"Love is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day." - Nicholas Sparks

April 25, 2010

"Love is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day." - Nicholas Sparks

Bob and I celebrated our 17^th wedding anniversary!! It’s crazy to think 17 years have come and gone. I came home from work to find 2 dozen yellow and red roses, along with chocolate. He even brought home dinner so I didn’t have to cook. Does he know me well or what? Our actual celebration will be next weekend.

The Modern 17th anniversary gift has a theme of Furniture (what??)

How fitting since our dishwasher died and so we had to go shop for one yesterday. (Appliances count as furniture right?) We went to Sears since they were having their energy star sale. Long story short (you’re welcome!) we spent forever trying to pick one out, then they told us that they didn’t have any more of that model (really?? What kind of sale is that?) We had a great salesman and he finally offered us the one on the floor and even dropped the price even more! Brand new- just came out of the box. Its stainless steel and super awesome! We haven’t installed it yet. It’s going on our long list a mile long of things to do.

Tennis

On Monday, both girls lost both their singles and doubles matches. They went against some tough teams. On Thursday, Kayla won her singles match (6-2) and lost her doubles. Marisa’s meet on Friday was rained out so it has been rescheduled. We did go play this week as a family again.

Give a Weed an Inch and it’ll Take A Yard

We keep plugging away at this playground and it is a beast. Not “beast” the way the middle schoolers use it, but “beast” as in “holy heck, what is going on back here?” It better look amazing when we are done and I am PRAYING we get it done before the Sweet 16 Bash. Wish us luck!

(See?  We’ve made some progress)

(The giant corner where we dump the weeds)

Stake Activity and a Jefferson win

Kayla had her very 1^st Stake Youth Activity and dance last night. I think she had a lot of fun. Hopefully she will write it up in her blog. Marisa’s orchestra had the Jefferson Invitational yesterday and they got 1^st place!

Battle of the Books

I was asked by the librarian to screen all the Battle of the Books list for language and content for the competition next year. So, I have been spending every free minute I have reading. Thank heavens I have another mom who is helping me read through them quickly. I would be up a creek without a paddle without her. So, watch out. My new feature next week may be my book reviews. Speaking of new features:

Things I know for sure (this week)

I think I am starting a new feature called “Things I know for sure”. Oprah has a column like this in her magazine each month so I figure, “What the heck?” Bear with me while I give it a shot.

4. Mopping and scrubbing toilets are my very least favorite chores! If mopping could be killed, I would kill it. We even had a Hoover floor mate, but I still hate it. No…more like despise it. Scrubbing toilets and bathrooms in general is awful. I deep cleaned the bathrooms this week. I get into a swimsuit (don’t worry-no one else is here) and I scrub the bathrooms to death. By the time I finish I feel like an amusement park for potty germs. Yuck- so gross.

3. Thunderstorms are one of my favorite things in the world. I should move to Forks. I really should. Thunderstorms are calming, peaceful and relaxing. Don’t get me wrong, beaches with sun are wonderful too. But there is something about a thunderstorm and nothing else compares.

(Yes, i made Alayna stand outside so I could catch the storm)

2. Teaching South American Geography to middle schoolers is not as easy as it sounds: especially when you are dealing with Lake Poopo and Lake Titicaca. Enough said.

1. If an intruder came tearing into the house, and Tyler had to make a quick choice what to save, he would save his ice cream over me. I can’t remember if I shared what happened when I got my gallbladder out and Tyler fell down the stairs? He fell down an entire flight of stairs hurting his head, arm, and leg BUT saved his bowl of ice cream! How is that even possible?? I almost ripped my stitches laughing- literally! Then this week, in the kitchen, he had a bowl of ice cream again. He tripped and stumbled half way through the kitchen (all one long fall), the bowl did a full 360°, flipping a scoop onto his arm, but miraculously, with quick ninja-like reflexes, he saved the bowl and the ice cream. Yet, he still walks into walls…

Alayna's 2nd Grade Musical Program

Poem Alayna wrote

Yes, thats me
Look and you'll see
My hair is brown
My eyes are blue
My arms are helpful
My hands are in touch
My heart is pumping
I'm awesome
I never want to feel bad
My friends are fun to play with
I live to be awesome
I hope this year goes fast
I dream inside my head
Its all clear as can be
Thats positively, absolutely me!

by Alayna Hart

Excelsior 8th Grad Band Feb 2010 #2

Excelsior 8th Grade Band Feb 2010 #1

A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.

April 18, 2010

A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.- Doug Larson

Yesterday, we had a “kick-butt-in-the-garden-and-yard” day. I mowed the front yard and Bob edged it. We had to weed the rose bushes again and pick up trash. Then, in the backyard, we weeded the garden again and planted lettuce and spinach. I tripped and about 30 spinach seeds fell into the cilantro plant! So, maybe this year I will grow a Spilantro?? We also mowed the back yard (Alayna and Kayla did most of that). We had to pick up lots of trash that blew into our yard. We found a nest with 3 blue eggs in it! Don’t worry, we didn’t touch it. Our raspberries have taken off like some sort of entity ready to take over the world. Our apple trees finally blossomed and they are so beautiful!

(The apple blossoms)

(Alayna “interior decorating” the play house)

After that, we started on the playground area. It has been completely overtaken by weeds. We decided the easiest way to take care of the area would be to clear it and plant grass. We spoke too soon as “easy” is the complete opposite of what it is turning out to be. Four of us worked over 2 ½ hours and only cleared about 1/4^th of it. We had to pull up the wood that went around the playground area. We found that they were put in with huge metal spikes. No wonder they were so hard to pull out! There is only one word that can describe the weeds in the playground: b-r-u-t-a-l! Those weeds have built an entire metropolis- I kid you not! They even have a transit system in place (Their roots are like intercrossed wires). They had grown above AND below the plastic. So, we would have to rip out the weeds on top, then rip out the plastic and then pull all the weeds underneath. The fattest worms I have ever seen reside there. I dreamt about giant worms trying to attack me- it wasn’t as cool as it sounds. And, considering I only slept about 2 hours last night, I’m surprised I dreamt at all. My back doesn’t take too well to pulling up acres of weeds.

(Before pics- see all the weeds??)

(Another before pic)

(Took 2 1/2 hours just to clear that small dirt patch you can see. ugh!)

“Life is like a game of tennis; the player who serves well seldom loses”

On Tuesday, we went as a family to play tennis as soon as Marisa’s tennis practice was over. I tried to get some pictures but my battery was dying and the lighting wasn’t the best. However, the weather was GORGEOUS and we got to see an incredible sunset. Bob and I played a doubles match against Marisa and her friend. We lost, but I am proud to say the score was close.

Kayla’s game on Monday was cancelled, but she had one Thursday. She lost both her doubles match and singles match, but that’s ok. She is improving and brimming with self confidence! Marisa had a match on Friday. She won her doubles match but not the singles.

(Marisa’s tennis team: She is back row, 4th from the right)

"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland

Here is my “brag corner” again!

1. Mom- Best news of the week….<drum roll please> I get to keep my job!! I am so thrilled that I didn’t get laid off and I even get to keep my same awesome hours!! It doesn’t get better than this (well, only teaching 7th grade social studies would be better!)

2. Dad- Well, this isn’t part of the brag corner, per se, its just plain funny. Bob totally split his pants when we were working on the playground yesterday. So much so, that we cant exactly take a picture of it, if you get my drift…

3. Marisa- Marisa was accepted into the National Honor Society this week!! She will be inducted in May. She also scored 19^th in the whole state on the National French Exam. Then, yesterday, she scored in Division 1 (the top division) in the State Solo/ensemble competition!!

4. Kayla- Kayla has found that she loves working with her hands: cooking, building, sewing, etc. She definitely doesn’t get that from me. This week in tech she and her group made this awesome house out of Popsicle sticks, but we forgot to get a picture. For her next class project she is designing and creating a huge picture frame and then a case that goes on your wall (like a shadow box) out of wood.  She even cuts all the wood herself. We will definitely take pictures when she is done. She is so creative!!

5. Tyler- Tyler is racing through the 39 Clues Books. Good thing I have them as leverage. It was the only way I could convince him to get a haircut. He hates the new haircut so much that he has been walking around with a ski cap and a hoodie on. What a geek. I personally think he looks 10 times better with the shorter haircut. We need your vote. Which looks better on him?

(Tyler refusing to get his pic taken)

6. Alayna- Alayna is also starting to gain some self-confidence. This week she auditioned for a singing solo part. It’s for a program in front of the whole school for Earth Day. Whether or not she gets it, I am proud of her for trying. She has such a beautiful voice.

Update on the Bunnies

We had a rough day. The kids had checked on the bunnies last night and they seemed to be doing ok. After school, we had some friends over to show them the bunnies. When we got back there, they werent really moving. We got some water and tried to feed one with an eye dropper, but it quickly passed away. Then we reached into the back and 2 of the babies were dead dead. We found the last bunny and he looked awful. That stupid mommy bunny must have refused to feed them, even though she came out each night and ate the lettuce by their nest. Plus, it got super hot today and they were in the direct sunlight) So, we packed up the last one, put him on his nest stuff in a show box and brought him indoors. Kayla, Alayna, and Tyler stayed vigilantly by his side talking to him and feeding him the water for 3 hours! He was really struggling to breathe and then finally went still. Alayna and Tyler even started to try and give CPR (just by pushing on his little chest) We were all devastated. Alayna cried her self to sleep and we are all reminded of how fragile life is.

April Showers bring…my tulips, yard work, and a hairy surprise!

April Showers bring…my tulips, yard work, and a hairy surprise!

We got quite a bit of rain this week, which was a welcome change to snow. The tornado sirens went off one night, one touched down 15 minutes north of us. Poor Alayna started freaking out because she was worried the F5 from the movie “Twister” was coming, flying cows and all! I had to reassure her that an F5 was not coming to carry us away.

Tulips

My tulips bloomed this week and are absolutely gorgeous! I love it because it is a sure sign that spring is here! Marisa cut some yesterday and made a beautiful floral arrangement for our kitchen table.

Yard Work

The weather was gorgeous this week too. We played tennis, went on family bike rides, and started working on our yard and garden. We trimmed and weeded all the plants and roses in the front yard and cleaned out the window wells. Tyler and Alayna ended up on a rescue mission to save a frog stuck in the window well.

Yesterday we spent 5 hours working on the garden. Massive weeds overtook our garden through the winter. So, we had to clean out every box by turning over the dirt and pulling all the weeds. It was a HUGE project!! But we had some great workers out there. It is amazing how much work you can get out of Tyler when he is trying to earn a new book series! We planted an entire box of onions (red and yellow) and started a box of broccoli. Our raspberries are flourishing! We even have some lettuce and cilantro growing from last year’s crop-so weird!

(Before Picture)

(After picture)

Hairy Surprise

One time yesterday when Bob turned over the dirt in a garden box, there was a huge woven ball of grass. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was moving and pulsing. We all raced over and agreed it looked like something out of the movie “Alien”. We came to the conclusion that it must be a 13 striped ground squirrel which has pestered us for many summers. Bob told Tyler to go get the cooler so we could throw the nest in and capture that pain-in-the-butt ground squirrel once and for all. As Bob shoveled the nest up, I let out a blood-curdling scream. I am shocked neighbors didn’t call 911! All of the sudden, all these small things came flying out which TOTALLY looked like rats. We soon after realized they were baby bunnies (5 of them). We got them all in a box and put it next to the shed. There is a bunny that keeps running under there so we can’t get her out of our yard, so we hoped she was the mom and would still take care of them even though we wrecked her home. When we checked on the box this morning, all the babies were wrapped up tightly in a new nest. Good job, mommy bunny! One baby died though because he got hit the first time Bob hit it with the shovel. It was bleeding and by morning he was dead. The kids were devastated and now Bob’s new name is “Bob-the-bunny-killer”.

Miscellaneous stuff

Marisa was at a tennis meet Friday night for many hours and Saturday for 4 hours. She came home sore and exhausted (but loves it). So last night, when she was trying to climb up the stairs, she totally looked like Frankenstein. She couldn’t bend her legs at all and had to grasp the railing and the wall. I should have gone down to help, but I was too busy laughing!

Kayla went with 2 friends to do their service hours raking from the ward auction. In 2 hours they filled 14 huge yard bags of leaves. Then she came home and had to spend hours doing homework and then babysat last night. She is starting to get a schedule like Marisa. She has her 1^st tennis meet tomorrow. She had another challenge match this week and won all 4 games!

Tyler has discovered a new book series. He is hooked and said it is the best series ever. It’s called “The 39 clues”. I haven’t read it yet, but I am going to have to since he is so excited. I just thought I would share in case any of you are looking for something great to read. Maybe we should start a book recommendation/review section?

Kayla is becoming a wonderful cook! She often makes yummy desserts and dinner. This week though, she almost caught our kitchen on fire! She was making stir-fry. She put vegetable oil in the skillet on high and then went to do something else. I turned around and it was a skillet full of fire!! I wanted to take a pic for you but I thought it might be more important to put the fire out.

Modeling poses

I asked Alayna to do some poses for me, maybe like a model does. This is what I got:

S’Mores

I forgot to post last week that we made “S’mores in  Jar” for Easter.  They turned out so cute!  We haven't eaten one yet.  We will let you know how it turns out.

Top 10 reasons BYU grads make great soldiers By Sara Israelsen-Hartley

Corey sent this to me and I thought it was hilarious, so I am sharing.

As Gen. David Petraeus began his remarks at BYU Thursday night, the commanding general of U.S. Central Command shared his sense of humor by reading the following list, which was received by waves of laughter and applause.

General Petraeus' Top 10 reasons BYU grads make good soldiers:

10 — They have already been on many a mission.

9 — Army chow is no problem for folks accustomed to eating green Jell-o and shredded carrots.

8 — It's not a problem if they don't know what rank someone is, they just refer to them as Brother or Sister so-and-so.

7 — They never go AWOL. They just call it being less active.

6 — They will seize any objective swiftly if you tell them refreshments will be served.

5 — They know how to make things happen. In fact if you ever need a base built quickly in a barren wasteland, stride out to where you want them to start, plant your walking stick down and say in a loud voice, "This is the place."

4 — They have innovative ideas for handling insurgents — like assigning them home teachers.

3 — They always have a years' supply of provisions on hand.

2 — They are the world's most reliable designated drivers.

If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

April 4, 2010

If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

Happy Easter to everyone!

We had a beautiful Easter morning (especially since I got to sleep until 12:30.) We are enjoying a wonderful conference weekend together as a family. Kayla, Tyler, and Alayna, bought a giant bunny at Wal-Mart yesterday. It was so funny trying to watch them decide how they would divide it “evenly”. Tyler claimed the butt right away.

(The note Alayna left for the Easter bunny)

A New Member of the Family

Next month we will have another official driver in the family. I always thought I would dread the day my children started to drive by themselves. However, I am ecstatic that we will have another driver to help chauffer everyone everywhere! We decided to give her the blue car that has had 3 accidents and put back together with duct tape. (Bob firmly believes everything can be put back together with duct tape and gorilla glue!) So, Bob started researching cars to find one for him to have. Yesterday, Bob and I drove up to Manchester and bought a beautiful Maroon 2007 Honda Civic! It runs so smoothly and we are so excited!

Tennis, Tennis, and More Tennis

We were able to go play tennis as a family 2 days this week. I am surprised at how good the kids are getting! Kayla was placed on the top tennis team of the middle school! She had a challenge match this week and she won, placing her in 5^th place on the ladder! I am so thrilled for her and she is so excited. Marisa had her challenge match this week too and placed in 3^rd on the High School 9^th/10^th team!

How much is Marisa’s car washing worth?

On Friday, we had a ward party and auction to fundraise for scout camp and young women camp equipment. Bob bid on and won Kayla’s chocolate, chocolate chip cookies. They are his favorite and he wasn’t willing to let them go. Tyler bid on this giant awesome basket for me and we won! Its huge and we only paid $15! Kayla and her friend Megan auctioned off service hours in babysitting and leaf raking. Marisa and her friend Meg auctioned off car washing. As soon it was announced, Marisa’s friend Alex yelled out, “20 bucks, wait…30, I mean 35!” And then the auctioneer said , “Sold!” It was so funny, especially since he was outbidding himself. He must think Marisa is very good at washing cars. However, on the way home, Marisa said, “Um, I have never washed a car before!” Uh-oh…

(My new giant basket!)

(Tyler getting a hug from Lucas)

(Marisa”surrounded” by boys at the ward party.  I think we aren’t cool to sit by anymore?)

Enjoying Spring

We have been enjoying the warm gorgeous weather. The temperature even got up to 80 degrees this week. We have been out trimming the apple trees and roses, playing basketball, and doing homework in the sun. We swept out the garage and had almost a ½ a trashcan full of dirt! My Spring Cleaning is going super slow, but at least it’s getting done.

(Tyler making a basket)

(Trimming apple trees)

What have we learned this week?

1. Tyler should NEVER ever be allowed in the kitchen. It’s hazardous to our health…literally. This week, Tyler being the sweet kid he is, helped make the stroganoff for dinner. When we sat down to eat as a family, I took a bite and dry-heaved. It was horrible. Now, what do I do? I don’t want him to feel bad and never want to cook again. So, I started asking some questions about his ingredients. We found out that instead of 4 teaspoons of beef bouillon, he put in 4 tablespoons! Yuck!! Bless his heart, at least he was trying to help.

2. If you leave your bike behind dad’s car, he will run over it. Alayna learned that this week. Thank goodness all he did was drag it and knock off the chain. I think eventually we will have to get her a better bike.

3. April Fool’s Day is the best day to have a sick day from work. Marisa’s classes played the most. In orchestra, one of the kids passed out Hoedown Music. When their director went to conduct a slow, melodic piece, her whole class took off playing the hoedown piece! He thought it was very funny. Then her history class kept moving their desks towards the door every time her teacher turned his back. I guess I am glad I had a migraine!

(Really cool picture of Alayna that Kayla took that makes Alayna look like a ghost!)