Cousin Christmas Party

Those of us who could meet all gathered on Sunday night in Smithfield for a yummy dinner.  

We watched the movie "Christmas for a Dollar".  Then Grandma gave us all "good deed marbles", the movie, and a dollar bill. Such a touching way to start the holiday weekend.

The next the kids played all day together.

Darin is the gingerbread mortar master.  He does it the authentic Scandinavian way.

After the cousins left we entertained ourselves with the melting snow.

We left some HUGE snowmen for Grandma and Grandpa.

The Gingerbread boy goes to China

I love Byron's kindergarten teacher.  I feel like Mrs. Halverson is a blessing straight from heaven, the perfect personality for Bub.  I have wanted to tell her how grateful I am for her, but I know the tears will flow so I am trying to spare both of us that awkward situation.  If I can't get myself together enough to tell her, I will write a note at the end of the year (I promise...)

Anyway.....

Bub's class wrote their own Gingerbread boy play.  They picked the setting, characters, built the set, and created their own costumes.

Bub was the Gingerbread Boy.

He escaped the china doll, panda bears, komodo  dragon, regular lizards, but then was eaten by a Chinese Dragon.

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The Little Mermaid

Nerve wracking tryouts.

Three months of bi or tri weekly rehearsals.

Pounds of glitter and shinny red lipstick.

Miriam loved every minuet of it!

One of our neighbors said she "sparkled" on stage.  

She certainly looked as though she was having the time of her life.

 The cast and crew of Centerville Elementary's 

The Little Mermaid Jr.

The songs are permanently engraved on all of our brains.

Then comes Thanksgiving...

We were with my folks this year which was perfect because Miriam was lucky enough to draw Carbon County for her 4th grade Utah County report. She was so excited!!

We started our weekend with a trip to the Forgotten Carols with Grandpa. Very fun way to start the holidays.  The kids absolutely loved it. 

  

Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful, sweet expressions of Thanksgiving, great food, some fun games played, football watched.  

Darin entertained the boys with his new Blue Track while dinner was cooking.

The weather was a really strange frosty fog all weekend.  It was beautiful for sure, but not fun to be out in so the next day we headed to the dinosaur museum for some report photos. This was of course after Black Friday Zumba with the ladies. 

The men were working on a project so we headed onto Helper to snap more photos and then jump back in the heated car.

Big Ben

Swinging Bridge

Train Museum

It's going to be one heck of a report!

One more for Halloween...

It took some pouting and pleading, but I talked Darin into going to an adult Halloween party in our neighborhood.  We had a few options in mind (French KISS, Paul Bunyan and Babe, Skipper and Gilligan-inspired by Erik and Kelly) but things kept getting in the way...the beard made painting our faces like KISS hard and Darin wasn't thrilled about the tight black v-neck t-shirt I bought for him.  I wasn't totally comfortable going as a "Babe" even though she is an Ox (I don't like sexy anything on Halloween {it wouldn't really BE dressing up since I am sexy everyday right Darin...right?})...in retrospect I should have been Paul and Darin could have been the Ox.  We couldn't find a captain hat.

VERY last minute we went as "Identity Thieves". Not our best effort but we only had like 2 hours to put it together.

It was a very fun party and Darin doesn't have to dress up for a whole year.

Next year I am thinking Aqua Bats....or Duck Dynasty....or Toddlers and Tiaras (Mr. and Miss. Ultimate Sexy Baby).....

Friberg

When my parents came up for the Primary Program my dad really wanted to go see the Arnold Friberg exhibit at the Gateway.  I was like "eh, sure" because I thought we would be seeing huge versions of the Book of Mormon paintings...which would be cool don't get me wrong, but I didn't have a burning desire to see them.  We went to hang with my parents...and have dinner at California Pizza Kitchen.

This was beyond my expectations.

First of all, they showed Friberg's artwork starting when he was like 7 so you got to see him grow and expand as an artist.  The war years were really touching. Secondly (and I always forget this) there is something special about seeing artwork in person.  Third, the boys thought it was cool.  We had to go fairly quickly through the exhibit, and I took pictures of their favorite pieces (which may not have been allowed) to keep them occupied but they had a good time.  

Maybe not Mim's favorite, but the story of her namesake Miriam.

Bub's obvious choice because of Moses's staff turned to snakes.

Soren loved the animals in this one.  

I liked it too because it reminded me of a trip to Universal Studios when I was 6

Fire...horses

Brave Canadian Mountie

Another one...this time with sled dogs

Saloon hall???

The wonderful thing about grandparents is that they expose my children to so many things off my radar! 

The kids did great in the program! 

Melted Antiques

Miriam started her first week of "Melted Antiques and Treats".

Her store has a $1,600 loan of "Ms. Hansen Bucks" they have 4 weeks to earn enough to pay back the loan and make a profit.  Luckily she has a creative Grandpa who helped supply the shop with very popular melted glass goods.  Lesson learned from week 1, she needs to charge top dollar for them.  They sold out in the first 20 min! 

Halloween 2013

 First we carved our pumpkins....way too early.  They rotted before Halloween night, but it was our only free weekend so we went for it. An owl, Captain America's shield, and Wolverine (in case that isn't obvious.)

The kids off to school on Halloween morning.

The afternoon kindergarten got to go with the morning class to be in the school parade.

Soren and I got ready in like 30 min and ran down to see the parade.

Byron loved going to school in his costume, but he had no intention of parading in front of anyone. 

 I picked him up from his class so he could have a spectators view with Soren and I.

"What the fox say?"  I love our school staff!

Miriam is pretty much the polar opposite of Byron when it comes to parades. 

The boys and I ran to Three Little Monkey's so I could do a Halloween story time.

After a much needed Halloween nap (Soren and myself) we got the kids re-dressed for the real deal.

It was such a beautiful Fall evening! 

Chilly, but not cold enough for coats, the leaves were well into doing their Fall thing, so there was a satisfying crunch as we walked from house to house.  Our new neighborhood is a trick-or-treaters dream.  Although we do have to hike up a hill, we were rewarded with a gorgeous

view of the sun setting while we walked along.

The Haul.

Witches 2013

I listened to a podcast just yesterday about the history of witches. 

So interesting! If powerful knowledge and intimidation = a witch, well then sign me up!

Our annual lunch with Grandma among Witches!!

(not everyone is pictured...this was taken while waiting for the rest)

This is such a fun tradition.  Grandma always buys a glass Halloween charm, and we always pick up something from the Georgell doll shop, Sweet Afton's, and Pine Needles.

The boys got to have lunch with Dad, Grandpa and Uncle Regan.

Is there anything better than Hot Dog on a Stick and the new Lego Store?

Not for Bub and Soren!

MIA

The biggest gap between blog posts happened this summer.
Even now, the posts are few and far between.

When things get busy, blogging is the first thing to drop.

Just when I thought maybe it was time to retire this ol' blog (and take up house painting instead) I walk into my room to see the kids giggling their hearts out over it.  They spent a good hour going back into the archives, re-living their little lives.  

So, I am still taking up house painting but it will have to happen at a slow enough pace to make room for life...and documentation of that life.  These three monster-darlings will only be 9, 6 and 3 once.  I don't want to be so busy scratching things off my list, and striving for unattainable perfection that I miss it.

The summer of 2013 was a necessary evil of non-stop business.  We accomplished so much, but it's pretty much a blur of home improvements, home showing, home buying, home selling, and more home improvements.  I guess these things usually have to be done in such a rush, but I certainly don't want to repeat it for a long time (if ever).

Here is the good news:

I love our new home.  

A friend once pointed out that I had a magical childhood (sometimes these things have to be pointed out to my ungrateful heart) and ever since I unconsciously, and now consciously have been trying to re-create for my children a same-but-different experience.  Our new home is right where I wanted to raise our kids. I will always be grateful to Darin for rushing into this whirlwind because it all felt so right to me. He is totally on board with it now, but I was the pusher for sure.

Our parents swooped in with all kinds of support.  We weren't the only ones who worked our tails off to make this dream happen...not by a long shot! Our parents are huge examples of good-attitude-hard workers.  Seriously, somehow they make it almost fun to be working like a dog (almost...those last few hours the exhaustion set in...but they don't quit until it's done.)  Love the work ethic they have passed to us, need to try and keep that going, not be the ones who break the chain.

Least everyone think our home is perfect...rest assured we have plenty of work to still to do!  The things we can't change (the view, layout, location, schools) are exactly what I wished for.  The home itself was built around the same time as my parents were building their home and there are so many similarities between them (probably explains my instantaneous  love).  Our home, however, has had very little updating cosmetically speaking since it's erected date, and the yard needs some serious TLC.  This house felt "right" from the first walk through, but with every wall painted, every pipe fixed, every weed pulled this home feels a little more ours.  Of course if we could, I would hire a decorator and pay someone to do all the work, because I will always take the easy way if I can.  Luckily, more often than not, we are required to figure out what we like, what we want, and then I help Darin make it happen (I am big picture, Darin is details).  Our hearts are in every brush stroke that goes on the walls.

I have realized a theme in my life: while some people just have drive to develop their talents and learn new skills, I seem to need a nudge.
Our new home has given me a big shove!

Feeling Tropical in Utah

There is a backstory to this extented family vacation.

I went to college in sunny St. George.  Why did I go to a 2 year college when there was one in my home town? Because of the palm trees of course!  I was only 4 hours away but it felt like I was across the country.  Perfect for my "spread my wings, but run home every other weekend" mentality. 

Baby steps people, baby steps.

So while there I went to Vegas (on the weekends when I didn't go home) where I saw "Starlight Express".  It was so fun with the rollerskating and all, and I thought my 8 year old little brother Mark would like it.

Mark was the cutest, most fun little boy in the world.  He could recite funny commercials, sing all the words to any Beatles song you name,  started writing a book, and he fell in love with the Starlight Express soundtrack.  I promised I would take him to see it in Vegas.

And then it left!! It had been there for like years...and when I called for tickets it was gone!

Mark was heartbroken...so I took him to Vegas anyway and we played lazertag, went on the roller coasters and spent lots of money in the arcade....but sadly no Starlight Express.

Fast forward many many years.  Little 8 year old Mark is grown up and in Korea teaching and I noticed that Starlight Express is coming to Tuacahn and showing the very month Mark would be returning!!! Fate.

So I got the ball rolling, called my Mom and Dad who called and bought the WHOLE FAMILY tickets to see the show.  We didn't tell Mark about it.  

With that last sentence you can guess what happened.  Mark extended and is staying for another year in Korea.  This isn't bad news, he is getting terrific experience, and having so much fun so we all want him to stay.  But....BADDA BOOM BADDA BING family reunion in September in St. George!

Lots of swimming.

Flaming food!

Cute cousins.

My kids love the Starlight soundtrack as much as Mark did. They were so excited, and loved the whole show.  It's a musical for people who have a low tolerance for musicals....lots of action and fun songs.

I love Tuacahn. The setting is amazing.  

Big Popper, the evil caboose, and Nintendo

"Greaseball Greaseball Greaseball the Diesel!"

Rusty and Pearl.

We had a wonderful time.

Thank you Mom and Dad and thank you Mark!!