Parenting 101

It was time for a talk. Matt always talks about wanting to be a Kyle Korver and play in the NBA. Well, he's on Ben's team right now as a helper, learning how to run offense and defense but not getting play time. He started skipping out on practice. Earl and I thought it would be good to discuss how we have to work for the things that we want and that sometimes the pay off doesn't come until much later.

So, being the sensitive man that my husband is, he begins with something like the following. "Son, no matter what you decide to be when you grow up, I will love you. Whether you play for the NBA or you're a garbage man, I am going to be proud of you."

Well, Matthew was brought to tears. It had never occurred to him that he might possibly end up a garbage man and the thought was apparently more than he was prepared to hear at tender age of 8. Earl quickly changed the subject.

I suppose we'll have to have the "work... pay off... we get out what we put in" talk later.

Best Day Ever!

“Today was the best day ever!” or so I was told by our five-year old. It was one of those moments when a person remembers why they wanted to become a parent, on purpose, more than once. The day was fairly normal I suppose. But perhaps that is what was so wonderful about it. Normal isn’t exactly part of the routine around here. It is so nice to spend an entire day together under one roof behaving like and almost feeling like a ‘nuclear family’ or ‘non-step family’ or whatever the PC term is these days.

Our day was pretty simple really. We all drug ourselves out of bed to make it to church by 9:00. (We joke about being cursed because we have had two years in a row of 9:00 church.)

After church, Benjamin and Matthew played football. They are the only two people I have ever heard of that actually enjoy playing one on one tackle football for hours at a time. For all I know they invented the concept of one on one tackle football. They play it so often that we have designated special football clothes so there other clothing is not torn to shreds. Jacob crossed the street to entertain himself in the park, Chloe read and sought partners for Battleship.

We then had a wonderful time taking family photos. At Chloe’s insistence we even included our little ungroomed but beloved dog, Lulu, in some of the shots.

Afterward, the kids finally got to dig, carve and slice into their beloved pumpkins. They have been talking for days about how carving pumpkins is one of the grandest activities a person can participate in. As you can see the pumpkins turned out great. Ya know, we might be a step family full of various and sundry personalities and expectations but every once in a while a normal day occurs and it is correctly deemed “the best day ever!”

Temple Square on Sunday

Last Sunday, we went to temple square. Earl and I had gone during the week for our date. We saw the movie about Joseph Smith and were both moved by it. Earl really wanted to take the children. We packed some "emergency" food and loaded up the van.


We enjoy so many things at the visitors center. This time we really enjoyed the grounds. We wandered through temple square and around the front of the temple. We talked about the temple and it's importance and we told stories of some of the people that built the temple. We had a great time taking pictures too.

We ended our outing with the Joseph Smith movie. It was so inspiring to learn about the first modern day prophet. It always gives us such great things to discuss as a family afterward. Each member of the family shared their favorite part and we discussed it.



We got back late and our crock pot dinner was over cooked and not that great, but we managed to eat enough to keep us from feeling too hungry.

It was a very lovely Sabbath!

Hiking Timp... What were we thinking?

My dear sweet husband has wanted to hike Mt. Timpanogos since I've known him. Not the paved trail up to the cave... The back side of Timp. He has wanted to take the two older boys for awhile. He didn't make it up last summer and was determined to make it this summer. He invited me to go and he really wanted me to go with him so I acquiesced.

Earl was probably the most physically prepared but had not really made this a focus. I was not prepared at all. But, we gathered up our gear and headed out. We got a late start but the weather was perfect. It was July 11th and the weather was overcast with occasional sprinkles. I was grateful it wasn't full sun.

It was too early in the season for this hike. We had to traverse a lot of snow. I had some great, water proof hiking boots on but the boys were in sneakers. They were slipping and sliding all over the place.


I think I had fun the first 10 miles. We were enjoying the scenery, the fresh air and the small wild life. We met other hikers, scout groups and runners and it was fun.


When we got closer to the saddle, the snow was really bad. The trail literally disappeared under the snow pack. It was very physically grueling to ascend this particular stretch of the mountain. It is very steep right before the saddle and there are usually a series of switch backs. They were buried. We had to find our own way across. To make matters worse, in some areas the snow ended with a drop off. Our boys had been sliding all over the place. I was worried and tired and my body was just about done. But we pushed on. We all made it to the saddle. It was beautiful and sunny and I promptly sat down to take a much needed rest.

Earl and Ben decided to go for the peak. Matt and I hung at the saddle, resting and visiting with other hikers. While they were gone a storm started to roll in. It was dark and very rainy and you could see the lightning coming in from the south. I started to worry. We had a long hike back and we needed to get off the mountain. I got anxious for the boys to return. They seemed to take forever.

On their way back, a mountain goat jumped across the trail about 10 feet in front of them. It was a pretty awesome sight. The beauty of it, however, was lost on me. I was convinced we would be caught in a terrible storm if we didn't leave now. I was primarily worried about climbing down the snow pack in rain. It didn't sound fun or safe.

As soon as Earl and Ben made it back to the saddle, we started heading for home. I didn't even get one picture of us at the saddle together. On a very cool note, Ben was the first 9 year old to hike to the peak this season.

The hike back was long. My knee started hurting, the boys were completely out of juice and we all felt bruised and beaten by the time we made it back. I was wasted and hungry.

Even though it was late, we were all tired and decided to go to dinner. We asked Beth and Jacob to join us and we went to Los Hermanos. We were all so tired, I thought I was going to fall asleep at the table. We had a good time and we were all ready for bed by the time we got home.

My summer’s are just jam packed. I simply don’t know where the time goes. This one has been no exception.

We had a family reunion at my house July 4^th weekend. Several weeks of yard and house prep went into it. Fortunately, few of the cousins could come and the numbers were light. While it would have been great to see them, there would have been space, bathroom and shower issues if everyone had made it. Turns out the number was just right.

Most of my family was there. Unfortunately, Kyle’s family couldn’t make it. But, Tyler and April were there and Kevin, Wendy and the kids were there. My parents and Marion were major participants of course. And, my aunt Carol and cousin Angie stopped by for dinner on Friday and uncle Keith and Doreen showed up for the festivities on Saturday.

Friday we had a blast. We went boating. The kids loved it. Despite many efforts, some of them would not vacate the boat. The result was mega sunburns. But, they had a great time. We got some great pics of the kids (big and little) on the tube. They loved it. My baby brother did the driving from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. He was a trooper and totally wasted when all was said and done.

Saturday morning we did the traditional breakfast. Then we took off to shoot clay pigeons with the shotgun and targets with a BB gun. The kids had a good time. They were taught some rules about gun safety and they all made sure to stay behind the firing line.

One of the highlights was finding Lizzy. A little desert lizard we happened upon. We had fun with her for awhile and when it was time to come home we released her into the wild.

After the “firing range” we were all hot and sticky. We broke out the slip and slide and water balloons. Crazy! The kids had a blast making a splash.

By the time the weekend was over, we were exhausted. We had played ourselves out.

The Mouths of Babes

Jacob (to Grandma Susie): When I get bigger, I'm going to marry you.

Matthew (to Jacob): Jacob, she'll probably be dead by then.

Ahhhh... Don't you just love kids!

What a stud!

How on earth could I NOT love this man? Just look at him. Mmmmmm! I love the sweet way he talks to me. I adore his soft, kind, sexy eyes. I enjoy his sense of humor. He makes me laugh every day, even the bad ones. He's tall and smart and good.

I must be honest though, there is ONE thing I would change about him. The man beats me at everything... EVERYTHING! Mario Kart, Tennis... You name it. It drives me crazy. But, if that's the only thing... I guess I'll keep him.

Here's Lulu! The newest member of our family. She's like a cuddly little teddy bear. We all love her! When she wags her tail her whole body bends in half. All the kids love her and she loves them. She rarely barks and we are getting close on the house training. In fact, if her parents were more diligent in training her, we would be done. We are having a ball with this little gal and are so glad we have her. She was simply meant to be a part of our little family.

I'm done hibernating!

So, when I said let's skip February all together, I didn't realize March would be included. However, I think spring is finally here. The temperatures have gone up, a bit. Instead of snow, it's raining and my lawn is starting to look like it is waking up. I am thrilled that it has finally arrived.

Spring Break is next week. I have taken the entire week off work and will spend the time with my children and getting a few things done around the house (I hope). We have some fun times planned. It will also be a chance to train the newest member of our family, Lulu.

We have a new puppy. She is adorable and mellow and the whole family loves her. She was introduced to the kids yesterday and they could not have been more excited. It was awesome. They are at just the right age. It was so nice to be able to make that dream come true for them. The poor dear will have so much attention, she won't know what to do with herself. As soon as I find my camera cable, I will post some pics.

Today is our 6 month anniversary. I have never been so happy. My husband is wonderful and I love him. He is so good to me and he makes me laugh every day. I love his smile and the twinkle in his eye when he is being playful.


I love my three sons. They are good boys and fill my home with play and wrestling and video games and rocks. While sibling-hood has it's ups and downs for Chloe, I think the pros column outweighs the cons on most days. We have come a long way and have a long way to go but we are enjoying the journey. It certainly hasn't been easy but it has been rewarding.

Let's just skip February - Are you with me?

I think I have had it with the cold. I don't normally tire of winter this quickly but I think I'm done. With every passing day I get more tired, increasingly cranky and severly deficient in vitamin D. I am tired of my commute, sick of work and in dire need of more sleep.

So, who's with me. I say we skip February. It's just more of the same we had in January. I could do with March weather. I can handle some lion days if it's mixed in with some lambs. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Really, I need to exercise, throw the empty-calorie food away and stand out in the sunshine even it is only 16 degrees outside. I'm tough, I can take it. OK... I will be cheerful now.

January has really flown. This is one of our busiest months at work so the days go by pretty quickly. I celebrate my birthday, which is super fun. This year, my very amazing and wonderful husband whisked me away to Lave Hot Springs for some relaxation. And, a major milestone was achieved... We can finally park two cars in the garage again! That may seem anti-climatic to you but I assure you a lot of effort went into that accomplishment.

Bring on February, I'm ready!