Favorite Photo Friday: Imitation

May 2007. "Imitation is the sincerest from of flattery." Is that how the saying goes? But does it still count if that imitation is your 9 year old daughter stuffing a balloon inside her bathrobe so she looks as 37 weeks miserably pregnant as you?

P.S. Rachel! Happy Birthday sweet sister of mine!!

Thanksgiving Pics

Here are some pictures of Thanksgiving at our house yesterday afternoon. Bryan decided he wanted to try frying our turkey. Originally it worried me to no end...all those stories of people burning their houses down...apparently Thanksgiving is a rather busy day for the fire department. But I shouldn't have worried. Alton Brown from "Good Eats" would've been proud. Bryan did it perfectly and it was the best turkey I think I've ever eaten. And wow! It cooks so fast! Katie and Jeremy walked in around 12:45 and Jeremy spied the completely raw turkey sitting on the counter. "What time are we eating?" he asked hesitantly. :) I think it took about an hour all told.
Anyhow, we had a great time. We missed you Mom and Dad, Rachel and Spencer, and Mary and Ryan!

Thinking About Thanks

It's 8:23 AM Thanksgiving morning. I'm the only one up. I'm finding myself thinking about the upcoming days activities and also, about the reason for the day...the things I am especially thankful for. I think all of us are gratitude filled people. I think we all, if asked what we are thankful for, would immediately rattle off things such as family, home, food, clothes, church, etc. Those are big things. And definitely, we are and should be thankful for those things. But I think it's fun to think about the little things. So, right now, think of 5 things you are thankful for. Don't think too hard about it. Don't overanalyze it. Just 5 things that right this very second you are thankful for. Here's my list:
1. I'm thankful my husband likes to cook and is taking over the task of cooking the turkey today.
2. I'm thankful that Rebekah and Julianne cleaned all 4 bathrooms yesterday so I didn't have to. I hate cleaning bathrooms.
3. I'm thankful for the book on my nightstand that I am enjoying so much.
4. I'm thankful for music and the part it plays in my life every single day.
5. I'm thankful for the relationships I have with people...family, friends. It's something that has been on my mind a lot the past few days. Honestly, what a treasure that is. To really get to know someone and have them really know you in return. And how neat to have different kinds of relationships with all sorts of various people.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What A Day

We had a busy day yesterday.

I took the girls to see The Nutcracker up at Weber State. Wow, it was impressive! Live orchestra and everything. As soon as I heard those opening notes I got chills and a big grin. I know the music well but, amazingly enough, I've never actually seen the ballet.


We were hungry when it was over and stopped at Marie Callendars for lunch. Is it just me or has that place upped it's prices recently?


We were right near a movie theater and decided to see, if by chance, they still had tickets to the 3:00 showing of "Twilight". They did...probably because they were showing it in 4 different theaters. Yay for us! Rebekah was so excited about the movie that she insisted on buying this t-shirt at the mall a few days ago.

By the time we got home the BYU/Utah game was already underway. We quick changed into BYU blue attire and settled in to watch the game. Originally I thought we'd have to listen on the radio but I discovered that we actually had the Mtn. channel. Who would've guessed? This is me cheering after the Cougars made a touchdown....and Julianne rolling her eyes at my silliness. The game didn't end well. Six turnovers? Seriously??

During all of this Bryan had Brandon and Lilian with him. They headed down to visit Grandma and Grandpa and had a glorious time.

Bryan convinced his Dad to head over to the gun show with him where he bought a bunch of ammo at fabulous prices. Apparently you can never have too much ammo. They were also going to try to see James Bond but the awesomeness of the gun show superseded any desire to hurry so they could do both. I have no doubt that they will get to the movie eventually.

Crazy day. Fun day. Filled with family, guns, art culture, pop culture and football. What more could you ask for? :)

About my Sweetheart

(Yay! I got my computer to work...well, for a few minutes anyhow, and with one minor crash...)

*What is his name? Bryan. He's not big into nicknames but he usually lets me call him Honey or Sweetie.
*How long have you been together? I think we've now been together longer than we've been apart. We met when I was 16 and I'm now 35!
*How long did you date? We were friends for 6 months, dated for 6 months, wrote letters for two years while he was on his mission, got married 5 and 1/2 months after he got home and now have been married for 15 years.
*How old is he? He will be 37 in about 3 weeks.
*Who eats more? That would be me, unfortunately. He's better at portion control and being done when he's satisfied. I tend to stuff myself and live by the "That tastes like more!" philosophy.
*Who said "I love you" first? He did, written and verbal. He wrote it in a post card while on vacation shortly after we first started dating. The hyperventilation I experienced when I pulled that out of the mailbox! Then he said it verbally, called it out loud and clear for everyone to hear, actually, as he was walking down the concourse to catch his plane to take him away for 2 years. That one induced floods of tears.
*Who is taller? He is. I am 5'4''...we're not sure exactly how tall he is. He's not a basketball player by any means...probably around 5'9" or 10" but tall enough that I can wear any size heels out of my closet and still be shorter. I'm glad because I really like heels.
*Who sings better? Me. But he actually has a nice voice. He used to sing in the S.L. Childrens Choir when he was little. He just doesn't do any singing now.
*Who is smarter? Him. Dang, that man is a genius!!
*Who does the laundry? Me. I don't think I've ever seen him do a load of laundry. Well, he does fix the washer when it breaks and for that I am eternally grateful.
*Who does the dishes? Me. It bugs me more to see them sitting around so I get to them faster. He'll do them if I ask.
*Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you are facing the bed....he does. He really doesn't care which side he sleeps on. I'm the particular one.
*Who pays the bills? Me. Just easier since I'm home more.
*Who mows the lawn? Me. He travels so much that it makes more sense for me to do yard stuff. Plus, he as allergies. Plus, I actually enjoy it, he doesn't. But he will mow the lawn if I ask him to...you know, some sort of thing like, "I'll edge if you mow!"
*Who cooks dinner? Hmmm. I probably cook more during the week and he takes over on the weekends. For me cooking is a chore. He actually really enjoys it and is a much better cook than I am.
*Who drives when you are together? Depends. If we are going somewhere just the two of us, he usually drives. If we are going somewhere together as a family then it could be either of us.
*Who is more stubborn? Ummm, me? I really am not sure.
*Who kissed who first? Bryan kissed me on our first date. Totally didn't even see it coming. But was happy about it all the same. (It was my first kiss.)
*Who asked out who first? That first date where the first kiss happened? It was my Jr. Prom and he asked me. I thought we were going as friends but it didn't really turn out that way. :)
*Who proposed? Bryan did. In front of his family, my family and friends at his brother's missionary farewell open house.
*Who is more sensitive? Me.
*Who has more friends? Me because I'm pretty social. Bryan is a charming guy and can makes friends easily if he chooses to. But usually he's pretty content with the friends he has or, even, just hanging by himself.
*Who has more siblings? I am the oldest of 5. He is the oldest of 4.
*Who wears the pants in the family? He does. I try to keep the household running smoothly but he is the patriarch of the home. His presence here at home makes a big difference and we all miss him tremendously when he is out of town. (The kids also obey him more than me...apparently I am a push over sometimes....)

I tag anyone who wants to brag about their husbands.

Stuff

I should be posting a Favorite Photo today but out main computer has crashed and I'm unable to get to our pictures. I'm disappointed....I always enjoyed finding a fun, memory filled picture for Fridays. Hopefully we'll be back up and running by next week. In the mean time, at least I have my laptop.
Other happenings in our home this week:
*The girls had a Christmas piano recital on Monday. It was the first recital they've ever played in. They were a little nervous but they did great.
*I have a voice recital tonight and I'm a little nervous, just like the girls. Except that I've had 2 recitals and 2 voice competitions before plus monthly master classes that I've sung in so why I'm nervous I have no idea. Maybe I'm not as prepared as I'd like to be.
*Because of that voice recital we don't get to go see "Twilight" tonight with all the other hordes of vampire fans. Bummer. Next week, I guess.
*I had an ultra sound on Monday. And NO, I am NOT pregnant. :) I've had this ache in my side off and on for 4 years now and thought maybe it was time to go figure out what it is. I've always thought maybe it was kidney related but the doc. has no idea. I'm a medical mystery, apparently. So he's ordered lots of tests...blood work and an ultra sound were this week. A colonoscopy and a CT scan were also mentioned. Not sure I really want to do either one of those!
*Brandon is sick. Sore throat, cough, fever. Please, oh please, don't let it be strep!!
*I've been Christmas shopping like crazy. Getting close to being done, Hallelujah! My goal is to be totally done by Thanksgiving.
*Visiting Teaching like crazy this week too. Everyone is trying to get it done before Thanksgiving week.
*I've been driving Bryan's little red stick shift sports car around town lately and my confidence is growing. I even reluctantly told him that I would attempt to drive it to my choir rehearsal in Draper last night. If he could be home by 6:00 I would take it. But then he got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the way home and didn't make it in time. Off the hook! :)
*Big BYU/Utah game tomorrow. Who are you rooting for? I'm a UofU alumni. You'd think that it would be a no-brainer to guess who I root for. But you'd be wrong. School spirit? Well, yeah, I have some. Just not when they are playing BYU.

Sleepy

I'm so tired today for some reason. After I put Lilian down for a nap I decided maybe I'd go lay on my bed and read for awhile...and if I fell asleep too, well, that would probably be a good thing. I grabbed my book out of my purse and got all the way into my bedroom before realizing that I was holding my wallet. Sheesh. Yeah, definitely need that nap!

Plink, Plink

Went shooting this morning. Bryan's sister Carolyn and her husband Treg are looking into buying a gun. This morning was somewhat of a tutorial on what and how to shoot. Bryan has a decent supply of guns and ammo and was able to let them try all sorts of different types so they could get an idea of what they liked best, what would work for them.

Here's me shooting. Bryan thinks this picture is cool because if you look close you can see the shell of the round I just shot flying above my head.


The range we originally stopped at was pretty packed. A big scout troup was there and so, besides the fact that it ws just too crowded, non of us relished the thought of shooting along side a bunch of 12 year old boys. We continued up the mountain and found our own spot to shoot. We set up some boxes with targets. Also a bunch of old bowling pins...some just placed on the ground and some hanging from trees. It worked really well.


All that talk about being nervous to shoot next to a bunch of 12 year old scouts...we had our own 12 year old with us! Jordan was a great shot though. I was really impressed. Doesn't he make the perfect picture of a proficient shooter?

Favorite Photo Friday: Water fun

July 15, 1997. This is Rebekah and her cousin Jordan. I'm not sure if Jordan was trying to give Rebekah a drink or if he was getting her wet on purpose but the look on her face as that water hits her chest....and then the look on Jordan's face as Rebekah runs away...priceless! Three months is all that separates the two of them in age. They have been best friends literally since day one and I have loved watching them grow up together. I use to wonder if one day they would get to an age where the fact that Jordan is a boy and Rebekah is a girl would make them drift apart. They are both 12 now. And yes, I have seen their relationship change over the past couple of years. At family gatherings Rebekah spends more time than she used to with her girl cousins and Jordan likes to hang out with the uncles. But they always seek each other out first. They are still amazingly close. More so than I would've expected. What lucky kids. (Side note: Doesn't this picture of Rebekah look like Lilian? Wow!)

Morning Schedule

My morning schedule:
6:01 Alarm goes off and snooze gets pushed.
6:11 Alarm goes off for the second time.
6:15 Groggily roll out of bed and head to the bathroom where I can turn on the light without waking up Bryan because that early in the morning it's still dang dark and I'd really like to be able to see while getting dressed.
6:20 Head downstairs to the treadmill...put on shoes while TV/DVD player is warming up with an episode of "Gilmore Girls" from my TV on DVD collection.
6:50 Red-faced and panting, go next door to wake up Rebekah. Spend 5 minutes going through her closet holding out shirts for her approval and finally finding one she will accept as wearable on about the 5th try.
6:55 Quick shower, get dressed and make-up
7:20 Help Rebekah gather all her homework and school supplies that have been spread from here to there all over the house.
7:25 Curl, straighten or bun Rebekah's hair.
7:30 Wake up Julianne which usually includes lots of light, lots of comforting words and a Josh Groban or the new David Archuletta CD playing on her boom box.
7:35 Pop in the car with Rebekah, pick up Brianna and drive them at the bus stop.
7:45 Make sure Julianne is actually moving downstairs, give Brandon his first wake-up call and run into the bathroom to dry my hair.
7:55 Wake Brandon again and pick out his clothes since he's still dead to the world...then head back to curl my hair.
8:05 Physically sit Brandon up in bed, slide his pajamas off and start pulling school clothes back on. He usually wakes up half-way through the process and finishes up.
8:10 Breakfast for the kiddos...usually cereal. Sometimes make home lunch if it's pizza day. They can't stand pizza day. Gather shoes and jackets and backpacks and homework. Help Julianne with her hair.
8:25 Say quick prayer...sometimes while standing on the front porch. And then say "Hurry, hurry! I can see the bus!!"
8:30 Start the wake-up process with Bryan.

So, sounds like it works, right? By 8:30 I have all the older kids out the door and I should be not only excersized but showered and completely ready for the day. Two variables, though, that throw things off. One, how late have I stayed up the night before? Do I have enough will power to win that whole mind-over-mattress battle? Unfortunately, too many days I let the mattress win. And second, Lilian. I never know when she is going to wake-up. Sometimes it's not until the kids walk out the door. Sometimes it's after my shower but before I can get my hair done. This morning it was right before I stepped onto the treadmill. So, yes, I have a great morning schedule. Wish it worked a little more consistently.

Too Early For Christmas Music?

I was flipping through radio stations the other day and realized that FM100 is playing Christmas music already. Well, yes, I guess I knew that. They always start unreasonably early. I quickly flipped the station, a little irritated. I'm not ready for that yet. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I always get a bit annoyed when it seems like it gets short shrift...that people use the big feast as only a way to usher in the Christmas season. So I work extra hard in my home to make sure that we give Thanksgiving the proper attention it deserves. We make paper turkeys with feather inscribed with things we are thankful for. We make creative place cards for the big feast...different ones each year. We read stories about Pilgrims and Indians. The kids are probably sick to death of hearing me tell them each and every year about how their great, great, great.... (I can't count how many "greats") Grandfather, Resolved White, was on the Mayflower. I love that I have Pilgrim ancestors. Yep, looks like the history geek coming out in me....
But maybe I'm being a bit of a hypocrite. Because I'm already singing Christmas music right and left in all the choirs I perform with. The girls are practicing Christmas songs on the piano. I'm heavily into my Christmas shopping. Obviously I have Christmas on the brain at least a little. And I'm starting to wonder if maybe part of the reason that I refuse to listen to a single Christmas song on FM100 is because I'm afraid that if I do, I won't be able to stop. Because I LOVE Christmas music. It's one of my very favorite things about the season. And maybe I'm worried that if I fully embrace Christmas music in November, I'll lose Thanksgiving.

Favorite Photo Friday: PS2

This picture is from December 2004 and yet it looks a lot like this past week here in November 2008. Julianne's hair is longer now. Rebekah won't let me put curlers in her hair anymore. Brandon looks like a little pre-schooler...which I guess, he was at the time. Then, they were playing Shrek 2 on Playstation 2. Now, they're playing Little Big Planet on Playstation 3. And, like then, this week they've been playing TOGETHER. Even Daddy joins in occasionally. The kids are all so individual and unique. They all have different hobbies and tastes. It's great when something comes around that they all want to do together.

Ewww!

Lilian is a child who thinks nothing of stringing goopy pumpkin guts across her hands, face and head. Who revels in sticky syrup fingers. Who doesn't think twice about sticking her hands in a pile of mud. But when she gets a single strand of hair on one of those little fingers? "Ewww! Ewww! Momma, ewwww!" And she holds that hand out with a look of revulsion on her face as she waits for me to pull off the offensive strand of hair. What's up with that?

Having My Say

I voted yesterday. I took Julianne with me. As sick to death of the whole thing she is, she still wanted to come. I explained each and every detail of what I was doing even through her little rant of "I don't care. This is all so stupid. I hate all of this!" When they tried to give her the official "I voted" sticker she turned it down until she found out she could get a free donut. (She was bitterly disappointed when she found out that I was so not driving to Krispy Kreme to go pick it up.) On the way home she asked why I went. Did my vote even count? I told her that I vote because even though I'm not thrilled about either candidate and even though I know that Utah will go Republican regardless of whether I vote or not, I still feel that it is my right to vote...a right that many people in other parts of the world don't get....and also my duty as a citizen of this country. So I was more than willing to go out in the rainstorm yesterday to say my piece. I voted McCain. Obama won. We all expected it. But I have hope. There is much that comes out of his mouth that scares me. Obviously we have different views on a whole myriad of issues. But somehow, inexplainably, I like him. I like looking at his cute little family that reminds me a whole lot of my own cute little family. I like that he's black and what that says about our country that we can finally elect a black man to the highest office of this country. A lot of what he says I do like. Now, whether there is any substance behind all that talk of hope and change and being a president for all Americans...well, we'll see. And we'll hope.

Presidential Election Concerns

Julianne and Brandon came home in a panic today. "Mom!" they said. "Mom, the kids at school say that if Obama wins we'll have to go to school on Saturdays!" I reassured them. Told them it was just a rumor. By tomorrow it would all be over with. And then with a world weary sigh Julianne said, "Man, I'm so sick of this election stuff." Ah. My sentiments exactly.