find joy in the journey

saturday funnies

Conner

• "Mom, I have a problem with my bum.  It is still so white!  It's been white since I was like 4 or 5."

Payton

• mom at lunch: "Payton can I have a piece of your apples?"  Payton in an almost whisper:  "Actually, you can have lots of pieces of my apple because I'm not going to eat it."

Anna

• "I got you dad!"  That's the best she can do for now.

Scott

• 7:30am. Immediately after waking up Scott decided he was going to the grocery store to get some doughnuts for our painters. 
  • I ask him, "could you please take these sticks to the garbage can?" (some old dusty willow branches from a vase)
  • Scott: "What?  No.  That's too far out of my way."
  • Me:  "What?  The garbage can is right next to the truck.  You can take these out to the trash."
  • Scott, whining:  "No.  It's too far."
  • Me, realizing now that he has not totally woken up:  "Why don't you wait 5 minutes before you go to the store so you can wake up."
  • Scott:  "grunt."  And he heads for the door.
  • Me:  "Don't forget these."  And I hand him the sticks.
  • Fast forward to this evening and Scott confesses that he did not throw the sticks into the yard debris garbage (which is right next to the truck).  Instead he walked to the end of the street and threw them into the empty field!  Me: "And that's not out of your way?"

follow the prophet

Elder Ballard says that we should blog.

Woo-hoo! 

Read all about it.

I like this quote:  "Perceptions of the church are established one conversation at a time."

or, one blog entry at a time.

I'm not sure that I have ever blogged for the sole purpose of sharing my beliefs.  But I blog about my life and big chunk of that is the church and so I think that church-related topics seep in from time to time.  Probably without me even realizing it.  It's just my life, and it's just what I do.  Like when I used to share bits & pieces from my Relief Society lessons or a great quote from a church leader.  That kind of stuff.

And so I don't feel like I've neglected my responsibilities in sharing who I am, you're going to receive a mega-load of church related links.  You're welcome.

The Official Church Website -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  And to make note, everything I post below will also be Official Church material.

LDS Newsroom -- Everything newsworthy that's happening in and around the church.

Mormon.org -- Answers to all your questions about our basic beliefs.

The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Christ -- the entire text online.

Temples Around the World -- Photos of the 124 temples in operation around the world today.  And some FAQs.

Humanitarian Services -- so many wonderful stories of service and it also shares plenty of ways that we can give.  The Humanitarian Aid Kits are my favorite.

Provident Living.org -- self-reliance and welfare services.  Everything from food storage, to finances, to education and health.

FamilySearch.org -- Find your ancestors!

LDS Gems -- all sorts of free e-mail subscriptions.  Receive LDS quotes daily, weekly, or based on a particular theme.

merry christmas to all

'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.

They look real restful, don't they.  The new pj's and slippers were a huge hit.  Or rather the "flippers" as Anna calls them.  As we passed out the christmas eve presents Conner said with much anguish, "oh no, I hate clothes."  But as Anna opened hers, then Payton, each of them pulling out a pair of slippers . . .  Conner couldn't wait to get his opened.  This was one of those times when mom's spontaneous purchase paid out big time.

At this point (2 days later) Christmas is becoming a big blur as we move on to other projects.  So I'll share a few photos from the day and hopefully they will jog a few memories.

Christmas Eve bowling is a tradition going 4 years strong.  Always very fun.  And Conner bowled a 120!  That's with bumpers, of course.  But still -- that's pretty impressive.  Two strikes and 3 spares.

The giant stocking loot.

The general Christmas scene in our house.  Everyone was finally out of pj's by 1pm.  Anna kept us well-fed with creations from her new play kitchen.  The vrooming & crashing of race cars filled the air.  Along with the occasional screams of our new flying monkey.

What's in Ned's Head?  A stinky sock, a used q-tip, a dirty diaper, vomit, a spider.  All lots of fun for a 4-year old boy.

She does a pretty mean "Hello Song".

It isn't Christmas without Legos.  Soccer Legos for Conner.  A tub of Lego pieces for Payton.  And the Star Wars Star Destroyer Lego Set with 1367 pieces.  We're waiting to open that one once we get into the new house.

And wouldn't you know it -- snow on Christmas!  Not quite a white Christmas (nothing stuck), but still pretty fun to watch it fall all day.  (Now today is a whole other story -- I had to shovel my drive-way to leave the house and Conner made a pretty mighty snow man).

Don't you just love their outfits?

It was a great Christmas.  One of those days that kept going and going and going -- but in a good way.  We fit in a lot of playing and just enjoyed the day at home.  All the kids were happy.  And even Conner was able to get over the disappointment of not receiving a puppy from Santa.  I couldn't believe it when he hopped on Santa's lap at the ward party and asked for a puppy - "a cute one with spots".  Payton probably had the best reaction to his gifts as he got several of the things he asked for.-- Aquadoodle, cars with a race track that "bigger-ates" (translation:  figure eights), and a big T-Rex.  Anna spent the day hopping between baking and caring for her new baby doll.  And it wasn't a big surprise when the baby ended up in the oven a time or two.

It appears that we have very quickly switched gears over here.  The morning after Christmas all the decorations were taken down and Conner has already started to wish everyone a Happy New Year.  We're not grinches or anything (typically I love to keep my decorations up until the new year), but we've got that project I mentioned.  It's called packing.  Surprisingly, it hasn't been to bad so far.  The organizer in me almost enjoys it.  I said almost.  Things are good -- we've got painters over at the new house this week giving it a whole new facelift (indoors).  I brought over doughnuts today and baked some cookies to deliver tomorrow -- hopefully that will keep everyone happy & motivated. =)

Well I better go to bed before I pass out on the keyboard -- I've had a few near misses already. 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!

mawaige. mawaige is wha bwings us twoogeda, twooday.

So my little brother Kent, at the ripe young age of 22, got married this week.  So weird.  This is the boy who was Mr. Popularity in Kindergarten -- all the kids cheered his name every morning as he walked into the play-yard.  This is the boy with a 4th of July birthday who always thought the parade and fireworks were just for him.  This is the boy who was run over by a tractor and miraculously came out with minor injuries.  This is the young man who was always surrounded by girls in high school, but way too chicken to ask any of them out.  This is the man who served a full-time mission in Portugal.  This is a kid who has been lost so many times, it's just getting ridiculous.  This is the boy who takes 30 minute showers -- we have no idea what he is doing in there.  Maybe his wife will be able to shed some light on this.  This is the middle child of our family, the one who will never accept defeat in an debate, but we can always get a good laugh at his expense.  He always was and still is such a happy kid.  We like him.

The family Bachelor Party.  Once we arrived in Logan and Kent returned from his pre-wedding breakfast with Becca the festivities began.  Kent loves IHOP (I didn't know this before last week).  Like really, really loves IHOP.  So the plan was to go to IHOP for breakfast, lunch, and wait for it, wait for it . . . . dinner.  Well Kent got stolen away for breakfast (ahhh, newlyweds -- can't you please keep your hands off of each other for 2 seconds?!  Sheesh.).  Kent & Becca were unaware of our plans and guess where they went for breakfast.  IHOP.  Throughout the day Kent had to wear a sign that said, "I'm getting married tomorrow, Wish me Luck!"  After lunch our next stop was Best Buy (a.k.a. the holy land for Kent).  My parents told Kent they were getting him a PS3 for wedding/Christmas (that put a giant smile on his face) so we all set out to find games & accessories.  Of course this led to gaming back at the hotel.  And when it came time for dinner a a mutiny surfaced and the plan for IHOP was abandoned.  Instead we went to the Olive Garden and enjoyed Sam's 25% employee discount.

The Wedding.  The wedding was set for 10am in the Logan temple.  It is a beautiful place.  The weather was beautiful -- blue skies and no rain or snow as fore-casted.  The sealer had wonderful advice to give them and Kent and Becca looked so happy together.

 

 

 

The Luncheon/Reception.  My parents booked this awesome restaurant in Logan and there was a delicious meal to go with it (prime rib, salmon, teriyaki chicken) and for dessert (mango sorbet, cheesecake, chocolate torte).  There was the usual entertainment: a slide show with pics from Kent & Becca's childhoods; the couple mingled with guests; both of the fathers took a moment to speak; cutting the cake.  And then there was the entertainment that we created ourselves:  clinking the glasses to get them to kiss (Payton really liked this game and kept it going & going); and my dad just couldn't pass up the opportunity to propose a dare.  He offered one of Kent's friends $30 if he would ask the photographer to dance.  Now, I should mention that the photographer was a young (22-ish), really cute, single girl.  And I should also mention that this is not the first time this wager has been made.  I think Sam took him up on it once in a restaurant (while he was still single).  Somehow this friend overcame his nerves & with the help of Becca's dad the dance was arranged.  And Kent & Becca joined in too. 

and that's a wrap.

how to make a pizza

Payton has finally come of age.  He is almost 5 and therefore ready for . . . ski school.  While visiting Scott's parents in Idaho we loaded up the entire clan and headed north for some good family skiing in Sun Valley.  Valerie, Anna, and I found a nice big round booth in the lodge near the windows. 

Scott, Dennis, and Conner made their way to the ski slopes.   

And Payton was enrolled in ski school for the day.  Here is a 3 minute video that highlights his adventure:

Ski school ran from 9:45am to 3pm with lunch served somewhere in between.  That is a really long day for a group of 4 year-olds, but Payton trudged through.  His class began with 4 kids and each time I went to spy the numbers had dwindled by one.  Oh yes, I had to play secret agent to get these shots of his class.  Posted across the entrance to the ski school are signs that read: "This is a Parent-Free Zone from 8:00am to 3:00pm".  They make it very clear that you are not allowed to step past the check-in desk and don't even think about coming close enough to cheer your kid on.  They have their methods, I guess.  So, that's why many of these photos are taken from far away, or around the corner of a building, . . . .

But like I said, Payton did great.  About 1:30pm when I was eavesdropping it became clear that he was tired and starting to fade fast so I stepped in and the instructor was happy to sign him out for the day.  Despite a tiring day Payton came away saying that he can't wait to go skiing again.  So I'm sure that within a few weeks Scott will have him back on the slopes, probably in another lesson, working to perfect his pizza.

This is now Conner's 3rd winter skiing and here's a little video to show how he's doing.

Pretty good!

home again

Well, we made it safely back home today after 7-8 days in Utah and Idaho.  There was skiing, Christmas crafts galore, a wedding for my brother, the family bachelor party, got to meet my nephew for the first time, a little shopping, and as proof I just uploaded 214 pictures to my computer.  yikes. 

For the most part the weather cooperated with us during our travels.  Although it got a little dodgy today in "The Blues" -- how does driving on solid ice with 40 mph winds sound to you?  Thankfully Scott's got some skills.  And I was so impressed by his skills that I let him drive the whole way. =)  While I'm on the subject of traveling, can I just say that our kids are fantastic in the car.  600 miles, 8.5 hours in the car (both today and last week) with just one stop each way.  And that's with no DVD player.  We tried to start it in Baker City only to find that it was dead.  But the kids were just fine -- hand them a pad of paper, some crayons, maybe throw in a transformer and they are good to go.  Anna did experience a few "moments", but for the most part she was great.  Now having said that, we are very happy to be home and don't plan on any big road trips for a long time!

one thing I'll miss

. . . these amazing sunrises seen from our family room.  And dining room, and the master bedroom.  One thing I have loved about our current house is it's location -- perched a bit up on the hill, zero neighbors behind us leaving a big open space that sets the stage for great views like this.  I've enjoyed many, many sunrises in the last 5 1/2 years -- the most spectacular ones appearing in the winter months. 

While watching this display I realized that we won't have such a picturesque vantage point from our new home.  And that realization shook me for a moment, making this whole moving thing feel sooo real.  There are some big changes ahead and some unknowns.  I wonder how long it will take before I feel "at home" in this new space?  What wonderful treasures & little details will we grow to love about our new home?  Am I really ready to live in a house with stairs?  (It's been 12 years since I've had to face that.)  I'm sure those answers will come in time.  And we're looking forward to the change -- as nerve-wracking as it can be at times. 

As for right now, I'm planning to enjoy these sunrises as often as I can get them.

party weekend

party #1:  the work party

The annual holiday party for Scott's company is always a date to look forward to.  Picture this:  a night away from the kids, all dressed up for anight in the city, seated in a ballroom of the Art Museum, roses and candlelight grace the tables, steak and salmon dinner, and Moonstruck chocolates to take home.  Works for me!

You know what also works for me . . . a new dress.  I was determined this year to find a *dress* -- not a skirt & top, nothing that required layering on the top or had me worrying about the length all night,  something that could just *be* on it's and just be fabulous.  I was very happy with what I found.  My favorite part is the tulle peeking out the bottom.  And here's the curly hair -- not exactly what I was imagining, but it works.

party #2:  the "work" party

When Scott first asked Conner to join him in the crawlspace his response was, "it's too creepy down there."  Payton's reaction:  "That's awesome!  I can't wait to go under the house!"  This weekend we began (and mostly accomplished) checking things off our home inspection list.  It's not too much:  clean out the crawlspace, and the gutters with some minor repairs, etc.  So things are moving forward.  Although, a few days ago we (along with our realtor) were really thinking that the sale was going to fall apart on both sides.  Friday morning we got the miraculous news that everything was going to be just fine.  Phew!

Well, the boys ended up enjoying their adventure under the house very much and came back up bursting  with excitement.

And when all the work was done a nap was needed.

party #3:  the ward Christmas party

The hit of the night:  Santa and ham.

Check out the chunk in that kid's hand!  And Anna wasn't going to be left out -- she pounded a sizable portion of ham as well.  The kids were cute with Santa and spent plenty of time sharing their Christmas lists.  Even Anna walked right up to him with arms reaching out -- good to see she's not a Santa-phobe.

I think that the Christmas season is officially in full-swing!  All of our holiday parties are done, shopping is finished, cards are in the mail, and the tree is up!  Now we just get to enjoy our family time, do some baking, ooo and ahhh over the Christmas lights, and count down the days. 

the return of the sac

This 20 second video is just a sample of what went on for the next 20 minutes. 

the new do

it was time.  I told Scott I was going in for a cut, maybe a few inches, nothing drastic. 

Remember me a few weeks ago:

Here's me now.  Ahhh.  I feel like I've gone back to my roots.  "Shannon" and "the bob" have gone hand in hand for most of my life.  But I've been on a long hair vacation for the last 3 years and without really planning on it, I've returned to the mainland.  And I love it!

So far, here's what it can do:

The curly version may surface this weekend at a holiday party.  I need to practice tonight.  I think I'll be channeling Samantha Who? for inspiration.

New hair is so much fun!

is it too late to build an ark?

I know we live in the pacific northwest and we can expect it to rain. a lot.  But, holy cow this has been some storm!  Since Saturday afternoon we've received almost 6 inches of rain!!  As we ventured out this morning to take Payton to pre-school and met barricade after road-block after emergency vehicle and flares on the highway . . . . I started to wonder if we really should have left the house!  And then when we do show up to Payton's school we find this:

a lake!  This is usually a big grassy lawn where the kids play in warmer months with a very small (usually dry) creek in the back.  You can't tell in the picture but this water was swirling in places. yikes.

But the shocker of all came just two blocks from our house.  I was unable to drive down B. Avenue in the morning due to orange cones from the fire department blocking my way.  So I attempted to drive up on my return trip and could not believe my eyes.

 

What appears to be a river is actually the backyards of several homes right in my neighborhood.  This typically dry creek bed / gulch / whatever you call it, is pretty deep and like I said usually dry.  Maybe if there's a big storm you'll see some water at the bottom.  But never, in the almost 6 years we've lived here, has the water reached street level!  Take another look:

1. one, of several flooded backyards
2. a kid's playhouse that usually sits on the ground - now floating in flood waters
3. yep, that's a 6-7 foot tall fence line.  And the water is almost to the top.
4. This house has a daylight basement -- I hope they didn't get any water inside.

The good news, the rain is slowing down.  And thankfully, our house is high enough that we don't have to worry too much about this affecting us.  Flooding is not cool.  When I was a kid our basement flooded twice.  My bedroom was down there and I remember having to throw away my moldy Barbie dolls and their clothes.  So yucky!

We also made sure to take a little drive by the new house to make sure it was safe.  This storm is actually a good thing for us right now -- we get to see how the house fairs in some of the worst weather conditions.  And it was high and dry - yeah!

Speaking of the new house, here's a few stats and a picture:  2482 square feet, 6 bedrooms (can you say "scrap room"?), 3 baths, built in 2005, living room, family room, central air, fully fenced.