Good vs Evil

While laying by Max in his bed the other night we were chatting about stuff that was on his mind. The conversation moved to his dad. I told Max how lucky he was
to have such a great dad who loved him so much. Max turned to me, totally serious, and said:

"But Mom, how do we know Dad's not a bad guy?"

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Molly lost her first tooth!!!

Bring on the tooth fairy!

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Wishy-washy

Max had to do a project for school about what he wants to be when he grows up. He decided on a pilot. This is his finished project:

While lying in bed the other night he said to Jon, with a big sigh, "I really want to be a Jedi when I grow up, but I already signed up to be a pilot."


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The cutest thing in the world?

Yesterday at breakfast Max asked me, "Mom, do you know what the cutest thing in the world is?"

Before I could answer, Ian said excitedly, "me!!!"

Max looked at him like he just fell off the turnip truck and turned back to me, "Ewoks."

I beg to differ.

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We so glad when Grandma comes!

We were so lucky to have a special visitor at our house this Spring Break. Grandma Bonnie flew to Portland to experience what a week of no school and constant rain is really like. She was probably so sad to leave!

Day one we went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, "Chipwrecked." Grandma is such a great sport and laughed as hard as the kids at the singing, dancing rodents. Afterwards we went to the Bob's Red Mill store and had a yummy lunch!

Later that afternoon, we braved the elements to stand in line for the Wicked lottery. It was not our lucky day (it's never my lucky day when it comes to drawings, gambling, lotteries), but, since Wicked was not sold out, they offered us tickets for just $43 each! Score! So, my mom and I got to go on a fun date. And, we had awesome seats, 15th row, orchestra level. It was my third time seeing Wicked, and I swear it gets better each time! It was so fun to experience it with my mom, and watch how much she enjoyed it. Sorry about the picture. I took it of us, with my phone, so we are squeezing in.


Friday, we headed to Southeast and ate at the Waffle Window. The actual window was closed because of weather, so it ended up being just a waffle brunch, but we got to all try some yummy waffles!


Then, we headed to a super fun play structure for more indoor fun and to work off our waffles!


Saturday we went to....

Donut land, where else?

Then we went swimming. No photos of that, but it was fun. Grandma was a good sport and took both boys down the slide.

Sunday was General Conference, so we just hung out at home. We made Swedish Pancakes, homemade soft pretzels, and had a nice Sunday dinner together. In between all of that, Grandma played lots of board games with the kids. Again, she is such a great sport! Here she is playing Pretty, Pretty Princess with Ian.


Sadly, we had to take her to the airport on Monday, just as the clouds parted and the sun came out. We always love it when she comes to visit. She is such a joy to have! We miss you already, Grandma Bonnie! Please come back soon!

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A tribute to Mee-Maw

On January 17, my sweet Grandmother passed away from this earth. She was 87 years old. I wanted to share a few things that stand out in my mind about my Grandma, Molly Anne, who both of my girls are named after, and who, when my older brother couldn't say Grandma, he nicknamed "Mee-Maw." The name stuck.

She was a child of the 1920s. Born and raised in the South. She was not what I would call a southern belle, though. She was a tough cookie. Her mother died when she was just 13 years old, and in order to save her family (of seven children, the youngest only 2 years old) from being split up to different relatives, she promised her police chief father that she would take care of the home and the kids if he would allow them to stay together, with him. He did, and she kept up her end of the bargain. She finished high school and went to business college. She worked for a tobacco company and finished her career by working for 42 years as a bookkeeper for the North Carolina News Company. She raised 4 children of her own (my awesome mother being one of them) mostly by herself after her marriage ended when her baby was only a few years old. A product of her hard work was that she taught her children the same values. She also kept a clean home and was one of the best cooks I have ever met. Her coconut cake, boiled custard, fried okra, and collard greens being just a few of the favorite flavors of my childhood. Of course, we can't forget the fruit cake. Or can we?

Mee-Maw always lived 2,000 miles away from me, yet she was an example and a rock in my life. My summers in North Carolina, or her visits to Utah were the highlights of my childhood. She was so much fun. I always had a great time learning a new card game from her or watching The Price is Right with her. She should've been a contestant on that show. She was a natural! She took us to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, along with my late aunt, Carolyn, and took us swimming and to the movies. Her family meant the world to her.

I will miss so many things about Mee-Maw. Her funny southern phrases, her sense of humor, and the way she loved Duke basketball. She made such an impact on my life and who I am, not only because of who she was, but because of the daughter she gave me for a mother. It's amazing how goodness is passed down.

I was very blessed to be able to attend her funeral, in Durham, North Carolina, and let me tell you , it was a packed church. She had so many friends and family there, and it was wonderful to hear all of the lives she touched in her long life. I am so grateful that she died peacefully and without a struggle. And, I know that she had a wonderful greeting in heaven.

I will love you forever, Mee-Maw. I will try to live my life so that you would be proud.

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The Ship Parade

After a fun dinner with great friends, we packed donuts and hot chocolate to the park by the river to watch the annual ship light parade. Here are some of the awesomely lit up ships!

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Favorite Christmas Toy

Playmobil Nativity. But where Baby Jesus' top half went is a Christmas mystery.

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Fancy Molly

Molly was invited to a Fancy Nancy Christmas Party. I thought she looked too beautiful not to share!

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Gingerbread village

So, lest you think it's all been fun and games, there was the gingerbread village mishap...

I found a gingerbread village kit, and thought, how perfect, 5 little houses! No need to fight over one house, right?

Not so much. They ended up being ridiculously small, and impossible to build when you have human sized hands.

Olivia dissolved into tears when hers fell apart.

Ian happily munched on his.

Molly weeped over her disastrous house.

Max ate his. Notice a pattern?

So, I have decided that there is a reason that this tradition has never stuck for us. You don't have to include the stuff that's more stress than fun!

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The Nutcracker

Last Saturday, I took the girls to the Nutcracker. First we went out to lunch at our favorite spot, The
Olive Garden, where the unwrapped this year's nutcracker:

Here is Olivia in front of the pit orchestra.


And here is Molly! It was beautiful and we all loved it as much as ever!


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Christmas Luau

**photo courtesy of Steve**

Our ward Christmas party this year was a Christmas Luau. It was so much fun! The cultural hall was decorated beautifully, the food was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G, and we even had some island entertainment (yes, I hula'd), complete with a surfing Santa! The whole family had a blast. A big thanks to those who slaved away to make this party so much fun.

Gingerbread Pirates

Our favorite Christmas book this year.

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Zoo lights

We headed to Zoo Lights Monday. It was freezing!!!! But not raining. So, we took advantage. The lights were so pretty and fun! And, we were all ready for cookies and hot chocolate afterwards.

The girls loved the bear! It was probably warm!


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Our Tree

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Festival of Trees

I think this is our third year going to the Festival of Trees downtown. It always falls on the first Friday of the month, which the kids have off of school. There is so much to do and see there, we always have such a great time and it really gets us in the mood for Christmas!

There's face painting (this is what Ian got after he was told they couldn't do Yoda):

A Teddy bear hospital. All the kids get a bear which they get to name and doctor up! It's so cute! Bandages, xrays, and face masks! This is the highlight of the event! Here is Ian having his bear's ("Big Boy") heartbeat listened to:



Olivia's bear! ("Caroline")


Max's bear (Fella):


Molly's bear, ("Snowflake").


Mrs. Claus' kitchen. They each got to decorate a cookie.


There is a magnificent trays display!


And then, there are the trees!!!








It is such a fun day! And we loved going with great friends!

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2011 Holiday Kickoff!

So I have a bunch of pipe dreams about how I am going to document all of our fun holiday activities. We pack in a bunch of stuff during December, but blogging about it January 1 is totally overwhelming, so I never get to it. This year I will try to "blog as I go," so we can remember at the end of the frenzy that we really did have fun!

So, since I am anti-Christmas until after my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, our festivities began the day after Thanksgiving with the annual tree lighting in our little community. Apparently we have the largest live Christmas tree in the nation. Or so the mayor said. I have not checked his research on that. Anywho, here she is in her lit up glory!

After the tree lighting, the mayor points out Santa, in a fire engine, and we all parade after him to the plaza where you can stand in line to see him. Since this is not our first ball game we know that you have to hi-tail it down there unless you want to stand in line all night! We got there pretty quick, stood in line, and chatted extensively with the big guy. Also, we saw this cute bear and lots of other jolly critters handing out cookies and candy canes. I guess this is one time of year where it's ok to talk to and take stuff from strangers..


Ian with the big guy. His list is so fun this year: a castle with horses and knights! I hope the elves can manage that!


Stay tuned for lots more of our fun!
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Happy Birthday to our big boy!

My baby is three (sniff)! I can't believe it! He had a great birthday, because, really, how can your birthday be anything but great on Halloween?! He dressed up as Obi Wan for the trunk or treat and fall carnival, but when the big day arrived he chose to be Yoda!

Here is the little punkin picking out his Pumpkin!


Yay for Star Wars birthday toys! Isn't he the handsomest?


Birthday smiles for Grandma! He loves his Star Wars guys!


And, Jonny delivered again with
A darling Yoda cake!


We love Ian! I will try to post
some nostalgia pics later!
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Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the Star Wars Clan:

Dad- Old Obi Wan
Mom- The Dark Side (yes, I pulled off being a concept!
Olivia- Princess Leia
Molly- Queen Amidala
Max- Darth Vader
Ian- Young Obi Wan

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Efficient!

Molly is tired of everyone at school asking her name. So, she sat down and made a bunch of these:

And instead of answering said people, she hands them one of her "cards!"

She seriously cracks me up.

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Chicago Marathon 2011

I went to ChiTown (that's what people call Chicago, apparently) last weekend to run the marathon. It's one of the top 5 marathons in the world, with over 45,000 registrants. My good friend and runner extraordinaire, Brittany, went to school there, so when we were trying to decide on a fall marathon, Chicago won out over local options. I have never been to Chicago, so it was a treat to see such a cool city. I loved it! It has a cool energy, and lots of diversity, yet the people were so friendly and laid back. I would love to visit again under better circumstances.

I won't bore you all with details of the race. I have rehashed it so much, even I am sick of hearing about it. A marathon is a funny animal. You train for 4+ months, including long 20+ mile runs on weekends toward the end of training. You over analyze everything from your diet, to your fueling, to your sleep, to your hydration to dial in the perfect senario. You visualize, meditate, and positive think yourself into KNOWING it will be a great race. You carb load the week before, and avoid anything that might cause the stomach distress that often comes with long runs. It's consuming. And, kind of a big deal. Anywho, here I am at the start (ignore the bags under my eyes from not sleeping a wink):

And, here is the sign that made me believe that I might actually make it across the finish line. What happened in between these two pics is a grueling four hours that made me swear off running forever and ever.
In conclusion, we have good running days, and we have bad running days. That day in Chicago, I had a bad running day. I have gone over it all with a fine tooth comb and have no idea why I felt like crap, but I did. And, I felt like crap pretty much the whole race. It was not at all how I visualized it.

But, I did it. I finished. I beat my last marathon time by 12 minutes. I made my legs move when they surely didn't want to. I dug deeper than I ever have in my life and reminded myself over and over again that, "my dad didn't give me these legs to look good in skirts." The mind is a powerful thing. Much more powerful than my legs, in this case.

I am trying not to let this be a disappointment. I didn't reach my goal. I did everything right and still, it did not happen. But, I learned that I can do really hard things.

And, there is always the next one...

Also, as an important side note, my sweet, supportive husband was right there with me through this whole journey. He has encouraged me from the start. He never complains that he is left in charge every Saturday monring when I am running for hours. He showed up at the end of a very tough run with doughnuts and ice water for Britt and me. He rubbed my feet and legs every night before the race. He took care of everything and sent me to bed in the days following. He is always there to lend an ear, an opinion (even though I often don't want to hear it), and gives lots of great advice. He never rolls his eyes (like I am guilty of doing) when I start planning another race. He is quick to tell me that he is super proud of me. I think he is so great and am totally unworthy of such a friend.

And, another side note, Brittany, my super great running buddy, is my hero! She rocked this marathon and is so much fun to run with every single week. I am so happy I found her and that we have taken these journeys together! I have a feeling there will be many more!

Max's first day of Kindergarten!

Here is the big guy on the first day. Isn't he so cute with his spikey hair and cute big-boy clothes!? I can't get enough of him dressed for school! He is even sporting really (seriously) cool Darth Vader shoes, which I am usually opposed to. But, these are not super cheesey, or ugly, and he really loves them!

Here is the happy guy hanging up his super cool guitar backpack. He has been so easy going about school! He is so happy to get up and get ready each and every morning. He is loving his new friends (all 4 of them! the class split is 13 girls and 5 boys)! And, he had no separation anxiety about me leaving him (sniff, sniff). This guy is going to rule the Kindergarten!

We are all super excited for a great school year!