Rainy Soccer Saturday

I am proud H played his soccer game in the rainy sleet cold and looked like he had a blast. AK froze but watched the whole game, while Owen, Penelope, & I went to Einstein's. Poor Owen's game was cancelled. I was sad and I am glad he wasn't too sad, because on preparing them for a rainy soccer Saturday I proceeded to totally convince them how fun it is to play soccer in the rain and mud. Although cold and yucky, those were seriously my favorite games, I think it made me feel tough.

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

I'm so glad when daddy comes home

Glad as I can be

Clap my hands, and Shout for Joy

And climb up on his knee

Put my arms around his neck

Hug him tight like this

Pat his cheek, then give him WHAT

A great big KISS!

Warhol & Dinos & Cute but "Bored" P

My favorite artist, since I was a little kid, has always been Andy Warhol. My favorite museum visit in my life (and I really have been to a few favorites including Getty numerous times (old and new), the MOMA (2nd favorite), the ones in Amsterdam, and seeing Rodins in Spain, LA Art Museum, but the favorite and now re-named old Newport Harbor Art Museum, now the OC Museum of Art or something, had an Andy Warhol exhibit many many moons ago (I was probably 13 or 14). Mi Madre and I went and she surprised me on my next b-day with a beautifully framed print from the exhibit. Anywhoo, I am on this Junior League committee planning our fancy social (the Black and White Night) and it's going to be at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts on the U of U campus and the Andy Warhol exhibit will be there. La di da. I am so excited!

Mi madre saw this picture of P from the snow hike (Owen is now declaring he won't go on any more hikes unless there is snow, whatever!) and thought Penele looked bored! Not my girl, bored in the mountains, she loves them, I call her Mountain Girl, she was just quietly contemplating nature's beauties. Hee hee, she does look bored. Next time we'll spice it up with a backpack and snowshoes or something, gee Penelope!

On Dinos, Owen, Morgan, P, & I took a last minute visit to the Dinosaur Park. It was all geared up for Halloween, which was a little scary for the kiddos, who held hands the whole time, but awesome as well. We will definitely go again, in costume, and before Halloween is over, and bring a CAMERA!

Lost Tooth Buddy/Snow Hike

I think this is the greatest. So last week, Holden lost his first tooth, well, so did darling Sophie, just a few days later, same tooth and everything.


Also, with AK in warmer weather in Florida for work (although O thinks he's in Mexico snowboarding, or so he told his class), we had a very chilly and snow capped Monday. We got slush on the foothills. We were all so excited, we hauled it up to Millcreek (the very, very, long-winding top) and saw the beautiful leaves changing colors (more red this week!) and then the beautiful snowy evergreens. The boys had a blast, Penelope seemed to enjoy the stroller ride. Everyone had pink cheeks and noses and had a ball.

Floors Refinished

Andy spent the last week, sanding, staining, and polyurethane coating our wood floors that were hidden underneath the carpet. We have done the front room and down the hall, leaving the carpet (to be replaced as carpet) in the bedrooms. We are awaiting the baseboards, casings, crown, and doors and are still deciding on paint colors (going between very light whitish sky blue and stoneware (same as basement). Fun, fun, fun! Thank you to the Bunches and Creers for housing us during the sanding and polyurethane work. Andy did an amazing job, don't you think?

Grateful Sundee

Ode to Mi Madre. I am grateful for a selfless, intelligent, benevolent, humble, friend-to-the-world, beautiful, husband-cleaving Mother. She is one of my best friends and is always there (or at least calls me back within the day, which is great, she is learning not to answer the phone ALL OF THE TIME (including during weddings, church services, etc.) and so fun to be around. My kids are so lucky to know and be able to love and appreciate you, they ask when we will be visiting you all of the time. I love you.

PS Sorry I can't find a picture (AK is getting his computer back next week! Woohoo!)

Couch Potato Couch Potato

So I am not exactly a couch potato, just a super snacking, blog potato maybe. I wish I could train for a triathlon while driving the kids to soccer games, cheering, grocery shopping, more driving, cooking and eating dinner, going to enrichment night at Kate's ward, book group (negative calories/training for the delicious chocolate cake and ice cream - yummy, April!), Junior League meetings, walking the kids to and from school (that may count, except it's not exactly training), dancing and singing for the entertainment of Samuel & Owen & Weston (and the utter embarrassment of Holden), watching Andy completely re-finish our wood floors, a lonely morning bike ride (due to Kate's awaky-wake kiddos), a little shopping at REI and Pearl Izumi store (so I may look like a serious athlete), talking on the phone with Cici and Megan, hanging out at Kate's, and not cleaning my house. Maybe next week, okay Andy is totally out of town all week, so the next, next week I will get serious and actually start swimming or something.

A few more things "accomplished" this week. Holden losing his first tooth. Owen finally asking for a haircut and receiving a darling one! A fun birthday bash for Samuel. Very eventful and restless, but fun sleepovers at the Bunches and Creers (P is the LIGHTEST sleeper EVER!). Sourdough pancakes for Saturday morning. A new to us, but used jogger from ksl.com. A 4 1/2 year old (on the 17th), and an equally adorable 6 month old (on 21st). Finally succumbing to shoes for P, even though I love how she sucks on her toes, but it's getting cold! And of course, Owen picked them out. (The darling socks shown above from Cici thank you very much!)Beautiful weather, and stunning and quickly fleeting autumn colors! If every week could be this marvelous.

A Year Ago Today...

Two pictures are from our Silver Lake snow hike on Sunday, this Sunday with the Taylors. The snow angels are Owen & Haley. I can't ever remember it snowing so early. And one is from Today. We did Martha Stewart's glitter pumpkins. The kids had fun, made a good mess, and the pumpkins are awesome! (Originally published 9/21/06)

Fundraiser

Oh no she didn't! Oh yes I am....hitting you up to participate in the annual fundraiser of fantastic gifts and wrapping paper stuff. I truly do love the very substantial and cute wrapping paper, I have been buying it for years. Now I have a great stash of Christmas/Holiday wrap, but always run out of the daily supply stuff - there is the most adorable "balls" and "stars and dots" designs I will be stocking up on this year. I always purchase some "wraphia" which always look extra stylin'. If you are in need of such items, or some gifts, like the melamine bowls above ($18/set of 3) or the cute girls' bracelet above ($15), 50% of profits go straight to the school. And as you all may know, Utah ranks #51 in per capita spending for education, so we definitely need it! Most items are around$15 for packages, about $5-$8 for individual rolls/set of rolls, and less than $10 for most gifts, ribbons sets, candies, and other stuff. H's school will get all the credit when you use our account number #288885. The sale ends Tuesday, October 2nd, and delivery is Wednesday, October 24 (maybe even quicker for online orders). Check it all out here at SallyFoster.com

Donkeys

I love Donkeys! Did you know that I named my child the same name as a donkey in the Disney movie Hercules? I didn't know that.

Pam Munoz Ryan

If you haven't already read the children's book Esperanza Rising and others by the great Pam Munoz Ryan I would recommend. She came to our school today to do an assembly for the 3-6th graders (her main readership ages), which I was very excited to attend. I had seen her before at the SLC Library at an author's conference a few years ago with my Mom (we also heard and saw and had books signed by Lois Lowry). She puts on a great presentation and at the library "speech" she read from her book Mice and Beans. I often read to the boys her When Marian Sang (which always make me cry), Hola Mar (Hello Ocean) (my attempt at providing my kids with a bilingual education - and totally "pictured" from La Jolla Shores, or at least I imagine. So I casually mentioned that Ryan was at our school (and the reason why I didn't answer my cell phone) to Megan and she freaked that I didn't tell her, since Bailey's favorite author happens to be her. So I let her know she would be at King's English (the greatest bookstore at 15th and 15th) tonight. So I went directly to King's, bought 2 copies Ryan's newest book Paint the Wind, and then met them there tonight. It ended up just being a signing, no presentation or reading, which I was sort of bummed for Bailey, but we got there early enough to ask questions, etc. I felt a little goofy since I was like the only adult without a child getting signage.

Grateful Sunday

I am grateful for being a mom. I get to snuggle, kiss, and cuddle these adorable, happy, and beautiful children all day long and basically whenever I please (especially while they are still little enough to be able to resist and/or let me!). I get to take them wherever I please, hiking, shopping, parks, museums, and I always have a little buddy to chat with or sing a song too or get a treat with. It breaks my heart to put P down to sleep since I would love to keep her up all day and night while she goos, and purrs, and makes tooty noises, laughs, and smiles. It breaks my heart when H woke up terrified from a nightmare. It breaks my heart when O goes from the happiest and funnest kid to totally distraught temper tantrum for getting a little out of control and hitting his brother or something. It breaks my heart that H now how a wicked cough and probably won't be able to go to school tomorrow. I get to change poopy diapers, do a million loads of laundry a week, including almost daily sheet changes, wipe some bum, try to keep our frequent meals as healthy as possible, get the kids educated, try to get them to behave, use good manners, etc. get them to brush their teeth, hair, and overall very non-glamorous things that I wouldn't trade for anything. I am daily honored to be a steward of this earth-life for Heavenly Father's children. We are buddies and we have some fun together. Thanks AK for making me a mom, and thanks to an incredible Mom for always making this job appear and be so desirable and rewarding.

Bacterial Conjunctivitis

So H missed his first day of school this week, I know, already! He didn't miss a day of Kindergarten (when I totally should have taken advantage) and probably 2 days in 2 years of pre-K. I am kind of crazy like that, but I still remember my year of absentless days at Roy O. Andersen in third grade Mrs. Reid ("Misery") because I got some really cool paper certificate and probably a pencil. I mean it really is important to be in school, Andy is much more on board with this as I will say, hey when you are in Orlando with work in 2 weeks (wait for the breakdown), I might just go down to California and hang with the family (taking just 4 days off school! due to UEA, whatever that is). But then again, on H's one day off, his homework had something to do with making a 'pictograph' which neither of his University-degree carrying parents really knew was (and I was an Econ major and thus lots of Stats classes - which I rocked by the way). I put in my cents that he had to actually draw out the "shirts" and their patterns, etc. Which I seemed kind of tough for H but he rocked it. Anyway, I still remember coming to school and having no clue was vowels were when everyone was singing away "A-E-I-O-U and sometimes Y" and I've always figured "I must have missed that day of school!". So I might be traumatized, but the saddest part was he didn't even feel bad or sick at all, he was happy as a clam, and equally devastated to miss going to school, but his eyes were bright, shot red, like seriously I kept thinking "he looks like a vampire" but didn't say it aloud because I didn't want to explain what a vampire does/is, and obviously I am reading Stephanie Meyer's books (along with the rest of SAH society). His eyes weren't pink eye puffy but we called into the Pediatrician and got some ciloxen anyway, and then later cruised over to our Eye Doctor neighbor's house who checked them out and explained away the bacterial and and advances and how he would need to be out of school one more day and then back to school on Friday. So to keep this shorter than already necessary, H was back to school yesterday, and so was O, who I was treating with the meds, and was developing a tinge of "pot-smoking-like" eye redness (at some point I seriously wondered, have they been somewhere where someone was smoking pot, seriously, that kind of red-eye). All was 90% better today, and he happily has a playdate with his bestest friend T. But if the class comes down with, not Pink Eye (as Dr. Keller emphasized) but this other highly infectious eye goober, they will know which Mom to blame. Very exciting, but that's what's up.

Random Pic to Blog About

Since my Labor Day 2007 uploaded pictures don't have titles, and I had nothing to blog about of note, I picked a random picture from the file and here it is. This was dawn of Saturday. I woke up early (as usual) to go on a bike ride and the morning was so beautiful and the greatest thing about it was that H was outside sitting on the bench, just chillin', waiting for someone else to wake up (sound familiar - like me, when I was little?). So this is the beautiful view from the cabins' front door. You are looking out at Bear Lake, which just 10 years ago used to come up to the concrete water barrier/walls you see 15 feet in front of me(the frame of the picture). I wish they would let the water flow more (I guess they do have control over this) so that we can chill, nap, be at our cabins' front door while the kids splash around the water, float around on an inner tube, or swim out to the boat dock (shown here in the "boat launch"), all things we did as kids. Oh and skip rocks! The sand is great (which you get when we walk out to the "beach") but my kids are getting the beach confused with the real beach of my youth. And the pollution of the trucks and four-wheelers and increased boat and water-gear traffic was definitely grossing me out on this visit. It's interesting that I never thought my home town would change, that the land from L.A. to Mexico along the coast would ever be populated so fully and completely, and that places like Bear Lake would remain secret, safe, and quiet hideaways. Oh well.

Happy Birthday David B.

Happy Birthday Dad! You are awesome! And such a fun guy. I love sharing my nose, long legs, impatience, love, passion for all things of "excellent quality" (expensive!), going out to breakfast, the love and most frequent of all amenities of the Balboa Bay Club, creatures of habits (yours are the places you are "thinking", mine are more food related), great books, Economics, political discussions, good walks, a great view, and of course making goals, and sharing them with others. Just a few of the many good things I love about you. You are brilliant, funny, charming, and an amazingly spiritual and all things important teacher and leader and father. I love considering our amazingly "successfully contributing to society" family and credit your amazing stewardship over this earthly family unit. And last but not least, GO Utes!

Grateful Sunday

Owen's first day of BH Pre-K (GS #11. Yeah no more driving in the morning, we love the morning walk to school!).

1. A forgiving husband (we'll work on the forgetting - he is a completely white personality type).
2. P sucking on her toes.
3. H's very loose tooth.
4. O's awesome sleeveless grey "basketball" shirt and green basketball shorts.
5. Sleepy, Stake Conference Sundays. And the uplifting talks and "string symphony concert" (I was in the Mother's room, and thought they changed the speaker system to a concert tape, it was amazing!).
6. H reading Does a Cow Say Boo? without help, force, or complaint.
7. The beautiful nearby canyons, the anticipation of fall, and the amazing changing leaves.
8. Scripture Class starting this week! Yeah! And being able to complete New Testament in Scripture Class with the great old Orange manual.
9. These dumb Stephanie Meyer's book, which I will be grateful to finish Eclipse (like Molasses) and see the movies that the books were so clearly written to become.
10. Ikea in SLC.

E.L.F.

I got this message from Megan who got it from Lauri and I was intrigued so I checked it out. "go to www.eyeslipsface.com and check it out. Nordstrom just bought this company and they are liquidating their current inventory. Everything is $1 and then you get an extra 50% of of your order of $20 when you put “carolina” where it says promotional code. I just got some fun stuff! Have Fun!"

Uhm, so I am under a severely strict budget right now, and #1 I am trying to break my habit of "buying ahead" (like hitting the end of summer sales, for next summer's sizes of the kids. Not for me, oh I haven't bought anything since Nordy's sale, which all was returned, and before that, who knows when, I am still wearing my Diesel's I purchased after I had H - remember Ryan and Rachel? I digress in degrees, so my kids are constantly wearing clothes too large, because they last longer right? Yes, like when I see an old picture of H, at our old house, which means he was like 3, in the same shirt he was wearing today, yes, I have a problem. Poor Pe (my little girl who I am estimating will be in size 18-24 months next summer, by the way.)) So on a budget, yadda yadda, but I see $1, and since I am trying to also stick to rule #2 $5 items really add up. I thought about all of those $3 or $5 Target purchases that really add up, so I see $1 and think I can hang with that, wrong! But I will certainly let you know if all of the nail colors in the e.l.f. line, the lip plumper colors they had left, and the 3 different types of foundation, blush, eye shadow compacts, 12 brushes, and 1 Ultimate kit work out. Seriously though, if you have control and you are in need of anything, everything is seriously $1. And I've already found out they have excellent customer service, since I forgot to add the coupon code, so I emailed them for forgiveness, and they promptly added it right into my order (yeah $10!). I am kind of wondering if the make-up is like sample sized or miniature of something?!

Go Boo Boo

So, I was checking the stat counter, and kind of freaked out at all the visits since I know like maybe 2 dozen people that might be interested in the goings on in my life, and Andy said,"well, you do have "boo-b" in the title of your blog." He claims to have just thought of it, while thinking, well what is "nasty" about her blog. Hello! Have you people thought of that before??? As you may know I am sort of slow, sort of like when I did my email address as 'booknight' intending it to be 'boo knight' my nickname obviously, until my brother pointed out that my email address was funny 'book night'. Well, I really do love to read.

If I haven 't explained the reason for my title, here goes. When I was five, my number 1 fan was my little sister Rachel, who was 3 at the time. Well, we have on video a very fun, backyard soccer game, where Rachel was constantly heard in the background, from our jungle gym, cheering "Go Boo Boo, Go Boo Boo, Go Boo Boo" in the cutest, 3 year old, cheer voice you can imagine. I have been known as Boo Boo for as long as I can remember, most people I knew when I was little still call me Boo Boo, and I love it when Andy, or anyone does now. Of course, I didn't like it between about 8 and 20, but I think it's cute. I clearly remember when my Mom and I were registering for Kindergarten in the office at Harbor View, and the register lady and my Mom asked me if I wanted to be known and called Boo, but I chose not. Sometimes I wish I had chosen Boo, wouldn't that have been cool. I was known as "Fro" throughout Junior High when puberty dealt me serious acne issues and very tight curls on my already very thick hair. I recall some kids didn't even know my real name (or they pretended not to, no I really think this Mike character didn't know my real name). Anyway, there is my nickname history, and the history of 'Go Boo Boo'.

Grateful Tuesday

1. Family Cabin - It's not pretty, but it sure does the trick for getting away, having a great view, and being tight with family "away from it all" for a few days. (Pictures coming soon...)
2. Tents - Even though there are only 3 of us, and the cabin technically sleeps 11-12, it gave me my own bed and room with P, O (the horizontal snuggler sleeper, which I love and not prefer at the same time) his own bed, and a fun few nights under the stars for those who choose to "camp out" (H & Dad).
3. A 45-minute sacrament on Sunday due to 1,600 people in attendance at the special summer extra Sacrament service, which led to a very contemplative time for me. Oh and for Grandma and Grandpa taking the boys to the morning sacrament meeting. I felt like a newlywed again being just AK and I in sacrament meeting, it was very nice.
4. My bike and my body that allowed me to travel via my own power between Utah and Idaho on Saturday. Although it was only a 25 mile ride, it sounds like a lot to say you've biked through 2 states in the early morning. And my fun trial ride up Logan Canyon on Monday morning, which I will do in 3 weeks when we return to the cabin. And I must say, my safety on these road rides, since drivers (usually the bigger car the more likely the "clown") are clueless and like to try and beat the bike and/or choose to ignore my blinking tail light and quite bright head-light (not so far, but I foresee this happening).
5. My awesome DH.