Buchanan Family

Family Photos

2011-12-09T19:23:00.001-08:00

Right before we moved in August, my favorite photographer extraordinaire, Haylee McGuire, took our family pictures. There was rain, thunder, and lightning that afternoon, but it broke just long enough for a quick photo session. Here are some of my favorites.

Our Home

2011-11-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

We moved! Ash got a new job in August and three weeks later we moved up to Portland, Oregon. We miss our Utah friends dearly and are enjoying living near family for the first time in our married lives. After a month of air-mattress camping in an apartment, we moved into our new home October 7th. We love it! Now we can literally hug the trees right out our window (threw that in just for you, Coby! haha). It's a work in progress, but some friends have asked for photos, so here they are. We'll post of the bedrooms when they're more put together.

U2

2011-06-19T12:25:00.001-07:00

Ash and I went to U2 as an early Father's Day celebration. The first "big" concert for both of us. It was so cool! The weather could not have been better and Bono did not disappoint. Happy Father's Day, Ash, it was great to hold hands and speak in uninterrupted sentences with you. :)

Flour Power

2011-06-19T12:16:00.001-07:00

So little 16 month old Luke chose Father's Day, the one morning I'm trying to make fancy food, to throw chess pieces everywhere, empty a bottle of bubbles on the kitchen floor, and get into the flour I was using for cinnamon rolls. And he's so pleased with himself. And Ash still liked the breakfast. And don't mind the laundry room mess in the background. And you shouldn't start a sentence with "and." Just so you know.

October

2011-01-05T11:09:00.001-08:00

October was pretty much all about Micah. He had been having some sleep apnea and crazy loud snoring for about nine months because of his mega-sized tonsils, so after consulting with a few doctors, we decided to go ahead with the tonsillectomy. Little did we know the fiasco we were getting into!
His surgery was October 1st. Here he is in Pre-Op. Micah is a brave kid; he doesn't cry with shots or that kind of thing. When it was time to send him with the anesthesiologist, he gave me a hug and kiss and happily hopped in the wagon for the trip down the hall. It was definitely rougher on me than on him.
Before they took him, he got to play some Indiana Jones video games. We didn't have anything like this until this Christmas when we broke down and got a Wii, so Micah was in heaven.
This was about an hour after surgery; it had all gone really smoothly. My dear friend Kristine had Sarah and Luke for the morning (which was the first time I had ever left Luke for more than half an hour or so). Eliza was with us at the hospital for an appointment with her immunologist, and I know Micah was grateful to have his big sister close by.
Check out those bad boys! Even the ENT acted surprised at their size. Micah wanted to take them home, but since they are a biohazard, we weren't allowed to, which was a great relief to me. Nasty.

So many of Micah's sweet friends called and dropped by with popsicles, cards, books, movies, anything to keep him busy but resting on the couch. Well, a few days later he developed a little cough and the ENT office just recommended we keep him hydrated and resting to minimize his coughing, which we did.
His first surgery had been on a Friday, and eight days later, Saturday night, he came into Ash and my bedroom about 10:45 pm with a weird gurgly cough. I took him into our bathroom and he began throwing up fresh blood and lots of blood clots. It was definitely the scariest moment of my life. I called my sweet friend Lynette who dropped everything and came over to stay with the kids until Ben got home from a dance, and she took Luke for the rest of the night. We are blessed to live five minutes away from a hospital, so we hopped in the van, hazard lights flashing, and raced over to the ER. Lynette's husband Coby came over to help Ash give Micah a blessing, and Micah ended up back in surgery for three bleeds in the back of his throat, one of which the ENT said was a real pumper. Micah was a real trooper through the whole thing. Like I said, he is pretty tough and gave Ash a good kick when we tried to help him sit still to get his IV line placed. After it was all said and done, he faced another week on the couch and dropped some weight from all the inactivity and living off of popsicles!
Although the whole thing was really scary and my heart still races involuntarily whenever Micah coughs, I look back on it with gratitude for priesthood blessings and the unmistakable power they bring, and for dear friends and neighbors who showed their love in so many ways in our time of need and recovery. Micah is now back to his wild and crazy self, and getting much better sleep at night, and we wouldn't have it any other way; we love our Micah.

2010-10-30T10:00:00.001-07:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Sunday Sink Bath

2010-09-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Little Luke chomped his tender gums on fresh peach slices all afternoon, so he was in serious need of a bath. He is 7 months old now, standing up against things, jibber jabbering away and cute as a button.

Ballet

2010-09-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Sarah started Ballet last week, and surprise surprise, she loves it. This little diva would wear her leotard the entire week if I let her. She was a little shy at the beginning of class but had warmed up by the end and practices at home. She is attending with three friends from our neighborhood. Thanks to the lovely ladies, Grammy and Aunt Ashley, for her sweet ballet attire they got her for her birthday back in July. Here she is on her first day.

Trying to master first position and keep her toes apart, heels together. Go Sarah!

Micah's Birthday

2010-09-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

Micah turned 5 on August 24th. We had a swimming party; can you say mayhem? Thanks to Ben, Brett, and Haylee for your help keeping track of the munchkins.
The lazy river. Micah's head is right behind Kaden's, whoops.
Cousin Ben terrifying Braden and Landon.

You know who belongs in that space, Chasey! We miss you guys!
Some things I want to remember about Micah at this age: He has such a sweet tooth. He is famous for his, "I didn't eat it" face, even as his cheeks bulge. He is generous to a fault, especially with his sisters. He loves the high diving board at the pool.
Poor Micah has to have his tonsils out next month. I've been noticing his snoring the past six months or so, and his pediatrician referred us to an ENT who, while generally conservative, did recommend he have them removed.
Micah is loving kindergarten. He is thoughtful of kids who are left out. He loves all things remote control, and loves to ride his bike. I've had several parents come and tell me the funny, insightful things he has said in his church Primary class (among them, that he loves water because it's the healthiest drink and he gets really constipated). :)
Micah is pretty great at helping me around the house. He is also my ultimate cuddler; I can always count on him for a snuggle. He is a Star Wars fanatic lately, loves meatloaf, and I'm sure I'll remember more details I want to record about him later. So long for now!

Catch Up

2010-08-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

Beware the long summer catch-up blog post. The past six months have flown by since Luke's birth, so here's a quick synopsis of our summer, in no particular order.
We celebrated Ben's birthday August 3rd--we had tasty chicken pesto sandwiches for dinner but boring brownies and ice cream for dessert, sorry Ben. He had several "helpers" with his candles.

Sarah celebrated her birthday July 30th. I took the kids to the Thanksgiving Pt farm to ride ponies and Ash came down from Logan for a family dinner.

Triple piggy-back rides in the backyard from cousin Ben.

A visit to Ashley in Logan. There's a great park with a shallow stream that the kids love.

Ash celebrated his birthday July 20th. We have an unspoken tradition of going to Market Street Grill for seafood on our birthdays. So we did that and then went to DI to scavenge some sweet finds. Ben had a dance party at home with the kids.
Fun times at Frog Pond.
Rog came to visit for a week. He put up with the kids using him as a jungle gym the entire time.
Visiting Ash and Kev in Logan.

We went camping up American Fork canyon in June. It was beautiful and good to get away for some quality time together. The night was freezing though, down in the 50s!! Bad planning on my part, I was a little too optimistic. Luke spent the night in my sleeping bag and we eventually ended up in the van in the morning. Still, it was so much fun. I didn't have to do a bit of cooking the entire time: Ash made delicious tin foil dinners with peach cobbler. Breakfast was potatoes, eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Hmmm, I think I'll move the camping stove into our real kitchen...

Yes, those are sweatpants on Luke's head.

Fun times with friends at Riverton Days. I must be getting old, because just looking at those roller coasters makes me sick now.

Eliza finished her first grade year in the ALPS program. She had a great teacher and only 15 kids in the class, so they all became really close. Here they are at the school's "outdoor classroom" (this grove of trees with tables throughout and fun little trails).We took Luke on his first hike to Cascade Falls, above Sundance in Provo Canyon. It's about four miles, and the kids held up really well. It's such a gorgeous spot.

Lots of sleepy mornings like this. Does it get any better?
Eliza and Tiffany at my nephew's wedding breakfast (Ben's brother, Timmy).
In May, Ash and Micah went on their first Father-Son campout. They had a great time, despite some strong wind and rain. I think Ash was hoping to sleep the next day due to the rough weather during their campout, but Sarah had been throwing up during the night at home, so we were both useless parents that next day. But Micah has great memories of his time with his Dad.

California

2010-08-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

In May we took a trip to visit the family in CA. Since it's our 10 year anniversary this year, Ash, Luke and I took an overnighter in Yosemite, where we went on our honeymoon. It is so gorgeous there, we had a great quick trip. The waterfalls were magnificent from all the rain. A black bear ran across the road in front of our van, we saw deer and hundreds of overbearing, domesticated chipmunks. Grammy, Grandpa, and the aunts and uncles were kind enough to hang out with Sarah, Micah and Eliza so we could go.

The rest of the trip consisted of plenty of snuggling...

smores around a fire...

Uncle Tyler sabotaging us with plenty of candy for the kids...

...hitting the water park with Aunt Lynnsey...

and Kyle teaching Sarah baseball and various naughty tricks.

The highlight of the trip for us was Luke's baby blessing at Ashley's home. My sweet friend Lynette took these cute 3 month photos of him. Thanks for the great times, Buchanan fam. We love you.

Really?

2010-08-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

Did my little Micah really just start kindergarten? Wow. He is really excited, especially to know a couple kids in the class already and to have the same wonderful teacher Eliza did. His pre-assessment with Mrs. Tipton went great and I know he's going to love it, although I will miss my Micah for that half of the day. He got a little quiet when we first arrived, but after the orientation activities, he told me goodbye with a smile and got down to work. Go Micah!

This face reminds me so much of his Grandpa Rex. I can't believe how old he looks. He picked out that dinosaur shirt for his first day.

Ben

2010-08-02T09:17:00.001-07:00

I have an angel. His name is Ben. Ben is my nephew (long story, I'm not that old). Ben was here in June for his brother's wedding (my other nephew). He thought he'd like to give Salt Lake a try. He stayed a few weeks, and because we are so cool, he wants to stay for the school year. Woohoo!
Ben plays with my kids while I make dinner. He does a mean triple-piggy back ride. He asks to be excused from the table. He tells me dinner was delicious. He asks if Ash and I want to go on a date and he'll watch the kids (I feel like I won the lottery when he says this). Ben has dance parties with the kids when he babysits. He must be one of the 3 Nephites, I tell him this every day. Ben's presence makes me feel safe while my sweet husband sleeps in Logan every weeknight for the next 1.5 years for his job. Ben is extra patient, even when crazy Micah pees on his exercise equipment (sorry Micah, but you did). Ben just shrugged. Ben goes camping with us, hiking with us, and to Baskin Robbins with us. He is smart and witty and handsome. Young ladies, your countdown until Ben turns 16: 366 days. (See Jamie? I posted.) :) To my neighbors: he would love to make some cash mowing your lawn or walking your dog.

Crying Strawberry

2010-06-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Ash was in the kitchen this afternoon when Micah came in the house screaming, "Eliza's bleeding! Eliza's bleeding!" He quickly came to the back door and looked toward the swing set, to see Eliza sitting up on the landing, red streaming down her leg and her face in her hands, sobbing. He tore out there and when he reached her, he found mashed up, chunky strawberries covering her shin. Ashley decided it was a good time to teach them about the Aesop Fable, "The Boy who Cried Wolf." Eliza wants you to know she fell over laughing.

It's Okay

2010-05-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Eliza surprises me every day; I never know quite what will come out of her mouth. Sometimes this is funny, and sometimes downright scary (mostly depending on the company present). ;) I was a pretty big nag today, and this afternoon I gave her a hug and said, "Eliza, I'm sorry I was grumpy with you about (whatever it was). Eliza hugged me back and said, "It's okay, Big Pain in the Neck." She's such a character; I'm still chuckling.

Chicken Mango Salad

2010-04-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

I was sending these two recipes to my cousin and thought I'd share with everyone. My kids' favorite meal is the chicken mango salad, deeelicious.

Summer Squash Enchilada Casserole (Crock Pot)

1 TB olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb zucchini, cut into rounds
1 lb yellow summer squash, cut into rounds
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 c. corn
2 c. Monty Jack Cheese, shredded
2 c. mozzarella, shredded
3-4 c. canned green chile enchilada sauce
12 soft corn tortillas, cut into strips
8 oz. queso fresco

Saute onion 5 min, add garlic, zucch, yellow squash, oregano, cumin, saute another 5 minutes. Add corn for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix cheeses together. Layer: enchilada sauce, tortilla strips, enchilada sauce, veggies, cheese, about 4x. Cook on HIGH 2 hrs.

Chicken Mango Salad

1 romaine lettuce head (I do 1/2 and 1/2 with spinach)
3 tomatoes, diced
1 mango, diced, 2 is better
2 chicken breasts, cooked and seasoned w/ lemon pepper and salt
1 bag tortilla chips (to put on top of salad)
1/2 c. feta cheese
1 TB sesame seeds (I use more)

Dressing:
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
2 TB lime juice
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. white sugar
2 TB minced garlic
2 TB ginger powder
Blend well. I like to double the dressing, because it keeps forever so I keep it in my fridge for other salads as well. Feel free to share your favorite summer recipes!

Seven Weeks

2010-04-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

How did he go from this...

to this? Luke turned 7 wks Monday and is plump, smiling and cooing like crazy.

His only Easter picture. A nap with Uncle Kevin.

I love springtime. One reason is that if I put Luke in the sunshine, he falls asleep. The sun is my ally in the fight to get things done around the house.

Luke's Birth Story

2010-03-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

I think those times when people are entering this world and leaving this world are most sacred. Luke's birth was no exception. I've had my kids in several different environments, for different reasons: Liza at home, Micah in a free-standing birth center, Sarah at the hospital, and Luke at home again. Needless to say, if you don't enjoy birth stories, this probably isn't the post for you. :)
My fantastic midwife, Melissa Mayo, visited me the evening of Valentine's Day, and I was feeling a little discouraged, being five days overdue already (who really knows, exactly). Well, she had some tricks up her sleeve, and sure enough, I woke up around 12:30am, Feb. 15, in labor (give or take, I didn't have my contacts in to read the clock). I slept in between contractions until they were too strong, 12:58. I put in my contacts, puttered around and ate a couple leftover chocolate covered strawberries. They came 7 minutes apart, then 3 3 3. The real deal.
I went downstairs and woke Ash from his campout w/ the kids, the perfect night for them to be sleeping in the basement. Ashley gave me a much-needed priesthood blessing. We inflated and began filling the tub, called Melissa and she was at our place about 1:45 (I deliver quickly and was nervous she might not make it). Melissa was wearing a black t-shirt that said, "Let's rock and roll." At 2am, I thought this was a hysterical thing to wear to a birth. Soon after, Annie, another midwife, arrived. I remember she smelled great, like lavender. Funny the things you remember. They monitored Luke with the Doppler and he was doing great. Then I called Haylee, my neighbor friend who also just happens to be an amazing photographer. She had agreed to come take some birthday photos. I told her we'd probably need her in a half hour or so. Ten minutes later we were calling her again to come. I delivered Luke in the tub at 3:41 am, the same time of day his brother Micah was born. His arm was tucked up against his chest and he was a tough little guy to push out. Ash and I had a few minutes alone with him and then Ash went to get my brother Kevin, who had come to help out with the kids. He was waiting right outside my bedroom door, what a sweetie. He woke the kids and they came in to meet little Luke. It took Sarah a good half hour to warm up to him, at which point she said that Luke was cold and put her sock on his head. Eliza was in love from the start. Micah was too, but the poor guy wasn't feeling well that morning and went back to bed soon after the birth. So he's not in as many of the photos. Luke was just perfect--he cried for a few minutes and then was wide awake for about an hour, so that was fun for us all.
It was a great day--a fast, peaceful entrance into the world for Luke, lots of good support with intermittent fetal monitoring, good sibling bonding, and celebrating with more chocolate strawberries afterward, of course. Ashley was the perfect, supportive partner, definitely my rock. Melissa and Annie made every moment more special by things they said and did. It's such a miracle, every time.
We were so grateful that Haylee agreed to come, especially on Luke's crazy timing. She has a calm presence and was such a great part of the whole experience. She made me a neat slideshow with music, here is the second half of it. To see more of her work, click here.

13 Days Old

2010-02-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

Well, Luke will be two weeks old tomorrow. He is doing well; he's very good-natured and we all adore him. Grammy and I caught him rolling over this morning and tortured him by making him do it again. Just ignore the rolled-up diaper on the floor.

Happy Birth Day, Luke!

2010-02-16T20:12:00.000-08:00

As my first post ever in this blog-o-sphere world, I am very pleased to announce the arrival of Luke Mitchell, who came on Monday at 3:41am. Both Luke and Mom are doing very well! More to come...

Sarah's Preschool

2010-02-02T13:57:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine started a little once-a-week neighborhood preschool group for the kids Sarah's age and today it was at my house. I know this photo is dark, but they were so adorable clapping and marching to the music I had going. We did potato stamp painting and decorated Valentine cookies and talked about all things red. I can't believe Sarah is already 2 1/2.

Eliza is 7, Fruitus

2010-02-02T13:02:00.001-08:00

Eliza turned 7 almost a month ago. I can't quite get my mind around that; it feels so old. Here are some fun things about her at this age:
Eliza is the family comedian. She loves to call her dad Fruitus, who knows why. I was giving Ash the silent eyeball b/c he wasn't setting the example for the kids by eating his vegetables, and El picked up a piece and did the airplane-swoosh maneuver to him like you would with a 1 yr old.
Eliza still loves art and making books, cards, paintings, etc. She still loves to read and just finished, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe". She is really into jokes and loves writing in her journal. She loves to wear her swimsuit at home when it's 34 degrees outside. She is becoming a great helper at home with chores and such and is really close with Micah and Sarah--they love to have campouts in the living room together. She is really excited for Luke to be born and has already volunteered to handle all the pee diapers, yay for me!
So on her birthday, Eliza was (surprise!) sick, a nasty 48 hour bug. She was a good sport about it; I just felt awful for her. Can't she catch a break? She missed box seats at a Utah Jazz game with Ash that night, but we made up for it just last week (see below). So we had a quiet day at home and read a lot of books together.

Her dear friends Paige and Taylor came to the rescue by decorating her bedroom with drawings and paper snowflakes while I took her for drive-thru ice cream. She was so surprised and felt really special.

We had a party with a bunch of her friends later on in the week--they had a blast. My ears are still ringing from all the screaming.

For El's birthday, Grammy sent us all to Color Me Mine, this neat place where the kids can paint pottery and come get it after it has been glazed. They were in heaven. Sarah was adamant about painting "an ice cream bowl."

When Eliza was feeling better, I took Micah, Sarah, and a couple of El's friends to have lunch with her at her school. Then another day I went on my own to lunch with her.

Ash and Eliza at the Jazz game; we never knew she was such a sports fan but Ash said she was really into it the entire time. Happy birthday, Liza! We love you to bits.

Locks of Love

2010-01-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

Eliza donated her hair to Locks of Love while the Buchanan fam was here for Christmas. I took a video, but it's in a weird format and I'll have to put it up later. Ash's sister Kali did the honors. Ash's sweet aunt Sheree passed away from cancer, so Eliza knew a little about losing your hair from cancer and wigs and such, and then a couple girls in our neighborhood had donated their hair as well. So she really wanted to do it, kind of in memory of Sheree, and it was special to have her aunt cut it for her.
Before:

After:

The Staycation

2010-01-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

I'm way behind on blogging/family journaling. The first week of December Ash stayed home from work for some quality time with us and a couple hrs a day of working on the basement (which is now done, way to go, hon!)
It was a great week. We made gingerbread houses and big breakfasts every morning. We visited the aquarium and Ash and I went to a Jazz game. We took the kids to Candlelight Christmas at This is the Place Heritage Park, where Eliza asked Santa for a whoopee cushion (he was a little stunned and gave me a look) so of course her siblings wanted the same. He brought her one. Why did I even spend money on other things? It's by far her favorite. :) Here are some other highlights of the week:

Micah gave Sarah some new layers in her hair; her bangs had almost grown out (sigh). Thank you, Amber, for coming to the rescue.

Temple Square lights w/ friends. I love all the different Nativities.

We took the kids to see some speed-skating trials in anticipation of Vancouver; really cool. Micah liked all the different flags.

Ice-skating, or in my case, hobbling around in tennis shoes. Sarah had no fear, even after falling.

Some good ol' sibling love when we went sledding (good thing there's no audio to this photo).

The Dinosaur Museum. This place never gets old.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was really fun. Roger came into town about a week early, after a month-long rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Rough life, I know. Ash was sweet enough to send us out for an evening of sibling bonding. We ate at Eva, my new favorite restaurant downtown. Seriously, check it out, that means you, Erin!

My parents and Kevin showed up a little later; Mom taught the kids to make crescent rolls on the big day. Sarah ate a lot of raw dough.

Sarah and Ash--she loves bowling, aside from the occasional finger smash.

Ash, Rog, and Kev went to a Utah Jazz/Portland Trailblazer game on Saturday. My brothers were, of course, rooting for Portland, but the Jazz whipped them. Later on in the weekend, Israel and Blind Pilot came to play at the Urban Lounge (that makes 3 Salt Lake shows this year!) so I went with my brothers. Here's Israel, Rog, and Kev shortly before the show. It was fantastic. The band stayed over w/ us and we all had a big breakfast the next morning before they had to hit the road.

Rog could tell I was wiped from all the visitors, so he cooked for us Monday: steak w/ grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms, spinach salad w/ candied walnuts, pesto tomatoes, and rosemary/garlic potatoes. I was in heaven. Ash even more so, because I have never fixed steak. After watching Rog, I think I could do it. Anyway, it was a great, busy week. But I am ready for a little break before the madness of Christmas.

Consumer Debt

2009-11-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

I thought this skit was so funny. As my kids would say, "Duh!"

http://consumerist.com/252491/snl-skit-dont-buy-stuff-you-cant-afford

I Hope You Like the Pie

2009-11-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

Eliza stayed home from school today because she wasn't feeling well. I thought maybe I had gone too easy on her, but sure enough, her fever spiked to 102 this afternoon. Well, for Family Home Evening we talked about being thankful, specifically for our home teachers, and we made them pumpkin pies. Eliza wrote a card, and I couldn't get a good photo of it, it kept looking overexposed, so here is the text of the card. Anyone who knows Eliza will attach the right voice to this letter.

Dear Home Teacher,

You are lucky you get the pie! I am sick but I still want to do this. I threw up wile (while) reading a book but I still want to do it. So you're relly relly lucky. I hope you like the pie. Love, Eliza

We laughed like crazy at her letter. She drew a temple, Book of Mormon, and Bible for good measure. And just for the record, we didn't let her help with the baking, since she is sick. She is such a crack-up! Also, the above photo is just one I found online. I am not that artsy a baker.

Pirates Musical

2009-10-31T21:43:00.001-07:00

This is so belated! Eliza was in a pirates musical back in August. It was her first foray into theater, and she really enjoyed it. I'm sure she'll try out again next summer. My mom, Elle's "Nina," flew down for the occasion, which made it that much more special. Thanks, Nina!

She had a couple lines--one of them had to do with "the tastiest tenor from Tobago to Tahiti." Well, she lost her two front teeth a couple days before the show began, so she had to work extra hard on that one.

Lots of singing and dancing.

This was at dress rehearsal. I just have to laugh, her expression is like, "Wait a minute, I know some of those people out there."

Eliza had so many sweet friends come and support her. I wish I'd had my camera with me every night of the show. This one just cracks me up, too bad it's blurry.

Uncles

2009-10-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

So I love my brothers to death, but they have taken it upon themselves to corrupt my children. The latest: Uncle Kevin taught Eliza and Micah to say, "What's up?" When you say what, they say, "Chickenbutt." Oh, the joys. At least people can't quite understand Sarah when she tries to chime in.
But Micah has taken to saying to me, "What's up?" and when I cringe and say "What?" he says, "I love you." So I fall all over him with hugs and gratitude and give him treats, because, hey, it's great to hear he loves me and I love not having to hear, "chickenbutt." Praise the good, right? Uncles!

Thankful Countdown

2009-10-20T10:42:00.001-07:00

I found a website with an idea for a "thankful countdown"--basically a Thanksgiving advent-type activity. I'll use some of theirs and add some of our own, individual to our family, but it's a neat little activity to help cultivate gratitude.

http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5177

The teams are even, baby.

2009-09-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's a boy! Ash and I were just happy to see a healthy little fetus, but seeing the smile spread across Micah's face at the prospect of having a brother was really neat. Here he is, grinning away--he kept opening and closing his mouth, jibber-jabbering to who-knows-who. If you have any good names, send them my way.

Ivy & Bean

2009-09-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is Eliza's new favorite series. The books are 100ish pages with large text and clever illustrations throughout. They remind me of the Ramona books when I was little. There are several books and I have been reserving them like mad through the library system. Check them out!

Inspiration

2009-09-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

Eliza's school is 10-15 minutes away from our home, depending on the traffic. Every morning there are two adorable elderly women out walking together. They look as old as the women in this photo, if not older. They walk really gingerly, but they are out there, in their cute white curly hair. My kids look for them every day. When I feel tired, I look at them and am uplifted. Just a slice of my life.

Micah's Birthday

2009-08-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

Micah turned 4 on Monday. His biggest recent changes have been: he tells me every day he does not like kisses on the lips anymore, so he'll only blow me a kiss, unless I beg him for a cheek kiss. Then last Saturday we were waiting together on the porch for a friend of his, and when they pulled into the driveway he turned to me and said, "Mom, you can go inside now." So independent.
If Ash and I look tired in this photo, it's because Micah usually finds his way to our bed in the middle of the night, ever so quietly, and I don't realize it until 5:30 am when I wake up with a foot in my face. When I do realize it, me and my belly usually end up on the living room couch, and he follows me out there after a while. I think we just need to lock our door.
Aside from when his friends are over, he is going through a real mommy phase, which I'm enjoying because I'm sure it will be over soon. We are usually sharing a chair at mealtime, etc, so we're making sure he has lots of one-on-one dates with Ash so they get their time together. Micah is a real sweetheart. He has really stepped up as the big brother when Eliza is at school all day--he involves Sarah in everything he does and is always trying to make her laugh. He gave his first talk in Primary recently and spoke clearly and loudly into the microphone and just seemed so grown up. He is taking a tumbling class with a couple neighborhood friends and really loves to do flips on the trampoline as well.

What is wrong with this picture? My sweet husband thought Micah was turning 5 instead of 4. He said, "You're going to put this on the blog, aren't you?" But he did draw the cool dinosaur. Eliza drew the little car at the bottom of the cake. Micah wanted the nasty strawberry frosting, and it was his big day.

Frosting facial hair, a yearly tradition.

He is loving anything remote control these days.

We only do a friend party every other year, and he wanted to go bowling on his birthday, so that's what we did. Eliza had play practice that evening, so we had our party at home the night before.

Sarah's favorite parts about Micah's birthday were: devouring the Junior Mints she had picked out for him (he let her) and putting her face over the air vent on the bowling ball rack. She loved bowling, it was pretty funny.

Salt Lake and Lollapalooza

2009-08-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, Blind Pilot performed here last Wednesday and then they got to perform twice at Lollapalooza in Chicago last weekend. Awesome!
They performed at the Murray Theater, an all-ages venue, so Ash and I brought the kids along. It was their first concert and they were stoked. Israel's music is really kid-friendly, but mine were definitely the only kids there. Some nice ladies helped push Eliza and her friend Rowen up to the front so they could mosh better. Just kidding. But they did get to stand right in front. Sarah and Micah spent the evening in our arms and clapped for every song. We had had a Family Home Evening about all the different instruments--guitar, vibraphone, trumpet, mountain dulcimer, drums, etc-- so it was really fun to point it all out and for them to see those instruments in action. It was great to see you guys! Thanks for the amazing concert. You can check them out at: blindpilotmusic.wordpress.com

Eliza and Luke.

Micah and Israel.

Israel and I after Ash made a comment about my belly getting big in my new Blind Pilot t-shirt. Yes, I am 14 weeks pregnant.

Sarah is Two

2009-08-06T10:28:00.001-07:00

Sarah turned 2 years old on July 30th. I really still picture her as my baby, especially since she's so petite. We had a family party at night, and in the morning we had three little buddies over for a pancake party. Eliza was sad to miss it due to school. The kids decorated their pancakes with fruit faces, but were mostly content to eat and ask for endless whipped cream. Thank you, Jamie, for taking these adorable photos, since my camera is broken.
Things to remember about Sarah from this age: she is so generous and nurturing. When I say it's time to go somewhere, she will bring me my shoes before she gets hers. I have never asked her to do this. And if we're sitting together on the couch, she makes sure to spread her blanket over my lap as well as her own. She is really quick to say sorry, even if she just accidentally nudges someone, even the dog. She is such a girly girl, always looking in my bathroom drawers for lotion or makeup (of which I have about 5 items, so she's never impressed). I never experienced that with Eliza. And she's very organized--bedtime has to be done a certain way and her stuffed animals have to be in certain places in the crib and she will let me know if the blanket is lying in the right way or not. She is a really happy and content child. I always have to check on her when I think she's due to wake up from a nap, because she never calls out to me, just hangs out playing in her crib. If one of her siblings is upset, she tries to comfort them in her own little way, like by saying, "next time." I'm sure I'll think of more things and add them later, but Sarah is just a joy--she loves to laugh and dance and generally be along for the ride with her older siblings. We love her to death.

Sarah had her head down and was really shy about all the singing, until Micah came over to sit by her and help with the candles.

Talan kept grabbing Sarah for some more glamour shots on the porch after the party; he was very insistent and Sarah was happy to pose as well. What cute little hams.

Blind Pilot's Return

2009-07-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

My friend Israel's band is performing here again August 5th, at the Murray Theater. They have recently been touring with the Decemberists, and just returned from a European tour where they did some shows supporting Counting Crows as well. Here in SLC they'll be supporting the band Gomez, about whom I know nothing. But come with us, just for Blind Pilot. The kids are thrilled to be hosting "the rock stars" (as they call them) again. This video was filmed at an old cannery bldg that has hung on for dear life through many storms in Astoria, Oregon.

This is another one of their songs I love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU_QivY9pjI

Cranky

2009-07-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

I was cranky and emotional today. I could list the reasons, but is there really a good reason? So we were up at Snowbird enjoying the weather, and the kids started to chase a chipmunk around. I said, "Guys, don't chase him," several times, and then this guy ten feet away from me starts chiming in, "Don't chase him, don't chase him" and I turn to him and say, "I can handle it, thanks." I said it quietly, but I'm sure he felt my grumpy heart. He didn't say anything. He probably just didn't want them to get bitten. He was probably missing his own kids somewhere. I wish so bad I had apologized. This is my confession to the blogosphere. Cranky isn't worth it. I vow to now be chipper all the time!!

Oregon

2009-07-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

We visited my folks in Oregon a couple weeks ago. Lots of sand, s'mores, hiking, kayaking, shell-searching, eating, sleeping. And dainty Sarah finally enjoyed the beach.

I love the morning fog there. As you can see, we brought Frodo and I'm glad. The kids were worried about leaving him, and he had a good time at the beach with my mom's dog.

Aunt Monica.

4th of July with Uncle Rog.

My cousin Lucero and Ryan were up from Irvine for the holiday too; it was great to be together.

This is serious progress for Sarah. She's so dainty; she kept asking to wash her hands on the beach and kept rearranging her towel. It was adorable.

Lots of story time with Nina.

Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach. The tide pools here are great.

We had to get there pretty early for low tide.

Some good friends of ours joined us for the last 3 days of the trip, and it was fun to show them around. We sent messages in bottles out into the ocean. Except for Micah, who cried because he knew his wouldn't float directly to his friend Chase's house. So we delivered that one in person after the trip.

Tent sleepovers in the backyard.

This place was really tasty.

We went out on some docks and this sea lion was not happy about us being there. He snarled and got up in this position right away.

The kids' impressions of the sea lion.

Eliza always gets sick the last two days of vacation. Always, poor kid. She can never stay up late or eat junk food or her body just has a conniption. But aside from that, she and the rest of us had a great time. It's always good to go home. Thanks, Nina and Papa, and aunt Monica for sharing your room. :)

Girls

2009-06-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

I was in the UPS store yesterday and the pregnant clerk was talking to a lady pregnant with twins. They were both lamenting that they were expecting girls again, saying how they and their husbands had asked the ultrasound technicians to "please, check again." It was really sad--I left with my kids as quickly as possible. Fortunately Eliza and Micah didn't notice, so I didn't have to explain crap like that to them so early in life.
Someone sent me this adorable video with the title, "Are women born this way?" Whether we are or not, this girl and-- maybe her dad?-- are so sweet. I love her little hand gestures and his attentive nodding and smiling.

This is the Place Heritage Village

2009-06-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day we took the kids up to the This is the Place Heritage Village, which I actually never knew existed--I thought it was just the statues and a gift shop. But it was so neat! They have crafts for the kids to do, and since it was a holiday, they had a lot of extra crafts going on: candle making, arrowhead necklaces, wooden snakes, fabric dolls, etc. There are many historic buildings--we probably saw less than half while we were there. And a train takes you around to all the different stops.

"Baby Animal Days" was going on, and the kids were thrilled about that.

Sarah asphyxiating a duckling.
>
Micah getting a shave at the barber shop. The barber was also the surgeon and the dentist.

How funny is this?

The beginning of May, they constructed several Native American huts (I can't remember what he called them). There was a sweat lodge and 2 homes. Here we are inside the "female" home. I said, "Wait, the men and women sleep separately?"

Then I figured it out myself, I'm so bright. How could I have missed that?

Candle-making.

Anyway, it's a great place. Totally worth it to take the kids. But there was a snake in the grass, Jamie. Beware.

Two Recipes

2009-06-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

The thing I notice the most with this diet is that my energy level is much better and that alone is worth it for me. The kids were not initially thrilled about what they saw in the blender, but this turned into homemade veggie burgers that were delicious! Very quick and easy to make. Here's the recipe:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with mild chilies, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp onion powder
2 green onions, chopped
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. parsley or cilantro (I used cilantro, of course)
2 c. quick oats (the old-fashioned oats don't hold together well)
8 whole grain buns
fresh veggie toppings and healthy condiments
Preheat oven to 450. Blend first seven ingredients in food processor or blender. Remove into large bowl and work in oats. Form into patties, put on a sprayed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Turn oven up to broil and cook 2 more minutes until tops are browned. Toast buns, pile on toppings. These were really tasty, the kids loved them. Next time I'll double the batch and freeze some or make them into veggie "meatballs."

Elle and Sarah's bounty from the garden. Between the potato bugs and our dog, a lot of our strawberries get eaten before we get there.

Couscous w/ Tomatoes & Asparagus
2 c. whole wheat couscous
4-6 TB molasses
6-8 dried apricots, diced (I used nectarines since Micah ate all my apricots)
1/2 c. pecans, chopped
4 med. tomatoes
cracked pepper
balsamic vinegar
16 oz. asparagus

Cook couscous according to pkg. Heat molasses in saucepan. Add apricots, pecans and molasses to couscous and fluff with fork. For the tomatoes, cut the core out. Preheat oven to 450. Put tomatoes upright in casserole dish. Drizzle balsamic into core. Season with cracked pepper. Bake 20 min. until skins are peeling away and tomatoes are softening (not too mushy, like I did). Pan sear the asparagus 4-6 minutes until they brown a little. The kids loved the couscous/apricot/pecan part of this recipe, the tomatoes, not so much. I will make it again, Ash liked it and I liked it okay. Plus it's pretty. :)

The Apron Stage

2009-05-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

There's a blog I read regularly and the latest post really touched me. Maybe you'll enjoy it, too.

http://theapronstage.com/2009/06/01/love-docket/

Veggie Nachos

2009-05-27T22:44:00.001-07:00

Tonight for dinner we just had easy veggie nachos. Most of these ingredients are usually in the kitchen anyway, so that's the recipe I chose at the last second.

bag of corn chips (I used Costco tortilla strips, the book recommends buying corn tortillas, cutting them into squares and toasting them yourself. Yeah right.)
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (for your protein)
diced cilantro, to taste ( I luvvvv cilantro)
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 bell pepper (I used 2, one red, one green)
4 green onions, sliced into rounds
guacamole
salsa

Toss all except the guac and salsa. Add toppings and enjoy. No one even asked me where the cheese was. :)

Sweet Potato Fries

2009-05-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

My new favorite treat. Lots of beta-carotene.
Preheat oven to 450. Scrub 2 sweet potatoes but leave the skin on for maximum nutrients and flavor. Slice the potatoes into strips and place them on a sprayed baking sheet and cover with foil. Cook 30-40 minutes, turning once (I didn't turn them and they were fine). Remove the foil after 20 minutes to allow them to brown. So delicious and sweet and the kids love them. Ash's main concern about this diet was not feeling full, but with treats like these, he is full.

The Engine 2 Diet

2009-05-24T23:01:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I'm trying a new diet, mainly because I don't want to buy bigger clothes or wear my fattest pants every day. That's how bad it has gotten, folks. It's basically a plant-based vegan diet, but I'm going more vegetarian than vegan. I'm cutting out meat, milk and poultry but not cheese or eggs, we'll just go more sparingly on those (Sarah will keep having whole cow's milk, of course). And my toast still needs butter. But I just made my first shopping trip last night, and today we had:

Breakfast: Cheerios (I'm using up the last of the cow's milk in my fridge). Normally I like to steam oatmeal and have it with blueberries, walnuts, and ground flaxseed meal, but this morning was busy. Micah thinks my favorite food is oatmeal. Unfortunately, no. But oatmeal is so much better steamed. Bring 2 cups water to a rolling boil, remove from heat, put in 1 cup old-fashioned oats and replace lid. It steams in about 10 minutes and the texture is soooo much better than microwaved instant oats. Maybe everyone already knows this.

Lunch: hummus, tomato, and cucumber wraps in whole wheat tortillas. I was prepared for a big fight, but the kids actually liked them, once they tasted them.

Dinner: whole wheat pizza with spinach, red peppers, garlic, and a tiny bit of mozzarella.

We'll see how this goes--I really like the book so far and the dinner recipes look delicious if a little time-consuming. I think once I get in the habit of cooking this way, it will be faster. I'll probably continue to post recipes if anyone wants them. Wish me luck!

Highs & Lows

2009-05-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

The highs of the past week: having Grammy Buchanan, Aunt Lynnsey and Uncle Tyler come for a visit. We had a blast just hanging out, shopping, eating at the Roof (we'd never been), and visiting Cascade Springs up above Midway, which was gorgeous.

The lows: having a big piece of steel get kicked up by a truck and fly at our windshield on the Bangerter Hwy. It was thin and rectangular, about 15 lbs, and fortunately one end of it hit the top of the 4Runner so it ricocheted off. Ash had his sunglasses on (he had Tyler and the kids in the car w/ him), so he had tiny cuts and little bits of glass everywhere else, but not around his eyes. It looks like it snowed inside our car. The close-up of this shot is gnarly. We definitely felt watched over, and we're grateful for that. Life is so precious!

Spicy

2009-05-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

Eliza is so funny; she really keeps us hopping. Sometimes the things that come out of her mouth ... This morning she and Grammy Buchanan were playing with Grammy's makeup before church and Grammy said, "Look at us! Aren't we beautiful?" to which Eliza replied, "Yeah, except I have better breath." Yikes! Sorry about that, Grammy! I guess we need to talk about manners again.
Also, Eliza scored her first goal in soccer a couple weeks ago, she was thrilled.

Birds' Nest

2009-05-05T12:29:00.001-07:00

So when we went to California the last week of March, some birds decided the wreath on our front door was a nice quiet place to nest. They're much smaller than your average robin, but the eggs are light blue, so who knows. Anyway, here's a photo bird diary. Of course, we didn't touch the nest at all and I only used the flash once (by accident). And we only took photos when the mother was gone.

You can see the birds used part of a band-aid and part of our shredded trampoline cover. Eliza thought this was so cool, and Micah was mad that the bird "stole" from our trampoline (even though the whole thing shredded last summer).

If you click on it, you can see the father bird standing guard.

About a week after we got home, there were two eggs.

A few days later, there were five eggs.

I went away to BYU Women's Conference last weekend, and when I came back Friday, the five babies were born! They were so cute with their wobbly necks and fluffy covering.

The next day, Saturday, I peeked through the window onto the porch and one of the babies was lying on the doormat. I didn't anticipate teaching the kids about this part of nature yet, but they took it alright. I scooped it up with a tissue and it started moving! That was sad. It had obviously been injured on the fall, and the exotic animal hospital staff said to smash up bird food and feed it from a dropper with a little water. Still, it died a few hours later, and we buried it outside near where we buried our parakeet, Tiger.

So I think the birds decided it was too hectic on our front porch with people coming and going. We had a sign for people to use the back door, but it was small. And as you can imagine, Ashley loved the sign--he was always worried he'd be walking around in his underwear and someone would knock on the back glass door. So one by one, the parents have taken the babies away (hopefully to another nest) and there are none left. The last one left this morning. I hope they're okay. The kids had such a fun time watching the progress of everything and watching the parents feed the babies through the door window. It was a really neat experience. But I won't leave my wreath up after Christmas anymore; it's nice to have my front door back. Now I get to go clean up all the poop.

Blue Desire

2009-04-29T11:40:00.001-07:00

Whenever I take Sarah with me on errands, I try to include something fun for her. So this morning we ducked into Petco so she could ooh and ahh over turles, cats, birds, whatever. On the spur of the moment, I decided to get her a $3 blue beta fish. "We already have a fishbowl at home," I reasoned.
When we picked Elle and Micah up from their playdate, they were thrilled to see the new pet (I know, we already had Frodo, we're done now). When I asked what we should name it, Eliza immediately piped up with, "Should we name it Blue Desire?"
I laughed so hard and for so long that my stomach cramped up. So our fishes to date:

Colonel Brandon (from Sense & Sensibility, the Emma Thompson version): lived 2 years
Cup (named by Eliza): lived 2.5 years
Blue Desire (it was Micah's turn to pick the name and I encouraged him to pick a different one all his own, but because I laughed so hard at Elle's suggestion, he thought it was great and chose it). Hopefully BD will make it to three years.

Mom's 60th

2009-04-21T20:10:00.001-07:00

So last Thursday I turned 30 and Friday my mother turned 60. Ash made my birthday really special this year, and it was so kind of him because my mind was busy with my mom's birthday. My brother had the great idea for all of us to make it home and have a little surprise party for her, and it was so much fun. We surprised her at the school where she works.

I kept her occupied all afternoon with a manicure, pedicure, trip to the grocery store, the movie store, and lots of miscellaneous driving around with various excuses to pass the time until the party. She was actually surprised, so that was nice. Here she is with some of her sweet friends. The Oregon weather actually cooperated, hooray.

My parents. I couldn't get some of these to rotate.

Who let that guy hold the baby?

Roger got Mom her favorite cake, which is called Tres Leches, from a yummy Cuban restaurant in Portland. It was the most moist, delicious thing ever.

My siblings with little Sarah. Ash stayed home with Elle and Micah, and I loved having some one-on-one time with Sarah.

She LOVED the seagulls. "Gaviota" is her new favorite word. Also, Monica took all these photos since I forgot my camera. Thanks, Mon.

Sarah is so dainty. It took a good 10 minutes to convince her that wet sand on her feet is okay. If I picked up a shell to show her, she said, "No no" and threw it back down. Look at the tension in her hand.

Roger and Kevin paying close attention to Sarah getting ready to go overboard.

If this isn't Terry Buchanan.....

I included this photo so you could see 1)my adorable grandma and 2)Roger's sweet Superman/CTR shirt. Anyone who votes Rog should cut his hair just a teeny bit, please leave a comment. Come on, he can take it.

Sarah eating a bunuelo (imagine the squiggly line over the n in bunuelo). They are these deep fried cheesy biscuits, so good. Anyway, fun trip, great memories.

California--Part 2

2009-04-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Micah had a great time out on the farm with Uncle Tyler and Grandpa. All kinds of things to play around on. Tyler called a couple days ago, and Micah climbed up me to steal the phone, and he is not a phone talker. I think he is smitten.

Sarah is not happy about that bow, Grammy. I like it, though.

Hanging out with sick Eliza. I just got a book from the library about strengthening your child's immune system. It is so frustrating to me how often she (and only she) is laid up with fevers and exhaustion, and it's always viral. Is that a good or bad thing? Blood tests show nothing. She eats vegetables, gets enough sleep, and I'm always Lysoling my doorknobs and having her wash her hands. What else can I do? It was fun to talk with her last weekend about how our bodies will be when we are resurrected.

Sarah's love affair with dogs continues. She has no fear of strange dogs 5x her size.

I love this photo of Kyle and Micah. He kept threatening to drop Micah in the fire, but they were both having a good laugh.

Grammy! Let's at least hope that's root beer (just kidding, Grammy, you know I love you). It's amazing how things change from your first to your third child. I don't think Eliza ever had soda until she was maybe four years old. I don't know whether to feel more sorry for Sarah or Eliza.

Smores.

Resurrection Activity

2009-04-09T12:51:00.001-07:00

Our church ward did this a couple years ago. It was new to me and hopefully it will be new to some of you. It was amazing to see 3 and 4 yr olds recount perfectly the events surrounding Christ's death and resurrection because of the great visual examples.

Get an empty egg carton.
Fill it with 12 plastic eggs labeled 1-12 (label with a Sharpie). Fill each egg with the following items:
1--a plastic sacrament cup (representing His sacrifice, obviously)
2--3 dimes (representing the 30 pieces of silver for which Judas betrayed Jesus)
3--a chunk of soap (representing when Pilate washed his hands and turned Jesus over to the crowd)
4--a small square of red cloth (representing how the people put a red robe on Him to mock Him)
5--a little toothpick cross
6--a nail
7--two small dice (representing how the guards cast lots for His clothing)
8--several small stones or pebbles (representing how the earth shook after His death)
9--small sticks of incense (representing how His body was anointed with spices)
10--a small square of white cloth (representing how He was wrapped in white cloth)
11--a larger rock (representing the stone in front of the tomb door)
12--is left empty (representing how the tomb was empty when Mary arrived)

You can be as lengthy or brief as you want in your storytelling, depending on your children's age. My kids love this activity, although they always want to open all the eggs at once and Sarah almost ate the incense. Happy Easter! What a wonderful time.

They Might Kill Me; It Will Be Worth It

2009-04-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

It's a little long, but hilarious. Ash and I cried laughing. Check out those devoted aunts! And Eliza is soooooo into it. Nice cinematography, Jordan.

California--Part 1 of 2

2009-04-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

The kids and I drove out to see the Buchanans in CA for a quick trip. We only had 6 days to work with, and poor Elle was sick for 3 of those. But we still had a blast! These are only half the photos, hence the Part 1. Grammy and Grandpa's house is always fun, and Aunts Kali and Lynnsey and Uncles Kyle,Tyler and Jordan make them feel like the most important kids in the world. Ash and I both feel lucky to have such great siblings. Here are a few of the things they did with the kids:
--Eliza decided she wanted her ears pierced, so Lynnsey, Kali, and Grammy came to show their support :)
--going out to Tyler's farm with Grandpa to ride 4 wheelers, tractors, anything else manly (I don't know if Tyler noticed Micah's blue toenail polish or not)
--Micah went to Chuck E Cheese for a boys' night with his uncles
--Kali and Lynnsey kept Eliza for a girls' night and they met up with the guys later for a sleepover
--Flying model airplanes with Tyler (into other people's cars, whoops)
--Jordan brought Eliza ice cream and kept her company while she was sick
--going for Slurpees with Tyler and Lynnsey.
--We all did s'mores on our last night there
--Best of all, they kept the kids from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon so I got a real night's rest! I don't know about your kids, but mine get rambunctious when they're at relatives' houses. So it was nice to attend church with just Sarah. Thank you thank you aunts and uncles.
Grammy's house has all kinds of fun amenities, like the orange tree. They love to make fresh orange juice.

The snails, of course.

Lots of plants to water.

Kyle and Micah.

Before the earrings.

After the earrings.

Sarah and Uncle Jordan.

Micah and Tyler.

Sarah and Zoom.

Blessings

2009-03-22T13:40:00.001-07:00

I have felt so blessed the past couple weeks. First, my Moms: I hesitated to tell them about my knee surgery, because I didn't think it would be that big a deal, and I knew they would both drop things to come and help. I am so glad they didn't listen to me: recovery was more difficult than I anticipated, and they both came separately for a week to help out with the kids and house.
So Moms, thank you for helping me laugh when Frodo pooped in the house. Thank you for reading to my kids and spoiling them with treats I don't usually give them. Thank you for reminding me to sit down and ice my knee. Thanks for the long talks. You are wonderful; I am so lucky.
Thank you to all you sweet friends who called to check up on me, who brought me food and ice cream (you know me so well!!) and who had my kids over when they were bored with their incapacitated mother who couldn't jump on the tramp.
I am feeling so much better and can walk pretty well now, and I know it's because I had the support so that I could recuperate properly. I am so richly blessed, and I am so grateful.

Blind Pilot Comes to Town

2009-03-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

So Blind Pilot played the Urban Lounge on Monday. It was fantastic live! They are simply MAGNETIC. If you like indie-pop at all, you have to check them out on iTunes or pandora.com, or pretty much anywhere these days. This is their first real national tour; last summer they did that bike tour down the West coast. Hauled everything on their bikes.
The band stayed at our house. It was so much fun, and a great distraction for the kids, since I've been laying around with my leg up because of the surgery. Lucky Eliza, Micah and Sarah got bedtime serenades and everything. Thanks so much for coming, guys! It made me feel so alive to be around those young whipper-snapper dream-chasers.

Story Time with Blind Pilot. (l-r) Israel, Ryan, Katie, Eliza, Luke, Micah, Ian standing, Dave.

It was dark, so my little camera didn't capture much. Thanks to crazy Christine for coming to an 11:45pm performance with me! Ash had a cold, so he went to bed early.

My bro Kevin, Israel, and me. I'm sitting because of my gimpy leg. Oh, how I love my pain pills.

Men Back Then...

2009-03-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day I've ever asked Eliza to let me put curlers in her hair before church. I used the horrible tactic of pointing out that many of her friends have them in their hair every single Sunday. After some whining, she admitted she didn't want to look like "men back then." We finally figured out she was referring to John Adams. I bought Ash the miniseries John Adams for Christmas because he loved the David McCullough book so much, the miniseries was fantastic, and who doesn't love Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti? The Adams' love story is so beautiful. Anyway, we thought it was hilarious that she would compare her hair to the Founding Fathers' hair.

I forgot...

2009-03-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

to post our favorite Valentine's Day activity, yum yum.

Pinon Market & Cafe

2009-03-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

For you locals, if you haven't eaten at Pinon, you must. It is soooo tasty. Their lunches are great, but their breakfasts are spectacular. Plus they have fresh scones, muffins, coffee cakes, fresh squeezed juices, and all kinds of tasty treats in the mornings. The owner Victoria is really friendly and personable. I love this place so much that for my birthday last year, Ash went the day before and Victoria helped him put together a delicious breakfast (I love quiche) that he surprised me with in bed the next day. It's a bit of a drive because it's up near the zoo, but definitely worth it. Take Foothill Drive up to 1300 S and go 2 blocks left and it's a little place in front of you on your right. Yum yum.

P.S. We should all post our favorite restaurants. Thanks Erin, for recommending Faustina, it was deeelicious.

Sarah

2009-03-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Sarah is now potty-trained (not just #2, like she used to do). But see the video for her feelings a few days ago (she does start to laugh at the end). A HUGE thank you to my friend Natalie for introducing me to "Potty Training in Less than a Day." I had heard of it before, but never picked it up because of its weird title. Still, it's a great program overall (there are always a few things you don't like, as with anything) and I feel sorry for Elle and Micah that I didn't have it when they were learning.

100 Crunches a Day

2009-03-01T13:54:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I'll regret posting something like this, but in case you need a laugh: someone asked Ashley if I was PREGNANT today at church! Aaaaaaahh! I knew I had gained some weight since I haven't been running, but THAT much? So I'll take it as a hint to work on my abs. I'm NOT giving up my Rocky Road, that's for sure.
Knee surgery is scheduled for Friday. Thanks for all your opinions about it; they helped. Maybe I can get them to throw in a little lipo. :)

A Bloody Morning

2009-02-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

Eliza pulled her second tooth on Saturday. It was hanging on by almost nothing, nasty. Also, my sister is moving back to Oregon this weekend, so she kindly offered to watch the kids one last time so I could show up at Ash's office Friday and surprise him with an overnight getaway. It was so sweet of her, and I could be at peace knowing the kids were in great hands. So in exchange, we let her practice her phlebotomy skills on us Saturday morning; she finishes her classes this week. Doesn't my table look like the perfect, sterile environment to do that? (I wasn't really in any pain, she did a great job, I just had to antagonize her).
And don't you love my bed head? And Micah's face? And hair?

Blind Pilot's TV Debut

2009-02-17T12:38:00.001-08:00

Remember my post a while back about my friend Israel's band? They made their television debut on the Carson Daly show recently. Here's to chasing your dreams! Israel is the lead vocalist. They will be playing here in SLC at the Urban Lounge on March 9th. Who's coming with Ash & I?

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

The End of an Era?

2009-02-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, so based on my orthopedist appointment today, I either need to find a new form of exercise or have laparascopic surgery on my knee if I want to keep running.
Please take this poll about my petty little dilemma. Here are the choices:
A) Get the surgery! Laparascopic is a breeze. You like running, not swimming. Faster results, nicer scenery, fun to do races with friends. Do what you love.
B) Choose something lower impact. Your knees are obviously not cut out for running and surgery is expensive. Who says this would be the last one? Be more careful with your body; be grateful for what you can do.
C) Become a couch potato and eat rocky road ice cream all day. Yes!

It's Broken, Kids

2009-02-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

We have two ancient, rabbit eared, hand-me-down televisions and have decided not to get new ones or a converter box when everything goes digital. I'm looking forward to seeing my kids (and myself) get more creative with our time. Not that we watch it all the time, but still. I've been wanting to do this for a while, and I have no excuses-- all major newspapers are online, we can still rent a movie now and then, and most importantly, we can watch our beloved Office episodes on nbc.com. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm prepared for mutiny!

Tagged by Valerie

2009-02-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

The Happy Tag
I needed this tag since Eliza has been sick all week and we've been feeling a little sorry for ourselves at our house. Thanks, Valerie!

Here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you, Valerie.
Write down 6 things that make you happy.
Tag 6 others. Tell the person who tagged you when your entry is complete.

Six things that make me happy:

1. The chaos that is our bed in the morning after everyone has migrated to it during
the night
2. Chocolate covered strawberries and eclairs from Kneader's (I think I've put on 10 lbs since they opened the one in our neighborhood)
3. Running (the happy comes afterwards)
4. my church Primary class of sweet 9-10 yr olds
5. Having time to read books and drink cocoa
6. Sarah's fish-face kisses

I tag anyone who wants to do it.

Sarah's First Day of Nursery

2009-02-01T14:44:00.000-08:00

Despite Sarah's expression, she was her usual mellow self and seemed to enjoy nursery. Micah and Eliza, on the other hand, confirmed with us about 5 times that we would be staying with Sarah for her first day. I'm always in Primary, but Ash did stay with her, and she was a happy champ. Maybe Ash will get to attend his classes now. It's hard to believe she is 1 1/2.

Eliza is 6

2009-01-29T12:14:00.001-08:00

Dear Eliza,
There is too much to say. From you waking me up with cocoa in bed when I was sick to you squirting toothpaste all over your brother's sheets when you were mad at him (and then neatly making the bed) you are the spice in my chili, babe! I am continually amazed at your intellect, glad for your tenderness, shocked by some of your pranks, and you teach me something new and keep me on my toes every day. Thank you for the privilege of being your mother. Love, Mom

Eliza had her birthday back on the 6th. The night before her birthday, I asked Eliza how she felt: her last night being 5! This turned out to be a bad idea. She started sobbing about how much she loved being 5, how this was the last hug and bed time story she would get from me as a 5 year old, her last playdates with friends as a 5 year old, and on and on. She is such a crack-up.

So far, we have let our kids have a 'friend' birthday party every other year. We took Eliza ice skating and to The Pie pizzeria with some friends and everyone had a blast. ***Note: it's only $1 to rent skates at the S. Jordan rink, and there's no admission fee! Awesome. We kept it pretty simple at home: we decided to start a tradition of buying the kids a classic book for each of their birthdays, so Eliza got Charlotte's Web (which she is loving, great vocabulary, Moms), the card game Uno, and a little Hello Kitty sewing machine (it actually sews and we haven't lost a finger yet). It was a fun day and I am sad at how fast the time is flying with my firstborn. She is a gem.

Zucchini Bisque

2009-01-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite winter crock pot soups-- I use it as a main course with focaccia or some other yummy bread. So healthy, so easy, so cheap.

6 TB butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 lbs. chopped zucchini (I used too little last time and it was way too buttery)
3 TB rice, basmati or white, uncooked
1 TB basil
3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. 1/2 & 1/2
salt & pepper
croutons (optional topping)

Put butter, onion, curry powder, and zucchini in crock pot, cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes. Add rice, basil, and broth, cook on LOW 5-6 hrs. Puree or blend, add s & p to taste, add 1/2 & 1/2, LOW for 30 minutes. Enjoy.

Is It Wrong to Treadmill my Kids?

2009-01-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, is my new best friend. For all you dog owners, rent a season from the library; the man has a gift. 1)Exercise 2)Discipline 3)Affection. In that order! So when it's 30 degrees and smoggy outside and my 7 lb puppy can't take it, we put him on the treadmill to work off the excess energy (Cesar's idea). After 15 minutes, he is mellow as can be and doesn't chew on stuff (like Sarah).

Eliza has always begged me to let her try the torture machine. So now, every morning Frodo, Eliza, Micah, and sometimes Sarah are all blessed with a turn to walk on it. They love it! Lest anyone turn me in to Child Protective Services, they walk very slowly with me right next to them, and when it's not in use, the safety key is hidden up high in my closet. Elle is actually pushing the belt while it's turned off in the photo. This whole practice will probably be discontinued when Ash reads this post. He will not like it.

But I like it. All the exercise leads to happy scenes like this. Plus we're all healthy! See, Ash? We also do yoga on occasion. Sarah trying to fold her chubby self in half is hilarious.

Belated Christmas

2009-01-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

My family came down from Oregon for Christmas. This is Frodo, our new pug. He likes to snuggle, poo, and we make him run on our treadmill when he starts chewing on things or getting too excited. The kids love him.

Lots of cookie making, of course.

Monica the Ice Queen.

Fun uncles at the ice rink.

Bowling.

My crazy mother!

Getting new pj's from the elves on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning.

Trying out the slinkies.

Sled surfing with Dad.

Sarah was not a fan of sledding on a windy day.

Gingerbread houses with Nina and Papa.

Micah falling asleep to Grandpa's stories. No offense, grandpa.

Eliza wanted to host a neighborhood cookie party. Whoa, sugar.

Sarah is the polar opposite of Eliza. She uses Eliza's play makeup more than Eliza does, and as you can see here, she loves Elle's snazzy socks. It is so fun to see their different personalities.

Seeing the lights at Temple Square.

Belated Thanksgiving

2009-01-09T12:42:00.001-08:00

We headed to CA for Thanksgiving with Ash's family. It was such a wonderful time. Here's Uncle Kyle trying to make Micah hip.

Micah and Uncle Tyler out on Tyler's farm. I love this picture.

Grammy always puts on a beautiful meal.

A little cousin love with Kyler. Sarah and Kyler are two months apart, so it was really fun to see them together. He pushed her all over Grammy's house in their little car, what a gentleman.

Grammy and Grandpa with all the grandkids.

The highlight of Eliza's time was definitely her very first sleepover with Ash's sweet sisters. Lots of junk food, pillow fights, makeup, tickle fight, movie, they spoiled her rotten. She still talks about it. What a great memory for them.

The trip was definitely worth the 13 hr drive, complete with Eliza smashing her hamburger into her hair "to be funny."

Family Pictures

2008-12-13T12:15:00.000-08:00

All year I've been looking forward to having Haylee of hayleebeanphotography.squarespace.com (I wish I knew how to make a link) take our family photos, since we haven't had any since before Sarah was born. Haylee has such a gift and is really fun to work with; she had us piling leaves on her head to try and coax a smile out of Sarah. We got lots and lots of great shots and we're so happy with how it all turned out. Thank you, Haylee!

Micah's Preschool

2008-11-20T12:21:00.001-08:00

Micah's birthday is 6 days from the state deadline and would make him very young in his kindergarten class. Kids have such a short time to be young and unfettered, so we're considering keeping him home another year so he can be as prepared as possible. All the mothers I've talked to who have done this have been glad they did. Because we're not sure, I have him in neighborhood preschool groups with his older buds (Tuesday morning) and younger buds (Thursday morning). He loves preschool, he feels so grown up and loves rotating around to the different houses. I do it with a bunch of awesome, fun-loving moms and it gives us all a break on the weeks we're not in charge. Here they are playing duck duck goose this morning (5 of the 7 younger buds, plus Eliza and her friend Joanne). Half of them ran off down the hall whenever anyone said "goose."
You can't see it, but Micah is holding H's hand during Storytime. He seems to have a little crush on her. More mayhem with handprint-painted turkeys. This is how I found my sweet boy sleeping last night. Our field trip to the fire station. Micah was nervous about climbing through the ambulance. Micah's older buds.
Micah really thinks about things. He asked me the other day if chicken eggs get poop on them when they are laid. Whaaaaaa? What would make him think of that? I love you, buddy!

It's Only Fair...

2008-11-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

Fifteen month old Sarah likes to poo on the potty. I feel this is only fair, since my Liza was three before she ever wore underwear. Here is Sarah yesterday with a tootsie roll as a reward for her work. Notice her cute toes.

Waving goodbye to the poo. Thank you, thank you Sarah, for keeping my dreams of early potty training alive.

Of Domestic Responsibilities....

2008-11-14T08:02:00.001-08:00

The kids' toilet lid and seat finally broke apart (too many times of trying to shut it over the training seat). So I went to Home Depot, bought the replacement seat, lid, little parts, and set about replacing it. It took me half an hour and I was sweaty and annoyed when I was done. Ash replaced our bathroom's lid/seat a few months ago and it took him about 5 minutes. A belated THANKS, honey! You are the only handy one in this house.

Photo Tag

2008-11-12T12:27:00.001-08:00

I have never done a tag, so this is a first. The 2nd photo in my 2nd folder. I tag Erin P, Natalie N, and Ella J. Cute litte Micah, where did those cheeks go?

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

2008-11-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Kids are so funny. Yesterday we had family photos taken, and on the way Eliza was complaining because she wanted to be delivering one of her drawings to a friend instead. Finally Ash asked her to please say something positive. She quipped, "I'm positive that I need to take my picture to Bailey!" Clever girl. :)
Then during Family Home Evening we were talking about all the blessings that come from obedience to the commandments. I asked Micah at the beginning why it is important to be obedient. He said, "So you can get a treat." After our re-enactment of Jonah and the Whale (complete with our massive Shamu stuffed animal) and when we parents were feeling pretty great about how the lesson had gone, I asked Micah again why it's so important to be obedient and he said, "So you don't get eaten." I just love those guys.

A Christmas Essential

2008-11-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite holiday album.

Bed Head

2008-10-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

Anyone up for a bed head photo competition? We are not afraid. Doesn't she look like Molly Lou Mellon from that children's book?

Autumn

2008-10-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

So all these photos posted in the wrong order and I'm too lazy to change them.
I love the fall! And sweet grandparents visiting makes it that much more fun. Ash's parents came into town for about a week and we had a blast with them.
The pumpkin patch. This one is usually pretty cool, but this year the pumpkins were lined up in these perfect rows and no vines anywhere, huh? Oh well, it's a tradition now and the kids love the tractors, the corn maze, etc.

There's a spot I like to take the kids hiking in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Grammy and Grandpa went up with us. Everything was great until we came around a little bend and were 25 feet away from a huge male moose (another hiker said it had a baby with it, but we didn't see) that turned toward us. Sarah's squeaker shoes did not help (although we love them, Grammy!) Choice words were uttered as we tried to run quietly (?) back down the trail.

The patch again.

We all went to Richfield to visit Ash's grandma. I love the pace of life there. This is Rex and all his sibings and mom.

How fun that our kids know their great-grandma. She is 91 years young.

This demon horse snapped at Sarah's fingers, and the next day it bucked Eliza off. Aside from some bruises and a mouthful of hay, she was fine. Ash said she stood up and started screaming/crying at the horse. Serves him right.

Children's museum aftermath. Like I said, they posted in the wrong order and I'm technically challenged. Eliza is pretending to be asleep.

Hogle Zoo. I was trying to get a shot of Micah and that turtle he was interested in. Whenever I try to get a shot of Micah, Eliza wants to hug/suffocate him, so this is how most of those photos turn out.

The carousel at Hogle Zoo has all kinds of exotic animals on it, and the kids can't get enough. Sarah rode on a ladybug.

Blind Pilot

2008-10-12T20:22:00.001-07:00

So a childhood friend of mine, Israel Nebeker, has a band called Blind Pilot. They are fantastic. They have been playing for several years, and it is really cool to see them beginning to get the more widespread attention they deserve. They were recently featured on iTunes as well as on National Public Radio. They are finishing up a West Coast tour that they did all on bicycle! Israel is in the green below. Their website is blindpilotmusic.com. It would be well worth your time to check it out. My very favorites are One Red Thread, Poor Boy, Paint or Pollen, and Get It Out.

Show Me the Money! (Eliza Loses a Tooth)

2008-09-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Nina & Papa & Grammy & Grandpa,
Last night I had a loose tooth and I tried to pull it out. The first time, it did nothing. But the second time, it came out. I had blood in my mouth. I saw the hole on the bottom. The tooth fairy came and gave me a dollar. Love, Eliza

The Room Fairy

2008-09-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from my friend Katie. Maybe it's silly, but for right now, it is working wonderfully. I told the kids that the "Room Fairy" came and visited Ash and I one night and said she'd be visiting Elle and Micah's room regularly from now on. If their room is clean and tidy, she leaves some fairy dust, a note, and a small treat. If their room is messy, she leaves a friendly note reminding them she will be back. Now they stay up until their eyelids fall, hoping for a glimpse of the Room Fairy. I have never seen them clean their room so fast as when I remind them that they never know when the Room Fairy might be in our neighborhood. I'm sure our strategy will change as Eliza and Micah get older, but for right now, it's fun. Thanks, Katie!

Creative Minds

2008-08-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a plug for a woman I went to high school with, Alisa Burke. This is my new wallet, which she hand made! Her blog is on my link list and she also has an etsy location, alisaburke.etsy.com. She paints, makes jewelry, and does all kinds of mixed media accessories, but I think my new favorites are her clutch purses, see an example below. You've got to check out her stuff; each piece is so unique.

Salt Lake Bees

2008-08-26T12:46:00.001-07:00

My sister Monica is moving in with us to attend LDS Business College. So she, my mom, and Monica's friend Joel (we refer to the two of them as Joelica, or The Bubble) all drove down and we've been having fun doing things during her visit. We went to a baseball game Saturday night. They had fireworks afterwards.

Micah is 3

2008-08-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Micah's birthday was August 24th. I usually do breakfast in bed for whoever has a birthday, but we were late getting up and ready for church, so I just brought him a mug of cocoa with about 5 inches of whipped cream on top. As you can see, he was unhappy at being woken up early, cried, and didn't drink it. Hmmm, maybe I should respond by crying when he comes into my room every night in the middle of the night.

So Sarah had his cocoa.

His birthday was on Sunday, and we had laid-back brownies and ice cream. As usual, Micah has no pants on.

Micah is my little tender-hearted one. He's so sweet with Sarah and is quick to share his treats with Eliza. If anyone is ever down, he's great at cheering people up, usually with, "That's okay, we can do it tomorrow" regardless of what the problem is. His middle name is Rex, and when he's upset with me, he says, "Mommy Rex!" Hmmmm, I must do that to him a lot. He can't wait to get bigger like his sister, so we got him a little two-wheeler and he feels pretty cool. Happy b-day, buddy.

We had a pirate party. Here is Micah waiting for his guests.

What was I thinking? 13 friends plus a few cute siblings. It was mayhem.

I love their expressions in this crash collision on the water slide.

A good time was had by all.

2008-08-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sarah started walking! My mom is stoked that it happened while she's here visiting. Aren't I and my house glamorous in the morning? :)

Family Bonding (the Provo Half)

2008-08-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

So my big brother Tim convinced me to run the Provo Half Marathon with him; he came up from Arizona for the big day. Tim is technically my half brother, although I've never thought of him that way, and we didn't grow up together, so it has been really special for us to get to know each other better now that I'm older. He and his family are stellar; just reading their Christmas letter makes me tired. They live life to the fullest. We have decided to make this an annual thing. Love ya, Tim.

How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

2008-08-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

From The Sound of Music, you know? Eliza started kindergarten last week. I almost can't believe it, and I have such mixed feelings about it. I'm excited for her and her new experiences, and sad for me, Micah, and Sarah. I feel like the time has slipped through my fingers. Here was the kickoff swimming celebration with friends. If you click on it, you can see she's trying to plow into the "Class of 2021" cake a little early.

Micah misses her a lot, but we start our own neighborhood preschool in 2 weeks, so then he'll have his own activity to be proud of.

I was proud of myself for holding it together (in front of Eliza, anyway), but you can see the sunglasses on my head, just in case!

Lining up to go in. She stood next to her tough buddy Bryson. She said she was worried about bullies, so maybe he's the bodyguard. Such sweet friends. His "Back Off" shirt and her "Ciao Bella" shirt make a nice combo, right? haha!

And this is how I left her. She was cool, calm, and collected. Go Liza!

Sarah is One

2008-08-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Sarah had her 1st birthday on July 30th. It has come way too quickly for me! She's 18 pounds (10th percentile) and about average for height and head. Sarah is such a joy in our family. Everyone comments on her happy, mellow temperament--even her pediatrician yesterday. She's a quiet little observer. She loves to crinkle her nose and make that sniffy noise. She loves hide and seek, books, and the trampoline. She loves to dance to any and all music (see Stayin' Alive post). She laughs spontaneously, when nothing is going on. She loves all fruit, especially frozen blueberries. She loves to wave to people. She just cracked her first tooth on July 24th. She is really such a sweetheart. I love when Eliza and Micah go in to see her after her nap and her hair is standing on end and she's bouncing up and down, excited to get out of her crib. I just love Sarah so much and treasure every second we spend together. She is so patient when I'm helping her older siblings; she has a really serene spirit about her. I can't wait to get to know her better as she gets older. We love you, Sarah Sue (her middle name is Ashley, but somehow Sue is her nickname).

She loves to trash this cupboard of plasticware.

Hide and Seek under the ottoman.

I love her long eyelashes, and the funny positions she finds to sleep in.

Sarah's tongue is almost never in her mouth, it's so cute.

Hmm...who is actually excited about presents and cake?

Sarah loved her silky dress from Uncle Jason and Aunt Ashley. She tried to pull it on about 10 times. But then she gave up and decided to use it as a snuggly. She kept holding it against her cheek.

Trying to avoid her siblings' balloon fight.

Apparently they have 4th graders working at Coldstone. :)

The kids wanted to go swimming in anticipation of Sarah's birthday. Too bad Sarah doesn't love swimming. She did alright, though. This is them waiting for the break to be over.

More Science

2008-08-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

The kids got a big kick out of this wasp nest we sprayed down. There were still...larvae? pupa? I have no idea what immature wasp bodies are called, but they were still trying to wiggle out of their little holes. And they loved the mammoth moth we found by our front door.

Silver Lake

2008-08-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

This is for Ashlee and Katie, another kid-friendly hike spot. Our cousins Lucero and Ryan were in town for a wedding, and we went up to enjoy the cooler weather at Silver Lake (just below Brighton). It's not even 45 minutes to walk around the lake, but there's lots of wildlife and people fishing, etc. It's really beautiful and a great picnic spot.

Children's Parade

2008-08-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Our kids got to participate in a church parade downtown the weekend of Ash's birthday. They waved little suns and had popsicles afterwards and it was fun. Micah got tired partway through and Ash wasn't with us, so I was lucky DJ offered to carry him. He wasn't such a fan of the parade, but the blow up slides afterwards were a big hit.

Welcome to my 30s

2008-08-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

So the day after Ash's 30th birthday, our air conditioner and Camry both broke down. The cops had to shut down the intersection of 134th and Bangerter during the AM rush hour to push his car across because there's no shoulder. Poor guy, embarrassing! $1100 dollars later..... he thinks it's a welcome to his 30s. :) For his birthday weekend, he went mountain biking with Cameron and Steve, college friends (see Oregon post).

Ash's 30th Surprise

2008-08-01T09:18:00.001-07:00

We had a surprise birthday party for Ash's 30th. I should have taken more photos, but here are a few. He truly was surprised, so that was fun. He almost ruined it by wanting to come home early and mow the lawn, but my angel neighbor let me borrow her riding lawn mower so I could do it and he ended up staying at work. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed a story or photo to his book; he loves it.

The Grass Plates

2008-07-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Recently Eliza decided she's too old for the illustrated Book of Mormon story book. So we've been reading the real deal every night, and last night I asked the kids where Ash left off the night before. Micah sits up in his bed and says, "Mom, we read about the grass plates." At least I know he's listening, what a cutie.

Oregon

2008-07-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

So we went to visit my family in Oregon. Ash's parents have always wanted to see the coast, so they came along for the first half of the trip. Thanks for coming from so far, guys, it meant a lot to us. We all had a really great time together. Especially the kids, they were super spoiled with both sets of grandparents around. Thanks to my parents, for having us all. Here's Micah chilling with uncle Kev. Tillamook Head is in the background, which you'll hear about later.

Uncle Rog and Liza.

Aunt Monica.

This photo makes me laugh because Eliza is obviously explaining something really complicated to Kevin; I'm sure it's about foxes. You have to click on it to see her facial expression and her hand position.

Tillamook Head is this gorgeous, 6 mile hike from Seaside over into Cannon Beach. It's foggy and sometimes muddy, but so beautiful and quiet, all you hear is the ocean.

Ash wants to smash my camera.

In December there was a big storm and my parents, along with thousands of other people, had no power for a week. Lots of huge trees came down.

Kayaking on the estuary.

So every year on the 4th of July, my parents have a BBQ and then we do fireworks on the beach. The kids loved it. Here they are with Grammy and Grandpa Buchanan.

Nina and Papa Mitchell. See? Really spoiled.

Sarah lasted until 10 pm and then crashed. Her little eyes were red from all the smoke.

Sarah loved to get dirty.

Ah, the good times: Eliza is freezing, Sarah and the dog are eating the sandy old bread meant for the seagulls, and Micah has no pants on. I love it.

We visited the replica of Ft Clatsop.

I have no idea what kind of tool Micah is sitting on.

Not enough sleep and too many relatives willing to give you candy and soda equals...

Ash had a weird flu for a couple days, so he didn't get to visit the Astoria Column, this big tower with intaglio art on the outside, explaining Lewis & Clark's expeditions. It's up high and you can see all the way over into Washington.

Looking back at OR from the WA side.

The carousel.

I left the wipes in the car, oops.

So Rex thought it would be a great idea to rent a surry cart thing to tour around Seaside, because the kids really wanted to. Well, we rented it for two hours and returned it about 20 minutes later. It was really hard to pedal, especially with 8 people on it plus me holding Sarah on my lap, so Rex was sweating buckets by the time we got rid of it. Poor Rex. He called it a $30 lesson. They should have paid him the $30.

We spent a day in Seattle visiting with friends from college. It was so much fun, thanks for hosting, Cameron and Michelle. Eliza says she's going to marry Garrett.

Eliza had a traumatic experience sliding off this pig at the flying fish market.

Eliza and Garrett checking out the jewelry.

Note to self: keep track of how much fruit my kids eat. Too much is a problem, especially when traveling with a limited number of pull-ups and an almost potty trained Micah. Micah loves raspberries.

The whole crew, minus Aaron & Ali's family, who couldn't make it. We missed you!

Stayin' Alive

2008-06-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Sarah did this dance spontaneously while the kids were watching "Madagascar", so I rewound the movie a little and, sure enough, she did it again. I guess she's our cute little disco girl.