Sugar Daddy's birthday. He got "Family Guy" on DVD. That show is so funny. We laugh our heads off. 
The Nativity being performed by all the grandkids at the Brown family party. This is only a few of the kids, since several weren't there due to their out of town status. 
I had to make Sean's birthday cake yesterday. A banana cream cake. It is quite a yummy dessert. (Un)Fortunately for me, I only had to use about 2/3 of the cake mix. What would you do with 1/3 of a yellow cake mix? Make cupcakes? Make a mini cake? Throw it away? Well, if you know me at all, you don't even have to ask what I did with it.
Yep, I did.
All of it.
And it was mighty scrumptious.
Dear sugar daddy,
I love you so much. You make me smile, laugh, cringe, cuss, you can irritate me beyond belief. But somehow, I can never, ever stay mad at you. You never fight back when I want you to. You always break into song at restaurants and grocery stores. You never listen, but you always seem to know what I mean. You try and be refined. But I know it's just an act. You're cute when you get romantic. Sometimes you drive like a grandpa, other times you scare me to death with your darting in and out of traffic. You can fix anything. You know things that the average human has no idea about. Most of the time you're full of crap. But it's sweet. I love you for so many reasons. I'm glad it's your birthday so I can tell you how I feel. I hope you have a good day, and many other good days to come.
Love,
Your pain in the butt.
My dear Maggie. She likes to dress herself. This is the latest in her repertoire. Good thing we were just going to Wal-Mart. She fit right in.
1. Fat chicks in Tie-Dye shirts.
2. Yo Gabba Gabba.
3. Socks with sandals.
4. Smoking.
5. News anchors with mustaches. You too, ladies.
Feel free to add.
Emma is such a wonderful gift to our family. She is always very sweet and kind. Today she was awarded the school CEO award. It stands for Chief Example to Others. She has received exceptional scores on her spelling and math tests, and also uses her free time to help others in her class. 
She is just the sweetest, kindest, friendliest person I know. She teaches me everyday how to be a better mother. I'm so thankful for her being in our family. She is truly a gift from Heaven.
My super motivated sisters Meg and Jill have just signed up for the Utah Summer Games Triathlon. Aren't they cool? I was invited to do so, but let's just say, well, Hell NO to that! We could have done it as a relay with Meg biking since she's superfast, Jill running, since she jiggles less than I, and me doing the swim since I'm obviously the most buoyant. But that involves some training on my end, and flying 3 hours and then actually doing it. Not going to happen. But they're still my hero's.
Last week we went grocery shopping. This was a pretty big deal, since we hadn't been for about 2 months. Really, 2 months. I was out of everything. When the corn and beans are running low, you know it's bad. So off we went to drain our checking account in the frozen foods aisle. We filled the cart, overfilled the cart in fact, and headed to the checkout stand. As we waited in line, we saw these.
Reusable grocery bags. In Utah. At Harmon's! So now I'm doing my part. And it feels, well, pretty darn good.
Timbaland is in. So in. And OneRepublic, which I have now downloaded onto my near-full iPod. I love love love "Apologize" so much, I find myself singing it in my dreams. It's a sad story when I overindulge in songs so much they trickle into my dream state. But Colbie has been replaced. Thank the good Lord. It wasn't too soon, that's for sure.
This year I passed on the frenzy that is Black Friday. Last year I was 14 months pregnant, not sleeping, and nesting, so of course I went. This year I lied in bed with my new pillow embracing my sleepy head, and enjoyed the breeze from my open window as I cuddled with my hubby. Nice. Not that I won't do my fair share of shopping later today. We have lunch at Mimi's with ALL the girls, extended family included, and then it's off to blaze a trail of shopping destruction. We have to burn off those turkey calories somehow.
And the "holy crap that's good banana cream pie" was a hit. In case you were wondering.
Today is one of my favorite days of the year. You must understand my love of food and family to get this. Even though it's not a "Holiday" on any calendar, it's the most important Holiday to me. You see, every year on Thanksgiving Eve, my entire family goes to dinner and a movie. That is 19-20 people, depending on if Meg brings a date or not. We inundate the local Chili's, and harass the waitress just enough to get her to smile and not spit in our food. We then traipse on over to Jordan Landing where we see the latest Christmas Cash Stealer of a movie. Can you picture it? 20 people, 10 of which are kids, (unless you count Meg as one of our kids, then it's 11), crowding into theater seats with popcorn, candy and soda, and being vewy vewy quiet while doing this. It's great fun.
The reason this is so fun, is it's the only time we see a movie together each year. My family has never been big movie goers, it seemed there was always a motorcycle race or monster truck rally to attend instead. Just sitting around laughing at, I mean with, my sibs is super cool. We all get along so well, it's freaky. We're all pretty different, especially me, but we just work. It's what family is all about.
Then there's tomorrow. Tomorrow is the denouement of my Holiday excitement. For many it is Christmas, but I prefer the food, and turkey, of Thanksgiving. My mom makes the best turkey dinner ever. It's perfect. The turkey is juicy, the potatoes are fluffy, the gravy giblety, and the yams marshmallowy. And then there's the rolls. Oh, Rhodes, you make a mean roll. Thank you for your refined sugary goodness. My hips and tummy shelf thank you too.
Sorry for such a long post, but it's just such a great day, I can't bring myself to abridge. So in keeping with the spirit of the season, Happy Thanksgiving! And merry Christmas, too.
2 things happened this weekend.
1. I have conquered my fear of flying. Amazing what 10,000 sky miles in 2 months will get you. The help I needed came it the silliest of forms. Earplugs. Who knew? I have always had sensitive ears when it comes to loud sounds and such, so I thought I'd try earplugs to take the noise down a bit. Apparently this is all I needed. No engine noise = no anxiety about the weird engine noise! Brilliant!
2. We may have found a house. May have. It's a nice enough house, in a nice neighborhood at the end of a dead end street. The Ward is good, too. But then I get home and check my email, and there, in my inbox, is a newer, bigger, cheaper house on a bigger lot. DOH! We'll see.
How cute is this? Meg has taught me well about houndstooth. And when I was looking for this image on Target.com, I came across houndstooth rain boots. Imitation Wellies, if you will. Hmmm, maybe it will rain a lot in Chicago....
Me: Maggie what do you get to do when you're 16?
Maggie: Get a cell phone.
Yep. That's my 4 year old. Already wanting a cell phone. When I was 4, cell phones weren't even invented yet.
Am I the only living person that is terribly tired of the FREAKING Colbie Callait song? Oh, puhleez, stop with the "starts in my nose" crap.
Seriously, who says that crap.
Crap, I say.
I found the following in "Stumble Upon", my newest addiction. I knew some of these, and I even added one of my own. See if you can tell which one came from me, and which ones are originals.
Also, feel free to make your own additions/edits.
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is
“screeched.”
“Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters
“mt”.
Almonds are members of the peach family.
The symbol on the “pound” key (#) is called an octothorpe.
The dot over the letter ‘i’ is called a tittle.
Ingrown toenails are hereditary.
The word “set” has more definitions than any other word in the
English language.
“Underground” is the only word in the English language that
begins and ends with the letters “und.”
There are only four words in the English language which end
in”-dous” tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
The longest word in the English language, according to the
Oxford English Dictionary,
is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
The only other word with the same amount of letters is
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.
The longest place-name still in use is
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimau
ngahoronukupokaiwenuakitanatahu, a New Zealand hill.
Los Angeles’s full name is “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la
Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula” and can be
abbreviated to 3.63% of its size, “L.A.”
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
In most advertisments, including newspapers, the time displayed
on a watch is 10:10.
Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a belly button.It was eliminated
when he was sewn up after surgery.
Telly Savalas and Louis Armstrong died on their birthdays.
Donald Duck’s middle name is Fauntleroy.
Al Capone’s business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
The muzzle of a lion is like a fingerprint - no two lions have
the same pattern of whiskers.
Steely Dan got their name from a sexual device depicted in the
book ‘The Naked Lunch’.
A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
The Ramses brand condom is named after the great phaoroh Ramses
II who fathered over 160 children.
There is a seven letter word in the English language that
contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters,
“therein” the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, herein.
Duelling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are
registered blood donors.
John Larroquette of “Night Court” and “The John Larroquette
Show” was the narrator of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after
Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in
Frank Capra’s “Its A Wonderful Life”
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
It was discovered on a space mission that a frog can throw
up.The frog throws up its stomach first, so the stomach is dangling out of
it’s mouth.Then the frog uses its forearms to dig out all of the
stomach’s contents and then swallows the stomach back down again.
Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully
ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.
The male gypsy moth can “smell” the virgin female gypsy moth
from 1.8 miles away.
The letters KGB stand for Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti.
The name for Oz in the “Wizard of Oz” was thought up when the
creator, Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N, and O-Z,
hence “Oz.”
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar
tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
‘Stewardesses’ is the longest word that is typed with only the
left hand.
To “testify” was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a
statement made by swearing on their testicles.
The combination “ough” can be pronounced in nine different
ways.The following sentence contains them all “A rough-coated,
dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough;
after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed.”
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a
letter is uncopyrightable.
'Lollipop' is the longest word typed with only the right hand.
Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct
order, as does arsenious, meaning “containing arsenic.”
Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the
Australian coat of arms for that reason.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have
about ten.
The word “Checkmate” in chess comes from the Persian phrase
“Shah Mat,” which means “the king is dead”.
Dear helpful mom,
It may surprise you that all these years, despite your lack of input into my child rearing choices, I have managed to raise 3 lovely daughters without any life-threatening incidents. I realize that there are children running around, and that my crawler my not be seen and may get her fingers stepped on. I also realize the "car" isn't childproofed. And yet I allow my 9 month old to enjoy herself fully, within arms reach. How dare I! How dare I not keep her snugly fastened in her baby bjorn, and turned away from the excitement she craves! How dare I not sanitize my children's hands after they have played in the water!
I simply smile, and say, "Thank you," and move on my merry way. When really I'm thinking to myself, "Lady, one day your kids are gonna get so sick of you hovering over them incessantly, they will do anything to get away from you! Let them play and be kids, and get bumps and bruises. RE.LA.XXXXX!"
Sincerely,
Mom who could care less what you think.
#$%^$^. This is me falling down as I descend my soap box. If only I had a hand rail.....
This one is pretty self explanatory.
More of the Halifax harbor, or harbour, as they say in Canadia.
Glass blowers in Halifax. We sat and watched these guys for a good half hour.
One of the many cemeteries in Halifax. These headstones are made of Sandstone, and therefore don't weather too well. Some of them are paper thin. There is also a headstone here marking one of the Titanic victims. They date back as far as 1700.
Apparently the only picture I have of Bar Harbor. I'm sure I have more on my phone, I'll just have to upload those. The colors on this island don't do justice to the main island beauty.
Sorry about the lack of rotation on some of these. 
Radio City Music Hall. Right down the street from our hotel. Anyone that knows me, knows that I would love to see the Rockettes Holiday Show. Too bad we were a week too early. 
Sean in Central Park. Isn't he so GQ? 
This is me on the balcony of our stateroom. It was super sunny, hence the squinty eyes. 
Ellis Island. This is the view from our stateroom as we left the Port of New York. 
And the Statue of Liberty. Also from our stateroom. I'm glad we picked Starboard just for this reason.
I'll post more pics. Blogger was limiting me to 5.
Well, I've returned from my cross country jaunt. I know most of you (GABE) have been sitting around twiddling your thumbs waiting for my next witty post. Well, no more waiting, here it is. I'll try to be brief.
Day 1: Ate at Cheesecake Factory in Lincolnshire at 11:00 PM. Yummy.
Day 2: Met Realtor and looked at 20 homes in 8 hours. Only 3 possibilities.
Dinner with "Boss Man" at Wildwood. Yummy.
Drove to O'Hare and stayed in a sweet suite.
Day 3: Flew to NYC on the tiniest plane ever. I was so brave.
Found Hotel. Hotel was waaaayyyy tiny. But cool.
Took a bus tour starting at Midnight. Finished at 2:00 AM, and there was construction!
Day 4: Walked through Central Park. Took a cab to the Pier, and boarded ship. Took nap.
Day 5: Sea Day. Took nap. Ate food, not so yummy.
Day 6: Arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was up at 4:00 AM, and the port is beautiful!
Found a coffee shop and drank hot chocolate and at cinnamon rolls.
Realized Canadia has their own funny money.
Watched local glass blowers. Cool.
Went to Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and saw Titanic exhibit. Very interesting.
Had Seafood Chowder, and fries with vinegar. Weird, but good.
Boarded ship, took nap.
Watched freaky family for entertainment.
Day 7: Arrived in Bar Harbor, Maine. Again, up at 4:00 AM to watch the ship dock.
Realized people talk funny in Maine. Bah Hahbah especially.
Ate crab balls and lobster rolls for lunch. So Yummy!
Took tour of Acadia National Park, very cool. Saw Martha Stewart's home.
Boarded ship. Took nap.
Watched funny comedian for entertainment.
Day 8: Arrived in Boston, Massachusetts. Up at 7:00 AM.
Had Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. So Yummy!
Followed the red Freedom Trail around to all the tourist sights.
Had a good time talking in British accents.
Ate chili in bread bowls, and Gelato.
Boarded ship. Took nap.
Sang Karaoke. Scary.
Day 9: Arrived in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Very, very windy.
Had to tender to shore in 12 foot waves.
Rented car to explore island. Pretty cool island.
Ate the best nachos in a sea side tavern.
Realized a hurricane was headed our way.
Boarded ship. No nap.
Tried to eat dinner, but all fooded out.
Was rocked to sleep by huge waves.
Day 10: Arrived in NYC. Disembarked ship and headed for airport.
Upgraded to first class, and hung out in first class lounge for 6 hours. Niiice.
Flew home.
Home sweet home.
That's pretty much it. I'll post photos after I get them uploaded. I've been stuck behind mountains of laundry, so no time for fun, yet!
Well, folks. I'm off. Off to the Windy City, and then to the Big Apple! If I knew any cute names for Boston, Martha's Vineyard, Bar Harbor Maine, or Nova Scotia, I would use them too. Be back in a week or so!
My passport is nowhere to be found. And I'm not the one who lost it. It's somewhere between Miami, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. I need it to go on the cruise. And I leave tomorrow. Let's just say the poor customer service guy at Passports and Visas.com has the patience of Job, especially after dealing with my rants and raves. Thank goodness I had my Birth Certificate for a back up. Oh, wait. Nope, no birth certificate. Hmm. So, it's off to the Utah State Department of Health to the Vital Statistics Department. Downtown. And did I mention this is the State? I know Hester works for the State Department, as does Dale, and now Bryan too, but I can assume they all have some knowledge of what customer service entails.
Actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I must have good luck. Getting my drivers license renewed wasn't too bad either.
So now I have a certified copy of my birth certificate, no passport, and a renewed drivers license. I should be okay leaving the country. I'm only going to Canada, it's not like they have to worry about me staying there or anything....
I'm also pretty sure that now that I have my birth certificate, my passport will show up. Had I not gotten the BC, the passport would stay lost. Is that Murphy's Law? And who is this Murphy person? The same Murphy from the Romance?
.
This is probably a first for me. Or maybe a second, but either way, it's unusual for me.
I'm about to go deep. Yes, people, I've been thinking. Scary.
In hearing of the Malibu fires that have affected Bonny and her crew, and especially after hearing Esme say she took a box of "things money can't buy", I started wondering about what I would take if I had to leave my home so quickly.
And honestly, I'm not sure.
I know I would grab my fireproof safe with all the important documents, birth certificates, passports (which there will be another post about shortly), car titles, and insurance info. I would grab my scrapbooks. I would grab the Wedding Egg from Nunn Bee, and the quilts from my mom. After those things, I'm not really sure what else I would take. What else would be irreplaceable? So many things are merely material. It kind of makes me sad that so much of my life is replaceable. I guess I should take more time and effort to make things special. What is irreplaceable to you? What are your "things money can't buy"?
This week has been unusually serene. Especially considering I'm leaving in 3 days for 10 days. So that translates into not much to blog. So sorry. But for those of you on the edge of your seats, here is the latest from our home front.
And Meg, these bullets are just for you.
Last night we were treated to a wicked fun party, courtesy of Mom and her mad party throwing skills.
Thanks, Mom!
They had soup in bread bowls, and doughnuts. It was muy delicioso. I made Gabe/Laura's tortellini soup with ground turkey. Super yummy. You can find the recipe here.
Later today will bring:
A trip to the craft store for Halloween party invitation shiz.
3 kids getting flu shots.
Gretta getting a prescription for antibiotics for her pink eye (thanks mom!).
Probably laundry.
Me battling with Maggie for her to wear pants. She only wants to wear "soft shorts" and it's 50˚ outside.
Good times.
I have pink eye.
Maggie has a fever and won't eat.
Gretta is pulling up on anything that she can get her hands on.
Emma has decided it's better to do her entire homework packet on Mondays, so she's free the rest of the week.
Sean and I saw each other for a total of 1 hour yesterday. Today will probably be the same.
I have to start packing. I do, I do, I do.
We leave for our cruise in a week and a half! Yay!
.
Thanks to Napoleon "Snaggletooth" Dynamite for leading us on a not so excellent adventure down the lazy Colorado River. Fun.
See more details of our wicked fun trip here.
Actually, what made my trip was this.
Have you ever needed to use the facilities, like, NOW?
I was in that mode, and at the Maverick, the line for the ladies room was 10 deep. No way was I going to make it! So what do I do? Use the Men's room, of course!
Only come to find out a little too late, the toilet doesn't flush. I'm looking around waiting to be Punk'd. I guess that's Karma kicking my butt for using the Men's room. I put my plumbing expertise to work, and saved my butt. Whew! We all had a good laugh about that!
Moab is a cool place, probably one I will miss quite a bit when we move to the Midwest. :(
It's off to Moab we go. Hopefully we won't have a repeat of last year.
I'm taking "Knocked Up" to see what that's all about. Sean bought it at Wal-Mart while us gals were in Seattle.
I guess that means he got Knocked Up at Wal-Mart. I'm guessing he's probably not the first.
I was asked by Maggie what I want to be when I grow up.
I said a Sea Otter.
She said she will be a super hero, and she will fly and swim, and save me from the kelp.
Um, okay.
Well, we return. Again. Only to leave in 3 days. Again.
I'm not a traveler. I'm a homebody.
So our trip to Chicagoland was fruitful. And a bit discouraging. We found a lot of places to live. A lot of places we can't afford. With property taxes at 2.5%, it's killing our bottom line. But we have a decision to make.
1. Do we want an acre of land 45 minutes from Sean's office? Problem, the HOA will not allow any outbuildings (ie. a garage big enough to hold our trailer), or for us to park the trailer on the side of the house. So what's the point of an acre that you can't do anything on?
2. Do we want a house in a cookie cutter neighborhood like we live in now, 10 minutes from Sean's office? Problem, the land is too small for us to park the trailer on the side of the house. Do I want to spend $100 a month for storage? Although, the smaller property comes with lake rights, and is right across the street from the beach of the small-ish lake. Possibly sell the trailer and buy some wave runners?
We did drive through some areas that had homes on 300+ acres, with ranch houses and barns as big as neighborhoods. Barrington is one of those. If only there was a ghetto. We didn't get to see any of downtown Chicago, since Sean's office is over an hour away from there. We looked into Wisconsin, but property tax isn't that much less, and the commute would be brutal, so that was nixed. Hopefully we can narrow down some homes and get out with a Realtor and see them in a few weeks.
Other things that happened:
Sean puking on the plane after THE WORST take off ever.
Our "little person" car.
Marble Columns.
RED LIGHT! SCREEEEECH!
No sense of direction, due to lack of mountains.
Lake Michigan. Freezing, BTW.
Many, many many thanks to My "'Da Bomb" Mom, and of course Meg, for watching the girls. It sure made life easier not having to schlep around 3 kids. Gretta is having Nunn withdrawals.
I've just been overwhelmed with the thought of packing. I can't even seem to begin to wrap my mind about the task that lies ahead. Luckily Sean and I both love dejunking, so we don't have too much stuff, but we do have three kids and all the stuff that goes along with that. I've perused the internet fully on tips to move seamlessly, but still, I find myself in a funk when it comes to organizing it in my mind. What are some ways you all (or should I start saying y'all?) have found to make the moving process easier?
October ushers in so many things. Especially in our family. For some reason, we have numerous birthdays in October. I guess that's what happens when there's an extremely cold winter. 
3rd (Today)- Meg. 26!
5th- Mom. 29!
6th- Mckinley. 9!
7th- Maggie. 4!
21st- Troy. 37!
Other things October brings:
Wind. Ick.
Election Candidates calling incessantly asking for my vote. I must be popular!
Chicago trip this weekend.
Moab trip next weekend.
10th Anniversary cruise/NYC on the 26th.
And of course, Halloween.
I hope I didn't forget anyone.
I made it back from the land of the rain and coffee. Seattle is a very cool town! I love how it's very outdoors minded, and they recycle everything. Apparently even people, as homeless people are everywhere. 
We visited the Space Needle. There is seriously a Starbucks at the top. It's quite a ride up, about 41 seconds, and worth every one at that!
We did the Underground tour. Which is very cool, especially if you come from a construction family. Yes, the eye beams are old, but since they are founded into 36" of concrete, they are stable. And yes, the keystone arch is the strongest form in construction. It will hold for centuries, apparently. Plus we got to see a guy in a kilt. Cool.
This is the lock going from Puget Sound into Lake Washington, which then joins Lake Union. If you look closely you can see the water level we're at, and then behind the lock you can see the level of the lake. The water is let in to the lock via gravity and pipes, and in about 10 minutes, we rose nearly 8 feet. At low tides it can raise a vessel as high as 26 feet.
And this is one of my favorite moments. This is one of the many, many homeless people that come out at night. You can't read his sign, but I was trying to take a picture without him chasing me and asking for money. The sign reads "My father was killed by street ninjas, I need money for karate lessons". I would think teeth or a shower would come first, but that's just me.
And me on our ghetto shuttle to the airport. It actually wasn't that bad. Just a big bus. It rained so hard on Sunday, I was thankful it was our last day. The other days were just right. A little chilly, unless you're Meg, then you freeze, but I didn't think it was bad at all.
Other fun things:
Jill saying "HUH?"
Finding a great store in the mall with blouses for $34!
Giggles getting tickled on the face by a fish butt.
Kelli taking one right in the face!
Me texting Sean about the homeless guy with a sign, and walking into a sign!
A Pikes Market Labradoodle/Wooley Mammoth.
A wiener dog with a cowboy hat on.
Crepes and Limonata!
Mom noticing the plethora of homosexuals. Good eye mom, good eye!
* And how could I have forgotten the funniest, craziest, hilariousest thing ever! Mom hitting innocent little defenseless Gracie in the face with the check from Ruth's Chris in an attempt to foil our plans for paying for her dinner. We got it, thanks to Gracie's sacrifice. Boo-Ya!
Fun weekend, and we need to do it again. Next time, Chicago!
Well, we had a fun weekend. After realizing that we hadn't used the Trailer in all of September, we figured we better get out for the last chance weekend. Good idea. We headed about 15 miles from home up Big Cottonwood Canyon. After 15 years of traveling hours to Yellowstone and never seeing a moose, what should go tromping through our campground but this: 
And this.
Thats a whole Moose Family, in case you can't tell from the great picture, courtesy of the BB Pearl.
And then we drove over Guardsman Pass into Midway/Heber Valley. Look at that view. I don't remember a time that I've ever seen the leaves so pretty. We must have been right on the money when it came to foliage viewing timing.
Other fun things that happened:
Meg filled up the Audi's trunk with wood and joined us for Tin Foil Dinners. Fun.
The Boy Scouts next to our camp decided our wood was better for stealing.
Sean throwing lighter fluid on the campfire and scaring the crap out of the kids.
Why does this seem to be a recurring theme?
The batteries in the trailer going dead so the heater wouldn't work. Not fun.
The drive over Guardsman. Fun.
The rain. Not fun.
Watching "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody" over and over and over. Not fun.
Deciding at 7:00PM to leave because the rain was just too much. Fun.
News. Sean's company has decided to shut down the Salt Lake City operations.
Bummer.
As of December, many, many people will be out of work.
But my Sean, "The Bull", has come away unscathed. Or so it depends on who you ask.
Ask my mom, and she'll tell you differently. Ask me, or Mr. Bull, or the kids, or the in-laws, and they say go for it! Sorry, mom.
So it appears the Frozen North of Wisconsin will be our new home. Sean will be working in Chicago. Sounds fun, eh?
So, from all you pros that have moved across the country, I need some tips. Please, please, please, give me tips on how to make this easier than the scenario I have in my head.
The "Girls". Light, medium, and dark. And freakin' cute, if I do say so myself. Also, 3 stages of teething. How cute is Gretta's sweater? Thanks to Laura's mom Sue for making it BY HAND! She rocks. 
When mom wasn't looking, Gretta made her way under the table. For those that haven't seen the behemoth in person, it's 6' square. And quite the jungle for baby to play in. Also notice the random piece of paper in her hand. Who knows where that's been. 
Mornings are hectic, what can I say. No time for details such as watching after the littlest.
After a speedy trip to the local Wal-Mart, we went to Sonic for a refreshing Cranberry-LimeAid. Mmm.
And then Sean did this.
I laughed my butt off!
Today is National "Talk like a Pirate" day.
Jill will like this.
I hear, so will Aaron.
I don't want any details.
Things I'm looking forward to today:
1. Going to Costco. Love Costco almost as much as Ikea.
2. Chilling with my kids. G is so fun now that she's crawling everywhere, and Maggie has really grown up and that makes it much more fun to hang out with her.
3. Having my King Size Bed ALL.TO.MYSELF
Sean has a sleep test tonight. He may have sleep apnea. So for one night he gets to sleep while hooked up to dozens of machines and being watched by strangers through a window. I hope they don't mind a little flatulence.
The Billy BYOM bookcase has found a new home in our home. Only mine isn't blurry.
As has a stainless steel shelving unit. Not this one. I don't own a crappy wood deck. 
And Emma scored a cute hot pink chair for her room. Not this one. It goes with a desk. No picture of that, but you know the type, square, silver legs, blah blah. 
So all in all, we got cool stuff, but no picture of it yet. You'll just have to wait and see.
This morning I got out of the shower and what did I find? My newly mobile baby had crawled under my bed and was playing with a plastic bag. Bad. But wait, there is something in that plastic bag. Drano. Worse.
She's fine.
Mom's going to be much more careful when it comes to what is under the bed.
Here is Maggie eating what we refer to as "Olie Eggs". She loves them. 
The tradition continues.
It's official, she's mobile! My other girls weren't even close to crawling at 7 1/2 months, but here's Gretta, cruising all over on hands and knees. I guess now I have to start picking up the floor for reals.
And here she is just looking cute. She's had croup, so if you could hear her raspy little voice, it would just make your heart melt.
For some reason the flash on the camera makes my floors look clean and shiny. It's merely an illusion.
I know most of you are far away, but I'm just letting you know anyway.
I've started a new recipe exchange blog/dinner get together page. My hope is that those that are close will join in and we can have a dinner once a month and each bring a dish and accompanying recipe for everyone else. They'll also be posted on the blog for ease and for those that can't make it to the dinner. But feel free to post any recipes you want, just know they may be used by us moms.
I made yummy chicken enchiladas the last weekend. They are a vacation perennial, and since we were planning on going on vacation for the weekend, before our trip to the hospital, we've been eating them ever since. Well, the other night I left them sitting out. All night. And then I put them back in the fridge and ate them for lunch. Sean had a fit! My question is would you have eaten them too?
Today I asked Meg a question. Do you think it's weird that we, as sisters, do everything together? I mean, I think it's normal for sisters to do lunch, or go to the mall, or get a mani-pedi, which we do, but to attach a 16 foot kayak to the top of a truck and head off to the wild blue just doesn't seem normal. And trust me, normal is a relative term here. I guess I should just consider myself extremely lucky to have such an adventurous counterpart. 
I was also a little concerned that we looked like lesbians. Which is fine, don't get me wrong, but I was worried that people would look at Meg and think "what is she doing with someone like her?". But all stereotypes aside, we had a great time. We met a guy with his 3 four legged kids who just happened to chill on our beach all afternoon. The dogs were cute, very playful. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't like a strange dog licking my face and leaving sweater-size chunks of fur all over my wet body. Gross. I think he might have had the hots for Meg. Gross. He also said he would lay out naked on that beach when no one was around. Gross. And after a paddle suicide, and depleting the ozone single handedly with our black smoke spewing diesel truck, we made it home safe and sound. Another great adventure under our belts. Now we have to start thinking about a winter activity. Any ideas?
My familia will be so proud to see Gretta enjoying her weekly update of celebrity trash. 
She really likes TomKat, and doesn't care much for BrAngelina. I have no idea where she gets this.
If only somehow I'd known that this:
Would turn into this:
In just a matter of hours. Like a few hours. Fast, way too fast. Maggie went from fine, to feverish, to sleepy, to vomiting and listless in about 6 hours. She is notorious for this. But this time was different. We couldn't figure out what was wrong. No sore throat, no ear ache, no tummy ache, nothing. After a night of sleep, and still not being better by morning, we ended up at Primary's. Can I just say a big Thank You to them for being awesome. IV fluids, several well meaning doctors, and finally an intern that took it upon himself to do it right. We end up with
Drum Roll Please....
Pyelonephritis. Lay terms: Kidney infection. And after a long night in the hospital, she goes to this:
Thank goodness kids are so resilient. She's much better now. Hopefully we'll have no long lasting effects from this, but there is still one test to be done once all the infection is gone.
Here's what I'm really grateful for:
1. My Spanx Cami. Holy spandex, Batman! This sucker hold in all the jiggly parts, and makes all the bumps nice and smooth. 
2. Cream of chicken soup. Thank you, creamy easy goodness, for making me feel like a chef.
3. Teachers who think parents need to do craft projects at home for showcasing in class, instead of using class time to teach. Um, can't we stick to math and science?
4. My wicked sense of humor. See #3.
This is my blog, so therefore you're getting a great big dose of ME!
A is for Anxious
B is for Brazen
C is for Colorful
D is for Ditzy
E is for Ear wax.
F is for Funny
G is for Grateful
H is for Homebody
I is for Instigator
J is for Jiggly
K is for Killer hair
L is for Laughing
M is for Munchies
N is for Notes
O is for Odd
P is for People person
Q is for Quiet (ha)
R is for Rambunctious
S is for Sexy
T is for Tan
U is for Ugly skin
V is for Valium for airplanes
W is for Water
X is for XXX rated?
Y is for Yellowstone
Z is for Zits
So there you have it folks. All things that describe me. I hope you can make it through the day now.
Can you hear my shout of joy?
It's my "First day of school" shout for joy!
And there's a dance, too. I bet you wish you could see me dance, don't you?
Today is Emma's first day of THIRD grade!
Third.Grade.
I remember third grade. I think my mom still had to come sit in my class with me so I wouldn't cry. And I'm pretty sure I remember Lowell taking me to school so my mom wouldn't have to deal with me. Looking back, I was a pain in the butt. Sorry mom.
But I digress.
Here is the woman of the hour. I think we did pink and brown for last years first day of school too, but whatever works. She loves this outfit because it's MaryKate and Ashley (thanks, Wal-Mart). I guess she doesn't know about the anorexia or dropping out of college, but I'm certainly not telling her. She got t new backpack and a pink camo lunch box. How cute is that? I just can't believe it's third grade for her. She's growing up so fast, and becoming quite the little lady.
*Note to bus stop moms: I understand that it's early, and I certainly don't get all decked out to take my kid to the bus stop, but please, please, please, don't wear boob-high acid wash mom jeans with 4" heels and a cut off shirt. Thank you.
Today I get to do one of my most favorite things. I get to pull the trailer all the way to Spanish Fork (or as you'd properly say if you were a true Utahn, Spaneesh Fark). I love pulling the trailer. I really do. It's cool to see people when you pass them going up a hill, or pulling into the Wal-Mart and taking up 14 parking spaces. I also like knowing that I can do it. If I ever had to do the trailer thing all alone, I could. Not that I would want to, I definitely like having Sean around to lift the heavy stuff, and reach the high shelves. But I can do it all, and that makes me feel empowered.
Looking cute.Meg and I had so much fun in Logan on Saturday that we've decided to go back, this time for an extended weekend. The Maze is pretty darn cool, and we were both surprised that more people don't know about it. We also decided it would be a wayyy cool date, ahem, Spencer.
The drive to Logan was about as frustrating as you can imagine. A normal 1 1/2 hour drive turned into 4 hours, plus an hour stop for dinner and pee. After arriving in Logan at 10:00 PM, and Sean getting things situated despite the rain, we settled in to watch Zodiac. A good, long, interesting movie, probably better suited to be watched in the earlier evening hours. At 2:00 AM, we nestled in to sleep. Just as we start to doze off, the loudest crash of thunder I have ever heard breaks the silence. Instantly I'm upright in bed, and Sean just lays there laughing. Gretta promptly awakens, and Meg has to comfort her until I get my wits about me enough to get up and rock her myself. It was so loud, it set off car alarms. The rains came down, but only for a few minutes. We had a restless night of sleep after that, as you can imagine.
We launched at 8:00 AM in chilly, breezy, weather, with a small threat of a storm hovering above us. After Meg stopped to pee, we started upstream, and followed the buoys marking the main channel. It wasn't long, however, that Meg said she had to pee. We didn't plan on going too many miles up, so I told her she could go when we turned around and paddled by the ramp. A few minutes later, Meg informs me that she indeed has to pee. There was a sense of urgency in her voice. I told her I would hold her kayak while she dangled her butt off the side to pee. I was hoping she would accept my offer of "help", because I kinda wanted to see her fall in. But she said she could wait. A few minutes more, and Meg informs me she has to pee...NOW! She was indeed desperate. Meg immediately beaches the kayak, and heads off into a cattle field. Have you ever heard a mad cow? We have, and it's not a pretty sound. She did her thing, and off we went, no near drownings to speak of.
We continued on, and a short time later, I hear Meg from behind shouting "Alligator!" Um, what? I look back and Meg is stranded on a sandbar, and water is splashing on her from each side of the kayak. What the ? Turns out the Catfish beach themselves on the sandbar, and she must have landed right in the middle of their little pow wow. Although I think she's still convinced there was an Alligator. Understandably, we turned around at that point and headed back downstream.
As we paddled past the ramp, I asked Meg if she had to pee.
Nope.
We paddled a few more strokes, and I asked Meg if she had to pee.
Nope.
So we head North, and just as we are about to go under the road, Meg informs me that she does indeed have to pee. Back to the ramp we go.
Is anyone keeping score? Meg=3 pees, Keli=0 pees.
Anywhoo, you can see why we need an extended weekend next time. And maybe a catheter. But we did get to see some pretty cool sights.
A bunch of beached Catfish.
Mad cows.
Several Great Blue Herons.
Several Ibis'.
A redneck catching the biggest freakin' Carp I've ever seen.
Sean nearly capsizing a kayak because he can't be outpaddled by a woman.
Needless to say, we had a good time. We always do with Meg. She's quite a woman. Any guy would be lucky to have her. I'm just glad I have her no matter what.
*Next on the docket, tennis this week, camping this weekend, and then perhaps a paddle around Causey reservoir.
Meg and I are heading North to Logan this weekend. Should be fun. We'll be using our newly found kayaking expertise to navigate the Wetlands Maze of Cutler Marsh. Hopefully we don't get lost. Hopefully there are no bugs, eww. Or other wildlife, eek. Or too much grass and goop in the water, gross. Do we sound like hard-core or what? Wish me luck!
Tonight I attended a wedding.
A beautiful wedding.
My rockin' cousin Chuck* married Shelly*, and at this wedding they had a video. It showed the usual pictures of them as babies and children, and of course pictures of them together as their love grew. Awww. But as I watched this video, I was reminded of just how fast time goes by. It's dumb, really, to get so wrapped up in everyday life that you forget the meaningful moments.
But it happens.
And now Chuck, the cute, spiky haired, tan, little monster, that no one could understand but his mom, is now a husband. And here I am, wondering how he grew up, and I haven't aged a bit. Can it be possible that in the figurative blink of an eye, it will be Emma getting married? And where has the time gone? What have I left behind for her to learn from and grow from?
I'm left to wonder of the impact that I'm making on her life. I hope she takes all the good intentions I have, and knows that's the real person I am. I hope she doesn't see "The Avoider" I can be, or the social anxiety that plagues me, or the way I use humor to mask my low self esteem. I hope she only takes the good, and leaves the bad.
I hope, I hope, I hope....
What I really hope is that she could stay little forever, and never grow up to know of adult pressures. To eat with her hands and get food on her face. To swim like a fish, and not care how she looks in a swimsuit. To make friends with a person just because they like to slide down the curly slide too. To never have heartache, or peer pressure, or disappointment.
But all these things are sure to come. And I can only look back and remember when she was my baby, my baby bear, my wiener dog.
*Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Not that I'm implying that "Chuck" has ever been innocent in his life.
