First Day of School 8.25.09

Okay these are out of order, but I am growing impatient, the girls (AJ & PJ) are wandering the house, Andy is packing for L.A., and I will have no computer for 10 days. And I will miss him. Anyway, first day of school went off without a hitch. The boys were very happy, nervously excited, but then thrilled with their classes and friends after school. Owen liked first grade even better than Kindergarten and Holden said the same about third. For the record, the P&G people finally picked up the Impala today.

New outfit for Holden and new shoes for O, but I was feeling really guilty because the child with 200 shirts didn't have a new one to wear to the first day of school. I just couldn't bring myself to buy another shirt! He really didn't notice or care.

I totally made them pose and pretend they were walking to school (we were waiting for AK & PJ).
I love knowing they walk to school together and Holden is totally excited to pick up Owen and walk home with him. We get great reports from neighbors about the boys walking together to and from school, laughing, playing, being late but having fun together, looking very carefully to cross this street, etc. I am glad we have many other eyes and ears looking out for them (on their 12 house walk to school!).Giving a big hug (and/or trying to pick him up) to Zeke. Tough stuff Owen was even quite nervous, it was cute.

Andy's Modeling Days

Have you seen this lately? (wait for the handsome Andy to appear, the pictures change) We are bummed Clark Dana, DDS is no longer at Draper Smiles (he sold the practice) but we will always have Andy's modeling days to remind us.

P Jane

I just love my little Penelope! We have had a few occasions the last few weeks to be alone, out shopping, at home, snuggling, giggling, and I have realized (knock on wood) 1) her "terrible twos" are going away and 2) I now prefer to take her on errands than the boys. That is both boys. Both constantly snarling and fighting and tattling and name calling boys. Can you tell I am practically counting down the minutes until Tuesday morning at 8:45, well 8:30, when the boys head down the street to school? Oh if I were more patient and would actually look up a site to give me a countdown timer - I would. But I'd rather go on about it. Anyway, Penelope. Right now, we have just woken from our afternoon naps (I finished the latest Sophie Kinsella, I cried, they are all the same but still so endearingly clever!), and she is carrying around her naked baby (the real looking one that Emi gave us, and no I have still not dressed it!), which I love seeing her be so tender despite its heaviness. The other day while Andy took the boys to the BYU football practice (aargh, another story, another time) and infiltrated them with BYU t-shirts and balls and other propaganda (and no, I don't get the affinity either, he did not graduate from the BYU!) P Jane and I were doing errands, Post Office, bank for PTA, a little stroll through Foothill Village, then to REI, she toted her naked baby and occasionally left it oddly laying in an aisle (until a man saved her and sweetly offered the naked baby back to its obvious little owner). She loves trying on shoes, being particular about her outfit, loves bubblegum (my kids are convinced a. bubblegum wards off hunger and b. it is a food group), "running" like momma, and being just cute all around. I still have to keep her from falling in the pool during swim team practice, getting hit by Owen's tennis balls during practice, screaming, and hitting Amanda, but I see we are heading to a more mature, enjoyable, sweet, talkative phase of which even more adventure awaits. But thank goodness she still naps in the afternoon and goes to bed before 8!

Pictures from Holden and Weston cheering on the Tour of Utah riders today coming, if I can figure out how to download from my phone.

Thank you Mary Sue for the cute picture I poached today!

Race/Summer Update

Since 1/2 of my blog followers (Pat) requested a report of the summer's races, okay just Spudman, but may as well make a review. Spudman was an Olympic (1 mile swim, 40k bike, 10k run) triathlon in Burley, Idaho that I did on the 25th of July. It was my first Olympic, and an overall great time. I drove up with the Taylors, with Ash & Jerad & Sue & Brad to follow, and we just rolled right onto the lake side golf course and pitched our tents with a couple hundred other people. I still think that is so funny. I slept in our handy 2 little person backpacker tent and awoke at 1:30am and 6:30am to a very low flying plane that I was sure would land right on top of me. It didn't. I got to start with the chubbies, since I registered Athena (I really do hope it's the last time, but I doubt it), and started last. The swim was even easier than I thought (two weeks prior I did the Echo Tri-Sprint (1/2 an Olympic) and the swim nearly did me in - I do blame it on bad goggles though (H used my regulars for his swim meet at the same time, he has his own now). I wasn't tired at all from the swim, I am not bragging it was just really that down stream and easy. The transition (although my trash bag for my gear that they truck back to the finish line flew away during the night) was very quick and smooth. Started out on the bike slowly but soon found some fast, TT-pro bike girls to follow (not draft, I am ever so paranoid about drafting - illegal in a tri) petered out at the end, but finished strong. The run, the run - I felt better, but it was flat and slow for me. Andrea Frederickson was walking and sprinting and keeping within yards of me the whole time (Tiffany Thomas joined her the last few miles, and Amy Jaggi ran alongside me then passed me as I giggled so hard since I screamed "Amy" 1 foot away from her ear, but she didn't hear me due to her music). It was all good and I can't wait to do it next year.

Since then I did the Provo 1/2 marathon last weekend (2:04) and got to run the first 6-7 miles with Morinda. And thankfully handed off my keys and jacket to Brigham cheering her on.

Ryan and I did the very mountainous 15-miler yesterday. He wanted to kill me. I guess I am just getting too used to climbing the hills that surround us.

Today we breakfasted at Doug & Emmy's so you can tell I can keeping up with good nutrition (not! at all!). The kids and I took the frontrunner train back to the SLC. It was really fun. I can't believe we haven't done it. Then we went to the Daughters of the Pioneer Museum wherein I got to see the pictures and bios of Elizabeth Pill Stayner and oh dear, the other two Stayner women. Mom will have to take me back sometime to find their pictures and other family members. Since then we have rested and done errands (Andy) and that is our day.

John Hughes

I am so sad to have just heard about the death of John Hughes. My very formative years from elementary (yea my Dad was the Bishop and Sixteen Candles was part of a ward birthday party video in circa 1982ish), to seeing Some Kind of Wonderful 4 times at the UCI movie theatre, to Pretty in Pink and She's Having a Baby all of which we still watch religiously. Having to get permission slips in HS to see Breakfast Club in psychology (although we had already seen it at home, again, I guess before our family really adopted the LDS movie standard thing) and more. The music. The outfits. The hair. Everything about a John Hughes movie I had already been missing for 20 years and will never again be. I had been hoping he'd revisit our Gen X & Y with an "update" movie, but within the last year or so I had read about his reclusive lifestyle (although he did continue to write, eg. Maid In Manhattan I believe). Rest in Peace John Hughes.