Fixin' For a Big Ole Dadgum Change!

We are trading.

We are trading this

for that.
We are trading that
For this.

And those
For these.

Because we are moving here.


Well, not the actual Alamo. We are moving here.


San Antonio, Texas. Hey ya'll! We leave early January and we are feeling thrilled, excited, scared to death, and a little bit heartbroken, but mostly blessed.

And on a related note, please buy my house. I'll throw in a gift card to Jamba! Come on, you know you want to.

Hank's Fake Birthday

See that kid? He fake turned four in October. His real birthday is usually sub-zero weather. His fake birthday was glorious and warm. I think the switch was prudent. We decided this last minute and are grateful for friends that could clear their schedules so quickly.

Part of the reason for the fair-weather birthday. Hard to ride a fantastically fast new bike with flames on the wheels in 2 feet of snow, right?

Hank wanted a Star Wars party. We made light sabers with colored duct tape and plumbing insulation. It was pretty much from a galaxy far far away (say that like Napoleon Dynamite). Luke is really taking to his Luke Skywalker nickname. Look at those Jedi's in training. Awesome.

No Star Wars party would be complete without a Deathstar pinata.

* On a related note, paper mache is not for wussies. Or for one person. It's a two tough-person job. I am not a tough person. I am a wussy. And paper mache is not for me. It was almost worth all the swears and a kitchen floor covered in paste and salty, bitter tears for the rad Deathstar pinata. Until I saw a Darth Vader head pinata at the party store for $9.99. Hm. I'll remember that.
*Another note, when you are doing a pinata and you don't have a bandanna handy, it totally works to just tell the kids to shut their eyes. Absolutely zero cheating occurred.


Except everyone cheated. Especially Luke. He even used 2 light sabers, double cheater. But he still couldn't break it because apparently when all you have on hand to make paper mache is whole-wheat flour, it is stronger than steel, possibly even stronger than the actual fictional Deathstar.

We had to call in the big guns. When you are six and wearing your school's colors, you can break steel-planet pinatas. Who knew? Now you do.

And then there was candy to be had by all. It was a super fun party and we love Hank so much. He is always easy going and even-keeled. He is also hilarious. He loves all things tooting, which I attribute to his Dad. He is also so sweet, kind, reserved (until he gets comfortable with you - which could take months), and willing to share and help Lindy and Luke, which I attribute to myself - mostly.

Here are some funny things he has said lately that have cracked me up:

When he wants you to listen to something he says, "Now hear this."

"Feel the inside of my jacket, it's so suvvy." (fuzzy)

Matt has Fridays off and it has become our tradition to go to Sam's Club and have samples for lunch (because we are uber healthy and not cheap at all). We walked in a few weeks ago and, much to our dismay, there were no samples. "Where in the world are all the examples?" said Hank.

The highway by our house has been under construction (oooh, making it a 4 lane all the way from town to past our turn-off!!). They just got done and we were driving on it and Hank said, "Hey, they're done with all the instructions on here!"

Hank saw a guy in a parking lot that he swore was Uncle Tom M. The guy looked absolutely nothing like Tom. Realizing this, Lindy said, "Why do you think he looks like Tom?" and Hank replied, "Because I looked at him... and he looked like TOM!!!"


Happy Fake Birthday, kiddo. We love you from ocean to ocean and more than tongue can tell!

Dracula's Dentures

Lindy came home from school yesterday and told me that one of her friends in her class brought her mom for show-and-tell because her mom was on the news. "Ooo, what for?" I asked. I delight in famous people, as I am sure most of you know. So the girl's mom, Lori Filmore, is a top 10 finalist in a nationwide Halloween cookie contest! What?! That's so cool! So I looked at the news clip, voted for her, then promptly decided we needed to make these fantastic treats for ourselves. The picture at the top is borrowed from her blog.

And below are our masterpieces. We should have used red frosting, but it's cool. They were hilarious to make, the kids loved it.

Hank and Lindy, cutest vampires in town.

"I'm not a vampire, I'm a monkey. And I'm pretty insulted that you just assumed I was part of this nonsense." Love, Luke.

And there he is, my own personal Edward. See how he sparkles in the sunlight? Just like the real vampire from the bestselling novels?
Just. Like. I. Imagined.

What are you waiting for? Make some Dracula Edward dentures today!

Saw It On Craigslist

I'm thinking of starting a new series, "Saw it on Craigslist." It would consist of me posting a picture or a posting from Craigslist and then say something that I think is funny about it. Then you could all say, "Wow, she really isn't funny." But I would think it was funny, and that's enough, right?

Let's try one. Tell me what you think in the comments. Be honest, but not too honest. If you don't think it's funny (or this is a picture of your brother, cousin, friend, husband) then say something about how hard I tried instead, okay? I don't do well with criticism.

I found this on Craigslist today. This post is from my own town of Rigby. I take pride in my redneckedness, so this one is really just showing off my awesome town, not making fun.


"Hey Ma, I'm gonna put them puppies up on craigslist, k?"
"Maybe you should put a shirt on, son."
"Hecks to the nizz-O, Mama. This body don't need no shirt. You think David Lee Roth wears a shirt? Daaang."

Come to think of it, it does kind of make me want to get a puppy.

It's Picture Time, It's Picture Time...

Name the famous comedian who sang that song/starred in that mini-show and win a fabulous fake prize.

Last weekend we went to shoot some photos with the fall colors. I believe I mentioned this in the previous post. I also believe I ended it by saying, "we took some fantastic pictures." I realized after I posted it and all four of you read about it, that may have sounded ostentatious. Trust me, I didn't mean to brag. Getting a good picture is a relative term. A picture with all five of us looking in the same direction and looking somewhat pleasant, no one crying or pouting, no one looking like it pains them to be there, those are hard to come by in our family. So please, when I say fantastic, I mean fantastic to us. We are all looking, no one is screaming or punching anyone else. Although, I did work at a Sears portrait studio for, like, 3 days and my highly trained eye does say that these are pretty sweet pictures. So, that disclaimer aside, here are some of our fantastic fall pictures.




And I do think that Hank's double-tattooed arms really add an extra punch of class, don't you (click the bottom picture to make it big enough to see one)? Maybe I did mean to brag after all.

Thanks to Brittany and her mad photography skills. I think she must have also put in some time in a portrait studio. Perhaps even a week or more. I mean, she really knew what she was doing. :)

Coming Soon: Hank's Fake Birthday.

Fall...OUT.

It is officially fall here. The colors are gorgeous in the mountains. My mind must be falling behind as well. Remember when school started and I never even posted how cute Lindy looked? Here.

She is excited for first grade. She loves it and I love that I get to go help in her class this year. I don't know if you knew this, but first graders are hilarious. I love seeing her in action and getting to know her friends. And also laughing at how awesome they are without even knowing it. Ray Charles, I mean Hank, is obviously too cool for school right now.

Last night, while munching a healthy Lunchable for dinner (what? that's not healthy? hmm- debatable. Not debatable? Fine.), she lost her tooth! It's been loose about a week. She was positively aglow with excitement. She took it today for show and tell. Is that weird? Morbid? A little maybe, but worth it for how cool she thought it was.


Other than that, life is pretty much just rolling along. We did run up to the cabin yesterday after church to take advantage of the fall colors in a photoshoot. We were also hoping to surprise Amy and Ryan (not like when my Mom and Dad surprised my Aunt and Uncle skinny dipping in the hot tub... just regular surprise.) but they had already gone home. We took some fantastic pictures, more on that later.

Guess What the Cat Dragged In?

I'll give you a hint:
Meow.
Meow.
Meow.
Meow.
Meow.

Guess who found five kitties living in their abandoned/broken pile of crap that used to be a trampoline and two kiddie pools?
I'll give you another hint:

You're right. It's us. Now guess what you win for guessing correctly, you lucky goose! I'll give you a hint:


Man. You are good at this game!
We have decided to leave out a bowl of food occasionally so they will stick around and help with our mice hunting. We are not claiming ownership, just feeding a few nameless kitties in the hopes I can stop killing mice with my swiffer and snakes with my garden rake. And also Lindy and Hank begged and begged and we are suckers. But come on, how do you say no to these faces?


Oh wait, I mean these faces:


Oh! So sorry. I mean THESE faces:


That's more like it. Please call if you would like to claim your prize kitty. I will wait by the phone.

Sky's the Limit

Dear Tonight's Sunset,
Thank you for speaking peace and wonder into my heart
and restoring my faith in humanity (or something grand and fantastic like that).
Come back anytime.
Love, Carol

Technology ROCKS.

Santa doesn't come in the summer. Mom and Dad aren't laying down the cash for a Nintendo ds. What's the most logical thing to do? Make your own out of rocks. Yes. A solid solution. It comes complete with tons of tiny-rock game cartridges and a handy ziploc holder. Run, don't walk, to your driveway and get your own today!

They fake play with them for hours. I love technology.


I've decided to put their theory to test. I'm hauling in my pseudo 65-inch flat screen from the quarry as we speak. Man, I hope the picture is good because this thing is a beast to carry. And you really should come try my ipad. I found it down by the river. It is so flat and the graphics are rad. Oh wait... it's a rock. Yeah, I'm not sure this whole thing translates into adulthood. Probably explains the looks I got when I pulled out my pebble iphone at Target and had a heated conversation with my fake broker about my imaginary millions.

I broke into your locker and I smashed your glasses.

First off, it's been a long time since I had a fake giveaway. So the first person to correctly name the band that the title lyric comes from will win a fake trip for two to the Cayman Islands. And because I am very generous when it's all imaginary, I will fake watch your kids whilst you are away. Wow. I have really pretend outdone myself here, people.

Next. Summer is madness. We never get anything done, but it feels like we are constantly doing. That's how I roll though. I just like to look busy without ever really getting anywhere. That seems to make a lot of sense, don't you agree? Why actually accomplish something when I can just make it look like I'm accomplishing something?

When I saw this word art/poem on my friend, Arisa's, blog, I instantly connected with it. I've read it everyday since and agree with it more every day. Without further ado, my life:

wake. exercise. sweat. swear.
laugh. play.
shampoo. condition. wash.
exfoliate. curl.
scrub. clean. wipe.
sweep. kiss.
pray. hope. doubt.
laugh. create.
imagine. help.
listen. ask. try.
understand. marvel. sing.
scold. grimace. talk. check.
sweat. wash. fold.
wish. see.
work. love. talk.
open. close. appreciate.
wonder. hug.
ask. plead. cry.
sweat. drive. ride.
color. jump. skid. fall.
vacuum. chop.
cook. spread. eat.
snack. enjoy.
dance. flex. scream.
think. admire.
thank. sweat. cajole.
fix. entertain.
play. fight. sigh.
walk. complain. scoot.
listen. see. wonder.
roll. flip. watch.
chuckle.
brush. bathe.
pick. mow. water.
smile. laugh. love.
sleep. anticipate. sigh.

She's good, right? I'm planning on getting it in vinyl for my wall.

I will try to post some pictures of what we have been doing. Because I know you lie awake at night wondering what we were wearing when we went to Jackson, or what Lindy looks like when she plays soccer. Or if Hank's buzz haircut compliments his tan. Or what it looks like when Luke smashes the fort/house/car ramp that Hank or Lindy worked for hours to build. I know you nibble your fingernails pondering if our seeding the yard worked and if our back yard looks like a golf course now (here's a preview...it didn't and it doesn't). Or see the corpse of the snake I killed in my yard. IN MY YARD. So yes. I will post all of those pictures as soon as I can. So you can rest and be at peace with the rest of your summer. (insert smiley face here). But for now, I need to go do all of the things in the aforementioned poem. Especially the sweat and the swear.

Wasatch Back 2010

I have a rock solid family who are as strong in character as they are in physical strength :). And trust you me, they have a lot of physical strength. These are some of my peeps after running a 188 mile relay race called the Wasatch Back, From Logan, Utah, to Park City, Utah. My brother-in law Ryan ran it too, just on a different team. Next year I will buy the IcyHot in bulk, I think it will save some cash. Proud as punch, family. Proud as punch.

Ten Years!

I can't believe we've been married a decade. Does that make us old? It does, doesn't it. You don't have to answer that. Been the best ten years a girl could ask for.



Love you to the moon Matt. xoxo

Happy Birthday Robot Dube!

Luke turned one yesterday.

His cake festivities started like this.

And then this happened.

Followed by this.

And they ended like this.

We are huge Luke fans around these parts. It's been a great year. He thought it was cool to scare our socks off by going from the 60th percentile in weight to the 7th. That led to some behavior fallout, but I would scream constantly if I was starving and had permanent heartburn too. Once we got him on some medicine and got him some food, he has been awesome. He loves to scoot-dance and has fantastic rhythm. He is snuggly and flirty and fun. One of the things I like the best about him is that he is a total ham. He will do something that he thinks is baby funny and then look at Hank or Lindy and wait for them to laugh at him. He's perfecting his comedic timing already. At the rate he is practicing he is a shoo-in for senior class clown, class of 2027 (is that right? zoinks!). So in his spirit of comedy, the real gift of his birthday was from him to us. Please enjoy the following video which I lovingly and proudly call, "Birthday Couch Farts."




We love ya Luke. Thanks for coming to our family. Happy Birthday!!

These Jammies are made for Walkin'

Oh dear. Luke started whole milk this week and look what happened. WHAT? I realize that he has the hippo toy to help him, but he won't need that for long. He isn't supposed to walk until he is two. This messes up my whole schedule of his kindergarten teacher having to potty train him. Woe to me. I can't believe how fast the past year (almost) has flown by. More on him being so old on his actual birthday, for now just enjoy his darlingness. (I realize darlingness is not a word, but my children are growing right in front of my face. I simply don't have the time to structure that sentence a better way.) Or you can laugh at my ridiculous voice. I just hope you enjoy the video, whatever the reason. Seriously though, don't tell me if you laugh at my ridiculous voice. I have pretty fragile self esteem.




p.s. Sorry if you get a little sea sick. I never claimed to be a videographer- and I never will.

Sweetie-Pie Six

See that girl? She's six today. SIX. I love her six ways to Sunday I tell ya.

Here are a few of her favorite things and some of my favorite things about her:

-she loves animals. Horses, kitties, and doggies top the list of the animals she plays all the time.
-she is totally creative and imaginative. Everything she does involves role play. Everything.
-she is becoming a reading tycoon. She loves to sound out words and write.
-she is the life of the party. I think she gets it from Grandma McK. and Uncle Tom M.
-she is also a little full of B.S. (again, I think this is courtesy of Uncle Tom :)).
-she loves artsy crafty things; coloring, painting, writing and drawing, keeps her engrossed for hours.
-she loves mexican food and anything sweet.
-she is a spitfire. The girl will stand her ground. She is one determined little goose.
-she is a daddy's girl through and through.
-she wants to be a cowgirl when she grows up.
-she is an amazing big sister and loves her brothers with a heart as big as Texas...usually.

We love you from ocean to ocean Lindy Loo! You make our family happy and fun. Happy SIXTH (oi, so old) birthday!

Kiss-Face

Everyone's parents go out once in a while. When I was a little wisp of a girl, my Mom and Dad often went out. Sometimes I got a babysitter, but usually I just got to hang out with one of my older brothers or my older sister. Before my parents left, my Mom would always put on her marvelous mauve lipstick. I used to know the name of it, but I've forgotten now. Anyway, on the nights she was going out on the town, she would forgo the usual blotting of her lips on t.p. (which was her everyday standard) and instead blot them on my face. It didn't matter where the colorful kiss was planted. Sometimes I caught it on the forehead, sometimes on either cheek or my chin. But I always got a mauve mwaa to send her out the door. I was always super proud of my kiss face. I knew that it meant that my Mom was thinking about me, that she would be thinking about me while she was gone and that she would be home soon to wash that pink smudge off of my face. There was power in that pucker-up.

Flash forward 25 years to last week when my parents left for the Philippines. For nearly three years. For the second time. My heart was torn saying goodbye. Goodbyes always tear my heart strings and make me bawl like a baby. And I will sorely miss my Momma. On the other hand, she and my Dad get the amazing chance to witness lives being sealed forever together in a place where it hasn't been very accessible, Cebu City, Philippines. They will daily see miracles in the lives of Filipino Latter Day Saints. Amazing. My heart is happy for them. That being said, saying goodbye that day was difficult. Imagine my surprise and utter elation when, trying to gather my wits after they drove away, I looked down at my baby to see this:


Can you make it out? It's a lipstick blot. On my baby. From my Mom. Set me to bawling all over again. I love it. Because there is power in that pucker-up. I know my Mom and Dad will be thinking about all of us while they are gone and I know that they will be home soon enough. And I can add that I know they are doing a very important work. A work that is all about uniting families forever, three years seems scant in comparison to forever. I love them from ocean to ocean, and while I will miss them, I wholeheartedly embrace the marvelous work they get to be a part of.

NeWs!

We are adding to our family! In August! What the WHAT?!?!


yeah. there's two in there. WHAT!??!?!

Luke will be 15 months. I'm sure the 3 of them will be best friends! Five kids under 6! Should give us a run for our money, but we're stoked. Totally stoked. And very frightened.









Happy April Fool's To Ya'll!! hahahah SUCKERS! Just kidding, you aren't suckers. I'm the sucker. What a lame April Fool joke, i know. And I'm usually so classy too. What gives? I'm sure you didn't even buy it, but I hope you did. :)