Sometimes on your birthday...

you get into the car fully expecting a fun family activity.  And then...

your ExPeCtAtIoNs suddenly change, and you are presented with a whole new reality.

A happier, more fantastic reality.  It seems that your awesome parents have planned a SuRpRiSe PaRtY just for you!

And the surprise of it puts a great big sMiLe on your face, and then everybody lAuGhS, and then we bowl our little hearts out.  And you come away with the High Score (130)!

And then we have to take back all of those bad things we said about how Dad always "has to go to FiRe CaLLs," because for once they came in handy - even though we just faked one!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOREY!!!

Thanks to everybody who came and helped us celebrate!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy ToReY!

Happy Birthday to our little Bus.  We love you so much and are so grateful that you are a part of our family.  You bring the spunk into our crew and we thank Heavenly Father every day that you are ours.

Reasons and things we love about our Torey:

• She is the "fun bus" - the social coordinator in our family.  If there is fun to be had she is usually heading it up.
• She is the sweet one, always wanting hugs and cuddles. (And even though she is nine she still wants to be carried like a baby! - It's okay because she is a half-pint!)
• She has a very mature vocabulary and stuns us with her conversational skills.
• Torey was born with an arsenal of accents.  She can slip into Southern Belle, or British, or even Australian outback.  We never know who we are going to get!
• She loves animals.  She is the only kid who will really give Copper all of the love she needs.  We wonder if one day she will own two dozen cats in a one room apartment.
• Torey is very fashion savvy, and owns the runway!
• She doesn't walk - she skips.  She doesn't talk - she sings.  And she doesn't stand - she poses!
• She is the cream filling in our family Oreo, the pb&j in our sandwich, the bees knees, the cat's pajamas....
• She is a self-proclaimed "sucker for romance."
• She is the motherly one in the family.  She always takes care of everyone around her.  She has the talent to hone in on who is feeling left out and include them immediately.  In fact, she demands they have fun or she won't give up.
• She shrinks when she is sad.
• She can fit in microscopic spaces.
• SHE IS OURS AND WE LOVE HER!!!!

Too Much Fun...

Alternately titled:  Stop the fun bus, I want to get off.

Also Known As:  If the skin cancer doesn't kill me, the West Nile Virus will.

Or else:  Could we be doing any more crap lately?

Still Better:  It's not stopping anytime soon - we still have a birthday week and a family reunion, so hold on tight.

Or we could call it:  Who's paying for all these activities anyway?

Or the perplexing question:  What's worse - school starting or more summer activities?

Dear Summer: We have taken complete advantage of you, and have done it the best way we knew how.  Could you please slow down?  Maybe we just need a break from the activities for a while, or a good rest.  It's not you, it's me.  I can't take the fun anymore.  I need a nap.  Please don't be offended, but I am looking forward to the peace that Autumn can offer me.  Oh, except for the schoolwork and the kids being gone.  So maybe I just want a more relaxed summer, one that is not so intense and filled with stuff.  Do you think the kids would go for that?  I don't think so either.  Thanks anyway - Love, Nat

The Big Horn Ranch...

Today my very generous father invited us all down to spend the day at the Big Horn Ranch.  We set out early in order to have as much fun as possible in the short time we were able to spend.  Taylor's first priority was to shoot her gun.  She received it for her tenth birthday and has not had many opportunities to use it, so Grandpa made sure he had a target for her so she could hone her skills.

The cousins had a great time swinging in Grandpa's hammock.  He and DeeDee have made themselves quite a comfortable campsite and there is a lot of fun to be had.  Torey and Jaycie are always up for a photo opportunity.
At the top of the site sits a little playground with swings, a basketball hoop, and a good old fashioned merry go round.  
We communed with nature because it was all around us.  Look at the size of this bumble bee.  It was humongous.  We saw several deer, many hummingbirds, a lot of insects, and the grand finale was a six-point bull elk.  It was amazing.  The kids also went on a ride to the frog pond and caught some pollywogs for our pond.  We left them on accident.  Let's hope Grandpa remembers to bring them to us.  (hint, hint).
We also made sure that we got plenty of love from Grandpa, and some pocket knife training from Dad and Grandpa.  We learned all about the "blood circle" and how to properly carve a pointy stick!  
The kids stopped four-wheeling and stood still long enough for us to snap a group shot, which was an amazing feat of self-control for a group like this.
We even managed to get a family picture, though I am not sure it is the best we have ever taken.  Reed was chivalrous enough to offer me the shirt off his back because we had a bit of a thunderstorm while we were there and I was freezing.  The rain wasn't horrible, it was just enough to keep the dust under control.
All in all we had a great time.  Thanks Dad for a wonderful day.  We will try to make it down again soon!  Oh, and Jake wants to know if you can get him the hamburger recipe in a hard copy.  A little guy like him can't be expected to remember recipes for that long! 

Pioneer Day Report....

Yesterday we celebrated Pioneer Day with my sister and her family on Utah Lake, which no doubt the Pioneers discovered soon after entering the valley.  Back then I hear it was white sand beaches and crystal blue water.  Oh, to have seen that.   We celebrated on their boat by swimming, wake boarding, and water wienering.  (Is that a word?)  Anyway, we had a great time.  And some of the Pioneers came by boat - to California and then over the Sierra Nevada's - so we were not too far off in celebrating our heritage, though all of ours came the other way.

Taylor tried wake boarding several times and did pretty good for her first time.  Jake and Torey were content to go on the water "hot dog."  They had fun too.
Now for the moronic part of my post.  Did you know that my family is relatively fair skinned? We are one shade above "pasty" or "death-like."  In fact, every time my aunt visits she asks me if I am feeling okay because "I am just so pale."  So, we applied sunblock to everyone at least twice, but that did not prevent a major sunburn for a lot of us - but in random places.  Reed and my knees are bright red.  Torey and Jake's faces, Torey and Taylor's thighs, and my shoulders and chest - though that was on purpose because I was trying to extend my smokin' hot farmers tan up a little bit.    I keep trying to convince myself that one day I will be a bronze goddess, but cold hard reality usually sneaks up and slaps me right in the face, and I am left to suffer in my stupidity for a few days.  I am only sorry that the kids will be suffering with me.  This girl will not be receiving any "Mother of the Year" awards anytime soon.  

Dear kids:  I am sorry I was not more thorough with the sunblock.  I have learned my lesson - at least where you are concerned.  Please lock this memory away deep in your subconscious so you can bring it up in counseling one day and your psychiatrist can blame me for all of your life's problems.  That is what I am here for isn't it?  Love - Mom.

P.S.  We closed out the holiday with an amazing fireworks display at Jeff and Niki's.  Thanks guys for a fun day!

A Family Outing...

Today my wonderful, white legged, husband decided that we should explore our own backyard and so we decided to take the kids to Timpanogos Cave National Monument.   We asked the kids what they thought about going - after we explained that it was a 1 1/2 mile hike to an incredible cave with amazing formations, and do you want to bring your head lamps that you got for Christmas?  After we mentioned the lamps they were all in.  Anything requiring a prop usually goes like gangbusters at our house, so we were not surprised.  We arrived a little early so we watched a movie, and then went and ate lunch at my former place of employment - Timpanogos Cave Concessions.  I will admit that I got a little weepy and nostalgic as I smelled the snack shack and gazed upon the souvenir stand.  It brought back a lot of fun memories.

The kids told us, as they were huffing and puffing along the trail, that when we said "hike" they thought we meant  a 1 1/2 mile walk, like along a nature trail, and definitely not the 1000 foot ascent we were attempting.  No matter, they did great - we didn't even lose one of them.  The first 1/2 of the hike they hung in like champs, going very fast - especially the girls.  We slowed down a little bit for the next 1/4 of the hike, and then the last 1/4 about did them in.  It was very steep and hot, and we stopped at every switchback, but we made it in pretty good time.
The head lamps turned out to be a great accessory.  And that's the best kind of accessory - the kind that are useful.  The kids were getting many envious looks and cute comments from other explorers and rangers along the trail.  They came in very handy when looking into the deep recesses that were not lit very well, and they even helped people to program their cameras by providing much needed light.  The kids loved being in the cave, and didn't even complain about the frigid temperatures.  The cave stays a balmy 43* year round, so the jackets were a major necessity.  The only disappointment came from Jake who was a little miffed at the lack of bats living in the cave.  Well, we can't please everyone.
This is the famous "heart of the cave" and we got to view it while listening to the legend of Utahna the Indian princess and her doomed romance with an Indian brave.  This was everyones favorite part of the cave.  Timp Cave is a beautiful monument and so full of natural wonders.  I have said it once and I will say it again - No big bang made this.  Heavenly Father created it for us to enjoy and that is what we did.  We enjoyed it until we couldn't possibly enjoy any more.
We had a fantastic time - but we were tired at the end.  It is a 3 1/2 mile hike round trip, and the elevation, steepness of the climb, and the July heat made it difficult to tackle.  We suggest that if you go you take plenty of water, good shoes, and for the love of Pete - take a jacket.  We passed a lot of people along the trail who had none of these and I'll bet their experience wasn't nearly as fun as ours.  Head lamps are optional, but very fun as well as extremely useful.  One last thing if you decide to go:

The Grand Finale...

The grand finale to the Steel Days fun comes in the form of a fantastic fireworks display.  While Reed is doing his firefighting duties - in the form of a party and picnic - oh, and setting off fireworks, the kids and I have a party of our own at Grandma Glenda's.  She provides pizza, drinks, and fun while we provide snacks and entertainment.  I love to spend time with Reed's family.  They are so fun to be around and make everything into an event.  The kids have a great time playing with their cousins, and Taylor and Torey love practicing their babysitting skills on all of the little kids.  We were thrilled when we saw that our cousins from Idaho, Logan, and Colorado had made the trip to our town for the weekend.  We don't see each other often enough, so it was nice to take the time to visit with them and everyone else.  Here is a picture of the kids and I.  If you can get past the white glow, you may notice that we got a little bit of sun today!

Some of the aunt's tried to organize a race in the backyard and it was pretty funny to watch. The little kids couldn't quite understand the point, so there was a lot of falling down, acting silly, and general merriment!  It was a huge success.
Jake made a general announcement for the entertainment portion of the evening and showed us some of his crazy faces.  This was my favorite.
After all the food was eaten, and all of the games enjoyed, we took the time to sit and chat, and wait for the fireworks.  From where we sat we only saw the high ones, but they were pretty good I am sure.  And that, my friends, is how we spent Steel Days!  We hope you got to enjoy some of the events as well.

Fun Run and Parade...

For the past several years the kids have participated in the Steel Days Fun Run, which is a half-mile race for kids from 0-12 years of age.  In years past the kids have always placed in the top six or so and have been very successful.  One year Torey even took first place, but sadly for her that is the year they did not give out trophies.  This year we were joined in the race by some smaller cousins who were attempting it for the first time.  We had a great time watching them and they had a great time running.

All of the kids finished really strong.  Jake ended up in 4th place, Torey in 5th, and Taylor in 6th in their respective categories.  Jake and Torey ended up winning a trophy, but sadly Taylor missed it by one.  She would be furious at me if I didn't mention that at the starting line a few moms parked their strollers and kids right in front of her and by the time she worked her way around them the other kids were already at the corner, and she had some catching up to do.  It was a bit of a mess at the starting line, but sometimes that is just the way things are. Sometimes learning to deal with disappointment is better for us than winning a trophy.  It didn't matter anyway, I was just proud they finished and had fun.  Hence the name "fun run."
The next activity on the agenda was the parade.  After some safety instructions from the man on the right of the picture, and a promise to be good from the kids in the middle, the fire truck left the station to take its place in the parade.
The kids had a great time throwing candy and frisbees and waving at all of the people in the parade.  I guess they saw a lot of people in the neighborhood and were really excited about that.
The fire truck is one of the first things in the parade, so there was still time to stand out in the road and gather candy.  This is perhaps the only time in their lives where playing in the road is not only allowable, but encouraged.  We came away with a lot of coupons, candy, and fun memories.  I will say that the parade this year was excruciatingly long, and that is no exaggeration.

Picnic in the Park...continued

Face painting is why we come.  We love it, I mean who doesn't.  Everyone likes to wear their hobby or loves on their face and so it was with much anticipation that we descended on the face painting tent.  Oh, the stress of what to put on our faces.  What could the artists do?  Would it be acceptable?  Oh, we couldn't decide, but then we did.  And here it is.  Drum roll please....

Someone loves baseball.  Someone else loves roses and being a sparkly princess.  And one in particular is a very fierce tiger.  I can't say that I was surprised when they showed me the final product.  I wonder what that would have been like.  You know - a surprise.

Picnic in the Park...

Well we didn't actually picnic but we had a fantastic time anyway.  The city puts on a little carnival for the citizens and we enjoyed every minute of it.  They had a rock climbing wall and little games for the kids where they could win multiple prizes.  We would love to share some of the pictures of the event.  Here are the kids climbing the wall.  Reed missed this part because he was at an extrication.  I am a little sad, but a whole lot glad about that.  Sad because he missed seeing the kids climb the wall like spider monkeys, but glad because if he saw these kids in the harnesses and climbing that wall he might picture the next generation of heavy rescue technicians and I am just here to say I am not having it.  I repeat - I am NOT having it.  (Last sentences directed to one reader in particular).  Anyway, enjoy your day because we are enjoying ours!

Steel Days....

Aaah, yes.  That special time of the year when our town undertakes its annual city celebration.  People come from all over the county to participate in the week long festivities, in fact some even crawl out from under their respective rocks so that they will not miss one second of the fun to be had.  There is one reason, and one reason only, that I take my kids to the carnival and it is this:  My parents took me.  That's right.  The only reason that I take my kids is because my parents sucked it up and took me, and their parents took them, and so I have to take my kids.  Even though it is dirty, and stinky, and full to the brim of "colorful" people I take them and we have the best time.  This year Reed and I decided to take them on opening day.  It was a good choice.

Lucky for us we bought our tickets ahead of time saving ourselves a bundle of money.  We paid $1 a ride.  If we had waited and bought them at the ticket booth it would have been between $3 and $6 a ride.  Good choice, Reed, good choice.
This ride was the favorite.  It is called "Gee Whiz."  I think it was more like "Holy Smokes!"
The Ferris Wheel is always a classic.  This year they were able to take many turns around, versus the "WE ONLY WENT AROUND ONE TIME LAST YEAR.  WHAT A GIP" experience from last year.
I don't know what it is about the cars but they are always a crowd pleaser.  Someone, I won't mention names, takes her driving very seriously.
Here is Jake enjoying the heck out of the spaceship ride.  It was fantastic and went exactly 3 mph around and around in circles.  There is nothing like that feeling of flying, it just can't be beat!

Stay tuned for more Steel Days fun!

Thankful Thursday and Heart Attack Beans....

So, yesterday morning I was awakened at 7:59 by the fancy ringing of my new phone and "invited" by this gentleman's wife to come over and help pick beans.  "I'll be right over," I say, and after shoving some toast down my kid's throats, we headed off to Grandpa's house where he had two rows of green beans just crying to be picked.  We found ourselves some buckets and got started.  Grandpa was doubtful that we picked as much as we did in so little time, but after reassuring him that we were very thorough, we found some chairs and sat for a spell. 

And then we snapped the beans, and apparently, from what we were told, we did it in record time.  At this point I was informed that this entire bucket of green beanie goodness was intended for my very own family.  And that is one of the many reasons why I love my Grandpa.  He is very thoughtful and always takes care of us.
Here is the kids.  I am so thankful for them because they are fantastic helpers and always have the best attitude when helping is involved.  I am also thankful for them because they are so obedient, and this saved us all a little heartache yesterday.  You'll notice that Grandma is not in these pictures, and that is because at the time the kids and Grandpa were taking pictures, Grandma was in the house having a heart attack.
I am so thankful that I was in the right place at the right time and able to help her.  I called 911, called my mom, put her on oxygen, gave her some nitro, talked to a dispatch, called in Grandpa, sent the kids downstairs, and gave the medics info without having a breakdown.  Unless you count the one small crying episode in the middle when I was telling their elderly neighbor what was going on.  A kindly hug and kiss on the cheek later, and I was set to go back in and finish.  I have never had to do anything like that before so I was surprised at the level of calm I was able to maintain throughout the event - minus the few tears outside with the elderly gentlemen whom I don't know, but love nonetheless.  It's because he asked me what was going on.  If he wouldn't have asked, then I wouldn't have had to say it out loud, therefore admitting there was a problem, which in turn caused some panic, and then some tears.  I am much better at repressing when I can't talk.  Needless to say, we got Grandma packaged up and to the hospital without the kids ever knowing that there were medics and firemen in the house, sirens outside, and all sorts of mayhem going on upstairs, and all because they were obedient, thus saving them from a life scarring event.  Thank goodness.
So in the end, Grandma came home from the hospital (What?!?!), and I got some beans canned.  What a crazy day - but I am so thankful that it turned out okay - minus the psychological damage because Grandma violated the sacred and unspoken "not on my watch" agreement that I thought we had in place.  I'll talk to her about that later.

Summer Checklist....

At the beginning of the summer I asked the kids what they wanted to do this summer.  If you remember, Taylor said she wanted to go to a Yankees game, Torey wanted to attend an opera, and little Jake only wanted to go to the mall and get a "hot pretzel."  And so it was with much excitement that we set out to fulfill number three on our list.  We arrived at the mall and after looking in a couple of stores and picking up a few school clothes, we set out to find Pretzel Time.  The menu looked tempting but we finally decided on three cinnamon sugar pretzels, one garlic pretzel, and one plain pretzel, along with two waters.  They were delicious.  They were given two thumbs up, nay, they were given two billion thumbs up, and they were enjoyed by us all.  Jake was entirely satisfied with how our outing turned out, and we were glad to help him accomplish his one goal for this summer.

Pretzels: $12

Waters: $.50

Checking one item off the list: priceless

Welcome Baby....

May We Present...

 STAILEY LYN BROOKS!

Born: July 14, 2008

Weight: 7 lbs. 9 oz.

Congratulations Jammie and Jesse, she is beautiful!

100 things....

Since this is our family's 100th post of 2008 we would like to share with you 100 things about our family.  Some of you may choose to avoid this post altogether because 100 things is a lot of things.  It really is.  I don't even know if we can come up with 100 things, but we are going to give it a try.  So, if you choose to stay - Welcome.  If not, have a great day!

Spiritual 

1.  We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

2.  We know that Heavenly Father lives and loves each of us, and he loves you too.

3.  We know Jesus Christ is the literal son of Heavenly Father, that he will come again, and that his atonement was for each and every one of us.

4.  We know that Joseph Smith restored the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth and was the first Prophet in the Latter-days.

5.  We know the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, a record of the ancient inhabitants of America, and a witness of Christ's visit to the America's after his crucifixion.

6.  We know that Thomas S. Monson is a true and living prophet and the only person on the earth who holds all of the priesthood keys.

Historical

7.  Reed and I met while camping.

8.  Reed graduated from the class of '92. I graduated in '94.

9.  We dated for one year, then Reed left on a mission for our church, and then we dated for two more weeks, got engaged, and were married four months later. 

10.  Reed served his mission in Bristol, England.

11.  I wrote to him faithfully - except for a little lull near the end. I'm just trying to be honest.

12.  We were married in the Salt Lake City Temple, quite possibly the most beautiful place on earth.

13.  We honeymooned in our duplex in Pleasant Grove, after spending one night in Salt Lake.  

14.  We have three of the most amazing kids on the whole face of the earth.  Truly, they are.

Family

Taylor

15.  Taylor loves baseball more than life.

16.  She spent the first two weeks of summer vacation laying in bed and reading Harry Potter.  We are glad she is back.

17.  Taylor recently had five teeth pulled out of her head, and is still bitter about it.

18.  When she was little she would dress up like the characters in the Disney movies and make-out with a plastic horse during the kissing scenes.  A favorite memory!

19.  Taylor had a pair of Winnie the Pooh moon boots and every time she wore them the velcro would catch on the carpet and she would fall down the stairs.  She got quite good at falling down stairs.

20.  Taylor will be in sixth grade this year.

21.  Taylor is fearless when it comes to amusement park rides.  The wilder the better.

22.  Taylor wants to marry Derek Jeter.  She crushes on boys based on athletic ability.  Brains don't even factor into the equation.

23.  Taylor once told us she was going to have sixteen kids and play professional sports so she had better get a nanny.  I can't wait for that many grandkids, I hope her nanny is good.

24.  Taylor loves recess and P.E. 

25.  Taylor has the best curly hair ever.  If I asked it to dance for me it would.  Sadly, she doesn't let me do anything with it.

Torey

26.  Torey walked at nine months, talked at 12 months, and did everything really early.  It was kind of hard to keep up with her.  Since she was very small she has had a huge vocabulary.  She could converse like an adult from about 18 months, and it was funny to watch people react to her conversations.

27.  Torey is soooooo funny.  

28.  Torey is the motherly one in the family.  She loves babies and children and takes care of them really well.

29.  Torey loves to sing and dance.  We love to listen and watch her.

30.  Torey loves the Phantom of the Opera but does not get to watch it very often because her brother and sister are mean about it.

31.  Torey loves to shop, which is good for her because her birthday is coming up soon.

32.  Torey has more shoes than anyone in the family.

33.  When she was little she was always into things.  I had to call poison control several times.  She was very adventurous.

34.  Torey loves arts and crafts.

35.  Torey wants to be a model or a fashion designer when she grows up.  She definitely does not want to work at the sewer plant.  That's what she told her dad the other day.

36.  Torey's nickname used to be "Torbug" but when Jake started to talk he renamed her "Bus."

Jake

37.  Jake loves chocolate chips, and brownies, and fudge, and chocolate cake, and cookies.

38.  Jake loves Momma.  That's what he just said. I don't make this stuff up.

39.  Jake's miraculously long eyelashes help him to see underwater.  He can float without a life jacket.  He looks like a dead fish.  That's what he says, I didn't believe it either!

40.  Jake loves to play Indiana Jones, Power Rangers, Transformers, or Star Wars.

41.  Jake has quite the variety of light sabers.  He is a light saber glutton.

42.  Jake has a bear named Koda,  a dinosaur named Dino, and a monkey named "Carious" George!

43.  Jake can't wait to start first grade.

44.  Jake loves chocolate milk.

45.  Jake gets to spend Friday's with Grandpa.

46.  Jake loves school.  His favorite part is doing centers.

47.  Jake is currently suffering from "the RSV" aka the "black lung" - it couldn't possibly be a cough due to bad air quality.

Nat  

48.  I love to read.  I am currently loving Jane Austen and the Twilight series.  Do you think I am trying to supplement my life with some romance?  I don't think so either.  

49.  I haven't embraced housework like a dutiful homemaker should.  My house stays clean for the most part, I just don't really enjoy the work.  I know, I can't believe it either.

50.  I think heaven should be paved in Peppermint Patties, or Junior Mints, or York's, or whatever else they can find that is minty.

52.  I love the United States Postal Service.  I've loved it ever since I was a kid.  Getting mail is like receiving a present at your house every day.  I love the surprise of seeing what the magical box has to offer.  When Reed was on his mission it only fed the addiction because I was getting A LOT of mail.  Getting mail is the best.

53.  I promised myself I was never going to marry a cop, so I did one better and married a firefighter.  Jokes on me, I guess.

54.  I love shooting handguns, rifles - not so much, shotguns - hardly at all.

55.  I don't sleep on Christmas Eve.  I am a little bit like a freak that way.  

56.  I am also a snooper.  It's a gift, and I take full advantage of my talents.  Surprises give me a headache.

57.  The fourth of July is my favorite holiday, as noted from previous posts.

58.  I have never cooked a turkey.  Shocking.

59.  When I was in fifth grade I slept through a Bon Jovi concert.

60.  I have recently become a little obsessive/compulsive with hand washing.  I am constantly washing my hands.  I think it started when Reed wrote a paper on pandemics, but man, the point was driven home.  So, I wash my hands - obsessively and compulsively, and a lot.

61.  I want to go back to school more than anything else in the world.  If you were to offer me the choice between a million dollars and school, and I couldn't use the money to pay for school, I would pick school.  

62.  I am scared of the dark.

63.  I love to take a dare (within reason, oh, and moral and ethical bounds). 

64.  Q-tips are perhaps the worlds best invention, and something people take for granted.

65.  I am an independent middle child.  I know this comes as quite a surprise to many of you.

66.  I have a mind for useless information.  I retain some of the weirdest facts imaginable.

67.  My biggest pet peeve is being late.  This is not Reed's pet peeve, however, so we've been late a FEW times.

68.  This is weird, but I love the smell of manure in the air in the springtime.  

69.  I have the upper body strength of a T-Rex, which roughly translated means none.

70.  I have been known to eat a whole pan of Rice Krispie Treats.  Don't judge me.

71.  I have absolutely no musical talent - I regret this.

72.  Sometimes it's more fun to watch than to do.

73.  Reed bought me my first baseball mitt last year.

Reed

74.  Reed likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

75.  If we were rich he would get a haircut twice a week.

76.  Baseball is his favorite sport.

77.  When Reed goes out to eat he orders mac and cheese.

78.  Reed has some serious OCD.

79.  Reed has an entire list of pet peeves and I have violated every one multiple times.

80.  Reed is currently avoiding his math homework like it is the plague.

81.  Milky Ways are his favorite candy bar.  Twix and Watchamacallit's are his next favorite.

82.  Reed treated Natilie to a breakfast of Watchamacallit's and O.J. on their wedding day.

83.  Reed has naturally curly hair and was able to grow the most beautiful mullet because of it.

84.  Reed's first car was a 1980 Honda Accord, mint green.  Later he added a brown door.  It was affectionately dubbed the "hell mutt."

85.  When Reed was little he was sure that he would be President of the United States.  He also thought that same thing yesterday.

86.  Up until the ninth grade he thought he would be a pro baseball player, and then again until he was twenty.  Coming to grips with reality has been tough for him.

87.  We moved to American Fork for the express purpose of getting on the Fire Department.

88.  We almost didn't buy our building lot because we were going to be in the Beehive League in baseball.

89.  Reed despises chest hair and back hair, so I try to shave every day!

90.  Reed is very picky about the type of soap he uses.  He loves Irish Spring or Lever 2000.  

91.  He is very sensitive to smells.

92.  Reed writes right handed, bats consistently right, more powerful bat left, shoots left, throws left, fine motor skills right.

93.  Reed would rather watch a movie than read a book.

94.  Reed's mom was surprised when he married me because he always said he was going to marry a tall, dark haired, tan girl with a big chest.  Don't I fit this profile perfectly?

95.  In Reed's mind second place is the first loser.

96.  Reed has a tendency to dive right into the middle of things - trenches, ditches, fires, chaos, etc.

97.  Reed quizzes his family on fire hydrant brands.

98.  Reed loves his wife, and she loves him more.  We try to tolerate each other the best we can.

99.  Reed and Nat are polar opposites in just about everything imaginable but it works for us, somehow, miraculously.

100.  We would rather just hang out and talk to each other than anything else.

Woah, that was harder than I thought it would be.  We hope you enjoyed that little peek into our lives.  Have a great day!

As it turns out...

electronics and water don't mix.  Who knew?  Apparently not me, because last month my cell phone ended up going through the washing machine.  I'm a first timer with cell phones. I received my first one sometime in December and wasn't really prepared for the responsibility that came with it.  I didn't necessarily want one, but it was a good deal, so Reed signed me up.  The thing about cell phones is that people can call you when you are out.  I'm still not sure how I feel about that. I got my first phone call while shopping at Target and I was mortified to be having a private conversation in public.  It was my nephew, Colton, so I'm sure it was very important, and I was having it in PUBLIC.  Another thing about them is that for them to be useful you have to turn them on and take them with you.  Thanks again, Jammie, for showing me how to turn it on.  And Niki, for showing me that I had voice messages.  So, after a few snags, and a few firm "talking's to" I got used to the idea, and then I couldn't be without it.  After the washer incident I felt a little incomplete in my travels, so I set out to rectify the situation.  After about three weeks of letting it dry out I tried the Sprint store.  She told me to put it in a bag of rice.  So I did.  And I am not kidding you the phone did not dry out, but instead, started rattling.  Almost as if some rice got sucked into the innards. Plan 1 failed.  Plan 2 had to do with surfing the web.  I tried eBay but things started to look a little shady when people wrote stuff like "ESN number can be activated in about six months.  It's a great deal if you can wait."  And then I had a mental picture of a semi-truck pulling up to a stoplight in inner-city New Jersey and the contents of the trailer being emptied before the light turned green.  Then me calling to activate the phone and being caught with stolen merchandise.  No thanks.  I tried KSL.  One chap was willing to meet me at a TRAX stop under the cover of darkness.  I value my life too much, I thought I should pass.  Plan 3 had to do with going to a used cell phone store.  I called first and sure enough, they had what I needed.  I arrive with my three young children in tow and they have exactly one phone that will fit my needs, and as it turns out, my budget.  The man turns it on, and instantly I was treated to the most terrifyingly weird slide show on the screen.  I didn't even know they had slide shows.  The screensaver on the phone was a tasteful array of Latin inspired devils, clowns (the really scary kind), and a baseball player of unknown origins, and was previously owned by a crackhead named Leah.  "I think I'll keep looking," I say and hurry my kids the heck out of there, wondering where I can get bleach for my eyes so somehow I can forget those clowns.  By this time the frustration has mounted and I am sick of looking.  And so what is a girl to do you ask?  This girl heads back over to the Sprint store and buys herself a new phone.  A phone without a criminal past, a phone that wasn't bought at a Trax stop and sold in a brown paper bag for the price of a bottle of vodka and some prescription drugs, and certainly not a phone which was used by a creepy, clown loving crack head.  That's right.  I paid full retail price, minus the fifteen dollar buy back for my old phone.  I am not sorry, but I haven't told Reed yet so keep this one to yourselves.

Dear Reed....

Today was a busy day.  I'd like to think that I got a lot accomplished.  I washed a lot of dishes by hand, because I didn't wash them yesterday, because the Home Teachers didn't end up coming over, so why bother, and it was Sunday, and by principle I don't work on the Sabbath.  Then I took the kids to Target to buy a birthday present for Kyle.  We bought a lot of laundry supplies as well, because I am determined to get that chocolate stain out of Taylor's shirt.  I mean who cares if I spent more money on pre-treater, and Oxy Clean, and dish soap than the shirt is worth.  It is the principle of the thing at this point.  We also had to buy Jake a water gun for the party.  It cost $5 and it is wicked cool.  Then we came home and I swept the floor.  Then we had lunch, except Taylor, who apparently is taking a break from lunches this summer.  Do you think it is because I only offer one choice?  I don't know either.  Then we took Jake to his party, and the girls to the craft store.  We did a cool craft together.  They are so dadgum bored they can hardly stand it, so I caved and we crafted.  Then I picked Jake up from the party and he promptly burst into tears because apparently the party was lame with a capital "L," which is saying a lot coming from a six year old.  Can you say Grumpy?  Then we folded no less than 300 loads of laundry, because as you know I took the week of our nation's birthday off.  Then I cleaned the bathrooms, all three of them.  I know, I'm just as surprised as you are!  I was interrupted by Torey right in the middle of cleaning the bathrooms because she had another earache.  So, I spent some time with the blue bulb syringe trying to determine the problem and then listening to her whimper because she wanted to go play.  So, apparently the earache wasn't that bad.  So then I finished the bathrooms.  Then I had a nice long chat with our other daughter about embracing change and learning to love softball.  Then I made dinner.  We had spaghetti.  It's all I cook anymore.  One day I think I will try something different.  Then I mowed the lawn.  Oh, and on the front I cross mowed.  I know gas is $4 a gallon but I mowed the wrong way to start with, and it was bugging me so I had to fix it.  I was thinking of doing an N.Y. like at Yankee Stadium or a star for July, but then I got sidetracked and started pruning the roses, and I didn't want to waste gas.  Then you called and we talked for a while.  Then I went out and finished the roses, and then cleaned the pond.  I even touched some moss.  It was really gross.  Then I came in and witnessed the kids with their faces smothered in a bowl of ice cream.  They looked kind of sheepish when I saw them licking the bowl.  I am so glad those talks we have had about table manners have stuck.  Then I started to eat a "Fat Boy" and read my blog, which means that I am going to have to sweep again tomorrow because the peanuts and the chocolate shell fell all over the floor.  Those things are not the easiest things to eat in the world.  That was my last one.  It's too much effort for an ice cream bar.  When you come home tomorrow the house won't look that clean because since I washed the dishes, more have been dirtied, and my hands can't take that kind of chapping.  And the laundry hasn't been put away yet, and the kids are bound to put on pajamas which means more laundry.  Oh, and the chairs are scattered all over because I was going to mop and didn't - yet, but now I have to sweep, again, so it doesn't matter anyway.  The bathrooms might not look clean because apparently sinks look better with toothpaste slopped all over them, and we have a little boy, so you know what that means for toilets.  Copper ripped apart a foam ball, so even though the lawn is mowed it still looks a little trashy and there are rose petals all over it.  But we are happy and waiting so patiently for your arrival home from work.  As a special gift to you I am going to wipe the detergent spills from off the washer because I know how much that means to you.  See you soon, I have to go lay down with a boy who has a hurting leg and all he did was jump on the tramp.

Love - Nat

Fireworks and Parenting: Fundamental Differences

When a couple falls in love and decides to embark upon a matrimonial journey they discover things about each other that they did not recognize while courting.  And then, when children are introduced into the family, other differences present themselves, and either enhance or detract from the blissful marital state.  One good quality I discovered in my husband which had not presented itself before I gave birth, was the fact that he has an ingrained sense of safety and protection when it comes to our children.  Let me illustrate:

1. When dealing with fireworks, safety goggles are a good option.

2.  Dad's are in charge of lighting the fireworks.

3.  Once the fireworks are lit, and the extent of their safety determined, they will be passed to the children.

4.  When the fireworks have been safely handed off, then and only then...

will you be allowed to run around like wild turkeys.

As a matter of note, no children suffered from a burning, however minor, during our sparkler party.  If you are impressed with this style of parenting, please, for the love of Pete, do not scroll down to the July 2 post entitled "Did you Know."  It may reflect poorly on one of us.