Fairbourn Follies

Christmas 2011

2012-01-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

We started out the season with a little Christmas card photo shoot. This was the one we decided to go with. It took us a while to get there, however...

Needless to say, Taylor didn't last long :)

On Christmas Eve, we went to Grandpa Fairbourn's house for our annual Christmas breakfast. Our nephew, Michael brought his fiance who is in the Navy. She was up for reenlistment, so she asked Todd's Dad, a retired Air Force lieutenant, to swear her in. It was really interesting to be a part of that.

Precious.

Christmas morning!

A visit to Temple Square.

It's been a fabulous year! Now onto 2012...

Fall 2011

2012-01-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

Our little monkey started preschool in September. He was so excited. He loves it!

Such a big boy.

October and November are our big birthday months. We started out with Taylor turning 4.

Followed by Josh turning 17.
Kristen is a teenager now- 13!

Aaron turned 15 in November.

Todd and I had the incredible opportunity of going on an 18-day Mediterranean Holy Land Cruise with our good friends, Pete and Linette Vanderhooft. Todd and Pete left a few days early to take care of some business in Germany.

They then met us in Athens, Greece, where we boarded the cruise ship to sail out into the Mediterranean, but not before some sightseeing in Athens.

Our first port was the Greek Island of Santorini. The village sits up on a hill, so you either have to take a tram, walk, or ride donkeys. We decided to be adventurous and ride donkeys up.

Our next stop was Kusadasi, Turkey, where we took a day trip out to the ruins of Ephesus.

Next on the docket was the Greek Island of Patmos. Todd and Pete decided to take a dip in the beautiful blue water of the Mediterranean.

They rented a scooter, and spent the day cruising all over the island while Linette and I shopped :)

We then sailed to Haifa, Israel, where we did an overnight excursion through Israel. We saw so many amazing things. It was incredible.

The Garden of Gethsemene

The Dome of the Rock

We then headed to Egypt for another 2-day adventure.

Our next port was Naples, Italy, where we took a trip out to Pompeii, the ancient city that was destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius. It was fascinating.

We ended our adventure in Rome, where we spent three days sight-seeing. We walked miles every day, and had a great time.

Yes, we even got to see the Pope!

Our Fall continued with a very cold evening at Cornbelly's corn maze. Quite a shock after being in the beautiful Mediterranean.

Halloween at preschool.

Ben at his school Halloween parade.

Leaves!

We spent Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Svedin's house this year. Of course, it wouldn't be the same without the traditional smorgasbord of pies :)

Taylor and cousin Elli

Our cousins, Jacob and Abbey Calvert were there, too.

Great times with a great family!

Summer 2011

2012-01-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

In August, we went to Yellowstone with my family. Todd wasn't able to come with us because of work, so we missed him, but we had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles and cousins.

We stayed in a cabin in Island Park, Idaho. There was plenty of room for the kids to play, and there was even a hot tub.

Our summer started out with Aaron attending EFY (Especially for Youth) at the University of Utah. He went with his friend, Davis Mcdermott, and they had a great time.

Josh was quite the hiker last summer. He went out with his friends every chance he got. They hiked Lone Peak twice, and did several other hikes. He and Aaron also went on a backpacking trip with their Uncle Patrick up in the high Uintahs.

This was the summer I decided to "tri". I had been struggling with some tendonitis in my foot, so in May I decided to buy a road bike. I found that I really enjoyed biking. I also decided to sign up for my first sprint triathlon in June, so I started swimming. I LOVED the triathlon, and decided to take it a step further, so I signed up for the Bear Lake Brawl- olympic distance in August. It was my first open water tri, so I was very nervous.

It went very well, and I actually enjoyed the swim a lot more than I thought I would. I will definitely be doing more biking and swimming in the future. In August, I also did my first century (100 mile) bike ride- the Ulcer. It was great.

Marnie was in town at the end of August for our Yellowstone trip, so she, Patrick, and I ran the Hobble Creek Half Marathon. I had a great race, and didn't even realize I was pregnant!

There were a lot of other fun summer activities- Josh and Aaron went on Pioneer trek, and also their scout camps. Kristen went to her first girl's camp, and I was able to share it with her, because I am one of her leaders. It was such a great summer! Can't wait for it to be summer again :)

Spring 2011

2012-01-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sweethearts Dance 2011. Josh's first date :)

We all ran the Moab 5-mile run together. Great times!

For Spring break, we headed down to St. George. We went to Zion National Park, and Josh, Aaron, and I hiked to the top of Angel's Landing. I was scared to death to do it, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Victory!

We went to Vegas and toured the Hoover Dam.

Easter 2011

The annual Easter egg hunt at Grandma Svedin's house.

You're really never too old to hunt for Easter eggs :)

Kristen played the part of "Viola" in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" for her 6th grade school play. She was a girl for part of the play, and then her character dressed up as a boy.

Kristen and her friend Becca placed third in the District Debate tournament. Josh and some of his friends helped them. What a bunch of great kids! They were able to participate in the State tournament, and had a great time.

Oh, yeah- I have a blog :)

2012-01-07T12:52:00.002-07:00

It seems I have fallen into the category of the very occassional blogger. I think I just get overwhelmed at the thought of updating when I get so behind. I suppose the answer to that would be- don't get behind! So, it has been over a year now since my last update, and we have had quite a bit happen in the past year, so I think I'll catch up in several different posts. Stay tuned- updates on the way :)

One Voice on 2 News

2010-12-10T08:29:00.004-07:00

Kristen and Ben were on the news! The other day, their choir, One Voice, was invited to sing on KUTV 2 morning news. We had to be downtown at their studio at 6:15 a.m. They sang several times throughout the morning show. It was so fun.
They interviewed our director, Masa. He really doesn't like being interviewed on t.v. :) When they were done, the kids got to go on a tour of the t.v. station. It was so fun and interesting. We're so grateful that the kids are having so much fun in this choir. They have already had so many great opportunities, and they are learning so much!

Ben's Letter to Santa

2010-12-07T19:53:00.003-07:00

Ben wrote this letter to Santa a while ago and put in the mailbox. It was returned to him along with a letter from "Santa" just the other day. I hadn't seen it before then. I thought it was so cute and sweet. He only asked for a few simple things- a watch, a skateboard, and a Big Nate book. He even told Santa if he's been too bad, he didn't have to bring very many presents. So cute.

How sad it will be when I no longer have believers at my house...

I'm Back!

2010-12-04T00:41:00.043-07:00

Well, after eight months of neglect, I'm finally updating! *Warning* this is kind of long- we've had a lot going on over these past months, and since one of the reasons I keep a blog is for history, I had to include everything. Feel free to just quickly skim through if you get bored:)

In May, I ran my 9th marathon in Ogden. My finishing time was 4:03. Not my best, but not too bad, I guess. It's a beautiful course.

In June, I ran the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back with my team- Plum Loco. This year my brother-in-law, Eric Evans ran on our team as well. We had a blast as always, and we placed 1st among the 4 locomotion teams- by 30 minutes!

In July, we headed up to the mountains for the Stocking Reunion. We happened to be up there for Ben's 8th birthday, so we celebrated in the mountains. We had a great time hiking, playing, and especially fishing.

Taylor's big catch of the day.

Ben's birthday party Ben's baptism day. His friend, Tyler Harkness was baptized the same day. We are so proud of Ben. He is such a great kid- we just can't imagine our family without him.

Cub Country- Ben is now a Cub Scout!

In August, my sweet Grandpa Stocking passed away at the age of 99. He was healthy and active until last Spring (he had even planted a garden and bought a new tiller), when he started having a lot of pain. We found out that he had old spinal fractures that were causing the pain. He went downhill fairly quickly, but he was sharp as a tack until the end, and he was so sweet. He was very grateful to everyone who helped him or visited him, and he even kept his great sense of humor. Even at the very end when he couldn't speak, we knew he was listening and understanding every word that was said. My sister, Marianne and I had the wonderful opportunity of sitting at his bedside a couple of times, and singing for him. It was such a beautiful experience to be able to sing hymns of peace and love to our Grandpa during his final days on the earth. His funeral was literally a celebration of his incredible life of love and service. It was wonderful to be able to hear about his life. He was such a great example to all of us. He taught us all how we should live by the quiet, humble way that he lived. He was always happy, always positive, and always willing to do anything for anyone. He left us a rich legacy of hard work, discipline, service, and especially love. We miss him so much, but we know he is very busy, and very happy on the other side.

Shortly after Grandpa passed away, my cousin Mandy's conjoined twins, Emma and Taylor also passed away. She took great comfort in a dream that a good friend of hers had in which she was at the girls' viewing, and an old man came up to her and asked where the twins were. She showed him in to the room, and then later realized that he was Mandy's Grandfather's spirit (she didn't know that Grandpa had passed away). In the dream, she saw the girls' spirits standing by thier parents. One was holding her mom's hand, and the other was holding her dad's hand. They were smiling up at their parents, and they were so happy. Then she saw Grandpa walk up to them and take them by the hand to take them where they are needed now.

When we heard about this dream, we knew why Grandpa had to go when he did. We are so very grateful for the knowledge that we have. Now we all have to live in such a way that we we will be able to join them in the next life. As always, we've had a lot of music going on at our house. Aaron is still playing the clarinet, and also just recently took up the saxophone. He's playing in the jazz band now, as well as the symphonic band.
Josh's final choir concert of the school year was a rock concert. They sang music of The Beatles, and Queen. It was a lot of fun. He also participated in Midvale Middle School's production of "Honk". It is a musical adaptation of the story of the Ugly Duckling. He had a blast, and did a great job. Josh, Aaron, and Kristen all participated in Summer Arts again this year at the University of Utah. They played in a "Monster Concert", and then they competed against other students with two pieces that they had learned. They did a great job, and Josh even won an award for "best classical performance" with his Beethoven Sonata.

I started teaching piano again in August, and I now have 15 students, including Ben. I am really enjoying it, and the kids have been great to help out with Taylor while I'm teaching.

I ran the Hobble Creek Half Marathon in August, and finally got another half-marathon PR (personal record)- 1 hour, 45 minutes. I was so happy with my time- I felt like I had really given it my all, and I felt great at the end. Unfortunately, the fast running down the mountain took a toll on my IT band, and I struggled with that until the St. George Marathon in October (my 10th). My marathon was way slower than I had hoped, because of the nosedive my training took after Hobble Creek, so I was very dissapointed. But, I finished a tough race, and there's always next year! Also in August, Kristen and Ben auditioned for the One Voice Children's Choir, and they both made it. They began rehearsals, and within a couple of weeks, were performing. They had the opportunity of performing with Angela Winston, a well-known local Gospel singer. They had a great time, and it has been so fun to watch their confidence grow as they are learning to perform. They love it, and we love watching and listening to them sing! Okay, say what you will, but we are big Glenn Beck fans (I know many of you don't agree with us, but we think he's great). Anyway, he came to Salt Lake for a book signing, and also to present his "American Revival" at Energy Solutions Arena. I decided it would be fun to go to the book signing, so Josh, Kristen and I headed downtown (Aaron was at Scout Camp). We waited in line for hours, and it was very hot (the line went out of the store, and down the block). Kristen apparently had not eaten much, and had not had much to drink that day, and she all of a sudden said, "Mom, I can't see very well- it's all blurry." I looked at her, and then she went limp and started to fall. I set her down, and people started asking if she was o.k. I told them that I thought she was dehydrated, and people started running to get her water. They had me take her into the store to sit down where it was cool, and I just helped her slowly sip her water. She eventually felt better, and Josh kept our spot in line, so we were able to meet Glenn Beck. It was quite scary, but I was so grateful to everyone who helped her. When we met Mr. Beck, he asked me what the kids were doing the next day. I told him they weren't doing anything, and he said, "Bring them to my American Revival. It's on me."
He gave our whole family great seats on the floor of the Energy Solutions Arena. It was a great event. We were so impressed with all of the speakers. The kids had a great time, and really learned a lot.

This summer marked 20 years since my graduation from Bingham High School. I really can't believe it has been that long! I served on the reunion committee, and we had a great time. We had a family picnic, and took a tour of the school with our very own Mr. Scott Crump (my favorite teacher of all time). He still teaches at Bingham, so he took us to his classroom. I was immediately taken back in time. I'll never forget rushing into his classroom first thing in the morning to see if my name was on the board. (He put all of the A's on the board after tests) I learned so much from him. It was so fun to see him again.
The next night, we had a nice dinner at the Grand America Hotel. It was so great seeing old friends and catching up, but I still can't believe I'm old enough to have a 20-yr. reunion!

Josh made me so proud this year- he joined the cross country team at Hillcrest High School. He is really enjoying running, and he's getting faster. We've been able to run together, and I have loved those runs- we're able to really talk as the miles go by. I'm so grateful for good kids.

Ben made a sign to hold up while he cheered for Josh at one of his meets. So cute. Fall at our house means birthdays! In October we celebrated Josh's 16th (16th!!!) birthday, and Taylor's 3rd birthday. We also celebrated my nephew Bradley's 10th birthday. I made a train cake for Taylor, and Josh asked Grandma to make her homemade tapioca pudding for him.
Josh's new Chuck Norris T-shirt. To celebrate Josh's 16th birthday, we went up to the condo in Eden, and He brought his good friend, Xander. It was a really nice weekend, and we were able to go hiking (Josh and Xander hiked 20 miles!), and boating.

What a great way to officially end the summer! We had a great time!

More music- Josh had his Fall choir concert- he is singing in the SATB choir at Hillcrest this year, and Kristen played her flute in the band for Halloween. She was dressed as a Jedi princess.

We celebrated Kristen's 12th birthday on Halloween. She has really been wanting me to make her a quilt, so I finally did it. With the help of my crafty and talented sister, Marianne, I made this rag quilt for her. It was very time consuming, but I had fun doing it, and she loves it. She had her own sugar-free cake, because she has been doing a "no sugar year". She has been going without sugar since January 1st, and her goal is to make it to the new year without sugar. I'm so proud of her- I know I couldn't do it.

She had a party with 18 girls- 18! I don't think I've ever heard anything so loud in my whole life. It was crazy, but a lot of fun. Aaron's 14th birthday was next. He had a bunch of boys over, and Todd took them all to laserquest. Let me just say, boys are definitely quieter than girls :) They can be rowdy, but the decibel level didn't reach anywhere near what it was with the girls. Fun times.

Aaron was ordained a Teacher. We are so proud of him. He is so good and thoughtful. Josh was also ordained to the office of a Priest. He does such a good job at blessing the Sacrament. Kristen is now a Beehive in Young Women's, and she is so happy to be there! I am a Beehive advisor, so we are having fun in Young Women's together.

We've already had A LOT of snow (too much for me), but the kids are loving it!

On November 9th, my sister Tami had a sweet little baby girl, Katie Lynn. She had a long and difficult pregnancy, so we are so grateful for her save arrival. She is so adorable- I just can't get enough of her!

The Holidays have brought LOTS of opportunities for Ben and Kristen's choir to perform. They sang for the Lights-On Downtown ceremony- it was fun but FREEZING! We have had record cold temps. They've been able to go into the studio and record. What a fun experience! They have a Christmas CD, and it is awesome! Kristen even has a little solo on it :)

They performed a mini-concert at Southtowne Mall for FM100.3, so it aired on the radio! They have also been on TV and in the newspapers. They are having a great time. Our Choir Angels

Josh has discovered that he loves Debate, and that he's pretty good at it! He has competed with the Debate team in several tournaments, and he's come home with awards several times. Just this weekend he earned 1st place in impromptu speaking, 2nd place in poetry, and was a finalist in spar. I alway knew he was good at arguing :) We are so happy that he's found something else that he loves and is passionate about.

Well, that's all for now. I really need to stay up to date so I don't have to cram 8 months into one post :) If you're still reading, I'm really impressed. Thanks for sticking it out :)

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-09T08:36:00.010-06:00

For Spring break last weekend, we headed down south hoping to find some warmer weather. We spent the day Friday in Zion's National Park. It was a little chilly, but pretty nice for hiking.

The Court of the Patriarchs
Taylor loved all of the rocks.

Getting ready to hike the Emerald Pools loops

Taylor was a little trooper! He loved hiking with his dad.

So beautiful!

Weeping Rock

Kristen and I took an afternoon in St. George to get a pedicure.

The Easter Bunny managed to find us!

It was conference weekend, so we had to have our traditional Swedish Pancake breakfast.

YUMMY!!

Coloring eggs

Sunday, after conference, we went to a park and rollerbladed about 5 miles on a paved trail. Kristen was tired at the end, but she was proud of herself. It was a lot of fun!

Ben and Taylor had a great time playing in the sand at the park.

We had such a great weekend hiking, playing, swimming, and just relaxing. It was hard to come back to reality. I love spending time with my family!

Best. Concert. Ever.

2010-04-06T10:39:00.004-06:00

Last week, Todd and I went to Michael Buble's concert at the E-Center. The tickets were Todd's Christmas present to me. It was a cold, snowy night, but I didn't care. I was so excited! Here we are waiting for the concert to start. My hair is super flat because we had been standing out in the snow :) The opening act was "Naturally 7". They are an a'cappella vocal play group. They were outstanding! We really enjoyed them.

The show opened with the band behind the curtain, but lit so we could see their shadows. Michael Buble was standing at the conductor's podium, conducting the beginning of "Cry Me A River". Then, the curtain opened up and he started singing. The cool thing was, he was directing properly! He is so great!

Ahhh.... so dreamy!

He is the best performer I've ever seen! I didn't want it to end. He did two encores, and for the last one, he ended up in front of the curtain singing without the microphone with only the piano. It was so amazing! Thanks for the tickets, Todd- best present ever!

Moral Courage

2010-03-31T09:08:00.002-06:00

Last night, our home teachers paid us a visit, and they shared a message about moral courage. They talked about Anne Frank, and others who demonstrated great moral courage in the face of persecution. But as important as these people are, I think we show moral courage every day in the little choices we make. Case in point:

Yesterday afternoon the kids were all playing out in the front yard. Aaron was playing with a slingshot that he got recently in Moab. I was in the kitchen making dinner, when he came in and informed me that he had accidentally broken the neighbor's window (you saw that coming, didn't you :) He was afraid I would be upset, but I told him I was so proud of him for coming right in and owning up to what he had done. The neighbors didn't see it happen, so he could have easily just not said anything, and they would never know that he did it. Aaron wanted to take responsibility for it, so he went over with Todd and explained to them what had happened, and told them that he would be paying for a replacement window (lucky for us, Aaron is probably our most thrifty child, so he has money). They were great about it, and praised him for having the courage to do the right thing. When he came home, I asked him how he felt. He said he felt a lot better after telling them, but he wasn't happy that he would be spending all of his money on a window. I told him that I understood, but that having integrity is worth a whole lot more than the price of a window. I have to admit, I was so tempted to say, "Oh, it's o.k. We'll pay for it. You did the right thing by telling us, so we'll pay for it. It was an accident, after all." But, I restrained myself, because I believe that he needs to learn to take responsibility for his actions- whether it was intentional or not. That is just part of life. He is willing to pay for it, and he will be better off for it. He is such a great kid, and I know his moral courage will take him far in this life, and in the next.

Moab!

2010-03-28T19:58:00.006-06:00

Last weekend, we headed down to Moab, Utah for the Canyonlands Half Marathon and 5-mile run. We went down Thursday night hoping to be able to do some hiking on Friday, but alas, it was rainy and snowy- yes SNOWY!- most of the day. So... we went swimming at the indoor/ outdoor pool- the kids got a kick out of being in the outdoor half of the pool while it was hailing- then we went to the race expo to pick up our race packets, and then we did some shopping. Todd was busy most of the day with work- he is doing some business with a school in Moab, but he was finished in time for us to go to Pasta Jay's for some pre-race carbo-loading. Back at the hotel, we got everything ready for the race, and went to bed. The next morning, we got up early and got ready, had some breakfast, and headed over to the park to get on the busses. Todd and Aaron headed over to the 5-mile busses, and I helped with the loading of the half-marathon busses. We (the bus-loading group) finished with the loading, and then hopped on the last bus up to the top. We got everyone corralled up to the start, and I tried to find someone I knew to run with. I found a couple of my friends, but I knew I would not be able to stay with them- they are just a bit too fast for me. I kind of started with them, but I was just running my own race when my good friend, Teresa Winder, came by. I asked if I could run with her and her friend, Margaret. They agreed, so off we went. We ended up running the whole race together, and Teresa and I got each other to the end with a strong, fast finish. Our last mile was our fastest (7:52), and I finished in 1:50:17- a PR for this race, and almost a PR for the half marathon. I was very happy with my race. I felt great the whole time, and I really gave it my all. It was so great running with Teresa and Margaret. (The picture above is the three of us- I'm the short one next to Teresa. :) Todd ran the 5-mile run in 56 minutes. A great time, considering that the most he had run lately was 2 miles. He said he had a great time, and he felt good. He even said that he might like to do a half marathon. I think I need to get that in writing :) I was very proud of him. He did great.

Aaron ran the 5-mile in 48 minutes. He said he ran the whole time, and he felt good. His training consisted of a 5k in January, and then one other 3 mile run a few weeks ago. I think he did awesome! I'm so proud of him, and I really hope he continues running.

Of course, no trip to Moab would be complete without some hiking! After the race we headed out to Arches National Park and hiked the Windows section. It was a little on the chilly side, but the sky was clear and blue. It was perfect for hiking.

Beautiful Kristen Behold, the mountain man!

You can't tell by this picture because I zoomed way in, but Aaron was pretty high up. He kept climbing higher, and higher everywhere we went. I think I need to get that kid some rope!

In case you're wondering- Taylor stayed with my sister Tami for the weekend, and Josh stayed home because he had some things going on that he didn't want to miss. We had a great weekend, but I was so happy to see Taylor and Josh again. It felt so strange to not have everyone there. Taylor had a great time playing with his cousins, though, and it was nice to not have to worry about him during the race. (Thanks again, Tami. We really appreciated your help.) What a great getaway!

Wow, I Really Need to Update!

2010-03-16T09:33:00.003-06:00

I guess I've been a little busy lately, so my blog has been quite neglected. Time to update! We've had a few things happen in the last couple of months that have been worth noting:

In January, Kristen's song that she wrote for the Reflections contest won at the school and council levels and went on the region. She is quite the talented little songwriter.

Later that month, we headed down to St. George for the St. George Half Marathon and 5k race. I ran the half marathon, Aaron ran the 5k, and Todd ran/walked the 5k with Kristen, Ben and Taylor. We all had a great time, and enjoyed slightly warmer temperatures than at home :)

We closed out January with Aaron receiving the coveted "Viking of the Quarter" award at Crescentview Middle. He was one of 6 from the whole 7th grade to receive the award. He is doing so well in school. We are so proud of him!

February began with a fun surprise birthday party for Grandpa Stocking, who turned 99 years young! He is such a great example to all of us, and we are counting on having a huge bash next year for the big 100!

For Valentine's Day, Todd and I managed to get away for a much needed weekend alone. We didn't go far- just to a hotel down the street- but it felt like we were miles away. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Carver's, and just enjoyed being together. I had put together a dvd of pictures from the time we met up until now. I surprised Todd with it that night. He loved it! We had such a great time, and I was reminded again of how truly blessed I am to have such a wonderful man to share my life with.

A couple of weeks ago, Josh, Aaron, and Kristen had their Spring piano recital. They have been working so hard for this, and they did such a great job. Josh played Debussy's "Claire de Lune", and he performed it so beautifully, it brought tears to my eyes.

Aaron played an energetic and fun song called "Midnight Chase". He did very well, playing it better than I had ever heard him play. That's the way to do it!

Kristen played "Spinning Song", which is a very fast, fun piece. She did a very clean, energetic performance, and we were so proud of her. All of the practicing is definitely paying off for all of these kids!

Last week we went to Aaron's 3rd quarter band concert. They featured music from the Romantic period. They did a fantastic job.

Well, that's our last couple of months in a nutshell. Consider yourself updated!

I tried to upload a video of the recital, but it wouldn't work. You can click here to see it. It's about 8 minutes. Enjoy!

Celebrating Christmas and Bringing in the New Year

2010-01-06T12:59:00.010-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with lots of activities as usual. Aaron and Kristen both had their holiday band concerts. I played the piano for Kristen's band. Kristen and Aaron also were able to play in a pep band for a Utah Flash game. We got to watch the game. It was pretty fun, and they even won!

We had our annual ward Christmas breakfast, and Kristen and Ben participated in the program. They even got to sing and record in a real recording studio. We are lucky enough to have Masa Fukuda in our ward. He is a composer and director of a children's choir in the area, and he has a recording studio in his house. He had a few kids record the songs so they could play it during the program. Ben even wore the very same headset that David Archuleta wore when he recorded there. Cool!

Aaron, Kristen and Josh played their Christmas pieces at the Valley Fair Mall. It was kind of noisy, but they did a great job. After they were done, we went to dinner and then up to Temple Square to see the lights. Todd and I were able to go to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert with Patrick and Marianne. Natalie Cole was the guest artist, and it was a great concert.

Our whole family (minus Taylor) participated in our ward choir Christmas program this year. We all sang, and Josh even accompanied one of the choir pieces on the piano, and all of the congregational pieces on the organ. Todd sang a duet for one of the pieces, and he even had to sing in German! He did a great job. It was a wonderful program, and it really brought the spirit of Christmas.

Yet more music! Kristen and Ben sang in a fun program at school, and it was fun to hear Ben's class sing in Spanish! He is learning so much in his Spanish immersion class. On Christmas Eve, we had a fun party at Grandma and Grandpa Svedin's house, and then we had Grandpa Fairbourn and Grandma Nan over for dinner. After dinner, Kristen sat down at the computer and in about 10 minutes, wrote a Christmas program and then the kids all dressed up and presented it. I posted the poem that she wrote on her blog. I think it's really good, especially knowing how fast she wrote it!

Christmas morning was so much fun. Everyone got what they hoped for, and Taylor was just happy to be there, and happy to help everyone open up their presents.

Aaron got a telescope- a real one, not just a toy one, complete with books, software, and star guides. He's already been out gazing at the heavens several times.

Kristen got an IPOD, and has been busy loading it up with all of her favorite musical theatre songs. She's constantly singing songs from Les Miz, Wicked, and Secret Garden.

Ben got a DSi, and he has been having fun playing video games, taking pictures with the digital camera, and recording things. He can play back his recordings so they sound like chipmunks. It's pretty fun.

Josh wanted a keyboard and music composing program for the computer, and he got those, but we were also able to surprise him with the Orson Scott Card "Ender's Series" boxed set. He loves those books, and he was so excited.

So I usually buy these gingerbread house kits with every intention of making it with the kids. We usually get so busy, that it doesn't happen. This year, we actually did it, even if it was on December 27th :) It was easier than I thought it would be, and it was pretty fun. We spent New Year's Eve at Grandpa Fairbourn's house with friends and family.

Left to right: Marnie, Eric, Todd, me, Melissa (Patrick's friend), and Patrick.

New Year's Day we left Josh and Aaron in charge at home, and Todd and I went cross country skiing my sister Marnie and her husband Eric, and my brother Patrick and his friend Melissa. We were all rookies except for Melissa, and so it was quite an adventure. I have to say, I think we all picked it up pretty well. There were a few tumbles, but nothing too bad. We had a great time, and had a great workout! We rewarded ourselves with Five Guys burgers and fries afterwards. Later that night we rewarded the kids for not burning the house down while we were gone (jk- they actually did a great job keeping things in order) by taking them to see "The Princess and the Frog".

I love the holidays so much, but I'm really happy to be back into the routine. Bring on the new year! 2010 is going to be great!

A Christmas Miracle

2010-01-03T13:12:00.003-07:00

I just came home from church, and I had to record this sweet story before I forget it. We have a wonderful lady in our ward who suffers from MS. She lives alone, and is quite independent, but she has to use a wheelchair to get herself around. She bore her testimony today, and this is what she shared with us (I am going to be paraphrasing her words):

"I used to love Christmas. 15 years ago, I was the one who brought the Christmas spirit to everyone else. But since my health has declined, it has been harder and harder to get into the Christmas spirit. I was feeling very despondent, and I just basically wanted to disappear as this Christmas approached. My home teachers left me a gift that had a message from President Dieter F. Uchdorf. He talked about how blessed we are, and that we should take the opportunity to bring a Christmas miracle to someone else. I felt complete despair. I couldn't think of anyone I know that would need ME to bring them a Christmas miracle. I went to bed in tears that night, feeling even more depressed.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt like the Spirit had whacked me in the head so hard, I'm surprised it didn't register on the richter scale. I knew what I had to do. I had a six-foot Christmas tree, and I'm not sure where I got the wherewithall to do this, but I tied it onto the back of my wheelchair, and ventured out into the streets. As I rode along, cars honked and waved, and people shouted 'Merry Christmas!'. I finally made it to the bus stop, and tried to board. The bus driver didn't want to let me on with the tree, but the people on the bus convinced him to let me on. I got on the bus, and everyone was so happy, and full of the Christmas spirit. I got off that bus, and boarded TRAX, with my tree, and again, people were happy to see me. I got caught up in the absurdity of it all, and I was having a great time. I had one more bus to board, and they let me on. I finally made my destination to a house in Kearns. I knew the people who lived there needed that tree. There is a man who lives there who is very overweight, and not able to do anything except sit in front of the television and eat. Another man who lives there has had his life robbed by epilepsy, and they have a seven year old boy who lives there with them. When I thought of this little boy, my heart ached, and I wanted him to have this tree. I made it into the house, and we put the tree up. the outlet was all rusted out, but I plugged it in, and it lit up! I felt so happy that I could do this for them, that in my humble way I could bring this little Christmas miracle to them."

I think the whole congregation was in tears when she finished her story. She exemplified the true meaning of Christmas. I wish I could have seen her making her way down the road in her wheelchair with the flowers that are always attached to the back, bouncing along with her tree strapped to the back. I probably would have stopped and asked if I could give her a ride, but I know she would not have accepted. She wanted to do it herself. I'm sure the people on the busses and the train were inspired and lifted by her sweet spirit. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall of that house, so I could watch that little boy's eyes light up when she plugged in that tree. She was able to lift herself up by lifting others up, and in telling us the story, she lifted all of us up! I am so glad I was there today to hear this sweet story!

60 Memories In Honor of My Dad's 60th Birthday

2009-12-10T12:31:00.007-07:00

Yesterday was my dad's 60th birthday. I have to say that I was blessed with the best dad in the world, hands down. He is an incredible father and an amazing, loving grandfather. My brother Patrick made an awesome video of pictures from his life, and it brought back so many great memories, it prompted me to write down some of my memories of growing up with my dad.

So, Dad, here are 60 of my favorite memories in honor of your 60 years on this earth:

Evenings spent as a little girl giving you "makeovers". Do the words "sponge curlers" bring back memories?
Saturday afternoons watching "Buck Rogers" and "Battlestar Gallactica".
Waking up in the wee pre-dawn hours to go fishing. (I never loved the fishing, but I never wanted to miss out on these fun outings.)
Pepto-bismol candies. A must for our pre-dawn fishing trips.
The smell of pine nuts roasting in the oven. (I was recently baking pine cones in preparation for making them into a garland, and was immediately reminded of this memory).
Impromptu water fights in the backyard.
You jumping into the kiddie-pool fully clothed.
Swedish pancakes (I know Mom always made them, for which I am eternally grateful, but it was because you learned how to make them in Sweden).
Spontaneous recitals when we would beg you to get your trumpet out.
Creating my own flower bed. (I know I wasn't the best at this, and I'm still not, but your effort at teaching all of us your love of gardening was amazing.)
Jigsaw puzzles.
Playing the piano and singing while you sat in your chair with your eyes closed. I knew that you loved hearing my music (even if it got annoying once in a while).
Countless camping trips.
Countless hikes.
Watching old family movies on the movie screen in the basement.
Countless weenie roasts in the backyard.
Sitting on the deck with you on quiet Saturday evenings after the lawn has been freshly mowed.
Picking raspberries.
Picking corn.
Picking peas.
Picking tomatoes.
Picking beans.
Digging potatoes.
Planting all of the above.
Your love of gardening (hence all of the picking and planting!)
Your love of flowers.
Receiving beautiful boquets of freshly cut gladiolas from your yard.
Countless Father's blessings.
Countless Gospel discussions.
Watching you hold each one of my newborn babies.
Watching you play with my children.
Listening to your incredible talks.
Quoting favorite movies- "Princess Bride", "Ghostbusters".
Standing with you at the casket of my best friend, and knowing that you understood my pain.
Going to the Green briar to watch movies.
Going to the Green briar to watch "Savannah Smiles" for one of our one-on-one birthday dates.
Going to Johanna's Kitchen on a birthday date. You talked to me about dating, and so many other important things.
Your love of classical music. I remember you played "The Planets" for me when I was really little. Your example and Mom's training made me the musician I am today.
Endless hours sitting at the kitchen table helping me with my math homework.
When the computer crashed while I was working on a huge assignment, you did everything you could to help get it back. You even called John Nielsen to come and help, and he managed to fix it.
You and Mom taking me up to Weber State to start college. It was bittersweet.
You and Mom driving me back to Weber State on Sunday nights when I didn't have a ride.
Your attendance at countless choir concerts and recitals.
Your amazing ability as a writer.
Your encouragement of my daughter in her writing.
Your constant encouragement whenever I was discouraged.
When my boys needed help with their pinewood derby cars, you were ready and willing.
Going to your work to pick you up and then heading to Stake Lagoon day.
Vacations at Cherry Hill.
Family game nights playing "upjinx", "rook", "dominoes", and so many other great games.
Sunday walks discussing the reality of the Easter Bunny and other important topics.
Saturday nights watching "Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island".
Awesome FHE's ( even if it may not have seemed like these were appreciated at the time :)
Playing badminton and volleyball in the backyard.
When you took me out for driving practice, you were so patient. (I hope I can follow your example on that one- Josh is almost 16!)
When I called you after crashing the car, you calmly asked if I was o.k., and even though the car was fine and drivable, you came and picked me up because I was too shaken to drive home.
I honestly can't remember a time when you have raised your voice in anger. (I wish I could say the same for myself).
You taught us to care for people. We went to the prison to teach FHE's to an inmate, we visited widows, we left anonymous sacks of groceries on porches.
You have taught us how to work hard by your example.
When I went out with guys, you were the standard to which they were held. I knew I wanted to marry someone that had the same qualities and values that you have. Lucky for me, I did!

Dad, I love you so much, and I am so grateful that I was blessed with you as my dad. Thanks for giving me a reason to take this trip down memory lane, and happy birthday!

Deck the Halls!

2009-12-06T11:17:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

2009-11-16T14:33:00.010-07:00

You may have noticed that we have had a lot of birthdays lately. You would be correct- 4 out of the 5 kids have birthdays from October 11th-November 14th! Aaron celebrated his 13th birthday on November 14th, wrapping up our crazy birthday month.

2 weeks old

When Aaron was born, I was bound and determined to have him naturally (no drugs), so we waited a long time at home before going to the hospital. The idea was that I would be able to do better at home than at the hospital. Well, it worked, but we probably waited just a bit too long- when we got there, I was in transition, almost fully dilated. They didn't even have time to put an IV in (which was fine with me). He was born about 45 minutes after arriving at the hospital. He weighed 5 lbs. 15 oz. and was 18 in. long. He was such a cute little baby! I couldn't believe how big Josh looked compared to my new tiny little baby.

9 months old

2 yrs. old

4 yrs. old

12 yrs. old

We started out his big day with breakfast at IHOP. He got this great birthday balloon hat, and of course, the awesome restaurant birthday serenade.

Aaron is not a huge cake fan, so we made homemade cinnamon and sugar doughnuts instead.

Aaron's favorite part was lighting his own candles on the yummy pumpkin ice cream pie we got from Coldstone.

Pokemon platinum for DS

Aaron really likes cars, so he got a big book about exotic cars.

You're never too old for legos!

Happy birthday, Aaron! We love you so much. You are such a great kid, and we are so glad you're a part of our family!

The Many Faces of Taylor (as seen by Ben)

2009-11-08T08:17:00.005-07:00

Ben (7 yrs. 0ld) borrowed my camera and took these cute pictures of Taylor. I think we have a budding photographer!

Happy Birthday, Kristen/ Happy Halloween!

2009-11-06T10:41:00.008-07:00

We celebrated Kristen's 11th birthday on October 31st. She is our little Halloween baby!

2 weeks old

I went into labor on October 30th, 1998, and got to the hospital that evening. I really wasn't sure that I wanted a birthday on Halloween, so I was hoping she would be born before the 31st. Everything was going well, and I even did it without any drugs. We were inching closer to midnight, and I was pushing hard. She ended up being born at 12:10 a.m. Our regular dr. didn't deliver her because he was at a Halloween party. She weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz., and she was absolutely perfect. She was such a sweet, easy baby, and we were thrilled to have a girl.

9 months old

5 yrs. old

11 yrs. old

For her birthday she really wanted to go to Build-a-Bear Workshop. It was our first time there, and it was really cute. She picked out a classic teddy bear, and decided on a vampire costume.

She finally got around to opening her presents late that night after trick-or-treating. She got a DS game, a book, and some dvds. She also got her ears pierced a couple of weeks ago as part of her birthday, and my mom gave her some earrings and a necklace with her birthstone.
Where's Waldo?

We ended up with some fun costumes this year. Josh hasn't wanted to dress up for the last few years, so I was surprised when he told me he wanted to be Waldo. I looked online for the costume to buy, and I found it, but it was so expensive, I decided we could make it ourselves. I found a white, long-sleeve shirt, and taped off stripes with duct tape. Then I sprayed red fabric paint on the rest of it. When we took the tape off, it looked great! We did the same with a white skull cap- painted the brim of it, and sewed a red pom-pom on top. Added the glasses, and the look was complete! The shirt took FOREVER to make, but it was worth it. We'll definitely be using it again!

The Pillsbury Dough boy rises again!

When Aaron told me he wanted to be the Pillsbury dough boy, I thought it would be really easy. It would have been if I could have found white sweats. Did you know that NOBODY sells white sweat pants? I looked EVERYWHERE! I finally found some really ugly white womens' pants that were made from the same fabric as sweats. They were on clearance for $7.00, so I bought them. My mom helped us put a new waist in that would fit him, and we cut off some of the pants and put elastic in the legs so they would look like sweats. We found the Pillsbury logo online and printed it onto iron-on transfer paper, then ironed it onto the chef's hat. He turned out great!

98% Good Witch

Kristen's costume was easy. We found it at Crackerbarrel. She looked so cute. Ben was our little pirate. We already had this costume, thankfully, so that was very easy.

Our Little Monkey

When I saw this monkey costume, I had to have it for Taylor. It's perfect- he is our little monkey!

The kids had fun carving pumpkins a couple of nights before Halloween, and Aaron was very proud of this one. This is the pumpkin that he grew in our backyard. It looked awesome!
Trick-or-Treating

Taylor caught on to the whole "knock on the door, and get candy" idea very quickly. It was so fun to watch him. He had a blast.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Josh and his friend, Jacob were scaring all of the trick-or-treaters half to death. Jacob sat there very still with the bowl of candy (Josh was inside). They put a sign on the bowl that said "please take only 2 pieces". People would approach thinking he was a statue, and then he would scare them. I wasn't too sure about it, but it was kind of funny.

It was a busy weekend, but we all had a great time! Now on to Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Just Can't Get Enough!

2009-10-18T23:21:00.006-06:00

I am just a little bit obsessed with this new Michael Buble video. I have watched it so many times, I've lost count! I just can't get enough of it. Click on the link below to see what I mean-

(but be sure and come back here and let me know what you think :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AJmKkU5POA

Happy Birthday, Josh!

2009-10-14T09:25:00.003-06:00

Our first-born is 15 years old today! He was born at Jordan Valley Hospital on October 14, 1994. The adventure began when my water broke in the middle of the night. I was a little confused because I was half asleep, and I was on the toilet (not to mention the fact that I had never done this before!). I had gotten up to go to the bathroom, and all of sudden I felt a big GUSH! At first I wasn't sure if my water had broken, but when it continued to leak out, I knew it was time to get ready to go the hospital. The contractions started as we were on the way, and he was born later that day at 2:32 p.m. He weighed 6 lbs, 9 oz., and was 18 1/2 inches long. He was such a cute little thing!

2 months old
5 months old. Don't you love those eyes?

10 months old. That hair WOULD NOT stay down!

2 yrs. old. If you scroll down and look at Taylor's pictures, you can see how much they look alike!

All Josh wanted for his birthday was to take his two good friends, Katelyn and Jacob to "From the Top".

The concert (recording session) was held at the University of Utah. Josh's passion is music, and he loves listening to "From the Top" every Saturday on Classical 89. He is the only 15-yr.-old I know who has ONLY classical music on his ipod. He is studying piano at the U., and he is getting very good. He is also learning to play the organ, and he has been called as one of our ward organists. He does a FANTASTIC job!

We started the night out with dinner at Hires Big H, and then we headed to the concert.

Here they are waiting for the concert to begin. It was pretty fun to be there and see how they record the program. The performers were amazing. There was a 10-yr. old trumpet player who was incredible. There was also a 13 yr.-old marimba player, a 17 yr.-old voilist, and a 15-yr. old pianist who played a Stravinsky piece that was unbelievable. The highlight of the night for me was an orchestra made up of kids from about 7 yrs. old to 16 or 17. They were AMAZING! They played a movement from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" completely from memory. They were so in sync, and the energy they had was incredible!

We finished the night with yummy ice cream from Coldstone. So good!

Josh has awesome friends! I had such a blast hanging out with them. We had a great time.

Happy birthday, Josh! You are an amazing person, and I am so very proud of you!

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

2009-10-11T00:01:00.003-06:00

My baby is 2 yrs. old today! I can't believe how fast it has gone. It seems like yesterday that we brought him home from Alta View Hospital.

He has been such a sweet, happy baby. We have treasured every minute with him!

1 month old

1 yr. old

18 months old

What a keeper! Taylor, you have brought so much joy into our home. We are so happy that you were born. We love you so much. Happy birthday!

St. George 2009

2009-10-10T21:52:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday, I ran my 8th marathon. It was, of course, the St. George Marathon, which is by far my favorite of all the marathons I have done.

Nine days before the race, however, I wasn't sure if I would be running. I was out doing an easy 7-miler, and just as I was nearing the end of the run, my foot caught the edge of a little hole in the road, and I rolled my ankle. I was able to walk back to my car, but as soon as I got home, I could tell it wasn't going to be good. I immediately starting icing it, hoping it would be fine. It wasn't. It continued to get worse throughout the day, to the point that I couldn't even put any weight on it without A LOT of pain. I was completely devastated. I spent a lot of my day in tears, as I was pretty sure at that point that running a marathon in nine days would be out of the question. The next morning, to my great relief, it actually felt quite a bit better. I went to the Dr. later that day, and he taped it and told me to go ahead and try running a mile and half or so on Monday, and then let him know how it felt. I continued icing it all through the weekend, and then on Monday, I went out for a run and it felt pretty good. It was just a little bit sore, so Dr. Toronto gave me the green light to go ahead and run the race. I was SO relieved! When you work so hard for so many months, the thought of not being able to run is awful!

Our trip started on Wednesday after school. The kids were out for Fall recess Thursday, Friday, and Monday, so it worked out great to spend the whole weekend down there. We spent Thursday just swimming, hiking, and chilling out. My brother Patrick and my sister Marnie arrived that night- they were running as well. Friday morning we did a short, easy run together, and then we headed to the race expo to pick up our race packets. We also spent a few hours as volunteers handing out race numbers to other runners. It was really fun to talk with so many different people. Runners really are the most friendly, upbeat people!

Saturday began bright and early (well, not so bright, as it was 4:14 a.m., and still completely dark ;) We drove to Worthen Park to meet up with our running club, Locomotion, so we could all ride the bus up to the top together. We had a huge group this year- we filled up an entire bus! We had a great time on the LONG bus ride up to the top. (It's good to be preoccupied so you don't have to think about the fact that you will be RUNNING this same route that is taking FOREVER to drive!)

Once we finally arrived, we got in line for the port-a-potty (a must), and waited for the race to start. We started all together, along with our good friend Randy, and the four of us stayed together until we reached the infamous Veyo Hill. Veyo Hill is a lovely hill that starts around mile 8 of the race. It's fairly steep, but not too long- maybe a quarter to a half mile. I felt great on the hill, and ended up getting to the top first out of the four of us. We gradually ended up back together until about mile 10 or so. Patrick and Randy slowed a bit, and Marnie and I kept going ahead. Around mile 13, we heard Patrick behind us saying, "Marnie! Kim! Slow down just a little bit! I've been trying to catch you for the last 2 miles!" He caught up to us, but was so spent from the effort, that he immediately fell behind again. We continued on, knowing that he would be able to finish with Randy. I should say that he was doing extremely well considering he was on the "Patrick Svedin marathon training program". This consists basically of one long run every other week or so with no other running in between :) Marnie and I felt pretty good until we came to the end of the canyon and entered the city. This is around mile 23-24. Marnie still looked pretty strong, but I was feeling completely spent. I stayed within eyeshot of her until the last two miles or so, but then I started to slow down. I ended up needing to walk just a little bit the last mile, but I managed to have a burst of energy for the last quarter-mile. My goal was to finish under 4 hours, and as I approached the finish line, my watch was on the verge of changing over to the 4 hr mark. I picked up my pace, willing my watch to not change over. As I pushed the stop button, it changed right at that second, so my time on my watch said 4:00:00. I was a little disappointed, but I was happy to have finished. Marnie finished a little over 2 minutes ahead of me, and Patrick and Randy came in together at 4:09. They did great!

Later on, we went and got our official chip times from the race, and to my delight, the little piece of paper said 3:59:59! I had done it by one second! It may seem silly, but it totally made my day to see that '3' in front of my official time. I was pretty happy!

The rest of our trip was great- we just hung out at the pool, and just chilled. (Which was good considering moving around presented a bit of a challenge- My quads were pretty sore).

Every time I reach mile 24 or so of a marathon, I always question my sanity. Why do I do this to myself? But, I always seem to be thinking about the next marathon almost immediately after crossing the finish line. It is an experience unlike any other. I can honestly only liken it to giving birth to my five children. The two are very similar: you spend months preparing, and then once that day comes, you start out feeling great, having a relatively good time, and as time progresses, the pain gets more and more intense until you reach the end where there is sudden and immediate relief followed by incredible, all-consuming joy. And, just like with childbirth, you tend to forget how intense the pain really was until you do it again, and then you suddenly remember. But then the finish line comes, and it is all worth it in the end.

So, I will inevitably begin training once again, preparing for that next marathon, sore quads or not!

Are You a Bestower of Dignity?

2009-09-28T21:59:00.003-06:00

Last night I had the opportunity of attending a youth fireside with Josh and Aaron. I have to admit, I was tired and I really didn't want to go. The speaker was a member of the Young Women's General Board. (Sorry, I don't remember her name). As soon as she started speaking, I was riveted. I am so glad that we went.

She talked about how important it is to treat others with respect and kindness, and how wrong it is to do the opposite. She mentioned this book, "10 Conversations You Need to Have With Your Children" by Rabi Shmuley Boteach. In this book, Rabi Schmuley says that the one thing that every human being needs to survive is not food, shelter, or water. The one thing that we all need is DIGNITY. The speaker then asked us, "Are you a bestower of dignity?"

What a powerful question! When you really think about it, we all have the power to bestow dignity on everyone around us. We bestow dignity when we give someone a sincere compliment, or recongize someone for their efforts. We bestow dignity when we call someone by name, and show interest in them. We can bestow dignity with something as simple and easy as a smile. We can bestow dignity on our children by sincerely listening to them, and by giving them the guidance that they need, and we can bestow dignity on them by teaching THEM to be bestowers of dignity.

Being nice is MORE than just NOT being mean. Being nice is about putting forth the effort to notice people, and taking the time to bestow dignity in some way. The irony is, if we are feeling invisible, or down, or depressed, if we will go outside of ourselves and build someone else up, we will then build ourselves up.

I am definitely going to read Rabi Shmuley's book. If the other lessons are as profound as this one, it will be well worth my time. This is my new goal, to be a bestower of dignity, and to teach my children to be bestowers of dignity. Isn't that what it's really all about? The Savior taught us that we must have charity. True charity is not something that we DO, it is something that we BECOME. If we truly have charity, or the pure love of Christ, in our hearts, then everything else will fall into place.

I am so thankful that I decided to go to the fireside with my boys. There is true power in being in the right place at the right time.

Aaron's Big Adventure

2009-09-27T11:43:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, we participated in a 5k race that our neighbors put on for their dad who has pancreatic cancer. All of the kids wanted to do it, and I was planning on doing it with them, but because of an ankle injury, I sat it out.

Aaron was excited to run the race and see how well he could do. He has been running some, and he felt like he could do well. The race started, and Aaron looked great. I settled in my chair and began to wait for them to finish. After about 24 minutes, the first runner came through. I thought for sure Aaron would not be long after, so I started watching for him. He didn't come. I started wondering if everything was okay, and then I saw Josh and Kristen come through. I asked Josh where Aaron was, and he said, "he hasn't come yet?" Now I was worried. Josh said that Aaron had been way ahead of them, so he should have been done. I found my neighbor, and as calmly as I could said, "I think Aaron is lost. He should have been done by now." He immediately called his wife, who was stationed about a half-mile from the finish. He asked her if she had seen him come through. She said she had seen him, in fact, he was in second place! He should have been done a long time ago!

He was obviously lost. Our neighbor hopped in a truck and started driving the course looking for him. He was finally found. Apparently, he had been coming toward the finish (not knowing he was almost done), and saw the sign for when they turned at the start. He thought he was supposed to turn there, and so he did. He ended up doing the whole thing almost twice. He realized something was wrong after a while, and he was starting to get a bit worried. I'm not sure, but I think he even strayed off the course trying to find his way back. When he did finally get back, he was recognized for having taken 2nd place, because he would have if he had finished properly.

He was happy about that, and he was also happy when I pointed out to him that he had just finished a 10K!

Civility

2009-09-15T08:39:00.002-06:00

We have a treasure that has been in our family for over a century. It should probably be in a museum, I'm not really sure why we have it, but we do. It is a little book that was published by the Deseret Sunday School Union in 1883. It is a Sunday School reader that was used for teaching children in church back when our area was settled. It is so fun to read, I thought I would share one of the lessons:

Civility

Some boys think they appear smart by being rude and insolent to poor persons. If a person is poorly dressed, they think they have no right to show him any respect, or even to be civil to him. If he is lame, also, they think "Limpy" is a good enough name for him. If he has a bald head, they are very apt to call him "Baldy."
It is best to treat every person with civility. Kind, polite persons are always liked best, and, besides, it pays to be civil. There was once a conductor on a railroad, who thought it was smart to be rude to poor men. He saw a poor-looking, lame man waiting for the train to start, and he said to him:
"Hallo, Limpy! Get aboard, or you'll be left."
Then, as the lame man was getting on the car, he said, "Hurry, up, Limpy."
How do you think the conductor felt, when someone told him, a few minutes after, that the lame man was the president of the railroad?
He knew he would lose his place if the man would not forgive him, and he felt ashamed and very sorry for his rudeness.
But the president was a very kind, good man, and he forgave him, and let him keep his place, but told him never to be uncivil to any person again.
Remember, children, if you want to go through life smoothly, be kind and pleasant yourselves. Civility is a fortune.

Could it be said any better?

Just Chillin'

2009-09-05T14:06:00.004-06:00

This is how I found Taylor yesterday morning amidst the chaos of 4 kids getting ready for school. Little did I know that at that moment, he was probably plotting the demise of my bedroom carpet.

Later that morning while I was doing my hair, unbeknownst to me, he grabbed a bottle of metallic brown nail polish from under my nose and proceeded to "paint" the bedroom carpet. I eventually smelled the nail polish, and ran out to find his legs covered with it, and the carpet sufficiently stained. He knew he was in trouble, because he immediately dropped the bottle and ran. I grabbed him and started cleaning him up. I tried to clean up the carpet, but I wasn't really getting anywhere, so I decided to do some research into the best way to do it. In the meantime, I started finishing my hair, when the little stinker grabbed a bottle of black, waterproof mascara (again under my radar), and proceeded to add to the masterpiece. I found him again covered with the stuff, and nice black stains to complement the big brown splotches.

To make a long story shorter, I did get the stain out. After some research, I found that nail polish remover and windex (windex???) will get out the nail polish. It took two full bottles of acetone nail polish remover, half a bottle of windex, 1 1/2 bottles of eye make-up remover (for the mascara), and probably a half an hour to 45 minutes of elbow grease.

All I can say at this point is, it is a good thing he is so cute. This makes the baby powder incident seem like nothing!

Summer Arts

2009-09-04T10:00:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Josh and Kristen had the opportunity to play the piano in the Summer Arts piano competition at the University of Utah. They both played two pieces, and they have been working on them for several months.

Josh was able to warm up in a practice room before his scheduled time. He seemed very cool and collected. I, on the other hand, was a mess! I tried not to show it, but I was so nervous for them both!

Waiting for his turn. The suspense was incredible. His judges were Paul Pollei and Barlow Bradford, two giants in the piano community here. I wasn't able to go in with him, so I stood outside with my ear to the door. He played very well.
Kristen's turn to warm up. By this time I had calmed down a bit. One down, one to go!

Waiting for Kristen's turn. Again, I had to wait outside. I couldn't hear her very well through the door, but she felt good about her performance.

A couple of nights later, we went to the awards ceremony. Kristen won "Outstanding Classical Performance" for her division.
Josh won "Outstanding 20th Century Performance" for his division. They both did so well! I was very proud.

Here are their pieces: Kristen played Burgmueller's "Arabesque", and Clementi's "Sonatina in C Major", and Josh played Paul Creston's "Prelude and Dance No. 2", and Haydn's Piano Concerto in D Major, Rondo L'Ongarese.

Sorry- I tried to upload a video of them playing their songs, but it wouldn't work :( But trust me, they sounded great!

A Different Kind of Marathon

2009-09-03T09:02:00.002-06:00

There is something so satisfying about taking beautiful food that you have grown yourself (or in my case, that my sister grew :) and putting it into jars to enjoy all year long. My favorite part is listening to the lids pop as they cool and seal. Music to my ears.

On Monday, I went down to my sister Tami's house (she and her husband Wayne have an incredible garden), and we had a canning marathon! We started around 10:00 in the morning and finished up around 7:00 that night! The result was:

23 pints of homemade salsa
18 pints of homemade sweet and sour sauce (delicious!)
14 quarts of stewed tomatoes (to use for spaghetti sauce and other recipes)

Tami and I decided that canning is just so much more fun when you do it with someone. We had a great time talking and laughing while we chopped, peeled, stirred, poured, simmered, and sealed. There were some tears (lots of onions and peppers :), and let me tell you, Tami's house smelled soooo good! We even enjoyed some of Tami's fresh salsa and chips, fresh veggies from her garden, and some fresh, homemade raspberry lemonade.

Are you hungry yet?

Is it Halloween Yet?

2009-08-21T16:33:00.003-06:00

Back in May, Aaron planted one tiny pumpkin seed. He has been faithfully tending and watering it, and it has singlehandedly taken over our garden. (and some of the grass!)
He goes out every day to measure the growth and count the pumpkins that are growing. As of now, there are about 16 little pumpkins, with a couple that are getting quite big.

This one is probably just a little bit bigger than a basketball, and still growing! Aaron has been researching the best pumpkin carving ideas on the internet, planning the perfect designs for his prized pumpkins. He even decided he needed a little practice. This is what he came up with:

Two happy little Halloween apples! Keep growing, pumpkins-Aaron is raring to go!

Payson Lake and Mill Hollow

2009-08-20T23:47:00.008-06:00

This summer we didn't do a big vacation. Instead, we did a lot of little trips. We spent some time up at Todd's dad's condo in Eden, and we were able to take a couple of camping trips.
We went to Payson Lake in July while Josh was at EFY. It was really pretty there, and the lake was a lot of fun to fish in, and to swim in.

Blowing Bubbles!

This was one happy camper!

He's no dummy! He knows what the good stuff is! (he's eating an oreo) We had such a great time paddling around the lake in this raft. We borrowed it from my mom and dad. It's the same raft that my siblings and I used to float around in when I was growing up. We were also able to borrow my mom and dad's tent trailer for both of our camping trips. It was so nice.

The water was quite warm. Ben loved it.

Last week we were able to go up to Mill Hollow. I have such fond memories of Mill Hollow. It is definitely my favorite campground. We took our neighbors' kids with us: Katelyn, Jacob, and Sarah. They are great kids, and we had a great time with them

The Barbens and the Ortons (minus Joel), and my mom came up and spent the day with us on Friday. We had a great time talking and laughing and making tinfoil dinners.

I have never seen so many marshmallows eaten in one camping trip. In this picture they are roasting hot dogs, but I assure you, a record number of marshmallows were toasted on this trip! Of coarse we had plenty of graham crackers and chocolate to go with them.

It did rain quite a bit up there, but we still managed to have a good time. When we got home, though, it was kind of a pain, because we had to lay everything out on the grass to dry it out before we could put it away. When I think back on all of the camping trips I've been on, it seems like the ones that we had to deal with rain are the ones that I remember the most. I'm sure we'll remember this one!

We've had such a fun summer. I think we're finally ready for school to start!

Tin Grins

2009-08-09T12:19:00.003-06:00

It's official! Aaron FINALLY got his braces after about 3 1/2 years of retainers. He had to wait forever because his baby teeth took so long to come out. He was so mad when his LITTLE sister got hers before he did. It's not that he was excited to get braces, he justs wants to get it over with.

We are now the proud parents of three brace faces!! I've been encouraging all of them to consider going into orthodontia. I know firsthand that orthodontists do very well! I think we could have purchased a small country with the money we've poured into their cute little mouths. Hopefully they will all have stunning smiles when we're all through with this!

Just in Case You Were Wondering...

2009-08-05T00:13:00.004-06:00

What happens when you accidentally leave an open bottle of baby powder within Taylor's reach?

Yep, I knew I was in trouble when I smelled baby powder from the kitchen. I ran upstairs to find Taylor had awoken from his nap, and decided to have some fun! Gotta love this age. I have cleaned up more Taylor messes in the last two days than I care to remember. It's a dang good thing he's so stinkin' cute!

Life Lessons- Courtesy of Ben

2009-07-21T07:42:00.009-06:00

Nebo Loop Road

Yesterday the kids and I took a little drive out to the thriving metropolis of Ephraim, Utah. Our mission? To drop Josh off at Snow College for a week of fun-filled, testimony-building, faith-promoting (we hope) experiences at EFY (Especially for Youth). It was a little difficult for me to leave him there. He went by himself- no roommate. He seemed unphased, which is typical of him, but I, being the mom, was not. Anyway, after I lingered long enough to make sure he was settled and fine (probably too long in his book), the other kids and I set off on the journey back home.

This brings us to the "life lessons" part:

Our plan is to go up somewhere near Ephraim later this week, camp for a couple of days, and then pick Josh up on Saturday morning. We thought it might be a good idea to scout out the area and find a place to camp. So as we were heading back towards Nephi, we decided to take the Nebo loop road and see what campgrounds we could find. We were quite successful in our quest. We found several. But if you've ever been on Nebo loop road, you know that although it is spectacular in its beauty, it is very curvy with thousand plus-foot dropoffs. I was a little nervous, but I didn't say anything to the kids. We just kept driving, and I kept making comments about the beauty around us. After a while Ben piped up, and this is the conversation that ensued:

Ben (in a rather panicked voice): "Mom! Why didn't we say a prayer?"

Me (a little humbled- we usually start long car rides with a prayer, and we had forgotten to do that): "Oh, sorry, Ben! Do you want to say a prayer?"

Ben: "Yes."

Me: "O.k., you go ahead and say it."

Here is his prayer to the best of my memory:

"Heavenly Father, please help us to be safe on this road, because it's kind of scary, and I think we might fall off, so please help our car to not fall down this mountain. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I might add that he asked me about 5 times if we were running out of gas. I think he was more than a little bit nervous. After the prayer, I asked him if he was scared. He said that he was, and I assured him that I would stay on the road and take it slowly, and that we had plenty of gas. He seemed much better after his prayer, and even started commenting on how pretty it was and how excited he was to go camping.

It was so cute to me how he just told Heavenly Father how he was feeling and what he needed at that moment. My kids show me every day (well, maybe not every day!) how to be a better person. What great teachers they are!

Needless to say, we will be starting with a prayer when we head off on our camping trip tomorrow!

Lots of Girls+The Great Outdoors+Birthday Fun+A Great Race+Swimming+Fireworks=A Very Fun Week!

2009-07-10T17:02:00.008-06:00

Last week I had the awesome opportunity of attending girl's camp with these incredible girls. I loved rough camp when I was in Young Women's, and it was so much fun to be able to experience it again, this time as a leader. Our theme was "Girls Under Construction".

These are the amazing ladies with whom I am so priveleged to work! (Are you happy, Josh? I didn't end that sentence with a preposition!) They are so much fun, and it was great to be able to get to know them better. The first night we were yelling at the girls to quiet down and go to bed, but the second night they were telling us to be quiet. Needless to say, we had a blast!

This sign was prominently placed in our camp. I was thinking about putting a similar sign up at my house :)

These girls know how to have fun! We had a "Night at the Opera", and they were divided into groups. Each group was given a bag full of props and 2 songs. They had to come up with a mini-opera about camp using every prop and both songs (at least the melodies- they could use their own words). It was great. They were all so creative, and hilarious! I was in pain from laughing so hard. After the silliness, the girls got serious and sang our camp theme song "Hold Our Torches High". It was amazing. As I looked into the faces of each of those girls, I could see the potential that they have. They are so strong. After they sang, we had our testimony meeting with the bishopric. For probably 2 hours, each girl and leader took turns sharing feelings and testimonies. We all left that night strengthened and uplifted. I am truly blown away by the depth that these girls have, and I'm humbled by the responsibility that I have to lead them. I feel like in so many ways, they are leading me. I hope I can rise to the ocassion, and be the kind of leader that the Lord would have me be.
The day after I got home from camp, we packed up and headed up to the condo in Wolf Creek. Ben's 7th birthday happened while I was at camp, so first on the agenda was a party!! Ben was so excited to be able to have his party at one of our favorite places.
This was the second year in a row that we were at the condo for the 4th of July. We have decided to make it a tradition. We went to the Hunstville Park for their festivities. We started the day bright and early with a race. I ran the 10K, and Todd and the kids did the 5K. It was a beautiful morning, and a beautiful course.
Aaron did great in the 5K. It was only his second 5K, and he did it in just over 30 minutes. He really enjoys running, and I know with practice, he's going to get really fast.
Amazingly, my 10K time of 53:52 was good enough for first place in my age group! I was pretty surprised because it definitely was not the best I've done, but I was happy with it. After the race we had a nice breakfast in the park and then went back to the condo for swimming. Later that night we went back to the park and watched the big fireworks display. Huntsville does a really great job, and we love the small-town feel. It reminds us of how Riverton and Draper used to be when we were growing up. We had a great time.

Run, Drive, Sleep?, Repeat...

2009-06-26T21:15:00.007-06:00

Last weekend I ran the Ragnar Relay- Wasatch Back. It is a 188-mile relay race from Logan to Park City. The adventure started on Thursday. My sister Marnie and her family came from Oregon so she could run the relay, and it was her son Isaac's birthday that day, so we had a big party for him at my mom and dad's house. Marnie and I left the party and headed over to Randy Ostler's house to help get our team vehicle packed and decorated for the race. My brother Patrick was also on our team, but he had to teach an institute class, so we met him later.

After we got everything loaded up, and got the cars all decorated, we headed up to Westminster College where we left our cars and all loaded into our team vehicle. We headed up to Logan. Our start time was 7:00 a.m., so we got hotel rooms up there.

Marnie was our first runner. Here she is with Bill Catmull, who was runner number 1 for Real Loco, another team from my running club.

I wasn't feeling all that great. I had come down with a cold the day before, so I didn't sleep very well at the hotel. I was a little nervous about how I would do when it came time to run.

We sure got familiar with these lovely potties!

Just before my run, we came across this youth group on a pioneer trek. They were having a great time.

Here I am with Marnie and Steve Morgan, our team captain. This was right before my first leg of the race.

I was runner 6. My first leg started at 11:45 a.m. on Friday. It was getting pretty hot, but it wasn't too bad. The first mile and half was uphill to the top of Avon Pass, and then it was screaming downhill for about 3 miles or so. I felt great and did about a 7:30 pace on the downhill part, but it was very tricky, because the ground was so rocky. I had to watch my feet the whole time, or I would have tripped and rolled down the mountain. The last couple of miles were harder because it leveled out on pavement. After that steep downhill, flat felt hard. It also felt hotter because it was open and on blacktop. Overall, I was pretty happy with my run. It was about 7 miles, and I ended up with about an 8:45 average pace.

We were already getting tired, and we still had 2 legs to go! After I finished my first leg, that put our van on "inactive" status, and our van 2 (the second half of our team) took over. We were in Liberty, Utah, which is right by Eden, where Todd's dad has a condo. We had some time to kill, so we went to the condo and showered up. It felt so great. We headed up to Snow Basin where we would be exchanging for our next leg and got some lunch.

Our van's second leg began around 3:00 or so. It was pretty hot. We had a nifty little water bottle with a misting nozzle. It felt so good!
I love this picture of Marnie and I. It almost looks like a mirror image- we look so much alike!

My Leg 2 started around 8:00 p.m. It was starting to get dark, so I had to wear a safety vest and have a head lamp with me. The temperature was still hot when I started, but it quickly cooled off and felt really nice. I couldn't get over how beautiful and green everything looked. It kind of helped keep my mind off how tired I was. This leg was an 8-mile, gradual up-hill. It was hard, but I felt pretty good, and managed to maintain a 9:30 pace until the last 2 miles. They were pretty steep uphill to the top of the East Canyon Dam. My average pace for that run ended up being around 10:15. I felt like I had done my best, so I was happy with it. I finished around 9:15, and that put us once again on "inactive" status, so we headed towards our next exchange point and found a spot to camp out for the night. We had about 6 hours before the next exchange, so we were able to get some sleep. It was fun sleeping out under the stars.

My last leg was in Heber. It was an easy 3.2 miler that had a gradual downhill for the last 2 miles. I was pretty tired, but I managed to finish with an 8:45 average. It felt so good to be done!

Here we are- Plum Loco van 1 from left to right: Susie Durr, Steve Morgan, me, Randy Ostler, Marnie Evans, Patrick Svedin, and Preston Catmull. We were all happy to be done running at this point, but not so happy to find out that there were no showers at this exchange. Marnie remembered that she had a friend in Heber, and so she called her and asked if she minded if 6 smelly runners came and took over her shower. Amazingly, she was thrilled to help us out.

But, priority number one (even before a shower), was FOOD!! So, we went to this cute little diner in Heber (I think it was called Chick's Cafe?), and had a yummy breakfast before heading over to Marnie's friend's house to shower.

Here we all are at the finish. Another Wasatch Back Relay over, and we're already planning next year's race. It was so much fun, even with the rain that decided to grace us at the end. We ended up finishing in 30:03:53- about 1/2 hour faster than last year! What an awesome weekend!

"People Come Into Our Lives For a Reason"

2009-06-22T09:00:00.004-06:00

About five years ago, I was kind of a mess. I'm sure on the outside, I probably seemed fine- great even. My husband had just been put in as a bishop, and although I'm sure nobody knew, I was having a hard time handling everything at home all by myself. I was getting through the days, but that was about it. Around that time, I had a feeling that I should get to know Charla Alldredge better. She had been in our neighborhood for a while, and I knew her, but not very well. Amazingly, soon after I had that impression, we were put together as visiting teaching companions. I know that this was not a coincidence.

We became instant friends. Charla is one of the only people (besides my husband, my mom, and my sisters) to whom I can tell anything. We started walking together every morning at 5:30 a.m. We walked 3 miles every day, and we talked the entire time. I never felt judged by her. She helped me crawl out of the depression I was feeling, and slowly but surely, my life changed for the better.

We have had so many great times together. Neither one of us had ever been skiing before, so we decided to go. We had a blast. We've seen James Taylor (twice), Josh Groban, Michael Buble, and the five Browns in concert. There have been countless movies, lunch dates, and scrapbooking sessions. She has taken more pictures of my family than I have, and she spoiled my baby more than anyone else. When I started running marathons, she became my biggest fan- always excited and proud of me.

Recently, her life has taken a turn that has caused her to move far away. She has had a rough time these last several months. My heart has broken as I have watched her heartbreak, but my heart has swelled with pride and joy as I have watched her change her life and take control. She is such a strong person, and I have been amazed at her courage over the last while. I know she will be fine, because she has her priorities in order.

Charla, I miss you already. As I ran by your empty house this morning, it just felt lonely. I know you are doing the right thing, but it won't be easy without you down the street. Thanks for being such a great friend over these past five years. This is not goodbye. We will remain friends forever. I wish you the best. I love you so much!

Collin Firth, Blueberry Pie, and Shannon Hale

2009-06-14T23:55:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite authors is Shannon Hale. She is a very talented writer, and has written several wonderful young adult fiction novels. Her book, "Princess Academy" was good enough to win the Newbery Award. Kristen and I love to read her books together. We are on the second of the three "Books of Bayern", which is "Enna Burning". The first one is "Goose Girl" (which we lOVED), and the third is "River Secrets". Kristen has read "Book of a Thousand Days", and "Rapunzel's Revenge".
Shannon decided to delve into adult fiction after she watched the BBC version of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". She had always loved the book, but she found the six-hour Darcy-fest to be strangely addicting. Something about Collin Firth in Breeches made it hard to resist:) She wrote this charming book about a girl who has a Darcy fixation and goes on a trip to a resort in England called "Austenland". She is immersed in Austen's England, and the story develops from there. I Love the BBC "Pride and Prejudice" (and I must admit I have a slight Darcy fixation), so I was excited to read this book. It did not dissapoint. I loved it.

Last night, my sister, Marianne (who also has a Darcy fixation :), Kristen, and I went to the King's English Bookstore in Salt Lake City (which, I must say, was the cutest bookstore I have ever seen- it made me want to go home and watch "You've Got Mail") for a reading and book signing by Shannon Hale in conjunction with the release of her new adult fiction novel, "The Actor and the Housewife". I just barely got my copy, so I haven't read it yet. I'll give you a review when I do :) Everyone was invited to wear aprons, so we all donned our cutest frocks, and headed in (with all of our Shannon Hale books in tow).

When we walked in, we were greeted by this larger than life cut-out of Mr. Darcy (holding a copy of "Austenland", and sporting an apron). Of course, we had to have a photo-op. He's just so delicious! (But, not as delicious as my husband, of course- love ya, honey!)

Shannon Hale was so dynamic. She had us laughing constantly. Her husband (who co-wrote "Rapunzel's Revenge"), was also there, and he was just as charming and funny as she was. In honor of the book, they served all different kinds of pie. YUMMY!!!

Apparently, there is a karaoke scene in the book, so Shannon and her husband performed karaoke for us, and then invited us all to do the same, if we so desired. They were so funny.

We had to wait a while to have her sign our books, but it was well worth the wait. She talked to us, and she gave Kristen good advice on what she can do now to prepare to be a writer. She said to read, read, read, and write every day. Kristen pretty much already does that, so I think she's well on her way! It was so great for Kristen to meet her. She was on cloud nine the whole time.

We had such a great time. We decided we are definitely going to go to more book signings, and we are definitely going to frequent the King's English Bookstore more often!

What a great time!!!

Happy Birthday, Todd!!

2009-06-08T07:38:00.003-06:00

Happy birthday, honey! Yesterday was Todd's 44th birthday. With all of the sickness going on at our house, we kept it simple. I made his favorite dinner: pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade rolls. (Everything tastes better on fast Sunday, don't you think?). My mom and dad decided to brave the swine flu and came over. They gave Todd a nice jacket and we gave him some books and dvds. We had cake and ice cream, and just had a good visit.

We love you so much, Todd, and we are so grateful that you came into the world 44 years ago! (Do you like how I keep mentioning your age? Did I mention that I'm 7 years YOUNGER than you are?) We hope your day was good. You're the best.

Swine Flu?

2009-06-06T12:44:00.003-06:00

So Wednesday Josh started complaining of a bad headache and sore throat. He ended up spending most of the day Thursday in bed, and then still felt sick on Friday. By this time he had started coughing as well, so he was miserable. I took him to the doctor yesterday, and he ran a strep test which came back negative. He then ran a test for influenza (which is lovely- he had to stick a swab wayyy up his nose), which came back positive for influenza A. Almost jokingly I said, "It's not swine flu, is it?" And to my surprise (and chagrin) he said, "Well, it could be. Swine flu is a strain of influenza A." He said he didn't feel the need to do further testing to find out exactly which strain it is, because the treatment is exactly the same. He put him on "Tamiflu", and told him to drink lots of fluids. He did say that if he got worse, he would do further testing. He did seem worse last night, but today he seems better, so I guess the treatment is working. Unfortunately, he was supposed to go to EFY on Monday, but I think that is out. Hopefully we will be able to get a refund, or reschedule.

So yay!! We might have swine flu at our house! I bet you're so jealous.

Newport

2009-06-03T09:25:00.004-06:00

Last weekend, I went to Oregon to run the Newport Marathon with my sister, Marnie. She lives in Sherwood, so on Thursday, I flew to Portland, and she came and picked me up. On Friday we drove out to Newport on the Oregon Coast. It's about and hour and a half from Marnie's house. We had a great time talking, and of course we had to stop at the outlets in Lincoln City. We spent a good two hours there and found some great treasures. We found a little Italian restaurant so we could "carbo-load" the night before the race. We got to the race packet pick-up around 8:30, and then got checked into our hotel around 9:00. We were both a little nervous for the race the next morning.
Here we are before the race- all smiles, but pretty nervous. The ocean is behind us, but it was so foggy and misty, you couldn't even see it. The weather was nice- around 50 degrees at the start.

We met up with some of Marnie's running friends, Kelly and Sarah. They are the founders of "Marathon Mommy", the running blog that I contribute on.

It was a relatively small race- they cap it at 800 runners. It starts at the Yaquina Bay State Park and makes a loop through the town, then goes along the Yaquina Bay road. It's a very flat course, which I was quite nervous about, because after a while, flat can start to feel uphill. We felt good at about an 8:30 min./mile pace for the first few miles, and kept about an 8:40 average for the first 15 miles. That's when things started to fall apart. We both started to feel really tired around this point, but I think it hit me harder. I fell behind, and gradually got slower and slower. The last ten miles, my legs felt like lead, and it took everything in me to just keep going. By the time I finished, my average pace for the race was about 9:40 min./ mile. My time was 4:17. It's not a terrible average or a terrible time, but if I had been able to maintain the 8:40 pace, I would have ended with about a 3:50. I found out after I crossed the finish line that Marnie had struggled as well, and finished with a 4:06. We both had trained really well for this race, and there is no reason why we shouldn't have been able to pull off a 3:50 or better, so I can't really explain what happened, except that maybe we should have started a little bit more conservatively. You would think after 7 marathons, I would have this thing figured out, but each one is so different, and it's so hard to guage the pace at the beginning compared with how you are going to feel at the end. We were happy that we finished, and hopefully we can do better next time, although around mile 20, I was seriously considering never doing another marathon again!

At the finish, they served warm corn chowder. Yummm!! It really hit the spot.

After the race, Marnie and I walked back to our hotel, and I snapped a few pictures. It really is a beautiful place.

We would have loved to have stayed in Newport longer, but I was flying out of Portland the next day, so we showered, packed up, and drove back to Marnie's that day. It was so great to be able to spend the weekend with Marnie, and some time with her kids and Eric. Paige was so sad that I couldn't go to church with them, and that just warmed my heart. She is such a cutie. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend, and so nice to have a little break from the day-to-day. Thanks, Todd, for holding down the fort so well while I was away! You are awesome, and I appreciate your support so much. The next marathon will be St. George in October, so hopefully I will have a more positive race report then!

"Come Up to the Mountain of the Lord"

2009-06-02T13:16:00.005-06:00

Josh and Aaron had the incredible opportunity of participating in the Draper Temple youth celebration program, "Come Up to the Mountain of the Lord." Over 7,000 youth from Sandy and Draper began rehearsing in March for this huge production. Our stake was part of the cultural diversity montage- they represented the Asian culture.
They all met at the Stake Center to get into their costumes, and then they carpooled up to the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. It was kind of crazy as everyone sorted through the costumes, trying to find theirs. They had to hurry so they could get up there on time.

They had a lot of fun goofing off as they waited to go in and take their seats.

The program was amazing. These two pictures are from the dress rehearsal. They did a military salute, and showed pictures of all of the general authorities who have served in the military. It was very powerful.

I managed to get a pretty good shot of the boys playing their drums during the dress rehearsal.

The rest of these pictures were taken by Ravell Call of the Deseret News. He did an awesome job capturing the feeling of the event. Here are some of our girls doing the fan dance.

I may be biased, but I thought our stake's presentation was one of the best of the night. There were so many colors, and the drums were so powerful. They did such a great job.

I wasn't able to attend the night of the performance, because I was in Oregon getting ready to run the Newport Marathon (another blog post later), but Todd took Kristen and Ben up to the Conference Center to watch. He said that when it started, and the choir was singing "High on the Mountain Top," Ben turned to him and said, "Dad, can you feel that?" The Spirit was so strong that he was able to feel it. He mentioned it again during the finale, and said that he could feel it even stronger. I'm sad that I had to miss it, but I was there for the dress rehearsal, and I think we will be getting a DVD of it. The boys had such a great experience, and I think they decided that all of the hours spent rehearsing were well worth it. They will remember this night for the rest of their lives.

"Imagine a Piano"

2009-05-27T08:09:00.003-06:00

Josh was selected to perform with some other U 0f U piano prep. division students along with students from Glendale Middle School and East High School at the Mundi Project Monster Concert, "Imagine a Piano."
There were 10 grand pianos on stage, and over 60 students involved. Josh was asked to play one of 10 parts in a world premiere of a piece that was commissioned specifically for this concert. It is called, "Triangles," and it was composed by Jamie Sue Rankin, a graduate student in compostition at the U.
They all worked hard individually on their parts, and they had several rehearsals together. When it all came together that night, it was really awesome.
The Mundi Project is an organization whose mission is "to help foster a love of music in the world by making piano education available to all young people regardless of income." They bring piano education into the schools in the Salt Lake School District. It was amazing to see all of these kids playing the piano who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
Local pianist and entertainer, Jon Schmidt, was the guest performer. He was very impressed by all of the students and complimented them generously.
He played a lot of great pieces, but my favorite was his new arrangement, "Love Story Meets Viva la Vida." Click here to see a youtube video of him playing this piece.
We got to meet him afterwards and have him sign some of his books and CD's. He was very gracious and friendly.

As I watched this concert, I couldn't help but feel grateful that even in this world of uncertainty and often bad news, there is so much good if we look around. The arts are so important, and I am so glad that Josh was able to be a part of such a worthy endeavor.

Why Do I Run?

2009-05-20T09:09:00.004-06:00

I was just on Marathon Mommy, the running blog that I contribute on, and this post brought me to tears. People ask me all the time how I got into running, and why I run, and how can I possibly enjoy running 26.2 miles?? There are a lot of reasons, but this video sums it up. There is nothing in the world like crossing the finish line after running 26.2 miles. The only experience I've had that even comes close is giving birth! If this video doesn't inspire you to want to run, I don't know what will!

A Crazy, Fun, Awesome Mother's Day Weekend.

2009-05-11T10:08:00.006-06:00

We had such a hectic weekend! Josh and Kristen have been preparing for a big piano "monster concert" for months now, and they had their dress rehearsal on Friday up at the Libby Gardner Hall at the University of Utah.

Saturday morning I got up at the lovely hour of 4:00 a.m. so I could do my final 23-mile training run for the Newport Marathon. I had to start early because we had to shuttle the kids to more rehearsals- Josh and Aaron had a rehearsal for the big temple celebration that is coming up, and Kristen had one more practice for the piano concert up at the U. I had a great run, and quickly showered so we could get on with our busy day. Todd spent most of the day fixing a broken sprinkler line (a huge tree root had actually grown AROUND it!) That night we picked up Todd's dad, Marlin, and his step-mom, Nan, and we all went up to the U for Josh and Kristen's concert. My mom and dad met us up there. The kids performed so well. They were amazing. The final piece was a Patriotic Medley, and they had several military veterans of all of the different branches and many different conflicts come up on the stage. They were all in uniform, and they were introduced individually, and then invited to stay on the stage as the students performed the song. It was very stirring. Afterwards, we went to Hires for rootbeer floats.

Sunday I woke up to chocolate, flowers, cards, and a special crown made by Ben. I had a lesson to teach for young women's, so I went to work getting that ready. I had to go early to church to practice with the Laurels- I played the piano for their muscical number for Sacrament Meeting. Church was nice, and the song and my lesson went well. We came home from church, changed and quickly drove over to my mom and dad's to celibrate Mother's Day with the family.

We had a really nice dinner in their backyard. Dad is an amazing gardner, and as usual, his yard is spectacular. Patrick took all of these pictures, and he did a great job. We had everyone there except Marnie's family (in Portland) and Joel (he had to work). We even had Jacob and Abbey Calvert and their boys (our awesome cousins).

Clara is such a cuddler, but she can be a bit snooty when it comes to WHO she will cuddle with. Grandpa figured out if she had her blankie and sippy cup, she was all his. Most of the night all she would do for me was roll her eyes, but then she finally agreed to sit and cuddle with me. I was so honored.

Mom and Tami put these incredible desserts together. They were delicious.

What is it about boys and sand? They love Grandma's sandbox. Even Aaron gets into it. They come up with some pretty amazing creations. Left to right: Ben Calvert, Bradley, Ben Fairbourn, Noah, and Aaron.

Patrick had to get a shot of the fish. The kids love to watch the fish in the ponds, and they especially love to feed them. They are pretty mesmerizing.

Marianne's Noah is such a character. I accidentally opened the bathroom door while he was in there, and after I apologized he said emphatically, "Well, I was in here first!!"

As I said, Dad's yard is incredible.

As you may know, our Kristen is quite the accomplished little author, and so is my dad. (Hmmm... I wonder where she got it?) Anyway, they are in the process of writing a fictional novel together, and Patrick got a shot of them going over it. I think it's priceless. The porch swing is a special spot because my grandma Stocking always had a porch swing that she would sit in, and of course, she was always surrounded by grandchildren swinging and swaying together. It is only fitting that now my mom has one too.

Just chillin' with the fam.

All of the babies are getting so big and cute. This is Miss Clara, Marianne's baby. She is a cutie patootie with an attitude.

Tami's baby, Elli, is doing so well. She was born 4 months early (yes, I said MONTHS). Whe weighed 1 lb. 2 oz. at birth, and was in the NICU from August 2007 to January 2008. She will be 2 this August, and she now weighs about 16 lbs. She is so tall, though. She is scooting and rolling around, and she is smart as a whip. She had us all rolling on the floor with her little "scrunchy face", and her cute little songs. We are so grateful for our little miracle.

Here's our little Taylor. What can I say? He's a keeper.

Kristen and the boys.

Of course, no family get-together is complete without Grandpa Stocking. He's 98 years young, and still going strong. What an example he is to our family. Great-Grandpa Svedin wanted to come as well, but he wasn't feeling well. He is such an example to us as well.

What a great end to a busy and fun weekend!

Band Wars

2009-05-06T09:57:00.004-06:00

What do you get when you take 230 elementary students, put them in Star Wars costumes, and give them various band instruments?

BAND WARS, of course!!

Aaron and Kristen have been playing in the band at Crescent Elementary all year, and last night was their big culminating "monster concert". It included students from 11 different elementary schools, and they brought in Dr. Craig Ferrin from Salt Lake Community College to be the guest conductor. Since most of their music was from "Star Wars", they all dressed up in Star Wars costumes.

Aaron is just finishing his second year playing the clarinet. He will be playing clarinet in the band at Crescentview Middle School in the fall. He dressed up as Obi Wan Kinobe.

Kristen is just finishing her first year on the flute. She has done so well that she not only played all of the beginning music, but she also played all of the advanced music as well. She's quite the little musician. She dressed up as Princess Leah.

They were pretty much the cutest Obi Wan and Princess Leah ever!

Good job, Kristen and Aaron! It was great!

All About Me: by Ben Fairbourn

2009-04-29T09:13:00.002-06:00

Ben wrote this cute (and candid) book about himself. We love his fun personality so much.

I am the #1 mess maker in the whole house, I like to play Bloons Tower Defense, I am 6 yrs. old and like to play outside, and with my best friend named James. My mom's name is Kim and my dad's name is Todd. they are very kind to me and I try to be kind to them. I have a great life and have a lot of fun in kindergarten. I love my siblings and am sometimes mean to them, but I still love them. That is pretty much my life in a nutshell, if you have any questions, call me at (phone number) or visit me at (address). Goodbye. :)

He put all of this in a binder with a manila envelope inside that says, "If you like this book, please put a coin in here for the needy."

What a cute kid.

A Little Something For Posterity

2009-04-28T09:27:00.004-06:00

If you know me well, you know that I'm always training for some race or another. Right now I'm training for my 7th marathon which will take place in about 4 1/2 weeks in Newport, Oregon. Since marathon training takes up such a large chunk of my time (even if it is in the early morning hours), I thought it might be fun for my posterity (and maybe me when I'm 95 years old and can't walk) to get a glimpse of what my training is like. If you really don't care, feel free to stop reading right now (like I said, it's for posterity). Anyway, if you're interested, here is a sampling of my training schedule from the past month and into race day:

Mon., April 6, 5:30 a.m.: Hill workout- 1- mile run to hill, 6X up and down, 1-mile back. Total miles: 5.5
6:45 a.m.: 50-minute total-body weight workout.

Tues., April 7, 4:30 a.m.: Steve's Dimpledell run: 9.14 miles.

Wed., April 8, 5:30 a.m.: Step Aerobics class at Gold's Gym.

Thurs., April 9, 2:00 p.m.: 6 mile run in Midway (we were there for Spring break).

Sat., April 11, 6:30 a.m.: Long run- 20 miles up and down Emigration Canyon.

Mon., April 13, 6:00 a.m.: Intervals- 1-mile run to Alta High track, 7X800's, 1-mile back. Total miles: 6.3.

Wed., April 15, 5:30 a.m.: Step Aerobics at gym.

Thurs., April 16, 1:00 p.m.: 5.7 miles.

Fri., April 17, 6:30 a.m.: 50-minute weight workout.

Sat., April 18, 6:00 a.m.: Salt Lake Half Marathon (practice race) time: 1:53:33, avg. pace/mile: 8:40.

Mon., April 20, 10:00 a.m.: 6 miles while pushing Taylor in the baby jogger.

Tues., April 21, 4:30 a.m.: Steve's run- 8.5 miles.

Wed., April 22, 5:30 a.m.: step aerobics at the gym.
9:00 a.m.: power walk/ run with Taylor in jogger- 7.3 miles.

Thurs., April 23, 9:00 a.m.: run with Taylor in jogger- 6.5 miles.

Fri., April 24, 9:30 a.m.: run with Taylor in jogger- 3 miles.

Sat., April 25, 4:45 a.m.: long run- 21 miles.

Mon., April 27, 5:00 a.m.: Hill workout- 1-mile to hill, 7Xup and down hill, 1-mile back. Total miles: 6.25.
6:30 a.m.: 50-minute weight workout.

Tues., April 28, 4:30 a.m.: Steve's run- 9.5 miles.

Here's my plan for the next month until the race: (hopefully posting it here will help me stick with it!)

Wed., April 29, 5:00 a.m.: 10-mile pace run (maintain 8:30-9:00 pace).
7:00 a.m.: 50-minute weight workout.

Thurs., April 30, 4:30 a.m.: Dorrell's run- 7-10 miles with 1-mile tempo.

Fri., May 1, 6:00 a.m.: 50-minute tempo run (5-6 miles).
7:00 a.m.: 50-minute weight workout.

Sat., May 2, 6:00 a.m.: 12-14 miles.

Mon., May 4, 5:00 a.m.: Intervals- 1-mile to track, 8X800's, 1-mile back- total miles: about 7.
6:30 a.m.: 50-minute weight workout.

Tues., May 5, 4:30 a.m.: Steve's run- 9-10 miles.

Wed., May 6, 5:30 a.m.: step aerobics at the gym.
7:00 a.m.: 50-minute weight workout.

Thurs., May 7, 4:30 a.m.: Dorrell's run- 7-10 miles (with 1-mile tempo).

Fri., May 8, 6:00 a.m.: 40-minute tempo run (4-5 miles).
7:00 a.m.: 50-minute weight workout.

Sat., May 9, 6:00 a.m.: long run (last one!)- 23 miles

Mon., May 11, 5:00 a.m.: Hill workout- 1-mile run to hill, 6Xup and down hill, 1 mile back. Total miles: 5.5
6:30 a.m.: 50-minute weight workout.

Tues., May 12, 4:30 a.m.: Steve's run- 9-10 miles.

Wed., May 13, 5:30 a.m.: step aerobics
7:00 a.m.: wieghts

Thurs., May 14, 4:30 a.m.: Dorrell's run- 7-10 miles with 1-mile tempo.

Fri., May 15, 6:00 a.m.: 30-minute tempo run (3-4 miles)
7:00 a.m.: weights

Sat., May 16, 6:00 a.m.: 12 miles.

Mon., May 18, 6:00 a.m.: 30-minute tempo run (3-4 miles)
7:00 a.m.: weights.

Tues, May 19, 4:30 a.m.: Steve's run- 9-10 miles.

Wed., May 20, 5:30 a.m.: step aerobics.
7:00 a.m.: weights.

Thurs., May 21, 4:30 a.m.: Dorrell's run- 7 miles with 1-mile tempo.

Fri., May 22, 6:00 a.m.: 4-mile pace run.
7:00 a.m.: weights.

Sat., May 23, 6:00 a.m.: 8 miles.

Mon., May 25, 6:00 a.m.: Intervals- 1-mile to track, 4X400s, 1-mile back. Total miles: 3 miles.

Tues., May 26: 3 miles.

Wed., May 27: 2 miles.

Thurs., May 28: 1 mile. (leave for Oregon!)

Saturday, May 30: Newport, Oregon Marathon! (goal time: 3:55 or better)

So there it is! If you're still here, you probably have enough stamina to run the marathon with me!

Yet Another Adventure!

2009-04-21T11:17:00.002-06:00

Well, I am embarking on a new adventure: I have been called to serve as an advisor for the Beehives (12 and 13 yr. olds) in our Young Women's! I haven't been in Young Women's since I graduated and moved on to Relief Society. When you have a husband like mine, you tend to be in the background, supporting him in his leadership callings(which has been fine with me). Also, having musical abilities, I have been in music callings quite a bit, which is fine- I love music, but it is so nice to get a calling where I have to stretch a bit. I admit, I am a little intimidated. I feel a tremendous responsibility to these girls. I went to Young Women's for the first time on Sunday, and it was so fun. The beehives are so excited to be there, and all of the girls in our ward are so great. The other leaders I will be working with are awesome, and I can't wait to get to know them better and work with them. I am looking forward to our weekly activities and rough camp- I loved rough camp as a girl, and I'm excited to experience it as a leader. Hopefully I'll get to stay in this calling until Kristen comes in- she has a year and a half until then. Anyway, I'm excited for this new challenge!

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T10:24:00.005-06:00

We had a great Easter weekend. Wednesday night, we went to Midway, Utah for a little Spring break getaway. We stayed in a really nice Worldmark condo. We had a great time swimming, exploring, and mostly just relaxing. On Thursday night we colored eggs.

Josh even got into it- he did some fantastic eggs with stripes. His eggs were works of art.

Ben called this one "cutie".

I guess Aaron's not quite sure where his alliegances lie just yet :)

After much begging, pleading, and threatening, I finally managed to get all five kids to pose for some pictures in their new Easter outfits.

Taylor was pretty much done by this point.

At church I directed the choir for two songs: "Consider the Lilies" and "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need". We had a violinist and a flautist on the second song. The choir did so well. It was wonderful to be reminded of the reason that we celibrate Easter.

After church, we went to my mom and dad's for a family Easter party. We had a delicious dinner (ate way too much), and then the kids had fun hunting for Easter eggs in the backyard (we were so happy to have such beautiful weather). After the egg hunt, Mom presented a wonderful Easter lesson. I love my family so much. We have so many reasons to be grateful.

Traditions

2009-04-05T09:14:00.004-06:00

I love family traditions. My ancestors on my dad's side came from Sweden. Because of that, many of our traditions revolve around Swedish recipes and customs. Amazingly, my dad was called to serve his mission in Sweden, so he learned first-hand how to make Swedish Pancakes. He and his companions would make them almost every p-day. When he came home, married, and had children, he decided he wanted his children to experience a little bit of what he experienced on his mission, and also to learn about their Swedish heritage. He started the tradition of having a big Swedish Pancake breakfast every General Conference Sunday. As a little girl, I looked forward to these bi-annual breakfasts almost as much as I looked forward to Christmas. I would wake up on those Sunday mornings to the glorious smell of Swedish pancakes cooking in the kitchen. They were so delicious. Now that I am married, with children of my own, I have continued that tradition with our family. I think my kids love it just as much as I did.

I think I have learned why my dad only did it twice a year, though. They are pretty time-consuming to make. It takes about an hour of standing at the stove, with two pans going non-stop to make enough to feed my family. It's worth it, though. They really are tasty. Here's the recipe:

Swedish Pancakes

8 eggs
6 c. milk
4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
4 T. oil
1/2 t. salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with electric mixer. Cover and chill for at least an hour. (It works really well to make the batter the night before). Spray skillet with cooking spray, heat to med. high heat. Pour about 1/3 c. of batter into the pan. Tilt pan to cover bottom with an even layer of batter. cook until edges are brown and turn. They will cook very rapidly. top with butter, cinnamon and sugar, or jam. Roll up and enjoy. (This recipe makes a pretty large batch- it's just about right for our family of 6)

My dad says you're not a "true Swede" until you can roll up your Swedish pancake with a fork. The favorite topping at our house is cinnamon and sugar. I prefer jam, but they are delicious either way.

I'm so grateful that my dad felt the need to share this experience with us. This morning we were able to share it with Todd's dad, as well. Traditions are such a wonderful way to bind the generations together, and I hope that my children will want to carry this on when they have children.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever. Seriously.

2009-04-03T17:26:00.005-06:00

I am ALWAYS on the lookout for good CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE recipes. I was browsing through our ward cookbook, and I came across this recipe from Karissa Gardner and Taryn Jessen:

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER. SERIOUSLY.

2 cubes butter, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Whip butter, sugar, and eggs. Blend in vanilla and pudding mix. In separate bowl, sift flour, salt and soda together. Gradually add into wet batter. Add chips. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 degrees for about 7-8 minutes (I had to leave them in for 9 minutes).

The title intrigued me because after years of searching, I have yet to find the PERFECT recipe. Then I read the ingredients and noticed an unusual one- VANILLA PUDDING MIX. I was anxious to try something new, so this afternoon, I gave it a try. The recipe made about 3 dozen (it probably would have made more if I hadn't eaten half my weight in cookie dough :) They were a huge hit- between my kids and the neighbor kids (okay, I had more than my share too), we're down to about 4 left out of 3 dozen (Ben took some of them to our neighbors- Sherilyn, you'll have to give me your review).

As you can see, Taylor REALLY enjoyed them. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

I Sang With Angels

2009-03-29T20:04:00.002-06:00

Last November I received a phone call from a member of our Stake High Council. He told me they were putting a choir together for the dedication of the Draper Temple, and they wondered if I would be interested in being a part of it. Without hesitation, I agreed. We met right after Thanksgiving for our first rehearsal. There were 62 of us from 4 stakes. Our director was Tricia Swanson, and I knew from the minute that we started that first practice, that she was going to be awesome. It had been such a long time since I had really sung in a choir (I haven't even sung in the ward choir, because I have either been directing it, or playing the piano for it). It felt so good to be singing with such a great group of singers. Our next rehearsal was right after Christmas, and then we met weekly from that time until the dedication. We eventually split in half, because two of the stakes sang in one session, and the other two sang in another session (there were 12 dedicatory sessions with a different 2-stake choir for each). The Sunday before the dedication, all 12 choirs met for a huge combined rehearsal. Each choir got up individually and performed the pieces that we had prepared, and then we ALL sang the "Hosanna Anthem" together with the audience singing "The Spirit of God". It was an amazing experience to unite our voices in praise of the Lord and in celebration of a new temple on the earth. Later that week, we had the opportunity of rehearsing in the Celestial Room of the temple. It was amazing to sing in that beautiful room. From an acoustical standpoint, the sound was absolutely sublime, and from a spiritual standpoint, it couldn't have been better. Two days later, it was the day of the dedication. We met at the Stake Center next to the temple 2 1/2 hrs. before the dedication was to begin. Todd, Josh, Aaron and Kristen were able to come to participate in the temple for the same session. We warmed up and rehearsed, and then we were escorted to the temple to get into place for the session. The choir had seats right outside of the Celestial room where we waited until it was time to sing. We then filed into the room and took our places. Because the room is so small, We had to wedge ourselves into a pretty small space- right behind the prophet, Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Elder Dieter F. Uchdorf, and Elder L. Tom Perry. I was on the front row, so I was RIGHT behind them! It was a little unnerving, but once we started singing, it was fine. the first song we sang was "The Morning Breaks". It was awesome. We then sang "Now Let Us Rejoice". The arrangement we did of this piece was just incredible. The third verse had a soprano descant, and then it ended in kind of a round at the end with the sopranos high above the choir. I could not sing it without getting emotional. Amazing. As we sang, I knew that heaven was rejoicing along with us. We went back out to our seats, and Elder Uchdorf and Elder Perry spoke. Elder Uchdorf quoted Elder George Q. Cannon saying that whenever a new temple is dedicated, the power of Satan on the Earth is lessened, and the power of God on the Earth is strengthened. It was a very powerful talk. We then sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". Then, we listened as Pres. Monson gave the dedicatory prayer, and we joined in the "Hosanna Shout". After that, we immediately started into the "Hosanna Anthem", and the congregation joined in with "The Spirit of God". I am sure that we had angels singing with us, because I know I was having a hard time getting some of the notes out because of my emotions, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one, but the sound was truly angelic. When we were finished, and the closing prayer had been said, Pres. Monson turned to us and said with a twinkle in his eye, "Y'all sing real good!" Elder Uchdorf called us a "choir of angels".

It has been such a privelege to be a part of such a glorious occasion. We have had the opportunity of helping with the open house, and then taking our children through the open house. Then to be able to prepare music and sing for the dedication, and to have our children participate in the dedication has been so fulfilling. We feel that this is OUR temple, and we are so grateful to have it. We are so blessed!

Canyonlands Half Marathon

2009-03-25T15:05:00.009-06:00

We had an awesome weekend in Moab, Utah. We went down on Friday night so I could run the Canyonlands Half Marathon on Saturday morning. My brother Patrick went down as well. As part of the Locomotion running club, we always volunteer for the race. Patrick and I had bus loading duty bright and early on race day. Our job was to keep the runners in order and make sure they all had race numbers before loading them onto a bus. Because we had this duty, we ended up on the very last bus up to the top. Once we got up there, we linked arms with all of the other bus-loading volunteers, and physically coralled the runners to the starting line. We didn't have much time to get ready for the race.

I finally got to where I wanted to start, and started getting ready. I turned my ipod on only to have it say "connect to power". My ipod was dead. It was getting hot already, and having no music was going to be rough. I decided to try and make the best of it. The first few miles were pretty good, but because we were so rushed at the start, I had to stop at a porta-potty, which is something I hardly ever have to do. There were people in front of me in line, so I ended up losing 5 or 6 minutes. Oh well, it happens!

I got back into my pace pretty well until about the last 3 miles. I think the heat really started to get to me. It was nearly 80 degrees, and I have been used to running in 30 degrees and under. I started feeling sick to my stomach. Also, the last 2 miles of this race are just brutal. You come out of the canyon and run uphill on the highway for about a mile, and then you wind through neighborhoods to the finish. It's really awful when it's so hot, and especially when you're not feeling well. Anyway, I finished, and I was so happy to be done. I was hoping for a 1:50 or better, but I ended up with a 2:05. I guess considering the heat, the potty break, and the upset stomach, it wasn't too bad. You can read a more detailed race report here.

This is me with some of my running club after the race. Oh- and Ben.

A bunch of us decided to go hiking later that day, so Josh, Aaron, Kristen and I went along. Patrick and his girlfriend, Amy, also went. We hiked up to "Corona Arch". It was really beautiful.

Mary Henderson and Joe Larson- fellow locos.

Sandy Morgan and Mary coming down.

We had such a great time hiking. It was a little out of Kristen's comfort zone, because there were some steep parts and a few places where there was a drop on one side. There were even some places where we had to climb up a ladder and hold onto a cable. She did great. I was so proud of her. Josh and Aaron had a great time chazing lizards and bearded dragons. It was awesome to be able to just take in the wonder and beauty of God's creations.

What a great weekend!

A Bathroom Without a Toilet??

2009-03-16T22:00:00.003-06:00

So, tonight it was time once again for our "mom can't do everything, so you kids need to help more with the house" family home evening. We seem to have those about every six months or so. Anyway, I made a new job chart and proceeded to outline what we expect of everyone. We have 4 bathrooms, so we assigned one to each child (minus Taylor, of course, although he would probably love to scrub the toilet). After I told Kristen which bathroom she would be in charge of she groaned and said, "can't I have a bathroom without a toilet?"

Hmmm...

Please tell me I'm not the only mom who struggles with getting kids to do their jobs!

Josh and Kristen- an Amazing Performance

2009-03-10T11:51:00.009-06:00

Josh and Kristen had their Spring piano recital last week up at the University of Utah. They have been polishing their pieces for several weeks now. They were both very nervous, but they did a great job. Josh played "Notturno", Opus 54, No. 4 by Edvard Grieg. He played incredibly well. There were lots of teachers there, and they could not give Josh enough praise. The next day at his lesson, his teacher said that all of the teachers were still talking about his performance. Kristen played "The Wild Rider" Opus 68, No. 8 by Robert Schumann. She knew her piece so well, but when she got up there, she had a little case of nerves. Anyone who has ever performed in any kind of recital knows how she felt. I told her there were so many times that the same thing happened to me, and that she did the right thing by just moving on. I was proud of her, and I know she will learn from this experience and do even better next time. This is Merla Little, their wonderful teacher. She is the head of the piano preparatory division at the University of Utah. We feel so fortunate to have found her.

Look out Valiant 9, Here Comes Bishop Fairbourn!

2009-03-01T22:24:00.007-07:00

Well, our wait is over! We know what the new adventure is going to be:

Valiant 9!!!!!!

Yep! Todd was called today to teach the 8-9 year old primary class. This will definitely be a new adventure for him. He has never served in the primary before. He is very excited. He's already enlisted my help for when he is assigned sharing times. I hope those kids are ready, because they are getting one heck of a teacher!

Good luck, honey! I know you will do a great job. (Pray for him- there are some very SPIRITED boys in that class:)

Transitions

2009-02-15T23:21:00.003-07:00

Five years ago Todd and I were called into the Stake President's office. We knew our bishop had been in for about 5 years, and that a change was in the works. Todd was in the bishopric at the time, and I knew in my heart that he was to be the next bishop. On March 28, 2004 (that date has been etched into my brain), Todd was ordained to the office of bishop in the Crescent 12th ward in the Draper, Utah Crescentview stake. He called as his counselors brother Dave Chatterley and brother Guy Boulden. Brother Boulden served for about 2 1/2 years, and then was released and called to be the young men's president. Brother Eric Santistevan was called as the new 2nd counselor at that time.

Sitting in the Stake President's office the day Todd was called, I remember feeling so overwhelmed with what we had in store. I didn't know if I was up to the task of supporting my husband as bishop for the next five years. We had 4 children ages 2-8, and I knew that I would be alone a lot of the time. Almost immediately I felt the hand of the Lord in my life. He gave me the strength I needed to do what needed to be done. I'm not saying it was perfect all of the time- far from it, but overall, the Lord blessed our family more than we probably even realize.

Todd and his counselors were released today. A new bishop- Jared Bytheway, was sustained and put into place. As I look back on the past five years, I truly am amazed at how quickly it has gone. I will always remember the wonderful experiences we have had serving in this capacity. It has been a joy to be able to attend the temple to witness sacred ordinances. We have seen lives change as dear friends have embraced the Gospel and come into the fold. I have enjoyed associating with our incredible youth as we have visited youth conferences, rough camps, Oakcrest, and other activities. I have been humbled as I have watched members serve one another selflessly, with no thought of reciprocation. I have come to love the members of our ward so much, and I am grateful that they have been willing to put up with me for these past five years. Ben was not quite 2 yrs. old when Todd was put in, and he was (and still is) quite a handful. He would run up to the stand and sit on Todd's lap. At first I worried that it wasn't appropriate, and I worried that people would think I was irresponsible to let him do that, but he was so well-behaved when he sat up there, I finally just let him do it. I appreciate our ward members for their understanding. Not one person criticized me for this- it was just the opposite. When we had Taylor, 16 months ago, I had so much support from the ward.

When Todd told me a few weeks ago that he would be released today, I couldn't help but feel some relief. I get my husband back! But what I wasn't prepared for was the sadness and melancholy I feel right now. After church today I went to the bishop's office because I knew that the kids would be there- that's where we have met after church for the last five years. It felt so different. Bishop Bytheway was standing in the doorway of the office, and as I looked at him, the Spirit testified to me that he IS our new bishop. It felt right, but it also felt a little strange. Ben ran right in as if expecting to see his dad sitting at the desk. I guess we need to come up with a new meeting place.

Thankyou, Crescent 12th ward, for your love and support. I am excited (and maybe a little nervous) to see what the Lord has in store for us now. All I can say is, BRING IT!!

I Love You Because...

2009-02-14T21:07:00.005-07:00

To my wonderful husband, Todd-

I love you because...

You think I'm beautiful even when I know I look awful.
You are willing to help me clean up kid-barf even when you're sick yourself.
You support me in everything I do, even if it means standing out in the rain to watch me cross the finish line of a marathon.
You are always willing to help me with the house, even when you have had a hard day at work.
You are the best father in the world, and you love spending time with our kids.
You tell our daughter that she is beautiful, and you treat her like a princess.
You show our boys by your example every day how they should treat women.
You make me laugh every day.
You ALWAYS see the best in others, and you NEVER speak ill of anyone.
You are so gentle, but so strong at the same time.
You are a worthy priesthood holder, always ready and willing to bless our family and others.
You are always patient and loving with me even when I don't deserve it.
You love good music, and you love to sing with me.
You give me space when I need it- to scrapbook, run, go shopping or whatever, and you don't complain about it.
You are VERY handsome- and I like your hair :)
You are my very best friend.
You decided 17 yrs. ago to marry me!

Happy Valentine's Day, Todd!

I love you with all of my heart, and I am so grateful that you came into my life.

Why is it ALWAYS the Middle of the Night??

2009-02-12T16:15:00.003-07:00

O.k., so Taylor has had an ear infection that just won't go away. I took him in on Monday after he had finished his first round of antibiotics, and it was still there, so the dr. put him on Zithromax. The next morning, he started throwing up and producing less than desirable diapers, if you know what I mean. I knew that antibiotics can cause the diaper problem, but I wasn't sure about the throwing up. I called the dr., and he said that it is possible. So, I wasn't sure if it was the medicine, or if he had picked up a bug on top of everything else.

Well, last night my question was answered.

Bear with me as I rehash our entertaining night: I put Taylor to bed around 7:00, hoping that he would sleep o.k., and not spew the contents of his bedtime sippy cup all over his crib. He went to sleep and seemed to be doing fine, so I went about the business of getting everyone else ready for bed. Around 9:30 or so, I laid down with Ben, and we both fell asleep. Todd was still at the church (he is a bishop- so late nights are not uncommon). I finally heard him come to bed around 12:00 a.m. I woke up a short time later to the unpleasant sound of someone tossing their cookies. Uh-oh. It took me a second to get my bearings and figure out who it was. It was Todd. Well, I guess Taylor had a bug after all. How generous of him to share! At this point it was about 1:00 a.m. No sooner did Todd get settled back in bed, then I hear a weak voice calling "Mom!" That's never good at 1:00 in the morning. I jumped out of bed and ran out into the hall to see who was calling me. It was Kristen. She had just finished emptying the contents of her stomach all over her bed. Nice. I helped her out of bed and into the tub, and began the pleasant process of cleaning up the mess. I had to go back into our room for something, and Todd weakly asked what was happening. I told him that Kristen had thrown up all over her bed, and my sweet husband started getting out of bed. "What are you doing?" I asked. "I'm going to help you," he said, as if it was obvious. "No you're not, you're sick. Go back to sleep," I said. "Are you sure?" "Yes," I insisted. If you don't know my husband, you probably think I'm making this up. Trust me, I'm not. He is the sweetest, most unselfish person I know. I practically had to force him back into bed. I know- I'm the luckiest wife in the world- I love you, honey. So, I got Kristen's bed back to an acceptable state, and got her comfortable again (with a big bowl by her side), and proceeded back to my bed. I was just starting to climb into my bed, when I heard coughing and sputtering coming from Ben and Taylor's room. Great. I arrived just in time to see Ben toss it all over HIS bed. Here we go again. So, I refilled the tub, and proceeded to clean up Ben and his bed. By now it is about 2:30 a.m. As I was cleaning up Ben's bed, Taylor woke up, so I went to comfort him, and noticed that unbeknownst to me, he had thrown up earlier and had fallen back to sleep. Lovely. At least they took turns- how thoughtful of them. So, I got him out and into the tub, cleaned up his bed, and rocked him for a while. As tired as I was, I enjoyed this moment, because he so rarely lets me rock him anymore.

4:00 a.m: I crawled back into my bed with everyone hopefully settled for a while, and went back to sleep. About 6:30 Josh came up complaining that he didn't want to go to school, because he felt sick. Fine, join the club. So, as it stands, Aaron and I are the only ones who aren't sick. Hopefully we can keep it that way.

I think I need a nap.

Frozen FINGERS, Frozen TOES, Warm HEART

2009-02-10T19:27:00.002-07:00

Today Todd and I had the wonderful opportunity of serving at the Draper Temple open house. My assignment was at the stake center next to the temple where the people who have just gone through the temple come for cookies and information. I was stationed as an usher at the door, and it was my job to open the door for each and every guest and hold it open as they came in. Unfortunately, the weather was not as balmy as it may appear in the above picture. After an hour of this, I thought my toes and fingers might possibly snap right off. Mind you, I had two and a half hours to go. Undaunted though, I held to my post, smiling through chattering teeth, and trying to hide my shivering legs. As the people came through, many would inevitably say, "thankyou, you got the cold job!" A few chivalrous gentlemen said, "thankyou! I should be holding the door for you!" But nearly all of them expressed awe-some in word, and some in expression- at the beauty and tranquility of the amazing edifice that they had just traversed. It was a joy to be a part of that- frozen or not.

At long last, my replacement arrived, and I relinquished my usher's badge and hobbled on my frozen feet out to my car to retrieve the music that I would need for the second part of my assignment: I had the privelege of playing background music on the piano in the stake center as people finished the tour. Fortunately, I had a 30-minute break between assignments, so I was able to thaw out my frozen fingers and toes. It was such a great experience to be able to partake of the Spirit that was there, and hopefully add to it with my music.

I couldn't help but think of our ancestors who gave of their time and means so willingly to build Houses of the Lord. The sisters in Kirtland crushed their fine china to add to the surface of the Kirtland Temple so that it would sparkle and shine in the sun. The Saints in Salt Lake City spent 40 years giving of their time, means, and talents to build the Salt Lake Temple. We live in a time when we are not asked to sacrifice like our forebears did in building a temple. We are asked only to pay an honest tithe, and when called upon, volunteer a few hours of our time. When I think about what little I've given in comparison, I come to the conclusion that a few frozen fingers and toes is a small price to pay. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to contribute to the work in my own small and humble way.

A Letter to My Grandpa on his 98th Birthday

2009-02-04T09:13:00.011-07:00

Dear Grandpa Stocking,

I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday today! You were born on February 4th, 1911 in South Jordan, Utah. It is amazing to me to think about all that you have seen in your lifetime.

Here are some interesting things that happened the year you were born:

William Taft was president of the United States.

A first-class stamp was 2 cents.

Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in chemistry.

Ernest Rutherford discovered the structure of an atom.

U.S. explorer Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu.

The Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (now IBM) was incorporated.

Irving Berlin wrote "Alexander's Ragtime Band".

Here are some famous people who were also born in 1911:

Ronald Reagan

Ginger Rogers

Roy Rogers

Vincent Price

(You've outlived all of them!)

In your lifetime, these events took place:

The sinking of the Titanic
The last four states- New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii gained statehood
Women received the vote
Prohibition
The Depression
The Dust Bowl
World War I
World War II
The Korean War
The Civil Rights Movement
The Vietnam War
The Cold War
The invention of the automobile
The invention of air travel
The invention of computers

The list goes on and on!
Through it all, your life was moving on, and while the depression was in full swing, you married Mary Hamilton, and the two of you had six amazing children. Along the way you moved an old train station master's house from Little America, Wyoming to Riverton, Utah on a flatbed truck and put it on a 3-acre lot on Redwood Road. You and Grandma made that old house into a home, and you had a happy life in Riverton inhabiting many roles, including (but not limited to): firefighter, bus driver, service manager, mechanic, horseman, master gardner, handy-man, sheep herder, bishop, award-winning scout leader, wonderful neighbor, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
You still live in that old station master's house, and I have so many fond memories of good times with you and Grandma in and around that house. If those walls could talk, these are a few memories that they might whisper about:

Watching 4th of July parades on your front lawn, followed by barbecues with cousins in the backyard.
Sitting at the Riverton Cemetary watching the fireworks that were being shot off at the park. (It used to be just us, but now the secret's out, and it's just as crowded as the park)
Camping trips with all of the family.
Sleepovers with all of the cousins sprawled out on your living room floor, with you in your big chair, telling us "the bear story".
You and Grandma sitting in your truck at Riverton Park watching ball games.
Memorial Day Ceremonies at the Riverton Cemetary.
Riding "Hi-Spot" and "Tonto" around the pasture. (You had to rescue me once when Tonto got spooked and took off into the trees. I was so scared, but you immediately came to my rescue.)
Catching "water skeeters" in the ditch.
Catching night crawlers and selling them from your house. (We did it at your house because there was more traffic there).
Helping in your garden and yard.
Sneaking snacks from the kitchen cupboards when we thought no one was looking (they were always well-stocked with better cheddars, Hubba-bubba bubble gum, and salt-water taffy- as if someone knew they were being raided. Hmmm.).
Playing baseball with the big plastic bat and ball in the backyard with all of the cousins.
Grandma rocking in the big porch swing, surrounded by a grandchild or two, or three.
Running upstairs as fast as we could because we thought the laundry room was haunted. (I'm sure that it was)

It was always a treat to go to your house, and it was always so fun when you came to our house.

Grandpa, I am so grateful for the tremendous example you have been in my life, and now in the lives of my children. We are so blessed that we can still learn at your feet. I miss Grandma so much, and I know that you do too. I know that she has been watching over us all of these years, and I can't wait for that big reunion in Heaven someday. I hope you have a wonderful day, and I hope you have many more birthdays to come. At the rate you're going, I'm sure you will! I love you with all of my heart.

Love,

Your Granddaughter,

Kim

Miss Kristen is Going to State!!

2009-01-30T18:08:00.002-07:00

Our talented writer/musician has done it again! Her music and literature entries for the Reflections contest were chosen at the region level to go on to state! Last night we went to Eastmont Middle School for the assembly where the region winners were announced. It was so exciting to hear Kristen's name called not only once, but twice!

The suspense was killing her!
There were officials from the school district there to hand out the medals and certificates.

Here we are with Barry Newbold, the superintendent of Jordan School District.

Congratulations, Kristen! We are so proud of you! Good luck at state! You can read her literature entry on her blog- click on her picture on the sidebar to get there. (I'll also have her blog about last night so you can get her take on it.)

Finally!!!

2009-01-28T10:37:00.002-07:00

So my elementary kids are on year-round school, and they have been "off track" since December 23rd. We came back from our trip on Saturday night (Sunday morning, actually), and I kept telling the kids they needed to get ready to go back to school on Monday. Monday morning comes and I get them up and fix breakfast, they get ready, we get backpacks ready to go, etc., etc., etc. It's time to go and their friend, Colleen, who usually comes to our house before school to walk with my kids, has not yet arrived. I'm thinking, "oh, I'm sure they forgot school starts back up today." So I call Charla (her mom) to see where she is:

Charla: Hello?
Me: Hi, Charla, is Colleen going to school today?
Charla: Is it today?
Me: Yeah, they go back today.
Charla: I thought it was Wednesday.
Me: No, it's today.
Charla: Are you sure?
Me: I thought so, but let me look at the calendar.

I look at the calendar, and sure enough, they don't go back until Wednesday. Aaron, hearing me tell Charla this on the phone, tosses his backpack in the air and shouts for joy. He starts telling Kristen and Ben that they have two more days of freedom. There are cheers all around. As for me, I'm wondering who was the brilliant person who decided to have us go back on a Wednesday? This has been the longest off track break we have ever had.

So, they FINALLY went back today, and all I can say is, IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!

Our California Trip

2009-01-26T21:27:00.014-07:00

This is going to be kind of a long post, but it's mostly pictures, so bear with me :) We had such a great trip to California! We left on Friday, January 16th and drove to St. George. You know I can't go on a trip without squeezing a race in somehow, and this trip was no different. On Saturday morning I ran the St. George half-marathon while Todd and the kids swam at the hotel. I was very happy with my race, but was not happy with having to sit in the car for 6 hours afterwards. Ouch! We left for California as soon as I was showered and ready to go (the shower was kind of important, I think). Almost immediately, Ben started in with the usual "are we there yet," and "how much longer?" and "are we at Disneyland yet?" You get the drift. We kept trying to explain how long we would be driving, and he just wasn't understanding. Finally, when we still had about three hours to go, I had a brilliant idea: I told him that the time we had left was like the whole time of church. He thought about that, and said "oh, o.k." I thought I was so smart! Well, then instead of the usual "are we there yet?," his questions became "so, are we having the closing song and prayer now?" and "are we in primary yet?" and "is my class almost over?" *sigh* We couldn't be too frustrated, though, because it was pretty funny.

We did finally get through Sacrament meeting, primary, and class, and we made it to our hotel on Saturday night. We were so happy with our hotel- thank you, Grandpa Fairbourn- he let us use his points for the Worldmark in Anaheim. It is like a condo, so we had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a family room. We were very comfortable. We were up on the 12th floor, overlooking Disneyland, so that night we watched the Disneyland fireworks from our balcony. Fun!

The next day was Sunday, so we slept in and then I fixed a nice breakfast. We got on the internet and found a church nearby that was a little bit later. We just relaxed in the hotel and watched a movie, "The Errand of Angels," about a sister missionary and her experiences. It was pretty good. We went to church and happened to sit by the Anaheim mission president and his wife. They were very nice. It was a very good Sacrament meeting, and we were glad that we had gone. We really enjoy attending church in different places. It is a great reminder that the church is the same everywhere you go.

After church, we went for a walk through a shopping mall and Downtown Disney. We didn't buy anything, but Josh kept saying, "are you sure this isn't breaking the sabbath? I mean, the only thing we're not doing is handing the people money." I guess he had a point- we were looking at things in the stores. I hate it when my kids put me in my place. Grrr. Anyway, like I said, we didn't buy anything, so hopefully we'll be forgiven.

Monday morning we finally went to Disneyland. Since it was Ben's first time, we bought him an autograph book and pen, and Kristen bought one as well. They were excited to meet the characters and get their autographs.

Lilo and Ben
Kristen, Stitch, and Ben
Peter Pan was really cute with the kids. Kristen was wearing this pirate outfit, (more about that later) and when she went up to him he looked at her disapprovingly and said, "pirate, huh?" It was pretty cute.
Burt, Kristen, and Mary Poppins

Josh, Goofy, and Aaron (I think they're all kinda goofy!)

The whole fam with Mickey

Taylor was just walking around while the kids were playing in Toon Town, and Pluto just went up to him. Taylor wasn't quite sure what to do, but he didn't seem scared. It was very cute.

Kristen, Goofy, and Ben

The whole gang with Pluto. (minus Josh and Aaron- they were off doing space mountain, I think)

Minnie

I think this is Chip (chocolate chip nose?)

When we first got to the park, we bought a lanyard to put our tickets in. I thought that was so smart, to have them accessible for fast passes, etc. Anyway, we did a couple of rides, and then Josh, Aaron, and I went on Thundermountain Railroad. After the ride we went over to the bench where Todd was waiting, and traded with him so he and Ben could go. (Kristen didn't want to do it). Anyway, I sit down on the bench and realize that the plastic sleeve that holds ALL of our tickets is missing. PANIC TIME!!! I told Josh to stay put, and I RAN back up to the exit of the ride, scanning the ground all the way. I told the cast member what happened, and he looked at me with pity and sent me up to where the ride ends. I could tell that he didn't hold out much hope for me. (We had been told that these tickets are like cash- they WILL NOT replace them if they are lost). I ran up and told the girl what had happened and she directed me to yet another person. I turned to go, and then I heard her say, "wait- is this it?" I turned back around and she was holding our precious tickets in her hand. I didn't see where she had found them, but relief washed over my whole body as I counted the tickets and found that they were ALL there. I ran back to the kids waving the tickets in my hand. As I sat there trying to calm my heart down, (it was beating out of my chest) I thought about what had just happened. Without those tickets, we would not have been able to come back for our three remaining days. I knew that we had been watched over. This was definitely a tender mercy of the Lord. We were very grateful. Needless to say, I DID NOT use the lanyard anymore. I put the tickets in a safe place in our backpack.

Ben became very good at reading the maps at the parks. He was our little navigator.

Taylor loved the carousel. He actually cried when I took him off of the horse. He wanted to stay on it.

Hmmm....

Toon Town was definitely Taylor's favorite place. He loved all of the character's houses where he could just walk around and touch things. Here he is playing the piano at Goofy's house. It made silly sounds, and he loved it.

I was so proud of Ben. He tried just about every ride that he was tall enough to go on- including Tower of terror and Indianna Jones. He came out of those saying, "that wasn't fun at all," but he was willing to try. I had to give him credit for that. He loved this one, though- Gadget's Go Coaster.

I guess Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth?

Josh and Aaron were old enough this time that we were able to send them off with a cell phone to do their own thing. It was nice for them to not have to hang out with the younger kids doing the kiddie rides.

"F" for Fairbourn! This was on our last day at the park- Friday. As you can see, it was very wet. It rained all day long! We were prepared with our ponchos and umbrellas, though, and we didn't let it dampen our fun.

So, Kristen is totally obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean- the movies and the ride. (I think it has something to do with Captain Jack Sparrow- can you blame her?) She saw this pirate costume at the store by the pirates ride, and she just had to have it. She used her spending money to buy it along with a hat that says "pirate princess". We also found a pin that says "not too cute to be a pirate". She was so excited! I think she went on that ride about 15 times. (I'm not kidding). We were waiting in line to see the princesses, and it was a pretty long line. I looked at Kristen and asked her how badly she wanted the princesses' autographs. With no hesitation at all, she said, "I don't care." That's my girl.

My first instinct as a mom was to say, "get out of there, you'll be soaked!", but then we realized that they already were soaked from the rain, so we figured, "oh well". This was probably Ben's favorite thing.

You know you've succeeded when 2 of the 5 are completely zonked out by the end of the day!

On Wednesday, we took a break from Disneyland and went to the Santa Monica Pier. The kids had a great time playing in the waves and the sand.

I didn't know how Taylor would do all day at the beach, but I was pleasantly surprised- he loved it! He just relished the freedom of walking around on the beach and playing in the water and sand. He thought the seagulls were pretty cool, too. He spent lots of time running after them trying to catch them. He had a great time.

Believe it or not, Taylor actually loved this. Josh and Aaron would dig these holes (small holes), and he would climb in. It was pretty funny to watch.

I love this picture!

We had such a great time. We are so grateful that we are able to do so many fun things as a family. We were so happy to get home, though. There is no place like home. (Especially at 2:00 in the morning after a 10-hour drive!)

Chess Obsession

2009-01-14T14:42:00.005-07:00

You Know your son is addicted to chess if:

You've lost count of how many different chess sets he owns. (He collects them)
He takes a chess set everywhere he goes (including the ward Christmas breakfast).

He will play with anyone who is willing- even if they are 5 years younger than he is.

He has started playing in chess tournaments.
His favorite websites are chess.com and chesshouse.com.
He reads chess books for recreational reading.
His dad won't play chess with him anymore, because he can't win.
He writes this poem for his language arts quarter theme project:

The Battle

I gazed across the plains to see

A mighty army, marching before me.

Their armor gleamed in the noonday sun,

As they each prepared, one by one.

For the enemy we would engage,

To unleash our power, fury and rage.

It would be a test of strength and skill,

Enough to give the bards their fill.

We ventured forth all day and night,

And the dark warriors were finally in sight.

We halted and our excitement grew,

For the battle that would soon ensue.

Our adversaries stood their ground;

The call to charge was mine to sound!

All of this in my mind's eye I see,

My opponent is waiting patiently.

I'm white, and it's my move, you see!

His history fair project is entitled, "Bobby Fischer: The important role of chess in the Cold War"

His history fair exhibit wins FIRST PLACE!!

Congratulations, Josh! You worked really hard on this project, and we wish you the best at the district fair!

Reflections

2009-01-13T08:24:00.003-07:00

We are so proud of Kristen- she wrote a song and a story for the Reflections contest at school, and they won at the council level, and now they are going on to region! She is such a talented, creative girl, and she wants to be a writer, so I decided to start another blog that is just for her to put her stories, thoughts, feelings, whatever on. Click on her picture (on the sidebar), and it will take you there. She put the story that she wrote for Reflections on there- check it out!

Homework at midnight...aaahh!!

2009-01-12T00:22:00.005-07:00

So it's the end of the quarter at Midvale Middle School next week, and of course that means it's the end of my sanity. My son (brilliant as he is) just loves to save everything to the last possible minute. So here it is 12:30 a.m., and I am awake providing moral support (or something like that) while he scrambles to finish his history fair project, history notebook, and language arts quarter theme project. Did I mention "AAAHHH!!!" At this point, the history fair project is finished, the notebook is as finished as it's going to get, and the quarter theme project is in its final stages. I have decided that if I make it to his high school graduation without a nervous breakdown, it will be a miracle! Don't get me wrong, he really is brilliant, (too smart for his own good), which is why he manages to pull off this last minute stuff.

I guess I can't be too upset... I've done the same thing more times than I can count. :)

Then we have what we call "the witching hour". At our house it goes like this:

4:00 p.m. The kids get home from school.

4:01 p.m. The pantry/ fridge are raided by 3 kids who apparently haven't eaten for days.

4:15 p.m. (After certain that kids are sufficiently recovered from their near starvation)-

Mom: "What homework do you have tonight?"

Kids: "Just reading and spelling."

Mom: "Are you sure that's all?"

Kids: "Yep."

4:16 p.m. Kids do reading and spelling, then commence playing.

6:00 p.m. Dinner

6:30 p.m. More playing and general messing around.

8:30 p.m. Kids get ready for bed.

9:00 p.m. Family prayer

9:05 p.m. This is it- "The Witching Hour!"

Child #1: Oh no! I forgot I have homework!

Child #2: Oh, me too!

Child #3: Oh yeah, I have math!

Mom and Dad: What?!? Why didn't you do it before now?

Kids: We forgot.

Does this happen to any of you, or are we the only parents whose children have selective homework memory loss followed by a sudden miraculous recovery of memory right at the exact moment when it's time to go to bed? Frustrating!!!

Girl Bonding

2009-01-05T17:57:00.002-07:00

Kristen and I had a little bit of girl bonding today. We went to the salon and got our hair done. Kristen is wanting to grow her hair out, so we just had it trimmed up a bit and changed her style. It turned out so cute. I had a color and cut.

What a cutie!

Look how cute it looks in the back! I love it!

If only Lenna (our stylist) could come to our house in the morning and do it again! It was fun being at the salon with Kristen. She's such a fun girl!

How to Put the Christmas Decorations Away- according to Ben

2009-01-02T19:29:00.003-07:00

1. Pull all of the decorations off of the tree in no particular order.
2. Put said decorations in a big pile in no particular order.
3. Pull the garland off of the stair rail.
4. Place said garland on the counter knocking an open (brand new) can of baby formula onto the floor in the process.
5. Call Mom into the kitchen and tell her that he found the can of formula upside down on the floor and has no idea how it got there.
6. Pull the lights off of the tree and put them all in a big pile.
7. Attempt to pull the lights off of the pre-lit tree.

This is a tiny bit of an exaggeration. (Except for numbers 3- 5- those actually happened, and I'm ashamed to say I overreacted just a little bit.) The rest of it is what would have happened if I hadn't stepped in with some direction. Number 7 also happened, but thankfully I stopped him before he did too much damage.

In all reality, Ben is the reason we got our Christmas stuff put away today. He got up this morning all gung-ho to help us do it, and when Ben gets something in his mind, he does not procrastinate! He started just pulling things down without any organization at all until I finally stopped what I was doing and started helping him. I guess we can learn a good lesson from Ben: "Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today". Or in Ben's case RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!! Anyway, with Ben's help we did get all of the Christmas decorations put away in a somewhat organized fashion, ready to be pulled out again next year.

I do love that feeling of a fresh start when the house is cleared of the clutter, and all of the treats are removed from the counter- either thrown away, sent with Todd to work, or eaten. (The latter the most likely, which is why I need to get started on my New Year's resolution IMMEDIATELY!)

Happy New Year, everyone!