life in general

happy father's day

an interview with your children

What is something dad always says to you?

Conner:  "no"

Payton:  "hi" and "no"

Anna:  he always loves me

What makes dad happy?

C:  when we listen to him

P:  when I clean up my room

A:  I always make him laugh, like this: "bugga, bugga"

What makes dad sad?

C:  not listening to him

P:  when I don't give him any cheese for his birthday

A:  onions

How does your dad make you laugh?

C:  when he does The Thunder

P:  by tickling

A:  when he makes naughty faces, and I laugh

What was your dad like as a child?

C:  didn't like chocolate

P:  he didn't like chocolate

A:  he was just like me

How old is your dad?

C:  33

P:  33

A:  5

How tall is your dad?

C:  10 feet tall

P:  10 feet and 20 hands tall

A:  he is big, just like me

What is his favorite thing to do?

C:  tickle us

P:  World of Warcraft

A:  he likes to play games

What does your dad do when you are not around?

C:  play world of warcraft, which is what I don't like because I want to watch him!

P:  chill on the couch, play world of warcraft

A:  he always does stuff on his 'puter

If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?

C:  Famous Tickler

P:  doing the bark when mom wasn't around

A:  I don't know

What is your dad really good at?

C:  playing world of warcraft

P:  tickling me.  He, like, almost makes me pee my pants.  I'm serious.

A:  he always plays games

What is your dad not so good at?

C:  making his hot dogs - he makes them burnt

P:  playing London Bridge

A:  he's not very good at playing with us because he always falls down

 

What does your dad do for his job?

C:  he teaches kids when they come to his work.

P:  drink chocolate milk and pop and do world of warcraft

A:  he always goes to work when he's thankful.  Cuz he's pretty and he's my friend.

What is your dad's favorite food?

C:  burnt hot dogs

P:  cheese

A:  broccoli & chicken

If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?

C:  Panda in "Skunk"

P:  I don't know

A:  Diego

What do you and your dad do together?

C:  sometimes he takes me golfing.

P:  watch shows

A:  we just hug and cuddle

How are you and your dad the same?

C:  we both like turkey, mayonnaise, and mustard sandwiches

P:  we both have a big toe

A:  we are chickens

How are you and your dad different?

C:  dad likes banana cake and I hate banana cake

P:  we're not big as each other

A:  I am 3 and dad is 4

How do you know your dad loves you?

C:  He just says it.

P:  because he likes to tickle me

A:  cuz he hugs me like a squishy hug

I compiled this interview in a book for Father's Day . . . I have a feeling he's going to be entertained.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's...

By

Book Preview

33, celebrated 3 ways

So how do you celebrate a 33rd birthday, when said birthday also happens to land on Mother's Day?  Turn it into a 3-day long birthday party!

day 1:  the birthday party

 

Scott was surprised (I think) to come home from work on Friday to find the house decked out in streamers, balloons, and a pile of gifts on the kitchen counter.  The plan was to hide and yell "surprise!" but he decided to come home early and so we were away at that moment, picking up Conner from school.  Luckily, I had assigned the kids to streamer duty before school.

for months, the kids have been randomly going up to Scott and asking him what he wants for his birthday.  Like, since way back in September.  And his answer has always been, "cheese."  And so, the kids have been telling me for weeks that we need to get dad cheese for his birthday.  His wish was granted in the form of easy cheese, or as the kids call it "melted cheese.".  And 2 more cans on his actual birthday.

 

Crazy.  I know.  And the cherry on top . . . a birthday haircut from me!  :)

Birthday dinner:  chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

For dessert:  chocolate caramel goodness

day 2:  the birthday date

dads deserve birthday dates too, right?  We went into town to Scott's favorite Hawaiian restaurant and managed to stuff ourselves.  Then to the movie theater for . . . Star Trek.  Scott owns all the Star Trek movies and watches Next Generation and Voyager on a regular basis.  As much as he loves Star Wars, he loves Star Trek even more.  As for a review - 2 thumbs up!  I really liked it too.  Growing up, we had several Star Trek movies in our family movie collection, and The Wrath of Khan probably had the most showings.

Our date truck dashboard cam:

day 3:  the actual birthday

After waking up bright and early (6:30am) and being bombarded with my mother's day presents (a post later) I headed down to the kitchen to make the banana cake.  Or, as Payton & Scott now like to call it "Panana Cake."  

The highlight of the afternoon definitely had to be the giving of birthday spanks.  We divided it up so all the kids got to bestow 11 spanks upon their father.  The kids were talking about it all day, so excited at the opportunity to dish it out on dad.  Oh, it makes me laugh just thinking about it!  Conner determined the order Anna-Payton-Conner for small-medium-and hard spanks and there was talk of preparing ice packs for dad's bum.  Anna started us out, and then Payton . . . oh my goodness I thought about getting the video camera out, but it was just too fun to watch.  With Scott laying on the floor, Payton crouched and then jumped up with all his might and came down with his hand swinging.  Over and over again.  We were all laughing uncontrollably.  Oh, such a good time.

Happy 33 years babe!  

3 part celebration

We decided that with something as big as a 10 year anniversary the best way to celebrate is to spread it out . . . .

part 1:  the "at home" date, january 15th

Well it actually started on the 14th when these beautiful flowers arrived on my doorstep.

 

Scott thought it would be fun for me to enjoy these flowers for an extra day.  Perfect idea -- I definitely needed them that day.

On the 15th we put the kids to bed and served up our own dinner of steak, twice-baked potatoes, italian sodas, and cream puffs for dessert.  Everything to make my man happy.  Nothing green or good for you. :)

I put together these little gifts for him.  The traditional gift for your 10th anniversary is tin or aluminum.

 

I made banana bread earlier in the day (one of his favorites) and wrapped it in foil.  Check!  Box number 1 contained a mix CD with 10 hit songs from 1999 (the year we were married).  We listened to it over dinner and talked about memories associated with each song, sang along, and even danced!  Very fun.

• Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer
• Save Tonight - Eagle Eye Cherry
• Smooth - Santana
• Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
• Every Morning - Sugar Ray
• Lullaby - Shawn Mullins
• Torn - Natalie Imbruglia
• All-Star - Smash Mouth
• I want it That Way - Back Street Boys
• Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls

Box #2 was a little dice game that came in a tin box.  And in box #3 I put a little handmade accordion album/card.

 

On one side you see little pictures of us from each year of marriage.  And on the reverse side there are more little photos - things that we did together in the past year.  You can see more details here.

part 2:  the "something different" date, january 24th

We left at 2pm and drove up the Columbia Gorge to Multnomah Falls - it was our first time ever stopping there, although we've driven by many times.  There were snowflakes blowing through the air, the cliff face was covered in ice, but the falls were still running.  It was gorgeous!

 

I had hoped to take more (and better) pictures, but I was nervous having my camera out in the semi-snowy conditions.  (Although I saw plenty of other people with dSLR's walking the trail.)  Maybe another time.

 

 

Then we wound down the scenic Columbia River Highway past more waterfalls, spectacular (foggy) views of the gorge, a very windy Crown Point and finally to our dining destination . . . The View Point Inn.  If this place sounds at all familiar I'll give you a hint . . .

 

The prom scene happened here (on the grounds, and inside).  I thought it would be so fun to get a picture in the gazebo where Edward & Bella danced, but . . . there is no gazebo.  Guess they just brought that one in for the movie. 

The restaurant was very cozy, romantic, lots of candlelight . . . When we sat down for our 5pm reservation we were the only people there.  Kinda fun to have the place to ourselves. 

 

appetizers:  sweet onion & saffron soup and prawn cocktail

 

I could not get over these adorable little butter dishes!  Just look at that tiny domed lid. (I'm thinking of you, Becca).  And the itty bitty detailing.  Just so precious.  They sold these at the restaurant and I was pretty tempted. 

 

dinner:  new york strip and bacon wrapped pork tenderloin 

The creme brulee for dessert sounded fantastic, but we were stuffed.  And it had snowed through the entire meal so we were a little anxious to get on the road and make it safely down the mountain.

Just a wonderful date.  I can see myself doing this again someday, and maybe trying out another season of the year to sample the views in new colors.

part 3:  the extended weekend getaway date, coming soon

This is going to be a good one.  We're very excited!

10 years

 

{open house - Twin Falls, ID - January 23, 1999} 

I love this picture of us.  Don't we look like such little kids?  Age 19 and 22.  I guess you can decide.

10 years.

10 whole years since we were married here for time and all eternity.

 

10 years is big.  A decade.  Saying it just makes me think "wow."   Are we really old enough to reach such a milestone?  My brother obviously thinks we are . . . my mom mentioned our upcoming engagement to him and he flipped out - Is Shannon really that old?!

Where has the time gone . . . .

  

I am so happy that I've been able to spend these past 10 years with him.  He is my best friend.  We laugh together . . . we wash dishes together . . . we sit together and mess around on our computers after the kids go to bed . . . we dream of vacations together . . . we support each other . . . we talk on the phone during his drive home from work and when we run out of things to say we don't mind the silence - happy, just knowing the other one is there . . . we love together.

 

{photo by Sam- california - june 2008}

Happy Anniversary to us!

the great christmas light debate

over the course of the last 2 weeks . . . and all in a spirit of good fun . . . .

Me:  So when are we going to put up christmas lights?

Scott:  What?  Wait.  No, I'm not putting up christmas lights.

Me:  But I love christmas lights.  :(  Please?!

Scott:  No.

Anna:  (after a drive to see the christmas lights in the neighborhood)  Daddy, you put christmas lights on our house and I give you a kiss.

Scott:  Um, no

Anna:  {smooch} Now you do christmas lights?

Scott:  Sorry, honey.  No christmas lights for a kiss.

Anna:  But, uhhh!!  I want christmas lights on my house!  {sad & pouty she walks away to look at the neighbor's christmas lights through the window}.

Me:  You're really not going to do christmas lights?

Scott:  Nope.  Maybe . . . . if you get the cool new LED ones that make your eyes burn just looking at them.

Me:  Oh, but I hate those!  They have that weird blue tint to them and I despise colored lights.

Scott:  Sorry.  LED lights or nothing.

Me:  Grrrr.

Me:  (thinking that maybe he was joking before)  So, the weather forecast shows it's going to be dry later on this week.

Scott:  okay,

Me:  It would be a great chance to put up christmas lights.

Scott:  I am NOT putting up christmas lights!

Me:  Are you serious?  Fine, I guess I'll just do it myself.  How does the big ladder work?  It probably won't be very safe to have me up on a tall ladder while you're gone at work, but whatever.

The next day in the christmas light aisle . . . . . I pick up 4 boxes of C7 LED lights.

Me:  So I picked up some LED lights today.

Scott:  Really!?  Wow, I guess it's put up or shut up!

 

{a bad photo, but you get the idea} 

husband tag

{photo taken April 2008}

Full name - Scott Ray Brown

How long have you been married?  Almost 10 years! 

How long did you date?  7 months, including engagement. 

Who eats the most sweets?  Scott.  He has this thing for peanut M&M's and buys them by the jumbo bag.  But he's cut back a ton in the last few weeks as we've both established some healthy goals.

Who said I love you first?  He did.  And guess what I said in return? . . . . "thanks." 

Who's taller?  Um, Scott by 7-8 inches

Who sings better?  He does.  He has a much better musical ear than I do.

Who's smarter?  Well, if you asked Conner he would say, dad.

Who does the laundry?  That one is ALL me.  Although he has helped me fold the clothes on occasion.

Who pays the bills?  He pays the big bills, I pay the little bills.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?  Me.  We started out our marriage with me on the left and we quickly discovered (one night) that that was not going to work.  I woke up practically hanging off the edge with this guy sprawled out spread-eagle across the rest of the king-size bed.

Who mows the lawn?  That one is ALL Scott.  I have never operated a lawn mower in my life.  And creating the diagonal patterns in the lawn is one of his true joys in life.  Why steal it from him?

Who drives?  Usually Scott.  Especially (if not entirely) on big trips.

Who admits they are wrong?  I'd say we're about equal.  Although it takes a lot of work, because we're both pretty sure we're right all the time.

Who kissed who first?  The official first kiss was mutual.  But there were 1 1/2 unsuccessful attempts before that - I gave him the dodge.  Sorry honey!

Who asked out who first?  Scott asked me out to lunch when an unexpected opening appeared in his work schedule (he worked morning/afternoons and nights).

Who wears the pants?  ha!  I'd like to think that we each have a leg in those pants. :)

{tagged by Heidi}

a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n roll

oh, man . . . Scott is going to curse me for even mentioning the word "country" in a post about him.

 As you can see, there was a little bit of a country theme around our house on Father's Day.  Scott's original plans to spend the day  watching the U.S. Open were foiled when Tiger finished in 1st place on Saturday.  But he was relieved & excited to find out that TBS (or some other cable channel) was featuring an all day Clint Eastwood marathon.  That meant he got to watch some of his favorite movies including:  Hang 'em High, The Magnificent Seven, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. 

As for a little bit rock 'n roll . . . . The kids gave Scott a purple lighting skin for his Guitar Hero Les Paul.  I narrowed it down to 3 choices and Payton picked out the purple lightning.  We also gave him a set of drumsticks and a practice pad to start him towards his dream of playing the drums (he's been talking about this for years).  So who knows, a drum set may be in our future.

Yee-haw!  Or, as Anna says, "All aboard!"  She doesn't quite have her dress-up characters straight -- the cowboy is a new one. 

  

the rules

1.  Don't pick up a bat unless you are wearing a helmet.

2.  No sliding.

3.  Don't throw the bat.

4.  Don't swing the bat while other people are near you.

5.  Don't go near someone who is holding a bat.

Thanks Coach Scott for all your hard work, patience, your positive attitude, and for teaching us safety first. 

32

Breakfast:  a triple stack of eggo waffles with syrup and whipped cream prepared entirely by Conner (and entirely his idea) at 6:30am.  I added some mango on the side.  He wanted to put a cherry on top (like they do on tv), but I advised him that would not be a good idea.  We'll have to fill him in on the Pit-O-Meal story sometime

Lunch:  Tony's frozen pepperoni pizza

Dinner:  Yoshida's chicken kabobs with rice and scrambled/fried eggs

Birthday Cake:  Banana cake, of course.  Although it's a little disappointing now that two of our children really like it.  The cake disappears way too fast.

Game(s) of the day:  Battleship and Mario Kart for Wii

Surprise of the day:  Scott getting on an earlier flight and arriving home at 8:30pm on Friday night as opposed to 1am on Saturday morning.  He had been out of town for the previous 8 days.

Quote of the day:  "Go daddy's party?!"  said by Anna about 20 times.  She was so nervous/anxious that she might miss something.  On Friday the kids decorated the place with (an excessive amount of) streamers and balloons.  And ever since I picked up the party hats on Wednesday Anna has been about ready to burst out of her skin.

Notable milestone of the day:  10 years ago today Scott and I met for the very first time.  It was outside the Varsity Theater in the WILK following Sacrament meeting (yes, we enjoyed church in movie theater seats -- although "enjoy" is not the right word . . . those seats weren't all that comfortable).  Chuck & Tim introduced Scott (the new roommate) to Tamra and I.  I don't think I said much at all -- I was going for the "shy & mysterious" approach.  It was a relatively short meeting, but I remember thinking that he was pretty cute.  After church he gave Tamra, Bernie, and I a ride home (all 4 blocks).  I didn't know it was his birthday that day.  But he did and has often told me that meeting me on that day was the best birthday gift ever. 

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband who entertains the kids with Guitar Hero and his jokes about cheese . . . . who is fully entertained himself by a game of Battleship . . . . who spends his Saturday out on the baseball field and mowing the lawn and bathing the kids (even though it's his birthday) . . . . who is loved and missed daily when he's away from us . . . . and who makes me feel happy everyday that I happened to hook up with him. 

don't throw your bat

a pre-practice game of catch

 

"Coach!  What is rule number 5?  I forgot!"

I loved seeing Scott interact with his team.

He has such a fun, upbeat, but-don't-forget-the-rules, approach with the kids.

I love hearing the kids yell, "coach!"  "coach!" and then realizing it was my man that they were talking to.

I loved watching the kids show up to practice and run up to Scott to share the news of the day with him:

"Coach!  I went to the dentist today!"

"Coach!  I got a new helmet!"

"Coach! . . . . . "

I love that this is something he and Payton get to do together.  Something special for P.

As for the rules . . . .I'll have to ask coach and get back to you.

the luckiest

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wow.  9 years ago today.  Time certainly does fly.  And there has definitely been a lot of fun, laughter, learning, growing, and loving along the way.  Happy Anniversary to us!

FYI:  The first photo was our engagement picture.  We were married in the Oakland California temple on a Friday morning (9am I believe).  The reception was held in the clubhouse of a golf course nestled in the foothills that border I-5 in central California (and there happens to be a lot more history with that building/house in my childhood).  We honeymooned in Monterey and San Francisco and were back in classes at BYU on Tuesday morning.

sights of England

. . . .captured by Scott.

the famous red telephone booth

the english countryside (taken during a 3-hour train ride from London to Hereford)

When you travel to England for work, spend your time in the office & meetings all day, only to come outisde when it's dark . . . . there's not much to see (or take pictures of).  He told me that when we go together someday we'll both be seeing it for the first time. ;)

Although, he did get to experience their famous fish & chips!  He also brought home little gifts for the kids -- everything adorned with the British flag.  And several boxes of shortbread and some Galaxy chocolate bars (I guess they are pretty big over there).  Scott was showing the boys some coinage when Payton asked, "is there chocolate inside?"  He thought they were candy coins.  You can see what his focus is right now.

So now I just need to get my passport application in so the next time one of these trips come up I can go along and take all the pictures my heart desires!

59 things about Scott

1. He was born and raised in Twin Falls, ID.
2. Is the oldest in a family of 4 boys.
3. Majored in Economics at BYU.
4. At first he thought he wanted to be a Math major . . . . .that is, until he saw and smelled the people who hung out in the Talmadge building.
5. Works for an accounting firm, but is not a CPA.
6. He thinks it would be cool someday after he's retired from his real job to be a junior high or high school economics teacher.
7. Served a mission in Melbourne, Australia.  But he spoke Vietnamese.
8. After his mission he worked in the MTC as a teacher for nearly 3 years.  He loved every minute of it.
9. The one and only Vietnamese phrase he taught me (while we were dating) translates to, "baby, baby how are you so good looking?"  Keep in mind, this was meant for me to say to him. ;)
10. His family gave him the nickname "Wussboy".  {It's also printed on his bowling ball.}
11. He got this nickname because he was always a sucker for the ladies. In high school and college he always preferred dating to anything else.  And he did it a lot.
12. He was always on the lookout for cute girls and any & all opportunities to ask a girl out . . . . including the time he "met" and asked a girl out while driving down I-15.  She was in another car. . . . . or when he camped out (tent and all) on a girl's front lawn until she answered his request to go to a dance.  I think he even had pizza delivered to his tent during that one.
13. We met because he moved into my ward -- says he had dated everyone in his last ward and needed a "crop rotation". 
14. He could be described sometimes as passionate, driven, and intense . . . and he does not flake out on commitments.
15. When my dad said to me "I don't accept phone calls" (referring to the time when Scott would ask for my hand in marriage) Scott hopped on a plane two days later and flew out to CA to speak to my dad in person.
16. He is also very laid back, loves to laugh, and enjoys his chillin' time.
17. His idea of a perfect Saturday is staying home with nothing to do.
18. He plays golf -- but not near as much as he would like.
19. He's excited for Conner to turn 8 (next year) because then he'll be able to bring him along and that will be all the more reason/excuse to go.
20. Worked at a golf course in high school and college.  Once we moved here it was difficult for him to get used to paying for golf.
21. Likes to bowl.  In fact, he has his own bowling ball & shoes.
22. At one point bowling was one of his standard first dates.  That way if the girl wasn't a match, then at least he got to do something he liked.
23. Loves to snow ski. 
24. But he wouldn't ever go on his own / without the family.  So he's determined to get our kids skiing too to make it into a family event.  (I've tried it with no success -- so I'm sure I'll be sitting in the lodge enjoying the fire and taking care of any cold or tired kids).
25. He's very protective of our family time and maintaining that "work-life balance."
26. In fact, they put him on the Work-Life Balance Committee at work because he is so vocal about it.
27. He has many phrases or "Scott-isms" that are all too familiar around our house:  "not too shabby", "that ship has sailed", "for the love!!", "that's not a party", "frickin' days!", "butt-crack of dawn", and random quotes from Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, The Jerk, and Austin Powers.
28. He has a playful sense of humor and is great at turning just about any situation into a game/party.
29. Loves mashed potatoes.  He can't help himself - he is an Idaho boy.  Although he's kept it under control and it's been a long time since he's had mashed potato explosion.
30. He hates surprises.
31. He got his Eagle when he was 15.
32. There was a family rule that you couldn't get your driver's license until you earned your Eagle.  And you kinda need to drive to date, so . . . . you can just guess how his mind was working.
33. Right now he is the Scoutmaster in our ward.
34. He takes his church callings very seriously.
35. He says he hates books.
36. But he has read over 115 Star Wars books in the last 18 months
37. He had a Darth Vader shrine (poster and countless toys & action figures displayed on a shelf) in the garage, but he had to take to down a few months ago to make room for storage.
38. Under the file titled "crazy things he did in college" we could add:  the time he dressed as purple man (head to toe, complete with face and hair paint, cape, and staff) and attended a BYU football game; the "10 Faces of Fish Death" video; the Karo Syrup attack on a group of girls who provoked him with whipped cream.
39. Luckily, he got the crazies out of his system before he met me. ;)
40. He had sinus surgery a few weeks before we first met.  Says it was the worst experience of his life.  {That's what got the crazies out of his system.}
41. Some of his favorite music groups are:  Metallica, Alice Cooper, Nirvana, and Violent Femmes.
42. But he also really enjoys more refined music:  especially Mozart and the King's Singers.
43. He was in the Men's Chorus at BYU.
44. He plays the piano and guitar.
45. He makes the best, most perfect pancakes.
46. Favorite TV shows right now:  How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, The Office.
47. He says he gets plenty of drama at work so he just wants to come home and watch something light and funny.
48. Although, he loves the fact that he gets paid to argue with people.
49. He's afraid of bees.
50. One of the best days of the year for him is "The Pig Out".  College bowl games + lots of food + lots of chillin'.
51. Refuses to eat cheesecake.  If you ask why, he will cite "The Cheesecake Incident of 2001."
52. He is very particular about his lawn care and has an arsenal of fertilizer, weed killer, and bug killer in our garage.
53. He has a pair of red one-piece long johns (the kind with the flap on the butt) that he wears camping, to play football on Thanksgiving , and at Conner's soccer game last Saturday.  I guess I should mention that he does wear a t-shirt and shorts over his long-johns.
54. Watches romantic comedies with me and even likes a lot of them.
55. Had a photographer tell him once that he should be a tuxedo model and even offered him a job.
56. He hates to talk on the phone.  He won't even answer it unless it's his parents or I yell enough at him. :)
57. LOVES milk.  He goes through withdrawal when he's out of town and doesn't have regular access to it.
58. LOVES his luv sac.
59. He enjoys a good blanket and even names his favorites.  There's "the flaming purple cape of death" (it was actually orange), "scratchy", and "instant warmth".

Thanks to Paige for sending out this challenge to create a list about our husbands.  I waited to post mine until Scott had a chance to read it, edit any facts, and I allowed him the power of 5 vetoes.  But he enjoyed the list very much, laughed through the whole thing as he was reminded of his past and his quirks.  He didn't use any of his vetoes, said that this was a pretty well-rounded picture of him, and then thanked me for catching him up on his journal for the last 10 years.  Success!

my Scott is back in town

We have had a great weekend with Scott back home with us.  We've played, shopped, eaten out, watched movies, and even went out on a date.  But now as I think about it, probably not the most relaxing weekend for him after spending a week on the road in West Virginia.  And with plenty of misadventures:  a 6 hour delay on his departing plane, then missing his connection, which meant renting a van and driving the rest of the way, arriving at 4:30am only to show up at the client site at 8:30am.  And then there were the bed bugs . . . What he really deserved was a big nap.  But instead I gave him a haircut, which seemed almost equally appreciated.

Friday night we went to a Blazers game.  Scott won two tickets at work -- I guess he was really good at the game where you have a celebrity's name on your back and you have to go around asking questions to figure out who you are . . . he was George Bush.  Some prize!  It was a fun date.  Definitely something different.  One of the most fun parts of the night was near the end and the Blazers had 98 points on the scoreboard.  Everyone in the stands starts chanting "cha-lu-pa, cha-lu-pa".  We were clueless, but I guess when they score 100 points everyone at the game gets a free chalupa from Taco Bell.  With less than a minute to go the Blazers scored a 3-pointer and the crowd erupted into cheers.  And sure enough, as we exited the arena there were attendants passing out coupons for a free chalupa.  Thanks Taco Bell!

and for my local ward friends . . . we found out that Brother Q. moonlights as an NBA referee.

Saturday, Conner had a very rainy soccer game at 9am (he scored 7 goals -- with 8 and 3 the previous two weeks).  Then we all went into town together for errands.  At Joe's Scott updated the kids' winter/ski clothes -- can't believe it's almost that time, and that Payton is going to start lessons this year!  I'm a little bit nervous for him - he's so little!  Then Costco where I got the new Josh Groban Christmas CD.  Love it.  And finally, our favorite kind of lunch -- happy meals for the kids, Chipotle burritos for mom and dad.

A good weekend, busy Sunday, and the kids are quietly in bed.  I think it might be time for us to enjoy some apples & caramel dipping sauce.  Because you know that's the only way Scott would ever think of eating an apple. =)

pool party

Conner's ode to summer vacation . . .

and in case you missed last tuesday's episode of Yo Gabba Gabba with special musical guest, the Aquabats, here you go.

And would you believe me if I said that Scott and I have been to an Aquabats concert?  No, not when we were dating or in college . . . . just 3 years ago.  It was pretty wild.  I'm sure that after watching this video that isn't too hard to imagine.  Scott's love of the Aquabats started in college - he went to a concert then with his brothers.  And now every once in a while he pulls out their CD's for some happy head-bobbin' in the car.  The kids think it's hilarious.

And about Yo Gabba Gabba . . . at first that show totally freaked me out.  I thought, who in the world came up with this, and how did it end up on Nick Jr.  It is a bit bizarre, and not surprisingly the kids love it, and the songs are getting stuck in my head.  So if you're also a parent out there scratching your head, I found this behind the scenes video that helped answer some of my questions.