Home is where your story begins

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-18T19:11:00.008-07:00

The $100 fan challenge. Tate's best Thanksgiving EVER!!!

Christopher's crazy pie eating face.

Very cute Dayley family.

Trace's dance moves

Hudson's dance moves...sorry Trace, Hudson is cuter :-)

just awkward...

how sweet ;-)

Beautiful girls

Christopher & Tate looking eerily similar....

Ingram family including Rocco

Pyramid of manly men.

awkward & uncomfortable family photo

Joey & Jess - cute newlyweds

Family Photos October 2011

2011-12-18T18:38:00.009-07:00

A few of my favorites from this year's family photo shoot. Bill and I are absent because it was impossible for Bill to be available. I didn't mind a bit. I don't like taking pictures.

Christmas Miracle??? Not really - I'm just posting to my bog...

2011-12-18T17:43:00.011-07:00

Sorry I am such an unreliable blogger. I guess I feel like I am too busy living life, to keep this up to date. So here is our year in review. Not many pictures, again I am terrible ;-)

Tate's 10th birthday! We alternate between family and friend birthday parties. This year was a family year, but Tate had friends over just to hang out.

Presents to open !!!

Tate's first day of 4th grade.

Taylor's first day of 8th grade.

Trace's first day of sophomore year.

Grandma & Grandpa were visiting Amanda for Easter, so we had Easter on our own. We invited Uncle Christopher to join us. The Easter Bunny even brought Christopher a basket with goodies!

We went to Florida for spring break. This is the view from the house we rented.

Taylor and Grandma watching the fishermen, unaware that they were being

eaten alive by no-see'ums. They were vicious!

Tate and Grandpa getting their rigs ready.

Bill turned 40 this year! He had 8 presents to open, each explaining a piece of his birthday surprise. The first one was a pack of Vegas playing cards. We went to Las Vegas for a weekend and he drove a Nascar on the Vegas Motor Speedway. Happy Birthday Baby!

Tate and his friend Jake were the Wright Brothers for the wax museum. They couldn't smile or talk at all. They were very dedicated to staying in character.

Trace and his friend Cole working on his Eagle Project. Trace chose to collect hazardous waste in our community and take it to be disposed of properly. He was a great leader and had a lot of support from his troop. He did the collection in April and his project was officially completed (including a ridiculous amount of paperwork) in October! Way to go Trace!

This was last year's Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be the snowstorm of 2010, so we decided to stay home instead of making the trek down to St. George. It was the first Thanksgiving we had as our own little family. We even ate in the official dining room and used the special china!

Japan Day 8

2011-07-08T19:33:00.004-06:00

We spent our last day in Japan shopping our way through Tokyo. We found some funny & questionable items along our journey. Enjoy!

X-rated wicker Samurai

What???

X-rated body pillows in a department store.

Body Glitter

New anime additions to our family.

Taylor & Tate chose to forgo shabu-shabu for dinner and had room service cheeseburgers.

Random Signs ~ part 2

2011-07-07T17:56:00.004-06:00

The money was not put to good use!

This was in Disney Sea.

Our direct translation of this was side order.

Instructions on how to use a squat toilet properly.

Japan Day 7

2011-07-07T17:42:00.006-06:00

Walking into a cloud as we arrived at Mt. Fuji.

Trace modeling a traditional rice patty hat.

The view from our hike.

Our mountain hut lunch.

The lavender flower garden.

The garden outside the Kimono museum.

A trout in a clear spring pond.

Our relaxing hot spring foot bath.

Enjoying some strawberry sorbet.

Jen brought her GPS watch. This is the satellite image of our travels.

Today our destination was Mt. Fuji. We met our guide Kuaru and drove up to the 5th station (the furthest a car can take you). It was a very foggy and damp day, so we never were able to see the top of the mountain. We did enjoy a hike, lunch at a mountain hut, a kimono museum, several nautral mountain springs, a flower garden, and a hot foot bath.

Japan Day 6

2011-07-07T17:20:00.005-06:00

The bullet train.

My delicious sushi lunch.

Tate and I drinking from the purified fountain at the Kiyomizu temple.

The veranda of Kiyomizu Temple.

A Japanese pagoda.

Often we had to remove our shoes and wear slippers ~ don't Bill's feet look dainty?

This is a painting on the ceiling of Nijo caslte.

The gang at the entrance to Nijo castle.

The Golden Pavilion

Today we enjoyed the city of Kyoto. We started the day taking the Shinkansen ~ bullet train. This train goes about 200 miles per hour. When we arrived we met our guide Akira and began our tour. We saw the Golden Pavilion (the top 2 levels are gold leaf), Nijo castle, Sanjusangendo (hundreds of buddhas are kept there), Kiyomizu Temple, and a zen temple established in 1202.

Japan Day 5

2011-07-06T07:38:00.004-06:00

On the train ride home our guide, Kuaru taught us how to make origami flying cranes.

At the top of the observatory on Enoshima Island.

The Great Buddah ~ it was breathtaking!

A beautiful bridge at the zen temple.

We stopped by a pond with carp in it. The local school children were having lunch recess and the boys were trying to catch the fish, Tate joined in the fun.

In front of an 800 year old bell used to warn of oncoming attacks.

Today was the beginning of our path to enlightenment. We took a commuter train to Kamakura ~ a beach town. We visited the zen temple Engakuji, another Shinto shrine, the island of Enoshima, and the Great Buddah ~ 800 yrs old.

Japan Day 4

2011-07-06T07:11:00.005-06:00

Sibling Sacrifice at the Temple of the Crystal Skull.

Our Indiana Jones Ride picture.

Jiminey Cricket

Trace with a couple of Disney Girls.

Riding a Little Mermaid ride.

In front of Port Discovery.

On the monorail into the park.

Today was Tokyo Disney Sea ~ a special Japan Disney park. It was really fun! The level of detail was amazing! The park concessions were very different ~ black pepper & strawberry popcorn, sausage & shrimp buns, and maple churros in the shape of Mickey's face. Our favorite rides were Journey to the Center of the Earth and Raging Spirits. One thing we noticed is that none of the Japanese people would scream on the rides, which only made us scream more :-).

Japan Day 3

2011-07-03T15:27:00.006-06:00

Fresh produce at the farmers market.

Hanging in the subway.

Yummy peaches.

Trace showing off his moves.

A man and his monkey ~ don't they look alike?

Yummy Jojuen dinner.

Probably wouldn't be a big seller in Highland.

Costco lovers unite!

Harajuku park.

Dancing Elvi ~ they were called the Lebels. We assume they mean Rebels.

Crazy Takeshita Street ~ seriously that was the name of the street!

Taylor's first modeling job.

Our third day in Japan consisted of trains, taxis, buses, & subways. The kids are becoming masters of mass transit! First we happened upon a farmers market just outside our hotel room. We bought some peaches that were delicious. Then we went in search of Costco in Kawasaki. It was quite an experience. The parking complex was 4 stories high, people took an escalator with their shopping carts back to their cars. The products in Costco were both strange and familiar. Then we spent the afternoon in Harajuku. This is a section of Tokyo were the eccentrics come. We saw dancing Elvi and a few teenagers dressed up as their favorite anime characters. There was even a man with a monkey! A local man asked Taylor if he could take her picture because she was so beautiful. She was thrilled and a little creeped out, mostly thrilled! The big hit of the day was when a man grabbed Trace to join him dancing in a drum circle. Trace did it! You can find the video on Bill's Facebook page. The evening ended with dinner at a Jojuen restaurant ~ you grill your own meat. Very yummy!

Random Signs ~ part 1

2011-07-02T16:33:00.005-06:00

This completely confused me ~ why an African American Michelin man?

This was a a box of small figurines called the smork'n labbit? It looked like a smoking rabbit.

We have so enjoyed the Japanese effort to communicate in English. Here are a few of our favorites.

Day 2 ~ Tour of Tokyo

2011-07-02T15:44:00.011-06:00

Before our dinner even started...worn right out!

Kids taking in the view.

View of Tokyo from Roppongi Observatory.

More Tokyo.

Enjoying a Beard Papa ~ cream puff in Shibuya Station.

Our yummy lunch.

In front of the Hachiko statue.

In front of the Meiji Shrine.

Traditional Japanese wedding party.

Part of Meiji Shrine.

A lantern along the path to the Meiji Shrine.

The nuclear power protest march.

The bridge to the Imperial Palace.

The ancient Japanese garden is surrounded by the modern city.

Beautiful wisteria.

Our delicious sushi snack ~ everyone tried some, Tate & Taylor were not huge fans.

Fish for sale.

Buckets of Octopus.

A huge frozen tuna being butchered.

Entry into the Fish Market.

An old Japanese couple worshiping at a Shinto Shrine.

Today we toured in style with a private guide and car. We went to the Tsukiji fish market, devoured the freshest sushi ever, worshipped at a couple of Shinto Shrines, toured an old Japanese garden, enjoyed a delicious yabisoba noodle lunch, witnessed a protest against nuclear power, visited Shibuya Crossing ~ 2.1 million people go through this train station everyday, saw a traditional Japanese wedding party, and went to the top of the Roppongi Observatory ~ 55 stories high, and ended the night with a delicious grilled japanese style dinner.

Day 1 part 2 ~ Jennies photos

2011-07-02T15:43:00.002-06:00

Just a few more picks from our day in Daiba.

Tokyo ~ Japan Day 1

2011-07-01T05:59:00.002-06:00

Our best karate poses in the hotel supplied kimonos.

Interesting architecture near our hotel.

Cute school girls in line for the ferris wheel.

A picture of a do not take picture sign ~ we are such rebels!

Italian Gelato in triangle cones.

The giant ferris wheel we rode ~ 345 feet tall!

We arrived at the Westin Tokyo after a very long, but pleasant flight and subsequent bus ride, Thursday evening. Friday morning arrived early ~ about 4:30 am. After a good workout and yummy breakfast, we were ready for the day by 8:30. Amy, Auntie Jen, and the kids toured around the hotel while Bill worked in the morning. The afternoon was spent in the resort community of Daiba. We enjoyed Toyota town, a giant ferris wheel, and a massive arcade. The ride back to the hotel was an authentic Japanese subway experience ~ think no personal space + body odor. Our favorite engrish of the day ~ smoking is prhibited ~ vowels are clearly overrated!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T12:42:00.004-06:00

Halloween was in full force this year. Pumpkin carving, Omniture/Adobe trick or treating, and neighborhood trick or treating. Taylor was a cute cowgirl and Tate was an army ranger. Tate's costume was inspired by his cousin/uncle JD who is an actual army ranger and just got home from Afghanistan. It was very cute because every time Tate was asked what he was he would respond ~ my uncle.

Stein Eriksen 2010

2010-11-02T12:33:00.003-06:00

Oh how we love Stein Eriksen! We chose to go to La Jolla last year over UEA because the pool was being worked on, so we were thrilled to get back this year! The mountains were beautiful, the weather was unbeatable, and the food was DELICIOUS. We even spent some time with our friends/neighbors the Gledhill's. We will be back next fall!

Happy 9th Birthday Tate

2010-11-02T12:25:00.002-06:00

Tate celebrated his 9th birthday and insisted that his friend party be on his exact birthday. This was not easy for me to pull off because we were leaving for Stein Eriksen that evening. But we persevered and made it happen. We had Dylan, Taylor, Jake, and Carsten all come over for cake and went to see a movie. Everyone had a great time! Tate continues to bring smiles & laughter to our home. We love you Tate.

Soccer - Fall 2010

2010-11-02T12:14:00.002-06:00

Tate chose to play on a competitive soccer team this fall. His team name is Highland Lightning. He has great teammates & coaches. Tate scored 3 goals this season. He also discovered that enjoys playing defense. We are looking forward to spring soccer.

BUGGED OUT

2010-11-02T12:00:00.003-06:00

Trace had a special assignment of collecting bugs for his bio-block class. So we all had to live with bugs in jars and on pins around the house for about a month. He found some pretty unusual ones ~ including a Jerusalem cricket!

Introducing...

2010-11-02T11:54:00.005-06:00

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Checchio, and it's not my Mom & Dad ~WEIRD!

Joey and Jessica were married September 9 at Red Butte Gardens. It was a lovely ceremony and a fantastic party. We all danced the night away! We are blessed to have Jessica added to our family. She is beautiful inside & out. Joey is a lucky man.

Spanish Fork Half Marathon

2010-09-20T20:38:00.007-06:00

Me & My little Sis

Me at the finish ~ 2:17 ~ 17 minutes better than my Bear Lake finish

So my CRAZY friend Stephanie & I decided to run another half marathon on September 11th. My sister Jennie, who has recently taken up triathlons, decided that she would run it with us since she would be in town for Joey's wedding. It was a cold morning, but ended up being perfect running weather. We all finished with personal bests and no walking!

Family Fun

2010-09-20T20:32:00.004-06:00

Auntie Jennie ~ Trace ~ Bill ~ Amy ~ Auntie Lizzie

Taylor & Miles

Chris & Laurel

Joey & Hudson

Auntie Amanda ~ Andrew ~ Hudson ~ Auntie Lizzie

Grandpa & Miles

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2010

2010-09-20T20:28:00.003-06:00

9th Grade

3rd Grade

7th Grade

We are hoping for a great school year!

Everyone is growing up so FAST!

Family Minute to Win it!

2010-09-20T20:20:00.004-06:00

PENCIL GRABBING

MORE PENCILS ~ I totally owned Joey!

PASTA

CUP STACKING

SUCK IT UP

OREOS

Teams were girls vs boys.

GIRLS RULED ~ BOYS DROOLED

Nephew Andrew's 1st Birthday

2010-09-20T20:10:00.003-06:00

YUMMY SUGAR

FUN TOYS

FABULOUS CAKE ~ made by Auntie Lizzie

We were so excited to have everyone come out for Joey & Jessica's wedding. It was perfect timing because Andrew turned 1 on September 6th. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of homemade personal pizzas and lots of laughs. Andrew enjoyed opening presents, with the help of his older cousin Miles, who yelled surprise as he presented each gift. He LOVED eating his cake and was very upset when it was taken away ~ I guess there's a little Checchio in him after all!

A running summer...literally

2010-09-20T19:46:00.007-06:00

The finish line at Bear Lake with Stephanie in the background

A sampling of our swag from the races + my worn out running shoes

Tate's t-shirt verifying that over the summer he ran 26.2 miles=a marathon!

So this summer we did a lot of running around.

I will try to remember all that we did.

JUNE

Bill's Scout Camp

Amy runs Bear Lake Half Marathon with Stephanie (2:34)

Tate's Running Group ~ every Tuesday & Thursday all summer

Trace's Scout Camp

Bill's business trip to Japan

JULY

Bill & Grandpa Checchio's fishing trip to Florida

Amy, Trace, Taylor, & Tate run the Freedom Festival 5K ~ breakfast at IHOP

Annual cul-de-sac of FIRE!

Taylor's first Girls Camp ~ which she loved!

Taylor's trip to Texas to visit her friend Elle

Trace's first EFY ~ which he loved!

Amy runs Pioneer Day Classic 10K (1:03)

Team INGRAM runs the Highland West Stake 5K ~ breakfast at Denny's

AUGUST

Tate's soccer camp

Team INGRAM runs the Highland Fling 5K ~ breakfast at IHOP

*Taylor takes 2nd place in her age group & Tate takes 3rd

Neighborhood day at 7Peaks Waterpark

Family adventure at Lagoon

First day of school ~ pictures on future post

17 year wedding anniversary

We had a lot of fun, playing, relaxing, and making memories. We are so BLESSED ~ seriously!

Rain Gutter Regatta

2010-09-20T19:41:00.004-06:00

Tate participated in his first rain gutter regatta back in May (I know I'm a terrible blogger). He had a lot of fun designing and building his boat with his Dad - note the U of U colors. He raced pretty well and had a blast with his fellow cub scouts!

6th Grade Graduation

2010-05-24T17:14:00.003-06:00

Jenna ~Madeline~Taylor~Amanda

Taylor graduated from 6th grade this past Friday.
She has had a tremendous year!
A great teacher ~Miss Howard & the BEST friends~Jenna, Madeline, & Amanda.
Next up Jr. High!

Our Rose

2010-04-15T14:30:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Beautiful Girl!
We love you.

SURF'S UP

2010-04-10T21:42:00.004-06:00

DUDE, we spent the day catching some GNARLY waves at Flemming Beach.

Happy Birthday!

2010-04-09T20:27:00.004-06:00

Bill spent his birthday in a lounge chair beside the ocean.
It's good to be KING!!!

We love you!

A few favorites...

2010-04-08T21:20:00.003-06:00

Jumping on the Lanai Beach

A friendly Humpback whale

Dolphins racing our fishing boat

Maui doesn't disappoint!

Catch of the Day!

2010-04-07T21:41:00.006-06:00

First Fish

Prettiest Fish

Biggest Fish

We did a little deep sea fishing this morning.
Although we struck out with BIG fish, everyone caught something.
Dolphins even came to play!!!

Molokini Snorkel Trip

2010-04-06T21:21:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed a peaceful sailboat ride out to Molokini.

- beautiful weather, amazing fish, and lovely company -

I never believed it would happen

2010-04-05T12:42:00.004-06:00

Yes. I never thought I would ever see Janet in any kind of water. Sure, she has dipped her toes in at odd times, and even worn a swimming suit occasionally in La Jolla. This time she did it! She actually got in the ocean and swam with the kids. I'm checking the temperature in hell...

- posted by Bill

Thank goodness for...

2010-03-30T11:03:00.003-06:00

UNLIMITED TEXT!
Back in November we added a 'kid phone' to our plan. The idea was that whenever one of the kids was going to be somewhere without a parent, there would be a phone available for them to use. In reality, Trace is the only one to whom that situation applies. This is his average total text messages per month, without texting on Sundays.
CRAZY!

Way too fast!

2010-02-08T16:16:00.002-07:00

I am a terrible blogger (Trace's birthday was on 12.31.09.), but an even worse mother! I did not take 1 picture of Trace on his 14th birthday! So I found one from when he turned 4. Where has the time gone!? We are so grateful for Trace in our family. Here's a blow by blow of his day.

- Rudely awakened and treated to breakfast at IHOP with his loving family.
- New bedroom furniture delivered & set up - birthday gift!
- Visit with Grandma & Grandpa Checchio.
- Sherlock Homes with Mitch & Barnes.
- All Nighter with a great group of friends, pizza, movies, treats!
- Bleary eyed breakfast at IHOP
- Back to Bed!
WE LOVE YOU TRACE!

From our Home to Yours

2009-12-26T09:07:00.003-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

+ 1 bird

2009-12-18T13:47:00.004-07:00

We have added to our pet cemetary today. Sometime during the night Ringo, our love bird, died. We are not sure why. We take comfort in knowing that he is not alone. He is in the company of countless fish, a handful of hermit crabs, an iguana, a bearded dragon, a frog, and one very good dog. His chirping will be immortalized on our answering machine...until I redo the message.

Look what I found...

2009-12-11T19:12:00.007-07:00

and I am not talking about the dime. It's the hair next to the dime that I am referring too. No it isn't an eyelash and I didn't find it in my food. I found it on my FACE, on my right cheek. Not growing out of a mole or anything. ( which I do have on my left cheek) Just a random MAN whisker!!!! I have become religious about waxing my eyebrows & mustache, as I like to say erasing my Italian Heritage, but apparently now I have to do whisker checks on my whole face. Here is another thing - I have been having the hardest time with underground pimples lately too!! Is this what 35 is? It's like I'm trapped in between PUBERTY & MENOPAUSE...UGH!!
Well all I really know for sure is that if I were to slip into a coma Bill would have to hire someone to come wash & wax my face or I could be mistaken for an adolescent boy trying to grow a mustache & beard!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T09:11:00.002-07:00

Tate as an Indian Chief for his class play

We are so very grateful for all of our many blessings!

my 1 woman race!

2009-11-16T10:06:00.003-07:00

So I mentioned in a previous post that I had decided to run a 1/2 marathon. About 1/2 way into my training I realized that the date of the race was the same as Tate's baptism date. Baptism will trump just about everything. So because I am very good at being told what to do, especially when there is a list involved, I committed to run it anyway. That is what I did this past Saturday! I ran 13.1 miles on my treadmill while watching ESPN's College Gameday & a bit of the old movie The Bachelor. The read out on my treadmill is a bit skewed because it only reads 49.26 minutes but it was really 149.26 minutes (my treadmill automatically shuts off when it hits 100 minutes, so I had to restart it), it reads 52.4 laps which = 13.1 miles, and it says I only burned 570 calories, but that should really be 1570 calories. I was exhausted and laid in bed for most of the afternoon. I also finished my Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate slice I had used to carbo-load the night before! Pretty sure that's not the best thing to eat the night before a race, but it was a good enough excuse for me. All I know is that if I can do it, anyone can! I used to say that I could only run around the bases on a softball field - I guess I can go a bit further now...

Tate's Baptism

2009-11-07T20:37:00.005-07:00

Joey & Jessica, Garn & Ronda, Bill, Tyson, Janet, Trace, Joe, Taylor, Amy, Chris, Tate

Our cute heads together picture - Thanks Mom!

Tate & Bill

Tate had a great Baptism. Taylor Rose gave the talk on Baptism and Trace gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. They did a great job! Both Grandma's gave prayers and the Grandpa's were the witnesses. We are so grateful to have Tate in our family and for his decision to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.
We are grateful for everyone who came to support Tate on his special day!

Halloween '09

2009-11-05T10:09:00.005-07:00

Perfect Costume for a handsome almost 14 yr old - A Chick Magnet!

Taylor Rose is a baby as was most of the girls in the neighborhood
& Tate was a Zombie Soccer Player

Pumpkin Carving - one of my FAVORITE things to do - SERIOUSLY!!!

Blowing things up!

2009-10-25T22:45:00.002-06:00

Bill took the boys out to shoot exploding targets.

Looks like the boys weren't the only ones shooting!

This video shows what happens when you mix a dishwasher and one of these

1 gallon exploding targets. Unbelievable!

BOY SCOUTS!

2009-10-21T16:31:00.002-06:00

Tate was thrilled to attend his first wolf den meeting. He looks so official in his uniform!

La Jolla in the Fall

2009-10-21T16:28:00.002-06:00

We mixed it up a little this year & decided to make 2 trips to La Jolla. We had a marvelous time as usual and the weather held up pretty well, we only had 1 day of clouds. It is truly our home away from home!

It's great to be 8!

2009-10-21T16:17:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Tate! We celebrated early with dinner at Texas Roadhouse - Tate's choice, he loves steak- with Grandpa & Grandma Checchio and Uncle Joey, followed by presents at home. The big hit was the foam swords from Grandpa & Grandma. A few days later on his actual birthday we had cake in La Jolla. We love you Tate!

More blood...

2009-10-21T16:14:00.004-06:00

Is this to be expected with teenage boys? Trace came in from playing football with friends in the backyard with his nose GUSHING blood. Nurse Mom's solution, roll up 1/4 paper towels and stick them up as far as they can go... it seemed to do the trick.

Nothing to add...

2009-09-16T15:50:00.001-06:00

1 - 13 yr old boy + 1 - pair of needle nose pliers =

2009-09-08T12:28:00.002-06:00

1 - trip to Urgent Care & 1 - punctured Dorsal Digital Artery

Lessons learned : WEAR SHOES

DO NOT THROW SHARP OBJECTS INTO THE LAWN

GAME ON!!!

2009-09-05T12:25:00.002-06:00

It's my favorite time of year!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON!

GO UTES!

(this is Amy posting)

First day of School '09

2009-08-20T13:26:00.004-06:00

They are growing up way to0 FAST!

Mr. 8th Grader

Miss Diva 6th Grader

Little Man 2nd Grader

It's that time again! We are looking forward to a great school year.

Non - blogged summer happenings

2009-08-14T14:14:00.003-06:00

Summer always goes by so fast and I'm afraid I haven't been a diligent photographer this summer. Here is a list of our missing pictures...

- Scout Camp Thunder Ridge

- Trips to American Fork Rec Center Pool

- A weekend in Heber

- Trace's week of BYU Lacrosse Camp

- Hours of NIGHTGAMES

- 2 trips to 7peaks

- Day at Lagoon

- BBQ's with friends & family

Overall it has been a busy & fun summer. I am always ready for school to begin, but will look forward to another great summer in 2010!

Pioneer Day Classic '09

2009-08-14T13:59:00.003-06:00

Me & Stephanie post race

Nearing the finish line - FINALLY!

Thanks to my friend Stephanie, I decided to take on the challenge of running a 10K (6.2 m). After a complicated start (Stephanie forgot her knee band) we finished the race in 1hr 04 min. Now she has convinced me to run a half marathon in November and then take on the Ragnar Relay next summer. CRAZY!!! We will see if we're still friends when this is all over....

Sleeping Out

2009-08-14T13:54:00.002-06:00

Once again the kids attempted to sleep out on the deck. As usual the best part was the creation of the tent. They lasted until about 11:00....maybe next year.

Cake Day

2009-07-22T07:26:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Aunt Lizzy came to have a cake decorating day with Taylor Rose. Taylor decided she wanted to make her Dad out of fondant - complete with his "shiny" hair. They had a marvelous time. Thanks Lizzy for teaching Taylor all about the world of cake decorating, she loved it!

Cul-de-sac of FIRE!

2009-07-09T15:16:00.003-06:00

On the 4th of July we hosted a neighborhood BBQ and fireworks display. The food was delicious, especially the numerous desserts, and the company was outstanding. ALL the boys released their inner "pyro" and put on a loud, smokey, and colorful firework celebration.

We have such great friends and were so happy to enjoy the evening with them!

Another visitor

2009-06-30T07:49:00.002-06:00

About a week ago the kids came running in the house squealing over a moth.

Silly kids I thought.... this actually took my breath away.

Kick'n it Old School

2009-06-30T07:44:00.004-06:00

I found the classic Jiffy Pop at Walmart a few weeks ago.

The kids loved popping it over the stove! Good times...

Unsportsmanlike!?

2009-06-16T16:45:00.003-06:00

This weekend Bill shot a Magpie with his pellet gun. He was thrilled! (those birds are quite crafty) He left the carcass in the yard to entice new targets, but instead it attracted three 7 year old boys. I found Tate and his friends Carsten & Jaxson taking target practice on the defenseless prey. They felt victorious each time an arrow pierced the target, coming to me each time with details of exactly which part of the anatomy was hit. Tate claimed the greatest prize with part of the brain on his arrow! GROSS!

Soccer Camp

2009-06-16T16:19:00.003-06:00

Tate had a great time at the Challenger Soccer Camp last week. He went Monday-Friday from 9-12. The instructors were young men from England who spend their summers traveling the United States teaching kids soccer. Tate would sometimes complain he couldn't understand them because of their accents. These pictures were taken on the last day which was World Cup Day. Tate obviously was on team England!

Hill Air Force Base Open House

2009-06-10T15:47:00.005-06:00

Click on this picture & see the pilot

This past weekend we attended the HFB Open House. It was tremendous! You get to see, sit, and walk through the most amazing airplanes and helicopters. All sorts of airplanes were putting on incredible shows and death defying tricks. Our favorite was the Thunderbirds Show. It makes me so nervous as they fly so close together and pass each other. The traffic getting home was not fun, but was made a little better with a stop at Red Lobster (the kids favorite) for dinner. We are so grateful to all of those who sacrifice so much to keep us safe and free!

Dance Festival '09

2009-06-10T15:36:00.003-06:00

Nice Jazz Hands

Keeping the beat

Taylor and Tate danced with great enthusiasm at this years Dance Festival. The 5th grade performed to Cotton Eye Joe and the 1st grade performed to a High School Musical song.

It was great fun!

A little visitor

2009-06-10T15:27:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago this bright little fellow and his wife were hanging around our house. They kept trying to come in through the window but when we left the door open they didn't seem too interested. They stayed for about 3 days and then continued their journey. We still aren't sure what kind of birds they were. They were a little smaller than a robin and had a beautiful song. We will be watching for them next year!

Jet-Setter

2009-05-31T20:52:00.004-06:00

A carved ceiling in the Louvre

Sacred Heart Cathedral

CLASSIC

TOURISTS!

Those naughty English...

One of many beautiful English gardens

Bridge along the Princess Diana Memorial Walk

Authentic English phone booth

So Bill flew straight from La Jolla to London on Sunday and I joined him on Tuesday for a quick European tour. We stayed in London for 2 days and Paris for 2 days. It was beautiful, mesmerizing, and delicious. It was the first time I had traveled abroad (besides cruising) and I loved it. The plane rides were long but the jet lag wasn't too bad. I can't wait for our next adventure!

La Jolla 2009

2009-05-04T13:55:00.005-06:00

Oh, how we love La Jolla! It never disappoints.

Easter

2009-04-30T15:59:00.004-06:00

Easter is filled with egg dying, egg hunting, and lots of candy. We are also grateful for the reminder of the Savior's Atonement and sacrifice. We are blessed to members of His great gospel and to know of His plan of happiness. We find comfort and peace in this crazy world because of the knowledge we have that we can be together forever through the power and blessings of the priesthood.

April Birthdays

2009-04-30T15:44:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Bill's 38th and Taylor's 11th birthdays this month. For Bill's birthday we went to Marley's for sliders (he has an obsession with mini-burgers) and picked up sugar cookies from Smart Cookie. Taylor had a mini-celebration with her friend Kaitlin. They went for pedicures and saw the Hannah Montana movie. Another year older and hopefully wiser...

Bake-off

2009-04-06T11:45:00.009-06:00

Bill's attempt at "authentic" homemade bread

My attempt at healthy pizza frietes

A few weeks ago I was making dough in the bread maker for pizza frietes. Bill then decided that he wanted to make bread the old fashioned way. The contest had begun, his muscles against my machine. I decided to bake my dough instead of the customary frying method. It turned out okay, fried of course tastes much better. Bill's bread was great for his first attempt. It wasn't very pretty, he will work on his presentation next time. I'm so lucky to have a husbad who desires even to try to bake, maybe a desire to do laudry is not far off....

Pathetic, I know...

2009-04-01T09:48:00.003-06:00

My American Idol Top 5

Allison Iraheta

Has talent, but seems too 'weathered' for only being 16 years old.

Adam Lambert

A real 'artist', but I cannot like him based on my no crazies principle.

Lil' Rounds

Has tremendous talent, I just don't care for her style of music.

Danny Gokey

Used to be my #1, but sings every song the same way, needs to switch things up.

Kris Allen

Love Him! Has originality, talent, and stage swagger!

As for the rest of last night's performances : Scott's was the best for him so far, I still think the pity vote will wear off soon and somebody has got to tell him to wear sunglasses. Megan was AWFUL! I hope she goes tonight. Anup sang well but I just find his performances boring. Matt was okay, but I think forgettable just like he was last week. I know that a woman in her mid-thirties SHOULD have something better to do than handicap a reality t.v. competition, but I don't! Let me know what you think.

Our Future

2009-03-26T10:46:00.002-06:00

This morning in the car...

Tate, "Mom, Taylor Rose talks a lot."

Me, "I know, most girls do."

Tate, "No Mom, I mean A LOT!"

Congrats Trace

2009-03-25T13:54:00.007-06:00

Trace made the American Fork Jr. High Lacrosse A-team!

Too bad I have no idea how to play or what the rules are, time to do some studying...

Look what I did...

2009-03-12T15:13:00.010-06:00

BUT NOT TOO CLOSELY!

Much to my astonishment (and that of Bill & Kids) I was able to reupholster my dining room chairs yesterday! They aren't perfect, but I think they're pretty good. Just a few more touches and the living & dining rooms will be officially decorated. Next is the master bedroom.

Lessons from Gracie

2009-03-03T03:44:00.004-07:00

My heart is heavy as I post tonight. My every thought is with Gracie and her family. I cannot begin to imagine how they must feel having said goodbye for the last time. It has been my privilege to love and serve them throughout this journey.

My family has been strengthened through sharing this experience. As I came home from bootcamp early yesterday morning I found Trace and Taylor in the office anxiously reading Gracie's blog. Their hearts were touched as they read the loving words posted by her mother. Later that day while driving home from school, Tate turned to me and said, "I know Heavenly Father is so proud of Gracie for trying so hard to live here on earth. She must be so happy to be in heaven now."

As for me, Gracie has taught me so many things, if I were to list them all my post would never end. Most of all she has taught me to enjoy the journey. As a mother I find that I choose to spend so much of my time trying to erase the fact the my children exist. I am constantly cleaning, straightening, checking things of the 'to do' list, trying so hard to control life. Instead I need to appreciate the fact that if my house is filled with happy chaos, if there are crumbs on the floor, and sticky spots on my counter, it means that my children are here. That instead of running around picking up after them, I need to put down my Windex and run with them.

Thank you Gracie for reminding me what is most important. May you and your family be encircled about eternally in the arms of His love. 2 Nephi 1:15

Just call me a liar...

2009-02-19T18:16:00.005-07:00

You know the contests you see on T.V. where, when you buy a specific product, you may have a chance at winning a fabulous prize. The popular tag line is "MANY will enter, only ONE will win!" I have always told my kids that they are nothing but schemes. Wednesday I had to run to Target and just happened to see that there was a new sour yogo fruit snack on sale so I picked up a couple of boxes. (my family loves anything sour) Tate had been seeing the commercials for a contest they were running and quickly ripped the boxes open. The first revealed the usual "Sorry, you are not a winner." The second revealed a $5.oo Discover card! Apparently there are 43,000 $5.oo cards and we managed to find one -which split between 3 kids is $1.67 each. I am afraid this will only encourage contest purchases in the future!

Prayers Needed

2009-02-15T15:11:00.003-07:00

Little Gracie has had a rough week and has an unimaginable road ahead. Please keep her in your prayers. For an update click on her blog to the left.

Happy Heart Day!

2009-02-14T07:34:00.004-07:00

Goodies for my Valentines

Science Fair, Braces, & Influenza

2009-02-13T11:52:00.002-07:00

Thursday was a busy day. It was the 5th grade Science Fair. Taylor did her project on what can help stinky feet (which she unfortunately inherited from my Dad). It turns out that rubbing your feet with lemon juice is the best remedy. Then Taylor went to Dr. Gee and got her braces. She LOVES them, it helps that a few of her friends have them. She has pink and green bands and is so excited to switch her colors every month. She also has a widening device on her lower jaw. Her mouth is full of contraptions! The influenza comes from Tate. He complained of a headache, which became severe and then had a fever of 103. I took him to the after hours clinic and they swabbed his nose and tested for the actual FLU. It was positive. He cannot go to school for a week and needs lots of liquids and rest. He is still running a small fever even with medication. He is feeling pretty miserable, but fortunately for me, is not a big complainer. Now all I have to do is continually wipe down my house with anti-bac stuff in hopes no one else gets infected. We will be getting our FLU shots next year!

What?

2009-02-09T16:07:00.004-07:00

Sleeping has never been an issue for me, eating on the other hand....

Who knew?

2009-02-06T13:30:00.003-07:00

After our long day at Sundance

Apparently we are a skiing family. This past Monday the kids had the day off from school so I decided it was the perfect opportunity for them to take a skiing lesson. Yes, it is the first time our kids have been skiing. Yes, I am a terrible mother. Anyway, the weather was gorgeous and everyone loved it! We skied for 6 hours. Taylor even says she wants to be an Olympic Skier. Needless to say we were all exhausted when we got home, but the kids can't wait to go again.

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-06T13:17:00.004-07:00

Christopher and his victory smile

Joey & Jess

Not much interest in the game here

Yummy chocolate stadium cake

Fabulous Food, Great Game, & Cool Company!

A funny from Taylor Rose...

2009-01-29T14:53:00.003-07:00

The other day we were in the car talking about different blessings of the gospel. Rose asked, "How old do you have to be to get your PATRIOTIC blessing?" Bill and I laughed and then corrected her - PATRIARCHAL blessing is what you mean. It was the day before the inauguration, politics on the brain maybe?

The Beanie

2009-01-29T14:44:00.002-07:00

I bought a beanie for Tate in anticipation for an upcoming skiing lesson. I had know idea it would stay on his head for the next 3 days straight, coming off only for bath time. One never knows the things kids will love?!

Sugar Bowl Champions

2009-01-07T10:11:00.003-07:00

Can you believe it? On January 2nd the Utah Utes (#6) handily beat the Alabama Crimson Tide (#4) 31 to 17. My husband never questioned whether we would win, the rest of us were just hoping we wouldn't embarrass ourselves. We had a marvelous time in the Big Easy, enjoying the delicious food (especially the beignets - a donut specialty of N.O.), listening to the various street musicians play their smooth jazz, and especially shocking the entire college football nation!!! I love college football for exactly that reason - During any given game, with the right preparation and the right opportunity, any team can beat any other team. GO UTES!

An Official Teenager

2009-01-07T09:31:00.003-07:00

On New Year's Eve we celebrated Trace's 13th birthday! I guess that makes me officially OLD. We are so grateful to have Trace in our family. It is so fun to watch him grow into himself and become a wonderful young man. As far as the gifts go, it was his Dad's idea to get him an electric guitar - isn't that just what every mother wants her teenage son to have?!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2008-12-28T15:03:00.004-07:00

Look out Angelina!

2008-12-27T17:01:00.003-07:00

Bill broke out the box of wax lips he has for Scout Camp and we all hammed it up for the camera. Lots of laughs for everyone!

Christmas Eve Cookies

2008-12-27T16:47:00.003-07:00

Christmas Eve my family came down to see a movie, have dinner, and make sugar cookies for Santa. The evening was a great success, the movies were good, the panninis(sp?) were delicious, and the cookies were spectacular! A special thank you to Aunt Lizzy for making the dough and Aunt Amanda for overseeing the cookie making.

Candy Trains 2008

2008-12-27T16:30:00.003-07:00

We so enjoy our candy train tradition we have with our friends, The Mowers. It's always interesting to see how the kids choose to use their candy. We have found that the older the child, the amount of candy used increases exponentially!

We're going BOWL'N

2008-12-21T16:09:00.004-07:00

After another perfect 12 - 0 season the Utah Utes busted the BCS. They are going to the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans and we will be there to cheer them on! GO UTES!

Christmas Sing

2008-12-18T15:34:00.002-07:00

As is tradition at our elementary school today was the Christmas Sing. Each grade performs 2 Christmas songs for all the parents in the gym. This year it was incredibly crowded. I got there 20 minutes early and was able to snag a seat on the back row. Taylor and Tate did great, they knew all the actions and words to their songs. We will be humming them for the rest of the day.

My hard working MAN!

2008-12-18T15:04:00.004-07:00

Bill bought a snow blower this past Tuesday in anticipation of a big storm that was supposed to hit. Much to his dismay it only snowed about 1 inch and didn't really stick. On Tuesday morning it snowed a couple of inches and he was very excited to use his new machine. This morning there was about 4 inches and he was right out there blowing it away. It now only takes about 20 minutes instead of the hour it used to take. We will see how long the enthusiasm lasts.

Merry Christmas to ME!

2008-11-26T15:13:00.003-07:00

My Favorite Piece!

The view from the family room

The view from the entryway

So back in September I was shopping with my very good friend Kelly at Taipan Imports, when we came across the perfect Christmas tree for me. After a 15 minute conversation, I had committed to buying the tree, the ornaments, and hiring the two very talented women who had designed and decorated the tree in the store to come to my home to replicate it. I am very fortunate to have a great husband who loves Christmas and was willing to let me spend a ridiculous amount of money on this endeavor. I am thrilled with the final result! It may be up until Valentine's Day!

Orthodontics 101

2008-11-20T13:37:00.004-07:00

Looks painful!

Tuesday morning Taylor began her journey to a straighter smile. She had her expander cemented to the roof of her mouth. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I get to stick a wrench in the middle of the contraption and widen her palate. Tate says it looks like a water skeeter! She has some discomfort and is really struggling to find things she can eat. Most days she threatens to rip it out! I just keep telling her it will be worth it in the end.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-11-14T17:00:00.002-07:00

In honor of my Mom's birthday I thought I would list a few things she has taught me:

-The importance of patience

-The meaning of sacrifice

-The strength in faith

-The love of motherhood

Thanks for being my Mom! We love you!

I am a Utah man sir!

2008-11-02T16:41:00.002-07:00

After squeaking by New Mexico the Ute's are 9 - 0! I just hope we were saving up our talent for TCU on Thursday night. GO UTES!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T16:22:00.003-07:00

Our holiday started Sunday night with pumpkin carving. Here's a little known fact about me - I love to carve pumpkins. It is the one artistic thing I enjoy doing. Wednesday the kids went to the Ward carnival with the Mortensens, I was home sick, yuck. Friday began with the elementary school costume parade, then trick-0r-treating at Omniture, and finally neighborhood trick-or-treating. The kids came home with quite a haul. I'll give them a few days to enjoy it and then offer to buy their candy for a nominal fee. They usually go for it. No more wrappers on the floor and no more cheating on my diet!

UEA Weekend

2008-11-02T16:02:00.003-07:00

Last year we decided to take a "staycation" and stay up at Stein Eriksen Lodge for UEA weekend. It was so nice that we decided to make it a tradition. We drove up Thursday evening and stopped for dinner at Red Lobster - it is the kids favorite place to eat. The kids promptly hop in to the hot tub we had on the deck of our room. It was way too cold outside for Bill and I to join them. Friday we woke up and had breakfast to the restaurant in the Lodge. The bacon there is tremendous! We did a little shopping in the morning and then spent the afternoon at the well heated pool. We ate dinner again at the lodge restaurant and again went back to the pool for some night swimming. Bill and I did jump in the pool, it sure was a cold walk back to the room. We packed up Saturday morning and headed down to the Utah game. It's our little get away, we can't wait to go again next year.

Happy Birthday Tate!

2008-11-02T15:34:00.005-07:00

Presents!

Blowing out candles on a pumpkin pie

Tate & friends at Jump On It

My very talented neighbor Stephanie decorated this cake for me

I know this is long overdue, but I had to wait for Bill to be available to teach me how to upload the pictures to the computer from the new camera. Anyway, on Friday Tate had a great "friend" birthday party at Jump On It - a place full of connected trampolines to jump on. The kids seemed to have a great time. On Sunday we had a birthday with Grandma, Grandpa, Joey and Chris. They came down for dinner and pumpkin pie. Finally on Monday night, we had an official present opening for family home evening. His official birthday was on Tuesday. He brought laffy taffy sticks for his classmates and presented his class with a new book to celebrate. We are so lucky to have Tate in our family. He is a such a good boy, very kind and loving, and can always make us laugh. We love you Tate!