Flashback Friday . . . posted on Saturday

November 2003

Please note the following:

(1) Can you BELIEVE Kye's hair? Outta control at 7 months old.

(2) Yes, Kye was as big as Lucy at the time--at least head size.

World Premiere Event

We were lucky enough to obtain tickets for the World Premiere of a fabulous new kids show, Imagine Island, shot and produced here in Utah. We went yesterday and the kids loved it! So check out the fabulous trailer for it here. Imagine Island will take the world by storm, or at least the world of pre-K to 2nd grade English language learners who tune into BYU TV at 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Saturday mornings in Latin American countries. For more information, see the Imagine Learning website.

p.s. Yes, yes, the new show (think Blue's Clues meets Dora the Explorer) is written, filmed, and produced by Zach's company. It is being distributed through BYU TV's international programming. The first episodes should air in July.

Tuesday Tell All

Graduation: Tell us about yours.

High School: There were 4 of us in my graduating class who graduated with 4.0's. 2 of the 4 had no qualms sharing the fact that they never did any homework and they measured their success by the amount of cheating they got away with. Impressive, I know. So, though my high school never used the word valedictorian, I think I was technically it. (FYI, we had no honors classes while I was at school, so 4.0 was the highest pinnacle of success. Not to toot my own horn. . . but I just did. Hahaha:-) I was asked to speak at graduation--and I sang in the choir, but that's about all I remember.

BYU: August 1998--graduated with a BA in American Studies--one of those awesome, fun degrees that you can't really do anything with, except be really good at Trivial Pursuit. I loved it. I don't remember who spoke or what was said. I do remember receiving my diploma and having a fun graduation get together with my family afterwards. Zach gave me a trip to NYC for a graduation present, which was . . . um . . . interesting. But that's another story.

Flashback Friday

July 2004

Tuesday Tell All

On Wednesday. I've been wanting to start doing this, but totally forgot yesterday. So here goes:

Topic for Tuesday May 20, 2008 - One Word

Answer the following with only one word.
1. Where is your cell phone? ....................counter

2. Your significant other?.......................hunky
3. Your hair?....................................longish
4. Your mother? .................................amazing
5. Your father?..................................doing
6. Your favorite thing?..........................kiddos
7. Your dream last night?........................forgotten
8. Your favorite drink?...........................water
9. Your dream/goal?..............................happiness
10. The room you're in?..........................living
11. Your children?.....................................asleep
12. Your fear?...................................scary
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years...........home
14. Where were you last night?...................home
15. What you're not?.............................lazy
16. Muffins......................................blueberry
17. One of your wish list items?.................bosch
18. Where you grew up?........................... sd
19. What you read last........................fun
20. What are you wearing?........................pajamas
21. Your TV?.....................................downstairs
22. Your pets?..................................goldfish
23. Your computer? ..............................here
24. Your life?...................................blessed
25. Your mood?...................................tiredish
26. Missing someone?.............................family
27. Your car?....................................minivan
28. Something you're not wearing?................shoes
29. Favorite Store?..............................ikea
30. Your summer?.................................exciting
31. Like someone?................................yep
32. Your favorite color?.........................red
33. Last time you laughed........................today
34. Last time you cried?.........................today

Wordless Wednesday

For your reading pleasure

Lucy's writing assignment from school yesterday:

My Family Tradition

My famliy tradition is . . . that I go to Soth Dacotea to viset my grandma and grandpa evrey year. I allways get scared right when we get there becase of the dogs they also hat two cats but one died her name was Trixie the other one's name is pepper they got a new kitten.

Poor kid

Cats should purr. . .

babies should not.
He was wheezing so loud the other day, people I talked to on the phone could hear him breathe. The breathing treatments help occasionally. Usually a good pound on the back will make him cough and that's even better. He's sounding much, much better now.

Congratulations, Graduate!

Kye has officially finished preschool, complete with a graduation ceremony and a yearbook. Each child was interviewed for the yearbook. Kye's interview (in it's entirety) is posted at the end.

A very excited Kye heading off the graduation:

Singing one of the fun songs:
Giving his little speech:

More about Kye:

What is your favorite color? Light blue

What is your favortie show? Nick Jr.

Describe what your parents look like: (Mom) . . . Um. . . I don't know . . . she looks like me . . . I think we have the same hair. . . I think brown . . .um . . .brown eyes . . .I mean blue eyes. I love when she hugs me. I like to go to the store with mom. She is 31. (Dad) My daddy looks like . . .my sister. . . um . . . I don't know, I don't remember. My daddy loves me and I love to play with him. He is 34.

What is your favorite food and how do you make it? Pizza--Um. . . you have some wheat and make it flat and put sausage, wait not sausage, pepperoni, cheese sauce and olives. Then I just eat it . . .wait I cook it in the oven for um . . .10 minutes.

Who is your hero? My mom because she helps me

If I had a magic wand I would: I would make the little playset into a big playset

What was your worst day ever? When I have to stay home

What is your favorite thing to do at school? Go on fieldtrips

What do you want to be when you get big? A librarian.

There you have it, folks. Most of the other kids said stuff like "fireman, guy who drives race cars, doctor, ballerina, etc." and my Kye wants to be a librarian. Morgan laFey from the Magic Tree House series is apparently his idol.

Evidence I came from a family of bookworms . . .

and am perpetuating the cycle of bookworming: Cousins Ethan and Ryan came to play and when I went to check on the playing, I found they had set up a library in Lucy and Kye's room. Ethan had used a stamp to make library cards and Isaac and Ryan were allowed to check out books. They thought this was the most fun thing ever.

The apple doesn't fall . . .

far from the tree. Can you tell we love to read at our house?

Kye reading from the Magic Tree House a few months ago:

The boys were awfully quiet one day and I went to find them with trepidation that they were being naughty. I guess I don't trust them enough.

I asked Lucy to hold Adam for a minute so I could get ready. She read him Thomas and he quieted right down.

Top Ten--April 2008

Top Ten things done, heard, seen, or discovered on the home front in April:

10) Isaac’s obsession with April Fool’s Day. I kid you not, I heard, “Happy Fool’s Day” 14 million times on April 1st. He ran up to me a few weeks later, “There’s a monster behind you! Hahahahaha! Happy Valentine’s Day!” Wrong day, kid, wrong day.

9) Spring is such a bittersweet time for me. The beautiful weather, warm breezes, green grass, tulips, and agonizing, awful allergies. I want to scratch my eyeballs right out. I have yet to find the right allergy medication that won’t tire me out completely. Suggestions? Anyone?

8) Photographic evidence that I came from a family of bookworms. (See additional post—soon, I promise.)

7) The dramatics of 1st grade life brought home by a dejected looking Lucy. “Mom (sigh), something TERRIBLE happened at school today. Emma and Brooke broke up being best friends today. It’s so, soooooooo sad! (sigh)” I’ll spare you the complete, heart wrenching story. Let’s just say I tuned out after 14 minutes. I couldn’t help it. Honest.

6) Lucy & Kye getting accepted into a fabulous charter school in a neighboring town, which focuses a ton on music and the classics. (And by “accepted,” I mean “name drawn randomly from a hat.”) After submitting all registration forms, I started questioning my sanity for committing to drive to the school 3 times each and every stinking school day. Will I? Will I not? I’m waiting for divine inspiration, or perhaps just a kick in the pants to sway me one way or the other. A fabulous core-knowledge, saxon math education . . . or the convenience of elementary school just down the hill? I know which way I’m leaning. The selfish way. Oh don’t worry. I’ll keep you posted.

5) The art of manipulating Isaac. If you say the words, “Ready, set, rocket, go!” he will do just about anything. It’s branched out to “ready, set, robot, go” and “super sonic speed go” and “super quick go.” I drew the line yesterday at, “Ready set rocket, set robot, set super sonic speed, set rocket, set Diego—GO!” Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful thing to behold.

4) Kye’s love of lima beans. No, I’m not kidding. As he was picking them out of his mixed vegetables, he said, “I just love these things. They are like yummy little treats, every single one.” Where did this COME from? I would question his parentage, but I remember giving birth to him, and he looks identical to Zach. Must be a recessive gene—way, way, way back.

3) Lucy’s aversion to food. ALL food. Okay, MOST all food. Whenever I hear a compliment from her at dinner, I start to wonder what she wants. (Just kidding, she’s not old enough to manipulate yet, thank goodness.) Recently, I heard, “Mom, this is the best, never ending BEST dinner I have ever had.” Our spread included a rotisserie chicken, biscuits, green beans and avocadoes. I heard it again a few nights ago when we had cereal. She likes the simple things in life.

2) Watching General Conference. “Daughters of God” by M. Russell Ballard. Read it here.

1) Sweet, blessed relief from an awful, painful thing called post-partum depression. Fourth child, first experience with it. Never, EVER want to feel it again. But I can humbly acknowledge my gratitude for a loving Savior who provided the Atonement for those in pain. It works. I know it personally.