am the same soul. Isn’t that funny?
Funny-as in interesting.
Last year I greedily asked for comments for my birthday. I just love hearing from people who read my blog. You gave and gave and I did nothing in return.
This year, I am going to offer a gift to you to celebrate the day of my birth. (did you notice that it’s also Flag Day? That should help you remember in the future. )
I have been making jewelry almost everyday for a year and I just love it. I want to make something special for you. One of a kind, made with you in mind. If you are a dude, then perhaps something for your special lady friend?

 
Leave me a comment before Monday at midnight, with three words that describe your personal style (tough one!) and then I shall randomly choose the winner of a custom piece of jewelry made with love by me.
For you.
Because I love you.

My soft spot turned 6 today. This kid. Where to begin.
He has always marched to the beat of his own drum. He is odd, but in a delightful way. He makes everyone work for affection, except for me. For me, he gives it up freely. Because I think I am his favorite.
He is a funny, funny boy. But, mostly when he’s not trying to be. He just says the most random, funny things. But then there are times when he tries to tell an original joke… they usually go like this:
“Knock-knock.” so I say, “who’s there?”
“Apple.” “Apple who?”
“Apple on a mountain!!!”
(crickets chirping)
Spontaneous humor is more his strong suit.

He has a seriously amazing memory. He can remember what store we bought each of his toys at, and what I was wearing at the time of purchase. Even the number of the check stand where we paid for the toy.
It’s frightening. But also handy when I can’t remember where I parked the car.
He is such a great friend/brother. He is considerate of others, and just wants everyone to be happy. He’s the peace maker in our family.
He is the most tender-hearted kid I know. When he makes a sad, frowny face, it just breaks my heart. He is just so sweet.
I have never been able to put my finger on the reason why, but this kid has me wrapped around his finger like nobody’s business.
But just look at him….

What’s not to love?