supervising from the couch

Overcoming Overwhelming.

2012-01-12T23:37:00.001-07:00

A couple of years ago I decided to take a daily photo, and have managed to post 313 daily photo entries since then. But it just isn't fitting into my life right now, so I was excited when I saw this post about a project that seems a little more doable right now. The idea is to take (or narrow down to) twelve photos every month on the 12th, ending, of course, on 12-12-12.

I immediately loved the idea, and spent some time considering what 12 photos I wanted to take this month. Twelve things for which I'm grateful? That was nixed by Rob, who didn't want to have his photo taken. Twelve resolutions? Even I'm not that crazy. Twelve favorite things? I might do that one in a future month. For this month I decided to do a photo essay about my life right now. If you read my belated November entry, and noticed the still-missing-but-soon-to-come December report, you might (correctly) assume that I've been overwhelmed. I am working on overcoming that—here's how:

I'm a "half-empty" girl by nature, but I've learned that happiness really is a choice, and a result of positive, "half-full" thinking. So for each negative, dark thought, I try to find at least a silver lining.

Overwhelming is the cold, gray deadness of winter. Today was an exception, actually, with beautiful blue skies. Still, I don't even start feeling warm unless it's at least 72 degrees, and going outside in the inversion is pretty much the equivalent of smoking a pack, so I have a hard time wanting to go out and enjoy the much needed sunshine. Rob tells me he recently read an article stating that there is no scientific evidence for seasonal depression. Hmm, sounds like a man saying there is no such thing as PMS to me. :) My personal experience tells me that light, warmth and color all have a major impact on my sense of well-being.

Overcoming means a daily dose of Vitamin D. I do try to get outside as often as I can, but as it's dark and icy at 6:00 a.m., most of my walks get moved inside a gym on a treadmill. Again, I have only personal experience, not scientific evidence, but D3 seems to help me cope.

Overwhelming is illness, in its many forms. Today Ellie was home from school, after throwing up the night before. She's not one to tough it out, and spent a lot of time crying, sobbing and moaning. This isn't something that makes me (or Rob) very sympathetic, unfortunately, though it did break my heart when she told me that she thought she must have cancer and be dying. I reassured her about that, but couldn't do much about her sadness that she would not be receiving the perfect attendance award she'd hoped for this year.

Overcoming happens when a wonderful friend brings by 7-Up for your sick child so you don't have to leave her, and then stays to visit for an hour and lifts your spirits too. My good friend Jackie Moulton saved the day today, and although she's super modest, I talked her into sharing some of her wonderful poems at book group tonight. It was such a great evening, I came home feeling completely recharged, and so grateful for beautiful writing and amazing friends. I've struggled with multiple health challenges this year, with my back and eyes, and although it stinks, it may actually be worth it just to discover how generous and kind people are.

Overwhelming is being called to teach gospel doctrine. I'm intimidated by the idea of teaching people more experienced and well-read than I, and the sheer volume of available resources to help is more overwhelming than comforting. These are just a few of the books we have; there are enough online resources to keep me reading 40+ hours a week. (Speaking of online resources, I've started keeping my study notes on another blog: http://gospeldoctrinenotes.blogspot.com/). Yes, I shouldn't be complaining about feeling overwhelmed when I make work for myself. I figure I'm preparing anyway, so if it can help anyone else, great. Ideally I'll start posting my thoughts before the lesson, not after. :)

Overcoming is the realization that this is really the only essential reading. Reading the Book of Mormon has been one of the best tools I've discovered for coping with feelings of being overwhelmed. I am grateful to have a calling that motivates me to do this more regularly and with greater intensity.

Overwhelming is what I think when I consider the amount of cleaning and organizing that need to happen around here. I could have taken any number of photos for this—the piles of laundry waiting to be washed, folded and put away, or the messy storage room. The lockers seemed least objectionable, even though Rob had to warn Joey not to put an important assignment in his locker, so it wouldn't be lost in "the vortex of crap." It makes me tired just thinking about it.

Overcoming, for me, means doing a least a few household chores consistently. Starting the day with our bed made always makes me feel better, and Rob too, since he always makes a point of thanking me when I do it. I like clean surfaces, even if I know that a "vortex of crap" is lurking behind closed doors. One other mind trick that helps me when I'm overwhelmed with the mundane repetitiveness of it all, is to focus on the person (or people) I'm serving. Thinking of Ainsley while I fold her tiny, fancy, girly clothes always makes me smile.

Overwhelming: trying to help not just my own two boys, but a group of Webelos, and now 11 year-old boy scouts earn their rank advancements and merit badges. Anyone who read my Ode to Lois Banks will know what kind of standard I'm trying to live up to. It's a pretty big deal. Overwhelming pretty much sums it up.

Overcoming. Here's the thing though. I love this quote by Kahlil Gibran, "Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart." I really want to be someone who makes a difference in other people's lives, the way I've seen Lois make a difference in Robbie's life. I don't think this is something that just happens without any effort. I hope I will make the most of this opportunity.

Overwhelming is feeling over-scheduled. My schedule is pretty relaxed compared to others. I know this, but also know myself well enough to know that I need down-time almost as much as I need clean counters. :) I want the kids to have opportunities to develop talents and discipline, so we're involved in piano, scouting, sports, ballet, sewing lessons, etc. I want to be involved in their education, and so I volunteer in their classrooms and help in the PTA. Yet I hate feeling like I don't have time to read, which restores me.

Overcoming: Although I love every opportunity to sit down and turn actual pages, when there just isn't time, I listen to audiobooks. There are many books that I actually prefer the audio version. The Harry Potter series, narrated by Jim Dale, is amazing; and The Help and Ender's Game were both better listening than reading. Today I finished a spy novel that Rob recommended, The Kill Artist, by Daniel Silva. Not very high-brow, just some suspense. Sometimes that's exactly what I need in my upward-spiral efforts. I almost never watch TV, but have just discovered the BBC's Downton Abbey, so I can add that to my guilty-pleasure escapism.

Whew. That's a long, semi-confessional post. One written mostly for my kids, since I hope it's a lesson they'll learn much earlier than I did. Anyone have any good ideas for next's month's twelve photos?

Deceivingly blank...

2011-12-01T17:35:00.002-07:00

It's not the first time I've skipped blogging for a whole month. But this time I hardly took any photos, which is unusual. 288 photos, on only eight days. Here's what I captured:

1st

Robbie had a persistant cough for months, and was treated for infection and walking pneumonia with no results before I finally made an appointment with an allergist. It turns out he's not allergic or asthmatic, but the appointment still did the trick...he stopped coughing.

5th

It wasn't the first snow of the year, but maybe the deepest. Ellie and Ainsley played outside for hours.

11th

The elementary school was out for the day, so we staged a photo on 11/11/11 at 11:11 a.m.

19th

We were able to attend the Draper Temple, where Davy and Emma were sealed. Oh, and the Utes beat Washington State in overtime. :)

20th

Ralph told us about our Marsh ancestors at the Backman Family History Night.

21st

Ainsley lost her first tooth! The slacker tooth fairy didn't make an appearance for four whole days though...

24th

Thanksgiving! Our favorite holiday. We had a fabulous day and dinner in St. George at Ralph and Judy's. We were grateful to enjoy the company of Jake, the Stringhams, Grandpa & Grandma Backman, the Rasmussens and the Knaubs. It was my first year ever making my Grandma's fabulous candied yams, and they were a success!

25th

We had a fun game of dodgeball with the family. The kids told me earlier in the month that their favorite Thanksgiving tradition is going to St. George. No wonder, they spent hours playing outside with their cousins.

28th

We put up the Christmas tree a little early this year, since I was hostessing a Relief Society dinner on December 1st.

So, why the lack of photos? No, it was not restraint on my part. I was pretty much overwhelmed with daily responsibilities.

Here's what doesn't show up on this calendar: carpools, ballet lessons, piano lessons, early mornings at the gym, volunteering at the school, chess club, helping kids with homework x4, Webelos den meetings, pack meeting, Young Men's, volleyball, Achievement days, church, bishopric meetings, two book group meetings, primary practice & program, Beehive books, babysitting, SEPs, chiropractor, eye doctor, two birthday parties, PTA movie day, assembling 80 gifts for OJH piano donors and making dessert for the piano concert. Not to mention packing, unpacking, cleaning and trying to keep everyone fed & in clean clothes. More than I could fit on this little calendar, and stuff I'm trying to repress at this point.

Rob tells me my only New Year's resolution should be to say no. Of course then he called me to be a gospel doctrine teacher. No time commitment there. My first lesson was on December 6th, on...the Book of Revelation! So I also spent a couple of weeks in November preparing for that. Hard to believe I didn't fit in some time for blogging or Christmas cards. Maybe next November.

Almost forgot...

2011-10-31T23:58:00.000-06:00

What would Halloween be without a procrastinated homework project?

As predicted.

2011-10-31T23:56:00.000-06:00

Very funny, now that my heart rate has returned to normal.

Halloween catch-up

2011-10-31T23:22:00.002-06:00

Yes, it it January, and I'm finally backdating a Halloween post. Par for the course around here. Hopefully Rob has someone there to revive him from the shock.

Halloween isn't our favorite holiday, but it was eventful. First the parade at school, held on the 28th because Fridays are early days.

Followed immediately by class parties. I was in charge of Ellie's class party, which was fun thanks to lots of help. Lucky Ainsley got to attend Ellie's party after her own in kindergarten.

That night was our ward carnival, which was amazing. Rob is well-known as a halloween scrooge, and had his own booth. Even he dressed up this year though, it's pretty impressive that he can still fit into the kilt he bought on his mission!

So the actual day of halloween was just a normal school day. The girls did have some cute shirts and tights to wear.

And this year Rob and I got the treat. All of our kids went trick-or-treating with friends, leaving us alone in a quiet and warm house! I managed photos of Joey with his group of friends, and the girls, with their friends, but didn't embarrass Robbie by taking a photo of the older kids.

As I said in my previous post, we made it to see three out of four grandparents, always a fun tradition. We feel lucky that the kids still have great-grandparents to visit!

It was fun, but busy! Next year might have to be another halloween vacation. Maybe Hawaii this time?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:23:00.003-06:00

This is especially for Ralph and Judy. We made it to the other grandparents because they're all within two miles of our house. But by the time the kids finished their homework, it was time to meet their friends, and too late when they finished to drive downtown—sorry Ralph and Judy! More candy for you. Complete details on all the Halloween festivities to follow, hopefully soon, just wanted you to see the trick-or-treaters you missed! In case you can't tell, Ellie is a gypsy, Robbie a surgeon (who didn't bother to take off his cargo shorts and sweatshirt before putting on his scrubs!), Ainsley a witch, and Joey is something scary. According to Shawn, most Americans consume 24 lbs. of candy each year. The way the kids were groaning about how heavy their bags were, we may have picked up our quota.

Happy Birthday Ainsley

2011-10-17T21:21:00.000-06:00

Again, starting with my favorite photo of the day.

After the surprise party the actual birthday may have been a little anti-climatic, especially since it was on a school day. But Ainsley is a master at living in the moment, and she was even thrilled that she had school, so she could take a treat for her class. We usually let the kids pick a special breakfast and dinner on their birthday, and all the kids woke up early in anticipation of Ainsley's breakfast choice, Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms. No photos because they were all done eating by the time I got back from my walk.

We picked up my Grandma and went to Costco to get Ainsley's school treat (baby carrots—healthy at the request of her teacher, and fruit roll-ups—less healthy at Ainsley's request). Then we ate lunch at "the place with the chocolate-covered strawberries" (Zupa's), again Ainsley's choice. While she was at school I finished shopping for her presents.

For dinner she picked crepes (three times in the past month, it's a good thing I found that low-carb version!). Then it was present time.

She got a watch, a pee wee pillow pet, a Webkinz dog, a purse, fingernail polish, a Tangled barbie, and some books. She was delighted and appreciative and fun to watch.

At six, Ainsley:

loves the color turquoise
is getting really tall, and can wear some of Ellie's clothes!
loves to do headstands and is often upside-down
is known as "Dad's barnacle" since she cuddles up on his lap every morning to watch the news
knows more about current events than her mom (see above)
is still a human GPS
is great at sharing
says she wants her own room, but still comes in to sleep on our floor some nights
could outlast the Energizer Bunny
loves to help
is a chatterbox
is a joy

We love you Ainsley!

Surprise Party!

2011-10-15T21:50:00.000-06:00

That's actually the last photo of the party, but my favorite.

We had convinced Ainsley that she wasn't having a friend party this year (not hard to do, since she's never had a friend party!). We told her that we didn't have time for a party, since her birthday was the same week as the UEA holiday and we'd be going to St. George. I told her we'd make cupcakes, and dad would take her on a special date instead. We made the cupcakes in the morning, and I told her we'd frost them when she got back from lunch with Rob. When they left, I finally let the other kids in on the secret, and they helped me decorate and clean. When all the guests arrived, I called Rob, who had Ainsley at the school playground. He suggested that Ellie might like to join them at the playground, and Ainsley agreed that they should go pick her up. When she walked in the door she looked up and saw all the balloons (about 3 dozen) and started saying, "What the..." when everyone jumped out from behind the bar and yelled "Surprise!"

I had worried that a surprise party would rob her of the anticipation of it, but she was so excited. All the work was worth it.

I went with a Pinkalicious theme. While we were waiting for Ainsley, the girls worked on some cute puzzles (here). I found cute foam crowns for them to decorate.

And of course they decorated pink cupcakes.

Ainsley opened presents.

Then we went outside for some games. They played a version of duck, duck, goose, only they would name various colors and run on "pink."

The other game had someone in the middle, who would call out a color, and everyone who liked that color would run to the other side of the yard while the person in the middle tried to tag them.

Thank goodness it was a beautiful day!

We finished up reading a couple of the new Pinkalicious stories while parents picked up the kids. The favors were paperback books (LOVED this), bags of pink bubblegum balls (less ideal, but cute) and the crowns they made. It was a success, hopefully something Ainsley will remember and realize we love her!

Next Generation Book Group

2011-10-14T20:06:00.001-06:00

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." — Jacqueline Kennedy

If any of my kids make it to adulthood without a passion for reading, I think I can honestly say it is not my fault. I don't see that happening. And the girls have now had their first experience at a book group. They loved it, with good reason.

We read The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schultz, aloud, a chapter or two a night. They would beg me for just one more chapter, and Ellie secretly read ahead and finished, but still loved listening to me read. My good friends Deyanne and Virginia planned the book group, and I was happy to help a little.

The girls were encouraged to dress like fairies, and when they arrived, picked out their fairy name. Ellie went with "Rosebud" but Ainsley knew that she already had the perfect fairy name, and she stuck with it.

Two of my favorite people, Virginia and Deyanne, leading the discussion. Virginia is an avid reader and a librarian, and Deyanne is an amazing English teacher and education expert. It would be an understatement to say they know what they're doing.

The girls were really engaged in the book discussion, even though they knew that crafts and treats were next.

They remembered characters, and setting, and told about their favorite parts. They made connections about forgiveness and selflessness and courage.

When the discussion ended, they split into groups to do some fun crafts. I helped them make a cute little fairy-sized bookmark (that I found on Pinterest!). I wish I'd taken photos, but sort of had my hands full...here's the inspiration photo:

You can see the top end of the book marks that Ellie made, sticking out of the notebook, decorated with a cute fairy card. And that necklace? A real acorn, with an eye screw and ribbon attached. In addition to the crafts, the girls had their pictures taken by my friend Christianne, who is an amazing photographer, in front of the beautiful pond in Deyanne's yard. Again, I'm kicking myself for not taking more photos, but will hopefully get the copies of Christianne's photos soon, and will add them here.

The snacks were mini-cupcakes, and rainbow sherbet, served in these cute cupcake cups I found. I'd hoped to get some of those sample-sized spoons from Baskin Robbins, but I was informed that they no longer give them out, since their corporate headquarters decided they had no way of knowing what they would be used for, and didn't want their brand sullied. :(

I feel so lucky to have such amazing friends, who share my passion for reading and are helping me to pass that on to my girls. May their lives be filled with great books and good book group friends, as mine has.

Here's to our rebel...

2011-10-07T17:29:00.004-06:00

I'm feeling a little left out, being the only person online who isn't eulogizing Steve Jobs. I mean, I love my Mac and iStuff as much as anyone else...okay, maybe not as much as this guy. Still, I wanted to pay tribute in some small way, for the fabulous products and clean designs. I can't help thinking of the famous "misfits" quote when I think about Joey:

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently—they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

~Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

I'm not saying Joey is a "misfit" or "crazy", but he is definitely an original. He tends a little to the extremes, as you can see in these photos, taken one day apart.

On the left, Saturday, September 17th, he's sporting one of his favorite shirts and the hair he's been growing out all summer. I love his curls, but wanted to get the "wings" trimmed a bit. He was NOT interested, until he found out I might be persuaded to buy him a suit (he's wanted one forever) for his birthday, IF he trimmed it a bit. He said, "Let's go" and we were at Sports Clips within minutes. I was completely surprised when he told the stylist to cut it short. He told me he wanted to look "sharp" in his suit. We then went to eight different stores (Macy's, Kohl's, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, Nordstrom, Dillards, Sears and Burlington Coat Factory) in search of a suit. The problem was that even the slim size (which was hard to find) was way too baggy on him. We finally found a "modern fit" three-piece pinstripe Calvin Klein suit that fit (with the help of a belt). The Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde transformation couldn't have been more complete. He's not really interested in following anyone else's rules, but he does love the attention he gets when he marches to the beat of his own drum, and soaked up all the attention he got at church on Sunday.

Yep, he's hard to ignore. We're looking forward to seeing the ways Joey changes the world.

No need for a pintervention...really.

2011-10-02T18:22:00.003-06:00

"Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and share their favorite recipes."

I'd heard about Pinterest a while ago, but had avoided it, mostly because it sounded like something that could easily turn into a time-sucking addiction, which I really don't need. But I had lunch with some friends who convinced me that the addiction wore off after a couple of weeks, so I signed up.

It turns out I had reason to fear! I spent more time than I'd like to admit browsing other people's boards, creating some of my own and pinning like crazy. I've got boards for favorite quotes, art, recipes to try, photography, gift ideas, clothes I like, stuff for the girls & boys, remodeling and gardening boards, organization ideas, crafts, party ideas, places to go, fitness, favorite talks/articles and blogs, and more. There are other ways to bookmark all of these things, but I love the "eye candy" element of Pinterest. It looks pretty.

AND, I've actually made some great discoveries. There are several recipes that I've tried and loved. Here's a photo of us enjoying one of my favorite finds, a low-carb, high-protein crepe recipe. It's made with ricotta cheese. I tried it with low expectations, but everyone loved it! That conference tradition just got a little healthier! (Ignore the nutella and sugared toppings :).

So yes, very dangerous. But useful. And my friends were right. I do check in every day or so, just to see what my friends have posted. But it's manageable. Or I'm in denial. :) If you want to play along, here's the link to my boards.

Birthday Boy

2011-09-22T21:18:00.001-06:00

It wasn't a big milestone or party year for Joey. He did get Dunford's chocolate donuts for his class...

And a few presents...

Besides his suit (which he picked out and wore a couple of days early), he got Ninjago Legos, a Spiderman DS game, The Guinness Book of World Records and the latest book in the Magyk series.

We had grilled chicken with (his favorite) roasted potatoes and carrots for his birthday dinner, followed by lemon pie instead of cake.

Here are some of his favorites at age eleven, from the poster he made for school:

We love you Joey!

So true.

2011-09-20T16:39:00.000-06:00

Hike to Lake Mary

2011-09-05T21:34:00.000-06:00

Robbie did a unit on family in his CTE (Career & Technical Ed) class, and had to organize a family outing. He planned a hike and picnic to Lake Mary. We picked up sandwiches at Jimmy Johns and got started around five. A highlight for Ainsley was seeing her swim teacher, Claire, on the trail. We missed the wildflower peak season, but it was still pretty and fun.

Ellie's Baptism

2011-09-04T22:14:00.001-06:00

Turning eight is a big milestone around here, because it's the age of baptism. Ellie was a little worried before her interview with the bishop the week before. She said, "What if I don't know the right answers to his questions?" We assured her that there were no "right" answers, that the bishop just wanted to find out if she had a testimony. She informed us that she didn't know if she did. After talking about what a testimony is, she determined that yes, she does believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus live and love us, the Holy Ghost has made her feel good inside, and that she wants to keep the commandments. I love that it really is that simple. We're so proud of her efforts to do what is right, especially this day, as she chose to be baptized and confirmed a member of the church.

She looked so cute. Thankfully my mom came over and french-braided her hair, I'm hopeless with anything more than ponytails or regular braids. I found a pretty but simple white dress, and she had a beautiful countenance.

There were only two kids being baptized, both from our ward. The program was short but sweet, with relevant and simple talks by Liz Doxey, the stake primary president and President Parkinson of the stake presidency. Ellie was thrilled to have Zoe, Sydney and Kalie sing one of her favorite songs, When I Am Baptized, accompanied by Robbie. In spite of the fact that it was Labor Day weekend, most of our extended family and many friends were able to be there.

After the meeting at the Stake Center, we went back to our house for dinner. Luckily the weather was nice and we were able to eat outside.

Ellie requested spaghetti, which I thought was a great idea until I realized she was wearing a white dress! I put an apron on her, but she ended up just eating noodles and cheese anyway.

There were a few stragglers that didn't make it outside until the game was over...

We feel so blessed to have so much support from family and friends.

I love this girl!

Four generations on the maternal side (wish I'd thought to take one with Rob's parents and grandparents too!)

I love this picture.

On Sunday, Rob was conducting, so he bore his testimony, and I got up as soon as he was done and bore mine. About half-way through the meeting, Ellie nervously asked if she could go up, and of course Ainsley wasn't far behind, a first-time for both of them. Joey followed Ainsley, and told Robbie he had to do it too, but Robbie doesn't cave to peer pressure. But, by the end of the meeting, he'd shared his testimony too. It wasn't planned, and I was almost embarrassed, but it was a sweet experience of family unity that hopefully made Ellie's baptism even more memorable for her.

Barbie Hoarders

2011-09-01T21:13:00.000-06:00

Now that the kids are in school, I'm tackling a few cleaning and organizational issues. First up, the girls' rooms. They share a bedroom and a playroom, and have about a billion small toys, which get sorted and put away periodically, but are usually all over the place. I wish this were a true "before" picture, but I'd already filled several boxes and put them into storage when Rob suggested that I should take a photo. The dollhouse was especially bad, every room crammed with furniture, clothes, Barbies, Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shop, stuffed animals, novelty erasers, play food and more. It looked like an episode of Hoarders, starring Barbie.

We decided to try a modified version of the Stringham's clean up. We didn't box up everything, just most of the small stuff. They still have some dolls, Barbies, stuffed animals and kitchen stuff, but if they can't keep what amounts to about 1/3 of their stuff picked up, we'll box it up too.

2nd Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-30T11:43:00.000-06:00

Since I forgot to take a photo in our traditional spot:

And now I'm caught up through August! Yay! Only September 25th...

Ellie Turns Eight

2011-08-29T21:49:00.000-06:00

The first thing Ainsley excitedly told her teacher when she met her was, "My first day of school is my sister's birthday!" After dropping Ainsley off at kindergarten, I headed out to buy Ellie's requested treat for her class—cupcakes. In case you're wondering, no, Costco does not sell cupcakes. Well, they have some gourmet cupcakes that are over a dollar each, but I couldn't see that for a class of 3rd graders. I finally found some mini cupcakes, and opted to buy popsicles too, and made it to the school to serve them just before the end of the day.

Ellie didn't get a special breakfast, since it would have been to hard to fix and serve before Robbie left, so she picked crepes for her birthday dinner.

Ralph and Judy came by at just the right time to join us, even more fun.

Ellie asked for, and got, a lot of new clothes. And a fashion design coloring book.

And...a pink iPod shuffle, loaded with a playlist of her favorites

She's growing up way too fast.

I couldn't see eating birthday cake after crepes, so we stuck a candle in a leftover cupcake for our special Marsh-family-tradition version of happy birthday. If you're not familiar with this tradition, be grateful. It's pretty much a contest to see who can be most off-key and off-tune.

At eight, Ellie:

loves music, cute clothes, shoes & accessories, just like a teenager
luckily still plays with Barbies, dolls and dress-ups
goes to ballet twice a week
turned down an invitation to play on a soccer team
has beautiful handwriting
won't eat five fruits and veggies at all, let alone every day—she'll eat bananas, raw carrots, potatoes and (sometimes) watermelon
is usually the peacemaker in sibling squabbles
wants to get her ears pierced
still loves playing the piano, and practices without complaining
does her homework quickly and well
thinks of ways to serve others
tells me that she misses Jesus
makes us very, very happy

Ellie, we love you!

Back to School, Finally!

2011-08-29T16:10:00.000-06:00

Ainsley's first day:

She was so excited, and I did just fine too. It's next year, when she's gone all day, that I might just break down.

Man it's a hot one...

2011-08-26T21:38:00.002-06:00

Like seven inches from the midday sun...

In spite of that, Melissa and I had planned a visit to Tracy Aviary on Friday, since we couldn't fit it in before school started, and we needed to go before our groupons expired. When the temperature reached near a hundred degrees we reconsidered, but some of the kids had their hearts set on it, so we went. Joey opted out, arguing that it was way too hot, and he was right.

It was okay, I guess, although too hot, and birds are really not my thing. I don't think we ever need to go back.

The kids wore their swimsuits so we could go to the fountains at Liberty Park afterward, but we were all so hot we ended up going to the club to swim instead. It is the only time this entire year we made it over for open plunge, and they all took advantage of the chance to go off the diving boards.

I never loved the high-dive, but I've always encouraged the kids to go for it.

It's not too bad watching Robbie, Joey or Ellie take the plunge...

But my baby?

She thinks she's just as big as the rest of them.

I get a little bit of vertigo just looking at the photos.

I hope my grandma isn't having a heart attack looking at these.

Turns out, she loves it.

It couldn't have been worse than sitting by the pool in my hot clothes, that's for sure. :)

Kindergarten!

2011-08-25T12:10:00.001-06:00

The kindergartners don't start school until a week after the rest of the school, so that the teachers can assess each child individually. Ainsley woke up and got herself dressed before either Joey or Ellie all week, asking if it was finally the day she'd get to meet her teacher. Finally, on Thursday, we went in.

She was disappointed when she didn't get Ellie's kindergarten teacher, who was fabulous. But after meeting with her teacher, we are both thrilled. She is cute and nice, plus she's got a master's degree in early childhood development and a teaching philosophy very similar to Ainsley's awesome preschool teacher. She will be perfect. Ainsley already loves her.

Back to School already?!

2011-08-22T17:13:00.001-06:00

As much as I love summer and doing fun things with the kids, I am usually ready for them to go back to school. Not this year. It was way too early (August 22nd!). I really wish it'd start after Labor Day every year. Especially this year, with the hot weather and no A/C working at the elementary school. But no one consulted me, so off they went.

Robbie was up and ready to go early. He was still willing to pose for a first-day-of-school photo before his carpool came at 7:20. He had a great first day, and really likes junior high so far. This semester he has Honors Science, French, CTE (Career & Technical Ed.), Utah Studies, Honors English, Keyboarding and Honors Pre-Algebra.

Joey is starting 5th grade. He got the same teacher Robbie had in 5th grade, and is excited, because she is awesome. He's also in the gifted reading and math classes.

Ellie is in 3rd grade this year, and already loves her teacher.

We were almost late for school because I had forgotten that the memory card on my camera was mostly filled with photos of Bear Lake and we had to wait for them to download to the computer before deleting them. So I didn't get the usual pictures at the school in the morning and had to take them after school. Here's one of Joey with a couple of his friends.

Joey and Ellie in front of the school:

Ellie with her teacher (I actually took this one at her SEP conference on August 18th).

Joey with his teacher (it was sort of cruel to take this at the end of the day, it was REALLY hot, but I'd forgotten to take it at SEP's even though I had my camera with me).

I may not have been ready for it, but I hope and expect this will be a good school year. Best news of the first day? No homework. (Well, for the kids anyway. I spent a couple of hours signing "disclosure statements" for Robbie and taking him shopping for school supplies.) Serenity now...

End-of-Summer Clean-up

2011-08-20T15:48:00.000-06:00

We pretty much missed any sort of Spring clean-up, so our yard was totally overgrown. We came home from Bear Lake on Thursday afternoon so that we could go to SEP conferences that night, and Rob (who had to leave Bear Lake on Monday to go to San Francisco for a conference) took Friday off. So we spent half the day trimming bushes, weeding, and mowing & trimming the lawn. I wish I'd thought to take before and after photos, but I did get a few of everyone in action.

Then on Saturday we got up and did the same thing, but in the backyard. So nice to have it all cleaned up. Hopefully next year we'll do it earlier, in lower temperatures!

Belated Bear Lake post

2011-08-18T23:04:00.001-06:00

It's one of our favorite weeks of the year. Bear Lake is always fun, but especially fun with extended family. I'm kicking myself for not getting a big group photo, but it was challenging enough to try for a family picture—notice a very mad Joey in this one:

Yeah, we pretty much gave up on that.

The Oreo game was back, by popular demand:

The kids loved swimming just for fun.

And of course the kites came out.

I love it when I accidentally capture a "then and now" moment, and remembered this photo of Robbie, taken 11 years ago:

Other fun activities included playing "Jail" at the tennis courts,

miniature golf,

Ice cream from the store,

climbing,

and, thanks to the Stringhams, lots of boating.

A few fun activities went undocumented: playing cards, reading, riding bikes, LaBeau's, yummy dinners, movies, hula-hoops, playing on the grass, and just talking.

We love Bear Lake. We're so thankful to Ralph and Judy for a wonderful week, and for this great tradition with so many happy memories over the years.

2011-08-10T21:38:00.000-06:00

On August 23, 2005, Melissa and I took the kids on a tour of Sweet's Candy Factory. Aren't they cute?

Since then, it's become a summer tradition. Here they are on July 28, 2008. I'm pretty sure we went on that day so I could pick up some fresh chocolate orange sticks for Rob's birthday.

August 17, 2009:

August 11, 2010:

And finally, August 10, 2011. I never made a growth chart, but these photos work!

After our tour, I took Robbie down to the junior high to look around, since we'd be at Bear Lake for 7th grade orientation. He found all of his classes, and tried to open his locker, but had no luck. When neither I or the janitor could open it, they told us to come back the next day so the head janitor could check the combo. It hadn't been changed from the previous year, so he fixed it, and I was glad Robbie didn't have to deal with that on the first day of school. I got to take a few photos, since I knew it wouldn't be cool to show up with my camera and embarrass him in front of his friends. :)

He's excited for this new adventure!

Another Favorite

2011-08-09T22:06:00.001-06:00

Melissa already blogged about our outing here, so this seems a little redundant, but of course I want to include it in my blog book for this year, so here goes.

This is the Place Heritage Park is a "living history" pioneer village. We added it to our summer bucket list after buying groupons, and we were able to squeeze it in after swimming and tennis ended and before leaving for Bear Lake and the start of the school year. I'm so glad we did, it was really fun!

This photo seems especially appropriate during rivalry week. (I'm really posting this on 9/16/11—the day before the Utah/BYU game.) Go Utes!

We saw some pioneer cabins, and the kids got to help with the chores. Of course they thought it was fun to scrub the laundry on washboards and beat the rugs, but ask them them to take their clothes to the laundry room and vacuum? Yeah, you guessed it.

Our cute friend Natalie and her cute sister were volunteering up there with their kids, so it was fun to see them. The kids were all lined up on the boardwalk listening to the fiddlers play when the bank was robbed. Fun.

They made crafts at Social Hall, and played pioneer games in one of the nicer houses.

The girls both wore their "pioneer" hats.

They all loved being shaved at the barber. Apparently it tickled.

Panning for gold was a big hit too. They were able to turn it in for some salt water taffy.

At the Indian village they each made an arrowhead necklace and explored the wigwam and mud hut.

We went back "downtown" to the Z.C.M.I. candy store and told the kids they could choose a candy or get an ice-cream at the parlor next door.

Ainsley was the only one of my kids who opted for candy. I think she might still have this sucker.

The school was a highlight. They wrote their names on the slates and learned about discipline during pioneer days. They all loved the dunce cap.

Hmm, might have to try this at home. ;)

Last, we went to the stables and rode the horses. We probably should have hit this earlier, they all wanted to keep riding, but I had to get to back-to-school night.

This will definitely be on our list for next year. In fact, if the kids have their way, we'll be back up there for Halloween and Christmas...

Hoping for another groupon!

Baptism, blog book, blues & browns, Busath

2011-08-06T22:35:00.002-06:00

Alright, maybe I was trying too hard for the alliteration on that title.

We went to Parker's baptism (and Logan's blessing—way to consolidate, Cara & Rob!). Ellie has two Riley cousins born the same year she was, and it was fun for her to get to experience their baptisms before her own. The blog post about Ian's baptism is actually the second most-viewed post on my blog (right after Tex-Mex Egg Rolls). Probably people searching for prom pictures, since those are words in the title—I bet they're disappointed when they see it's really just a couple of kids, all dressed up. I wanted a similar photo of Ellie and Parker, and thought it turned out cute.

I looked through my photos, and have found that although there are 1,324 photos taken since this one, I really only have about a dozen things I want to blog about, so I'm practically caught-up! My plan is to not take one more photo until then, so I really need to be done before Joey's birthday in nine days. I'm feeling pretty motivated to blog after finally completing this:

Supervising From the Couch by Michelle Marsh | Make Your Own Book

All along, my purpose for this blog was a printed family "scrapbook" of not just the big events in our lives, but the day-to-day memories. I do like keeping in touch with the few people who read it online, but really envisioned a book that my kids could thumb through. I purchased a groupon for two Blurb books a few months ago, and found myself scrambling when I realized that the deadline was August 3rd. I finished Robbie's book first, on July 25th, and spent the next week madly working on the first year of my blog. Luckily I posted less frequently then, and I managed to finish and order on August 3rd! Rob told me that should be a lesson to wait and order the groupon AFTER my book is finished, but I'm pretty sure that without a deadline it just wouldn't happen. So it's time to order another one and get working on 2009.

One resource I found while working on Robbie's book that I wanted to share is Kuler. I've always loved colors, and it's been way too long since I played with oils or watercolors. This site allows you to browse or create great combinations. I used this photo of Robbie:

And it automatically generated this palette:

I tweaked it a bit to make the lighter colors readable:

Then I imported the colors into InDesign and used them for the text on the cover of Robbie's book.
I ended up not even using the photo, but love playing on and exploring this site. I recommend viewing the demo to see all the cool features if you're into that sort of thing.

One last thing. I got our Busath photos back from the frame shop early in July, and finally got them hung by the end of July. I love them.

These pictures capture a stage of life that I love—our family is complete, we have no babies (not that I didn't love that!) and no teenagers (I hope that will be great too...). All the kids can buckle themselves in, shower, get dressed and fix themselves something to eat. But they're not yet embarrassed to be seen with their parents, and like to hang out with the family. We love to play games, have family movie nights and travel together. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of bickering and chaos too, but this is the stage I think I'll miss the most when they're grown.

Thirteen!

2011-07-31T23:10:00.004-06:00

It's now September 11th, and I'm still trying to wrap up summer here. This is my last post for July—yay! I really want to get caught up and stay that way, because it's a lot harder to write something meaningful as time passes.

This was a big milestone—we have a teenager now!

Robbie's birthday was on a Sunday this year, so it was pretty mellow. After church he opened his presents. When I had asked him what he wanted, he said, "I don't know, anything you get me would be great, Mom." I said, "Okay, socks and underwear it is." And then he said, "Actually, I could use some new socks and underwear." He's always been pretty easy-going that way. I didn't actually buy any socks or underwear, but he did get some much-needed shorts and shirts that work for the strict dress code at his junior high.

He got a book or two,

a new watch,

plus an iTunes gift card and a cover for his new iPod Touch. He has been working and saving all summer to earn enough money to buy this, and he was finally able to buy it just before his birthday. He worked hard and passed up many opportunities to spend his money, and we're proud of him.

I saved my favorite gift for last. It's a book of letters, written by family and friends who were kind enough to reply to my last-minute request. I wanted to share advice that would help Robbie through the sometimes-difficult teen years, but even more, I wanted him to know how many great people love and support him. This book exceeded my expectations on both counts.

Over fifty people responded, even some friends who were on vacation in Europe. They covered a range of spiritual, social, financial, educational and practical matters. There were stories, poems, book recommendations, quotes, and many expressions of love and confidence. I was overwhelmed with gratitude as I compiled this book.

I wasn't really sure this was something Robbie would appreciate immediately though. I figured it might take him a few years to realize what a treasure he had received.

But as the day went on and he ignored his new iPod to read, he kept stopping to say, "Thanks, Mom, I really love this." Since then he has tried to thank everyone who contributed, and refers to it often. I think he gets it.

There are no photos (so unlike me—I just didn't have time!), and the text might be too small to read (edited: you can read it in the full-screen view), but here's the entire book:

Listen to Your Parents by Family & Friends of Robbie Marsh | Make Your Own Book

That evening, we were invited to dinner at Ralph and Judy's, which was sort of a present to me more than Rob & Robbie, but they're always happy to eat a delicious dinner with great company too.

Robbie was super-excited to wear the birthday hat. ;)

We're looking forward to great things from this teenager. Love you Robbie!

Happy Birthday Rob

2011-07-28T22:46:00.000-06:00

We came home from Webelos Camp to find this in our yard:

Nice work, Melissa.

I was glad there was something festive for Rob's birthday, since I only had a small book of Billy Collins poetry to give him. Luckily, in the hour-and-a-half left before he got home, I had a shopping miracle, and was able to buy a new chair for his office, and some new clothes. The girls supplied the homemade cards (lots of sequins, which are now banned from our house!).

We all "hid" behind his desk and yelled surprise when he came in.

After he opened his presents we went to dinner at San Francisco Sourdough Pizza (not really a favorite, just close to the dollar theater—we were rushed).

We stopped in across the street for dessert, and then went to see Rango. Plan A was Settebello's, followed by Cowboys v. Aliens. Rob was a good sport to switch to Plan B so the kids could be a part of the celebration.

Webelos Camp

2011-07-28T16:30:00.000-06:00

This is my last year with a son in cub scouts. I have been to Cub Country or Webelos Camp every year for the past six years. I have to admit, I will not miss it.

But Joey had a great time, and I do love spending time with him.

The end of swim season

2011-07-27T21:31:00.000-06:00

Although I was really happy to be back at the pool in June, after two months of daily practice and seemingly countless meets, I am equally happy to be done. Here are some photos from our last meet.

Ainsley actually dived off the blocks (well, sort of :). None of my other kids did that at age five, and even Tommy (the head coach) said, "Who was that?!"

Ainsley, with her coach, Claire, and her teacher, Nick. They were both awesome, and Ainsley made a lot of progress this year.

Ellie, with her teacher, Sarah, and her coach, Angela. Again, awesome.

Finally!

2011-07-25T22:14:00.000-06:00

I wish we could have gone to opening night, but better late than never. We loved HP7P2. Kind of sad that it's all over though...

There was definitely a Harry Potter twist to the sparklers tonight:

Peter Breinholt Concert

2011-07-22T23:28:00.003-06:00

I didn't go to my first concert until I was in the ninth grade (Thompson Twins at the Special Events Center). Our kids, on the other hand, are veterans, with the Peter Breinholt Sandy Amphitheater show as (yet another) favorite summer tradition. The Stringhams and the Dunfords have been with our core group for the past three years, joined this year by the Boydens and Marti.

We have to get there pretty early to secure our front row lawn space, but the wait is never boring. We usually bring our dinner and eat it while we wait. I'm not sure how much dinner Ainsley ate once the Boydens broke out the blue cotton-candy though...

After dinner, the arm wrestling began—Robbie v. Lindsay or Lauren. There was a lot of cheering by the respective genders. I'm not really sure who emerged as champion.

The younger kids played around on the hill.

And we had time to take group photos. Beautiful girls. And Peter, who wasn't about to be left out.

One of the highlights this year was seeing Josh (Boyden) piping during Too Cold a Stone. Rob set him up with this gig when Pete asked if he knew any pipers. Josh was awesome, and promised Rob he'd play for free at his funeral for the favor. Hopefully not anytime soon.

The kids all ran to the front to dance during You Wear Flowers and were happy when Pete said, "Hey, it's the Marsh kids."

Good times.

Bear Lake Scout Camp

2011-07-16T17:10:00.001-06:00

We got home from Silver Moccasin on Saturday night, unpacked and washed all of Robbie's clothes, then repacked and sent him off on Monday morning for another week of camp, this time with his troop at Bear Lake Aquatics Camp. I got a photo before they left, and once again sent the point-and-shoot camera with Robbie.

He didn't take any photos, but luckily one of the dads that went took a few and sent copies:

The rest of us had time over two weeks to appreciate and miss Robbie. I was especially grateful to have him come home safe and sound, because there was a scout at the camp who died while they were there. So sad. It was a sobering experience. In spite of that, Robbie had a great time, and earned a bunch of merit badges: environmental science, rifle shooting, canoeing, first-aid, leather work and Indian lore.

Ballet Camp

2011-07-15T20:58:00.001-06:00

I have so much catching up to do I should really limit my posts to one or two photos and some minimal journaling. But I can't resist the photos.

Ainsley and Ellie were so excited to go to ballet camp with Duffy and Amelia this year. It was everyday for one week, with a performance on Friday. I'm not going to try to come up with a comment for each picture, they speak for themselves.

The girls loved having Great-grandma Clayton there. We are so lucky to be so close, both in proximity and in our lives.

Birthday Fest

2011-07-10T21:26:00.001-06:00

We try to get together with my family once a month to celebrate any birthdays in that month. This time we met at our house, and had a couple of months catch-up, so we had Zoe, Cara, Grandma, Mom, Parker, Robbie, Sydney and Rob.

And of course the two newest members of the family, which made it especially fun. The kids were all excited to meet their new cousins. Here's Ellie holding Logan:

Ainsley holding him:

And Grandma with Harper. Cute, cute, cute.

Silver Moccasin Scout Camp

2011-07-09T21:37:00.000-06:00

Robbie missed the 4th of July picnic because he left early that morning to go to Silver Moccasin Leadership Camp. I love this photo, it totally reminds me Russell in Up. I asked him if he wanted to write a guest post about camp, but he didn't, so now he's stuck with that comparison.

Jonas went to the camp too, and Shawn drove the boys up to East Fork of the Bear, in the Uintahs, around six a.m. on Monday morning (July 4th). Here's a photo of them just before they left.

I sent the point and shoot with Robbie, and was pleasantly surprised to find a few pictures on the memory card when Robbie got back. Here he is with his patrol for the week. From left to right: Connor, Tristian, Robbie, Ethan, Bryant and Houston. Halani was taking the picture. Robbie really liked these guys, and says they had one of the best groups at the camp. They try to separate kids who know each other, so Jonas was in another patrol.

Here's a photo of the lean-to they built and slept in one night. The other nights they slept in tents, but had to change tents multiple times, because it rained every day, and flooded several times.

Rob and the kids and I went to pick them up on Saturday. Here they are hiking out of camp.

Here he is being awarded his Silver Moccasin bead by the head scoutmaster.

It was beautiful up there. I really love the colors in these photos.

Silver Moccasin is not a merit badge camp, it's a leadership camp. I asked Robbie to tell me five things he learned at camp. Here's what he came up with, after some coercion:

1) Neutral position for standing to put people at ease.

2) "Forming, storming, norming, performing" stages of group dynamics.

3) The importance of vision, goals and planning.

4) It's really hard to put up a tent blind-folded.

5) Sleeping in a garbage bag sucks. (Yeah, don't ask. He had a nice sleeping bag with him.)

Best Summer Party, Part 2

2011-07-04T14:53:00.001-06:00

Now that I've said the Stringham's party is one of the kids' favorite events of the year, this will sound a little redundant, but they also love the annual 4th of July picnic at the Smolka's house up Emigration Canyon.

They love the sandbox, the swing-set, and the huge yard.

But most of all, they love the zip-line. This year Rob and Jake had a pretty good system going. Rob would help the kids onto the seat and give them a big push-off...

And Jake stood at the bottom of the hill to catch them.

He'd pull them back up to the top to reload.

They all rode again...

and again...

and again.

No wonder these girls mob Jake whenever they see him. What a great uncle.

The girls tried to pull off mad faces when we told them it was time to stop and then, to add insult to injury, made them pose for a photo.

But they didn't last long...

And soon turned silly.

Enjoying the blessings of the good life, grateful for those who paid the price.

Now that summer is pretty much over...

2011-07-02T22:46:00.000-06:00

Hopefully I'll have time to get back to blogging. Although I'm back-dating this for my own OCD needs, I'm actually writing it on August 28th. The kids have been in school for a full week. It's Sunday, and it was a great morning. All three meetings at church inspired me. In sacrament meeting we heard a great talk about the Sabbath day, and how we can set it apart from the other days. Afterward, I jokingly told Rob that maybe I could blog on Sunday, that'd definitely be a departure from the norm. I'm ready to catch up, and once again enjoy this way of remembering moments and connecting with friends. So much has happened, I'll try to hit the highlights.

So, back to July 2nd, the Stringham's annual Summer Solstice Party. This year postponed a bit, so without the solstice part.

It's one of the kids favorite events of the year. I wonder why...

We adults love the chance to get together with friends we don't see nearly enough.

My favorite line of the night was from Samantha. I was looking for the girls, and found them in the field behind the yard, so naturally I pulled out my camera. Samantha yelled "Oh no! The paparazzi!" Ha ha. I get that a lot.

The bounce house was even more fun this year, with a water slide. Good thing, because it was HOT.

Joey and Samantha, who didn't run away from the camera this time. These two make me smile. They're both so smart and creative, and the best of friends (except when they're mad at each other :).

Peter was not at all afraid of the paparazzi.

Good food, good company, a bounce house, a pinata, as many leis as you can wear...the Stringhams know how to party.

New Cousins

2011-07-01T21:40:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Colin was born almost three months ago, on March 25th, but had to wait for Matt and Anne to come to Utah to meet our Chicago cousin. He is so cute!

We picked up slurpees and let the kids play at the park while Melissa, Anne and I caught up.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The next day I got to go up to the hospital and meet Logan in the NICU. He was six weeks premature, and only 5.5 lbs. He is tiny, and it was so sad to see him hooked up to IVs, oxygen and a feeding tube. Luckily Cara is a nurse in the newborn unit, and it didn't faze her.

He pretty much slept the whole visit, but sometimes it would seem like he was trying so hard to open his eyes. He looked like I feel every morning around six.

He's home now, but one person or another in our family has been sick over the past couple of weeks, so the kids still haven't met him, and I can't wait to hold him without all the tubes and wires connected. He too is super cute.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Matt and Anne got permission to bless Colin while they were in town, so we got to have an intimate family setting. Unfortunately I forgot my nice camera and had to use my phone.

The kids were excited to have a chance to hold Colin.

Especially Ainsley, who hasn't had the joy of a younger sibling (and won't!).

It was a nice event, we're glad we could be there. As a bonus, Matt and Anne bought our double stroller, one of the last remnants of baby gear around here. :) As soon as we sell our Kelty backpack, we are pretty much free from all baby stuff.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Last, but not least, Harper Sophia was born on June 30th. She was full-term, but still only 5.5 pounds! She is darling.

And Christine looks fabulous the day after her c-section. If she weren't so nice we'd all have to hate her.

I love this picture—eyes open, and a peek at her tiny feet.

We are so grateful for all our cousins, old and new. Hoping for lots of happy memories with them in our future.

Summer Piano Recital

2011-06-30T22:54:00.001-06:00

Tonight was Ellie's first piano recital. I promised Ralph and Judy that I'd post video, so here she is, playing Sugar Cookies. She did a great job!

Joey played The Rainbow Connection, and did well too. Unfortunately I zoomed in to get rid of the heads in the audience, but forgot to refocus, so it's blurry.

Robbie is now practicing an hour a day, and it's really paying off. He loves jazz, and definitely has a talent for it.

Their teacher awarded prizes for the most days practicing, and the boys tied for first place. As Rob said, it is probably the first time Joey has been happy that he is ~~forced~~ required to practice daily. They each scored a Slip-n-Slide, Water gun and some fireworks. Joey also admitted that the regular payoff of playing well in front of an audience was pretty cool.

Our performers:

And all four kids:

With their teacher, the fabulous CarolLynn Gregson:

Ainsley can't wait to be her next student.

The kids were so happy to have Great-grandma Clayton at the recital and for our treat at Dairy Queen after the performance.

I missed Father's Day photos this year, so tried to sneak one in while everyone was cleaned up.

Just a Two-Photo Post!

2011-06-29T22:00:00.002-06:00

Yes, it seemed significant enough to make it the title of the post.

This week was busy, with a swim meet on Monday night, and a Time Trial on Wednesday night. I was timing for both of them, so didn't manage many photos, but wanted to post two from the meet on Monday that I love. This one is Ellie, waiting to race. A cap and goggles are not usually flattering, but I love the way her features stand out. I love her blue eyes and thick eyelashes, her cute nose and full lips, but most of all, I adore her freckles. She is such a pretty girl, just going into that awkward phase with too-big teeth, but still so beautiful to me.

And I'm so proud of her. Here she is swimming the butterfly, something I can't even imagine being able to do.

Love this girl.

A Favorite Swim Team Tradition

2011-06-24T20:15:00.000-06:00

Lest my last swim team post sounded too rosy, I'll set the record straight and admit that we do have the occasional whining about having to practice everyday. Especially on the mornings after a meet, and especially from a certain redhead who needs his beauty rest. But they all wake up early in anticipation of the team breakfast that takes the place of practice once a year.

Even the picky eaters get excited about it.

The shutter-happy moms too. I love this shot of Ellie, Amelia and Hallee. (It seems redundant to warn any reader of this blog about a post with a lot of photos, but if anyone needs such a warning, there it is).

Love this one too.

They had a professional photographer there to take the team pictures, and I just stood behind him and snapped away. This is Ainsley's age group, the six-and-unders. Ainsley's on the back row, third from the right. She loves her coach, Claire, who is a mom and so great with the youngest kids.

Next is Ellie's group, the eight-and-under girls. (There were too many boys to fit in the same shot). Ellie's coach, Angela, is a BYU swimmer, but she was out-of-town, so they're posing with the head coach, Tommy. He's done a great job with the program, and even taught me the right way to swim last year. Ellie is the one kneeling right in front of Tommy, and Amelia is right next to her.

Here's Joey, with the ten-and-under boys, and their coach, Nick. Joey is second from the left in the middle row.

Robbie is on the front row, right side, below his coach, Matt. All of the coaches have been awesome, but Matt and Nick have taught all of my kids lessons, and I so appreciate them. Jonas is on the front row, far left side.

Here's a photo of the photographer, attempting a large group shot (he's on the lifeguard chair on the right).

With his superior lens and angle, I'm sure his photo is much better than mine.

After breakfast and photos comes the part the kids all love...the coin toss.

They each bring three dollars in coins, which all gets tossed in the pool.

They line up until the whistle blows...

And then it's fair game. Joey is right in the middle of this shot, and he scored big. He found one of three marked ping-pong balls, which can be redeemed for $10. Plus another four or five in coins, so a nice profit.

Here he is collecting his cash.

Joey was pretty excited when he found the ping-pong ball. I overheard the coaches saying he sounded like the boy who found the golden ticket. This is definitely his happy face.

Ainsley stuck mostly to the steps, but even she just about broke even.

Pictures with water and sunshine make me happy, but I made the mistake of shooting in aperture priority and opening it up too much. Hopefully I'll get some better shots later this year with this experience in mind. Here's one of Robbie and Joey with Tanner and Jonas.

And the silly face shot.

I hope I have another opportunity to get this cousin photo right! And that I survive the ordeal that it will surely be. :)

Been there, done that, blah, blah, blah

2011-06-20T18:14:00.000-06:00

When I'm trying to play catch up here and back-dating a bunch of posts, it becomes clear that this blog is totally uninteresting unless you are pictured here, or a grandparent of someone pictured here. So feel free to skip this post if you're not.

Melissa invited us to join them at the zoo for Megan's birthday. I always take way too many photos there, and this one is standard.

It might seem like it, but I am not posting every photo. The baby lemurs were a highlight, very active and fun to watch.

Here's cute Peter, being a good sport being dressed up by his older sisters and cousins.

This is what going to the zoo with nine children looks like in the rare moments they're all in one place.

We haven't been here since the installation of the dinosaurs, so most of us enjoyed that.

Everyone except Duffy (running away), Peter (trying to run away) and Amelia (ears plugged).

We managed to convince them to pose next to this dino, which was not animatronic.

There is no such thing as a perfect shot with nine kids in it.

Every time I ride the train I question my kids judgment, but they love it.

Here's where the photo nazi in me comes out, making the kids pose for one last photo looking directly into the sun. Good times.

We're only two weeks into summer break and we've already checked off four activities on our fun list! (S'mores up the canyon, Bear Lake, Slurpees at the park and the zoo). Yay!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T20:16:00.000-06:00

Well, hopefully it was a happy Father's Day for Rob, even though it was very low key. Actually, the low-key (a.k.a. nap) part of it was probably his favorite part. The gifts were sub-par, some iTunes cards and a bike helmut. Not a new one, just his old one wrapped up, with instructions to pick out his own. No doubt he'll find some other bike stuff while he's shopping.

Plus DOZENS of drawings the girls have been working on and saving for weeks.

And to top it all off, they each made him a necklace.

As proof that he's a great dad, he even wore them all day, including to Davy and Emma's house for dessert. The necklaces sum it up nicely: Daddy rocks, and Daddy is awesome.

Chalk Art Festival

2011-06-18T21:56:00.001-06:00

After Colin's blessing (see this post), we decided to take advantage of the fact that we were already downtown and go see the chalk art festival at Gateway. We always stop for any fountains, Joey is especially enamored with them, and usually pretending that he is Percy Jackson, controlling the water.

This was one of the first pictures we saw, and it was probably the boys' favorite.

I loved this one:

And this one:

We got to see an artist at work. Looks like a messy job.

I got a photo with the "free hugs" people because my brother in the family I lived with in France does this in France. The girls wanted to know why they wanted free hugs. :)

This was one of the girls' favorites, and they thought it was fun to see the artist too.

It was fun. Definitely something we'd do again.

Bear Lake Weekend

2011-06-13T13:01:00.000-06:00

I'm so far behind posting this that I can't really muster the right words to go with the photos. We only had three days at Ralph & Judy's condo, and it was overcast or rainy most of the time. Still, it was like coming home. But with new siding. :)

The kids played to their heart's content at the playground, and Rob helped both Ellie and Ainsley try to learn to ride a bike, since we have hills in every direction at our house.

He was also super-dad and sat at the swimming pool while they swam, along with almost every other person up there. I tried to get photos of the kids in the rare moments that they weren't surrounded in a mass of humanity.

I need to start buying the dark lens goggles...the squishy eye look just isn't attractive on anyone.

I can't remember if Robbie stayed in the condo to read, or if he just swam the other way when he saw me coming with the camera.

One highlight of our weekend was the fact that the Griffiths were there too. Ellie and Ainsley played (and I use that term loosely) croquet with Eli.

While Cole and Joey plotted a screenplay.

The construction hole made a great set.

Forget the Pickleville Playhouse, we had all the drama we could ever want right here.

We fit in dinner and malts at LeBeau's.

And a little more practice on the bikes.

No luck yet. Hopefully they'll get it when we have a full week there in August.

I can't wait.

S'more Fun

2011-06-09T20:16:00.000-06:00

Last year we had our June pack meeting up Millcreek Canyon, and it was so fun that we decided to make it an annual tradition. We were a little worried about the water, but found a great site on the south side of the road. We went to a wedding reception before, so we got there a little late, but still in time for s'mores. Another summer favorite.

Summer = Swimming

2011-06-06T22:33:00.002-06:00

This was going to be a straight-forward post about our first swim meet of the season, but I started getting all nostalgic.

This is our fifth summer on the swim team. Here's a peek at the kids our first year:

Robbie was eight; Joey, six; Ellie, three; and Ainsley, one. Robbie was on the "Swim-to-Win" team, and didn't compete in any meets. Joey was in lessons, but NOT happy about it. It was really a spectacle when he had to go off the diving board. Ellie and Ainsley would play in the baby pool, and I couldn't take my eyes off them for even a second. It was exhausting to get everyone ready to go, with suits, towels, goggles, snacks and sunscreen. When we got home I had to bathe and dress them again. I wondered if I'd made a mistake.

This year Robbie is almost thirteen, so it's the last year he'll come to the later practice (8:30 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m.). Ainsley (five) is on the team for the first time, and thrilled. The kids all swim for an hour a day, and will swim in nine meets in June and July. They are not the fastest kids on the team, but they are solid swimmers (well, the older three, anyway) and they love it. Robbie and Joey get dropped off at the Stringhams at 8:00 a.m. and bike to the club, then back after practice. I show up with Ellie and Ainsley for practice at 10:00, and usually make it home by noon, after their lessons and showers. I enjoy our mornings there—I don't have to worry about anyone drowning anymore, and get to hang out with Melissa, and see other friends I've made over the years. By the time we get home, I don't have enough time for everything else I want to do, especially on the days we have meets, but really, that is the only downside (well, it's not cheap either). I'm so glad we've stuck with it. Even if they are never competitive, the kids have worked hard, and gained a great life skill. They have bonded even more with their cousins, and we have great memories of our summers at the pool. And I don't have to listen to them ask if they can play video games all day long (only half the day :). Anyway, when I walked into the club for our first summer practice (they practiced after school for three weeks), I felt a surge of happiness. This is summer.

And finally, here are a few photos from our first meet. Here's Joey, probably twice as tall as he was, and a hundred times more comfortable in the water. In the background you can see Robbie (with Lindsay).

Ainsley was a spectator at this meet, taking advantage of a rare opportunity to wear a pair of "real" glasses. Her teeth are the only remnant of that cute toddler.

Ellie, waiting for her race to start.

She's made a ton of progress, even since last year. She's very proud of the fact that she's in lane five (lane six is the top lane).

Here's Joey. Needs to get his head a little lower, but a nice stroke.

Robbie, doing the breaststroke.

This next photo is NOT one of my kids. One of my friends told me she'd love a good photo of her son doing the butterfly, so I took a bunch, and initially thought I'd post this one as another reason I LOVE my camera. But now that I've gone the sentimental route, I can't help but think of the next five years. Another huge shift in our lives. I'll be busy trying to savor (and photograph) every fleeting moment.

That "Dirt Rain" This Afternoon...

2011-06-06T15:10:00.000-06:00

Yeah, that was my fault. But the kids had a great time, and the car was clean for a good twenty minutes or so.

91 and Still Young

2011-06-05T21:15:00.000-06:00

Grandma Clayton's birthday party wasn't as big as last year's, just family for cake and ice cream.

No one can believe she's 91. As I was growing up, my friends always asked if she was my mom. She's still active, physically and mentally. With my cataracts, herniated discs and bursitis in the shoulder, I swear she's in better shape than I am.

Grandma is one of the greatest blessings in my life. I'm so grateful for another year to spend time with her, and for the chance my kids have to know and love her. I need to figure out how to do this more consistently—we live so close, but sometimes go for a couple of weeks without even talking. A sad example of the urgent things crowding out the important things.

Now that she's a regular blog reader via her iPad, at least I can tell her here:

Grandma, I love you! We all love you!!

Then and Now

2011-06-03T16:48:00.001-06:00

I did the last post oldest to youngest, so I'll reverse that here. I've always managed to remember a first day of school photo, but this year I thought it'd be fun to take a photo on the last day of school and compare them.

Ainsley's before and after photos are not quite right. I took a photo of her with Ellie on the first day of school for the older kids. I loved that she wanted to match her older sister, so I got them together, but not a shot of her alone.

I did get a shot of her alone on her first day of preschool, but not in the same spot as the other photos. Either way, she looks so much older to me. She's definitely a girl, not a toddler. Sigh.

Ellie looks older too. Those two front teeth really make a big difference. It'll be a few years before she grows into them. And although the camera angle is not the same, she is definitely taller too.

Joey went from loving a buzz cut to wanting a mop. I love it. Orthodontist visits are in our near future.

Robbie hasn't changed much. New glasses, a little taller, and if possible, even more confident.

It has been a great school year, but hooray for summer!

Sometimes the Apple Falls Far From the Tree

2011-06-02T21:35:00.001-06:00

Warning: Reading through this post, I'm aware that it sounds a lot like bragging. It's intended as praise for my kids to read, not as a comparison to anyone else. Although I mean every word of this, luckily my kids are also blessed with an abundance of flaws and weaknesses to keep them from getting whisked off to heaven. This is a celebration of some of their strengths and achievements.

Today was a blur of awards assemblies at our elementary school—they paired grades 5-6, 3-4, and 1-2, so with kids in 2nd, 4th and 6th, Ainsley and I were there most of the day. We didn't really know if any of the kids were winning awards, but went anyway. The fifth and sixth graders were first.

Robbie won the Presidential Academic Excellence Award (you have to maintain a 3.5 grade point average, score above 90% on all state and national tests, and be recommended by a teacher and administrator). Whatever your politics, it is pretty cool to get a letter from the President, even if it is a form letter. It wasn't really a huge surprise, Robbie is a smart kid, and has been in the honors program all through elementary school. The BIG surprise was when they announced the awards for the Math Olympiads. I guess they take a series of five tests in five months, all "hard" problems. They passed out certificates for participation, then patches for those who scored between 35-85%. They kept calling names, and I'm sitting there thinking, "Did Robbie even take these tests?" because he wasn't called up. Finally, they held up the trophy for the person with the high score, and announced that it was Robbie! Lots of cheering and applause, and a few proud mom tears. This is all the more impressive considering the lack of math interest/ability modeled at home. He really did it on his own. We're hoping that Grandpa Ralph is willing to tutor in a few years, when he gets to Trig and Calculus.

We are so proud of Robbie. He has excelled academically, socially and spiritually. It's hard to believe he's old enough to start Junior High, but he is ready. It was fun to hear the sixth graders singing along to the music in the year-end slideshow and cheering when they were promoted.

Half-an-hour after Robbie's assembly was Joey's. He made the Honor Roll (all A's or A-'s for the year) and got a certificate for "Best Reader" in his class. He is also in all the honors classes, and his teachers always comment on Joey's fun and creative personality. As Rob likes to say, he is "wicked smart" and we're proud of him too.

Sadly, here's where the narrative goes photoless. We went back to the school for the 1st-2nd grade assembly, but had to leave for Ainsley's swimming lesson before they got to the 2nd grade. They don't start getting letter grades or separating out into advanced classes until 3rd grade, so Ellie simply got a certificate from her teacher (the "Deep Thinker" award). However, she had straight "5's" (the equivalent of an A) all year long, in all subjects and citizenship. Her teacher loved her, and Ellie is already ahead of where the boys were in 2nd grade, having passed off her times tables through the 5's. Maybe a future Math Olympiad winner? She is very social, and gets invited to more birthday parties than any person I know. She is the youngest in her class, but still at the top. We're super proud of her.

One last "graduation." Ainsley had her last private lesson at Swim Kids. She wanted to be on the swim team with the other kids this summer, and has been working hard to be able to swim 25 yards. She has a great attitude, and it has paid off—she is ready and excited for swim team. In addition to her positive attitude, she has a super high social IQ, and she's practically a human GPS. She is a joy, and of course we're proud of her too.

Play Ball!

2011-05-30T21:24:00.000-06:00

Two weeks into our newly formed neighborhood league, and we love it. After our "game" with the Stringhams, I was talking to Becca about the fact that sports are so competitive at such a young age now, and we agreed that it'd be fun to bring back the pick-up game, family-style. It has been a treat to play with the Breinholts, Allens, Coxes, Perrys and Morgans. Davey Perry said something about getting to play with "the greatest people in the world," and I said, "YES—thanks for letting us join you!"

Photo Scrooge Discovers New Level of Purgatory

2011-05-27T14:11:00.000-06:00

I'm actually posting this on June 16th, but backdating to satisfy my ~~OCD~~ need for order.

We all know how he feels about photos; today Photo Scrooge discovered something he likes even less: preschool. I had to be at the hospital for cataract surgery at 8:00 a.m., so after he dropped me off, he came home and got Ainsley ready for her last day of preschool. It was Circus Day, and we got a note saying parents were welcome to come, although it would mostly be a performance for the kids' entertainment. Well, Ainsley wanted us to come, and after seeing her perform the gorilla rap, it seemed promising. It was kind of a big deal, last day of preschool for our youngest. I probably would have been fighting back tears, because as tough as they can sometimes be, I LOVE toddlers and preschoolers. I feel like every one of Ainsley's milestones is bittersweet. So it's probably a good thing that unsentimental Rob went. When I got out of surgery I found the following text messages waiting for me:

"Most annoying program ever. Lame teacher skits."

"Worse than a dance recital."

And finally, "I'd rather be having eye surgery."

Best. Concert. Ever.

2011-05-24T23:59:00.001-06:00

Rob thinks The Police concert a few years ago was better. And I'll admit, it's a tough call. But I've got to give it to U2. What a show.

We loved every minute of it. Except maybe the minutes that Fat Courtney Love was shoving/stepping on/groping us. Still, worth all that and the year-long wait. I love them as much (or more) than I did as a teenager. Hope they're still rocking when I'm a grandma.

P.S. This concert was a close runner-up.

She just makes me happy.

2011-05-23T10:14:00.000-06:00

This photo is definitely going into my "favorites" folder. Ainsley wishes she had glasses, so has been wearing this pair of sunglasses with the lenses removed everywhere the past couple of days, including to church and school. She says they make her look smart. Darn cute too.

She's also taken to carrying around a magnifying glass and notebook, for her "investigations." I love this girl.

Today

2011-05-20T13:46:00.005-06:00

I'm hoping my sensitive tooth is not a cavity.
I made it out of Costco without buying anything that wasn't on my list.
I'm listening to a podcast on meditation.
I had a sandwich for breakfast and oatmeal for lunch.
I need to figure out how to sync my calendar to my new iPhone.
I wish it was warm and sunny.
I'm craving a really great novel.
I might be willing to settle for a really great movie.
I feel grateful.

Finally caught up!

2011-05-15T21:10:00.000-06:00

Whew. Now I can start taking pictures again.

Sunday was our Backman Family History night, at Bill and Ginny's house. After our trip to Gettysburg, Robbie was especially excited to see Bill's collection of Civil War memorabilia. Joey doesn't have the Civil War background, but does have the typical fascination with weapons for a boy his age. This Colt Rifle is taller than he is, and pretty heavy too.

The handgun was a big hit too.

As was the sword.

What is it with boys and weapons anyway?

My favorite relic was the Bible, with some pretty heart-wrenching journaling on the inside of the front and back cover. I loved the photos too.

Usually these evenings we read the history of an ancestor, but tonight Grandma Janet told us a little about her life. She is amazing. We love her so much. We feel so lucky to still have her, Rob's grandpa and my grandma around.

H - E - Double Toothpicks.

2011-05-12T21:35:00.002-06:00

Here's how Photo Scrooge envisions it:

I had to spell it out because my kids are offended by my potty mouth. If they come across this word in the scriptures, they'll protest ("Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to...I AM NOT SAYING THAT WORD").

But they'd probably agree with Rob. No one loved the ordeal of going for our first ever professional family portrait. Not even me, and hello, I'm the Photo Nazi. I got stressed over what to have everyone wear, haircuts, getting it all washed and ironed, checking kids out of school early, and trying to achieve the impossible feat of having us all looking decent at the same time.

I did relax and stop snapping at everyone once we were there. Everyone I've worked with at Busath has been so professional and nice. I asked our photographer, Dave, if his assistant could take a picture of him taking our picture, for the blog and year-end slideshow. He told me he gets that request all the time, being such a famous photographer. :)

I just hope we'll have at least one good photo and it'll be worth all the work. If it turns out anything like these photos, I'll be thrilled.

A League of Our Own

2011-05-02T21:12:00.001-06:00

Yay! I'm finally done catching up April, all backdated. I can finally move on to May, and that won't take long, because I quit taking photos, knowing that I was so behind.

When I filled in our May calendar, I was slightly alarmed by the weekly YM softball games. Robbie played one season of Little League, but that was FOUR years ago. On Saturday, we got out our mitts and threw balls in the backyard for as long as my shoulder could take it. The boys had such a good time that they suggested a "game" with the Stringhams for family night.

We used tennis balls, hoping to avoid any ER trips for our inexperienced kids.

I love that Samantha wore a "uniform."

Our league is open to kids of all ages.

I love this photo of Jonas and Samantha, demonstrating the seldom-seen "baseball flop."

Amelia, clearly a big hitter.

She takes after her Uncle Rob.

Check out that follow-through.

Rob loves to pose for the camera.

I don't usually post this many photos for something like this, but I couldn't resist these.

We didn't really play Marshes v. Stringhams, because that would hardly be fair—they've got an extra player.

We had a great time. I kind of wish we lived in the era of the pick-up game. I hate that it's so competitive at such a young age now.

No, they weren't climbing the fence to catch a fly ball.

Here's hoping for more casual sports, not to mention more sunshine and fresh air.

And the winner is...

2011-04-29T12:14:00.002-06:00

The random number generator picked number 2, so the winner is Anne, who left the second comment. I've been meaning to get to the post office to mail a baby gift anyway, so maybe this will speed up that process. :) Thanks to those who shared a favorite place—Ginny, I wish we'd had enough time for Williamsburg and Monticello. Natalie, you're insane. And Melissa, Switzerland is one of my favorite places too! I'm going to have to give some thought to my favorite places, I'll put that on my "to blog" list.

Divide and Conquer

2011-04-28T21:48:00.001-06:00

The activity overload of May has started to creep into April, and we found ourselves with two kid events tonight. Joey's Raingutter Regatta, and Ainsley's preschool "Spring Sing." On top of that, it was the swim team pizza party, and none of the kids wanted to miss that. At least dinner was covered. So Rob met me in the parking lot at the pool, took Robbie home to work on homework, and Joey to the church for scouts. The flip-flops are a really nice touch in the flag ceremony.

However, Ainsley really wanted Rob to come to her program, since they were drawing a couple of dad's names out of a hat to sing to during one song. Luckily my dad was willing to come cheer on Joey, and even took photos for me.

Meanwhile, I took Ellie with me to Ainsley's program, and it was delightful.

Ainsley is a born performer. Here's a sample, although I was running out of memory space, so I turned off the HD, and it's not high quality. Ainsley is in the back row, 2nd/3rd from the right.

She had a great time.

She was excited to have her Grandma and Great-grandma in the audience too.

We're lucky to live so close to family, and have grandparents who are involved in our lives.

We all made it back to Joey's scout meeting in time for the last few races, treats and awards. Joey won a ribbon for "Most Stickers Used"—you can see most of them on his sail in the photo above. He also had the third fastest boat of the Webelos, although I think those races hinge more on breathing technique than ship construction. Here he is with his half-eaten 3rd-place cookie.

Giveaway...

2011-04-27T09:13:00.005-06:00

So, I still have five days of our trip to D.C. to post, but I'm in the midst of some serious spring cleaning, and it may take a few more days. In the meantime, I mentioned that Robbie and I were both reading The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara before we went to Gettysburg. We each had our own copy, since Rob and I each brought one to the marriage (or maybe one of us bought a copy without realizing the other already had it). Either way, we have an extra. And I want to share—it's a great book, even if you're not a civil war buff.

I'll use the random number generator to pick a winner from the comments on Friday at noon. Please leave a comment about a favorite place you've visited.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T22:04:00.001-06:00

Years ago we began the tradition of Easter Bunny Saturday, so that Sunday we could focus on the spiritual side of this holiday. This Sunday did not disappoint. We heard Rob's dad speak in church, which is always enlightening and uplifting. Then we had dinner with the Marshes, which was great, even though I forgot to take photos. I did get out my camera for our walk around "Ralph and Judy's Garden." They've really outdone themselves this year. I took 62 photos, but tried to eliminate duplicate poses, silly faces, and photos that only our future orthodontist could love. Here's what's left:

Spring Break in St. George

2011-04-23T22:37:00.001-06:00

After a day of unpacking, laundry and repacking, I loaded up all the kids and headed to St. George for the remainder of Spring Break. Luckily we overlapped with the Stringhams, and the kids were excited to play with their cousins.

We were all excited about the warmth and sunshine.

Well, except maybe the boys, who were more interested in playing the Wii.

We had pizza for dinner TWICE, because it was a break for me too.

And, I finally convinced the boys that dodgeball was even more fun in real life than on the Wii.

Rob drove down on Friday night, and on Saturday morning the kids were happy to discover that the Easter Bunny found us as well.

We also had an Egg Hunt in the afternoon.

And at the last minute, Rob's Uncle Grant called to invite us to go swimming. Luckily the kids all got new swimsuits in their baskets.

We had a good time talking to Grant, Wendy and Julie while the kids swam and played water football.

We picked up dinner on our way out of town and arrived home around 10:00 p.m.

Four days was not long enough, but it was a nice preview of summer days coming soon!

Last Day in Washington D.C.

2011-04-19T21:20:00.001-06:00

Day Seven: We made it to the International Spy Museum before opening. After reading the three-star review in The Unofficial Guide to Washington D.C., I went in with low expectations, and only because Robbie really wanted to go. Rob loved the FBI tour he took years ago, and this was the closest thing to that, so I planned on going for their sake, but ended up really enjoying it. It was high-tech, interactive and fascinating. And we loved the gift shop. No photos were allowed inside, so this one photo seems disproportionate, compared with the hours we spent here.

We stopped for lunch at High Country BBQ, which was good.

Then we spent our remaining hours at the National Gallery of Art, which Robbie endured for our sake. We didn't have much time, so we just saw the highlights in the West Building.

Then headed over to the East Building through the underground tunnel.

Even the moving walkway is a work of art, called "Multiverse" by artist Leo Villareal.

I loved the East Building and the modern art there. Here are a few favorites:

We took one last shot on the Mall:

Then stopped by the hotel to pick up our bags. I had tried getting a hotel on priceline.com for less than $200/night, but was unsuccessful. So it was more than we wanted to spend, but the Capitol Hill Holiday Inn was a great location and a nice room.

Because of the time difference, we were able to leave D.C. at 5:00 p.m. and still arrive home by 7:30 p.m. The kids were excited to see us, even though they had a great time with the Kyles and both sets of grandparents. Souvenirs included Smithsonian "Mood necklaces" and bags for the girls, and personalized dog tags and airplanes for the boys. The boys also got t-shirts and books from the International Spy Museum, and we got a money notepad from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for them to share.

It was truly a fabulous trip, and I loved our opportunity to spend time with just Robbie. But I think one of the benefits of travel is that it helps you appreciate home even more. It's good to be back. I love my family.

Still Washington D.C.

2011-04-18T22:46:00.000-06:00

The real posting date here is Sunday, May 15th, and Rob told me he would keep me from taking a Sunday nap unless I catch up here. So I'm hoping to at least finish up our trip.

Day Six: We left early in the morning to make one more attempt at getting tickets for the Washington Monument. Rob waited in line, and Robbie and I started walking toward the Jefferson Memorial. As I said before, we missed the cherry blossoms by only days. It was disappointing to go to the Tidal Basin and see all those green leaves. This was the only tree with blossoms. But because they are repairing the sinking sea wall at the memorial, there wasn't much of a scenic shot anyway. We did the best we could with what we had.

Rob showed up with the disappointing news that the tickets to Washington Monument ran out about 20 people too soon. Oh well. I guess this means we'll have to go back someday.

On the way back we hit the FDR Memorial, which is a huge, 7.5 acre series of fountains, sculptures and engraved stones.

Years ago I read and loved Doris Kearns Goodwin's No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II. Whatever your political views, they lived incredible lives. I especially admire Eleanor.

The famous "Breadline":

We peeked at the construction for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which is scheduled to open at the end of this summer, and continued on to the WWII Memorial. It also takes up almost 7.5 acres. This is Freedom Wall—there are 4048 stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war. It's hard to read the inscription in front, but it says, "Here we mark the price of freedom."

We took a photo under the Pacific arch, since Rob's grandpa served there.

And of course, in front of the Utah pillar.

After walking all morning, we caught the metro over to the Ford's Theatre neighborhood, hoping to fit in the International Spy Museum, which was one of the main things Robbie wanted to do there. After seeing the line that wrapped around the block, we decided to try to be there when it opened in the morning. Instead, we picked up lunch here. It was good, but I'm not bragging when I say my crepes are way better.

We ate on the steps of the National Portrait Gallery, with a lovely view of the Verizon center, where the Wizards play.

We saw the beautiful Friendship Gate in Chinatown:

Then we returned to the National Air and Space Museum. We loved the Wright Brothers exhibit.

And the space stuff.

I always accept and appreciate any offer to take our photo together, even when the well-meaning photographer takes a shot with us neatly centered and too far away to see.

When the museum closed we walked the block back to our hotel to regroup and come up with a dinner plan. Almost twelve hours of walking had taken their toll though, and Robbie asked if he could just stay at the hotel and have us bring him something to eat. So we took off (without my camera) for Vapiano, which is now one of my favorite restaurants. I love the idea—fast food that is delicious—all fresh ingredients, made-to-order salads, pizza and pastas, reasonable pricing, great service and a fun atmosphere. I wish we had one in SLC. By the time we got Robbie's pizza back to the hotel, he was asleep, and clearly not going to wake up, even for food. Good to know that we maxed out this trip.

Washington D.C., continued

2011-04-17T22:19:00.000-06:00

Day Five: We found the Capitol Hill ward only a metro stop away, and enjoyed meeting there. It was cool to see a much more diverse congregation, but know how unified we are because of our beliefs.

After church, we caught the metro to Arlington National Cemetery. This was the least crowded we saw any metro station during our stay.

Rob and Robbie pretended not to know the stereotypical tourist taking their picture on the metro.

It was a gorgeous day, and paying our respects at the cemetery seemed like an appropriate Sunday activity. Hard to see the eternal flame in broad daylight, but on the hill above is Arlington House, built by George Washington Custis, and inherited by his daughter, Mrs. Robert E. Lee. It seemed like everywhere we went there was a Civil War tie-in. Years ago I read Mrs. Robert E. Lee: The Lady of Arlington, which was a fascinating biography, and I was excited to see the home. Unfortunately it's undergoing renovation, so the furniture has all been removed, but it was still fun to see.

It's a beautiful setting.

I love the quotes carved into stone, here, and at so many monuments.

Although we missed THE cherry blossoms, by less than a week, there were many blossoms, and it definitely looked like spring.

We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was very cool.

The view from Arlington House was almost as pretty as the view from Mt. Vernon.

We then walked over to the Korean War Monument, which is amazing.

I didn't get a very good photo of the wall—it was crowded. I guess a lot of people thought this would be a good Sunday activity.

The Lincoln Memorial was VERY crowded, but still awesome.

An Abraham Lincoln biography is high on my "to-read" list. Anyone have a favorite?

Here we are at the Vietnam Memorial. I like the simplicity, and think it goes well with the Korean Memorial. Robbie is just shading his eyes, but it brings to mind a salute, which we did in our hearts, if not with our hands.

Late afternoon we headed toward Georgetown.

We passed the Watergate Hotel...

On our way to the Kennedy Center. Every night they have a free performance, and we caught one of the best, the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quartet. You can actually catch their performance here.

We went up to the terrace for a beautiful sunset view of the city.

Read up on JFK, and his vision of art for everyone.

Then we caught a shuttle to the metro and headed for Dupont Circle. I couldn't get a great shot of it, but the moon seemed so big, and low.

We tried BFG, The Burger Joint, and it was pretty good. Plus their playlist is all '80's music, as you can see from the album covers on the wall.

After trying unsuccessfully to get some good shots of the monuments at night without a tripod, I gave up, so we headed back to the hotel.

Maybe a little too much walking to call this a restful day, but it was definitely an enjoyable one.