Halloween

Jillian the Ballerina (many thanks to Chira!)...

Rhino as Obi Wan Kenobi (surprise, surprise--I think that kid lives and breathes Star Wars)...

And Alex, as Peter from the Chronicles of Narnia (his school requires the kids to dress as literary characters)...

Well, here are the obligatory Halloween photos. We had a really nice time with good weather, good food, and good friends. The corner by the Atkins, Christiansens and Householders was blocked off and the kids were able to play. Everybody brought yummy food for our potluck and Josh and I made doughnuts again. Believe it or not, I was actually able to offer a cop a doughnut and not get arrested. A couple of Pinal county sheriff's deputies stopped by to make sure we weren't making a lot of trouble. I walked up with a plate of fresh doughnuts and asked, "Is it really wrong to offer a cop a doughnut?" No takers. As soon as they saw the casseroles and that there was no beer, they let us be.

I thought Ryan's white vampire pumkin was pretty good, but I think it is eclipsed by my brother Greg's pumpkin "Ralph." Kudos to Greg for the best Jack since Doug's Bill Cllinton pumpkin a few years ago.

Happy Halloween!

Bob the Builder and Life with Boys

Well, Josh has been at it again. He got tired of having laundry baskets full of towels around (clean and folded, but still homeless), so he ripped out my linen cabinet and built me a new one that holds about three times as much as the old cabinet. He grabbed a cabinet catalogue from Home Depot, asked me which door style I liked and then disappeared into the garage. This was the end result. The picture hardly does it justice. It makes me wonder what else he could do if not for that pesky, full-time job that pays our mortgage.

The little boys have been on a roll lately. Every day they say something that just cracks me up. While we were on our trip, Josh's mom overheard this conversation when the boys were supposed to be sleeping. (Keep in mind we had been to the dinosaur museum that day):

Alex: Hey Ryan, do you think dinosaurs ever puked? (giggle, giggle)

Ryan: Yeah, and then you could fill a whole BUCKET full of puke and dump it over their heads! (peals of hysterical laughter)

They announced to me last night in the car that we needed a pet. I proceeded to tell them that their Daddy is allergic to a lot of animals, but maybe if they came up with a good idea we could discuss it. After deciding that fish and frogs sounded totally dull, each boy came up with his ideal pet. Alex wants a cheetah and Ryan wants a were-rabbit. (Yes, a were-rabbit all you Wallace and Gromit fans out there.)

So all in all, life with boys may be tiring, but it is at least entertaining, as long as you think puke and belching the ABC's qualify as entertainment.

I came, I saw, I (eventually) conquered...

I have finally finished it! Josh gave me this book for Christmas two years ago and between life with three kids and several shorter intervening books, it has taken me this long to finish it, but finish it I did! It was excellent. Much to the chagrin of my Grandfather, "Give 'em hell Harry" has always been one of my favorite presidents. So for any of you biography readers out there, this one is well worth the time investment (the book is nearly 1,000 pages, hence it is truly an investment).

Just a funny side note: When Gordon B. Hinckley, at age 97, met David McCullough he told him that he had read all of his books with great relish, except this one. President Hinckley said, "A man of my age doesn't begin a book that large."

Homesick!

Well, we've had a few days to get over the Grandma withdrawal and to get used to being back at home. I love my home, I love my dear friends here, but Oh! how I miss our families. We had a wonderful time being home again. Last Sunday, we gathered most of our families together for the blessing of our baby daughter. (We were only missing my brother Ken and his wife Alison and their kids.) Josh's mom was kind enough to host all of us, and our numerous small children in her home. There is something so tender about a father pouring out his heart to his infant child while surrounded by a fortress of strength. Jillian was blessed by her Father, assisted by both Grandfathers, all but two of her Uncles and several dear and close friends. It is a lovely way to set parents up on a sure foundation as they begin the process of rearing a new little one. It gives you such a sense of continuity. Jilly wore a lovely dress that was made by Josh's grandmother for the blessing of his sister Abby (seen with Jillian below). I have a weakness for things that are traditional and still meaningful, such as the dress and Jillian's middle name. We named her Alice in honor of my paternal grandmother, Alice Ann. I hope she'll be a presence in Jillian's life the way she has been and continues to be in mine.

The rest of the week was a whirlwind of great times. We played outside, the kids had cousin-fest and a couple of massive sleepovers in Grandma Shell's basement, we did some shopping, the boys went hiking, we played games every night, we went to a really cool dinosaur museum, we ate frozen yogurt at Uncle Rich's new shop--Yozone, we went bowling, Josh did numerous fix-it jobs for both sets of parents, and we didn't get nearly enough sleep. I'm just going to post a few of the pictures that I have, trusting that it won't do justice to the trip. We were all set to get up and leave in the very early hours of Sunday morning, but when we woke up, there were four inches of snow on the ground. The little boys had been praying for snow all week, so Grandma Debbie bundled them up and out they went. They played for an hour or so, and we took the morning easy. It turned out to be a much better way to end the trip than just leaving and racing home.

I'm glad we made the move to Arizona. It has been good for our marriage and our little family, but it makes my heart ache a little every time we pack up to leave our loved ones and head home. My little ones still ache for the snow, and in my heart so do I. I love being able to shop with my mom and sister, to watch our nephew Jackson walk around smacking anything that looks like ball with a spatula, to have my little niece Grace decide she likes me and call me her "buddy," and to stay up late playing card games with my brothers and sister until 2 a.m. Well, you can never foresee the future. Maybe events will lead us closer to home sometime. Until then, we'll have to enjoy our trips home as much as we did this one. And now for us, it's back to the rat race....

Ode to the Old Man

I've always been a Daddy's girl. This post is a salute to my wonderful Dad. On our way up to Salt Lake to visit with our families, we stopped off in St. George to watch Dad finish his 21st marathon, the 7th one he's finished this summer. (He'll be running number eight in Las Vegas just before Thanksgiving!) My Dad is sixty-seven years old this year. A few years ago one of his dear friends, upon hearing that he was running yet another marathon, jokingly told him he should"act his age." That friend has since passed on, sometimes I wonder what he would say now.



My Dad is inspiring to me. He inspires me to run, to stay active, to have an open mind, to read good books, to study the gospel and to try my best to live it. For me he exemplifies true Christianity. He loves Jesus, he never ceases to learn about Him, and he tries his best to live in accordance with his beliefs. Dad has learned through hard experience to respond to his children with love and understanding, no matter the circumstances or choices we have made.



I do my best to run in his footsteps (even though I know there are not likely to be marathons in my future). I love you, Dad. Keep on trucking old man!

Out of Town

We are in Salt Lake letting the kids get their Grandma and Grandpa and cousin fixes.  We'll have lots of pics to share later on.  Jillian was blessed on Sunday.  Our families made great efforts to be there and to provide exceptional food for the event.  Uncle Alan got in on the act and you should have heard the groans of pleasure as we bit into his pastries.  It reminded me of the party scene in "Chocolat."  We're having a ball and we'll be back next week.  

Better Late than Never

My Alex turned seven this month and I've not had time to write a nice post for his Birthday, so now that I've recovered some of my sanity, here it goes! Alex was born the morning the towers fell down, September 11, 2001. We named him Alex because it means "protector and defender of mankind." Right now we are deep in the midst of the struggle to turn a little wild one into a protector and defender.

When I think about Alex, the first thing that comes to my mind is his incredible sense of humor. For a seven-year-old he is a very funny guy. He's always got a wry observation or an appropriate movie line to crack his mum up at the right moment. When being put in time-out, he looked up and in the perfect imitation of Mr. Tweedy said, "Nooooo chicken escapes from Tweedy's farm." Just after we moved into our new house my neighbor called and asked him if I was home, without skipping a beat, he said, "Heidi, I'm five, of course my mom is home."

Alex is also extremely loving. I know this won't last forever, so I try to enjoy it while I can. He's been growing up a lot this past year. It's been interesting to watch him change from little boy into just plain boy (along with all the smells and belches). I love his freckles and his Monchee-chee hair. I love the way he plays so well with his little brother. He's been a great big brother ever since Ryan was small. I love his active imagination. (Alex is the one that organizes the make-believe games with his brother and his friends.) I love his Lego building prowess.

Alex has the heart of a warrior. He is brave and strong. I hope that I can guide him and help him become a fine young man despite the fact that I have yet to figure out my own life. I guess that is the ultimate challenge of all parents: trying to avoid loading your kids up with your own baggage. I love you big boy, Happy Birthday!