I have a Blog????

I think I forgot that I have a blog...actually, I have thought about posting almost everyday but for some reason could not work up the words to post. Lame, I know, but that's my story!
So, lots has been going on. But I'm not going to go back and do a whole month recap. Maybe just a few highlights.
Last weekend, Sam took off for the annual Elk Hunt with his dad and brother, Troy. I prefer to call this event "camping-with-guns-in-case-an-elk-attacks" because in the 11 years we have been married, not one of the participants in the event has shot an elk. Sam's nephew Garrett is actually the only one that I know of that has even shot his rifle. Anyway, I digress. While Sam was away, the boys and I played. My parents were staying in Park City at the Mountainside Resort and invited my siblings and I to come stay the weekend. Suzanne, Amy and I all made the trip and had an enjoyable time (aside from the fact that I wasn't able to sleep Friday night and my kids had a few bouts of disobedience). It was fun to spend time with Suzanne and co. since I really haven't spent time with them for several months. We all learned how to play Rook (which Suzanne and Amy rocked), did Karaoke and carved pumpkins in the activities center, swam and also watched Conference. Probably my favorite part was Saturday morning when the boys woke up, they opened the curtains and saw that it had snowed. My dad and I took them down to the pool where we found a nice, bathwater temp. hot tub that was safe for me to sit in. It was still lightly snowing and there was about an inch or two of snow on all the lawn chairs. The boys started making snowballs and throwing them at us in the hot tub and then joined in a massive snowball fight with a few other families and an employee that was caught in the crossfire. The snow was perfect, lightweight packing snow and the kids made some of the biggest snowballs I've ever seen. A fun time was had by all!
I had my 34 week appointment with my midwife today. She has been concerned that the baby was breech so at the end of my visit, she did an ultrasound and we saw this little girl's head down, exactly where it should be! Danielle (my midwife) and I both cheered and were very relieved to see her head down because if she hadn't turned, most likely I would have to have another c-section which we DON'T want to do! So, good girl...she is already obedient!!!
We are still trying to come up with a name for this bambina...funny how when I was having boys, I had plenty of girl names that I liked. Now that I am having a girl, we are really struggling for names. I guess we have 6 weeks to make a decision...any suggestions are welcome!
OK, my back is hurting from sitting here typing so I'm going to end. Hopefully there won't be as much time between posts as these last two!

Let's go Cougars!

For the past 2 Saturdays, my family and I have joined my parents in cheering for the BYU Cougars Football team. Much to our dismay, the Cougars have come up short both weeks. Fortunately, my love of college football far outweighs the disappointing losses.

I LOVE watching football...specifically when either the Cougars or the UTES are playing. But, I have been known to turn on a random game just because I have the itch for football. As soon as the temperature drops and Fall is in the air, I get football fever. A few years ago, I had a game on as I was scrapbooking and a friend of ours called and asked for Sam. He wasn't home so we chatted for a minute and he asked what I was up to and I told him I was just watching the game and he said "by yourself?" "Yep, I love football." And he said, "Man, that is so sexy!" Ha ha.

I think I can attribute this love for football to my dad. He has always been a Cougar fan. I believe this is the first year since we moved to Utah in 1982 that he does not have season tickets to the BYU games. I always loved going to Provo to the games with him (when I was the lucky one to get the extra ticket) because there was such a buzz in the air at the stadium. He also has so much enthusiasm for the game and really gets into it. I can remember him watching re-runs of games when I was a kid. When I was in 7th grade, my dad took me to get my Military ID renewed and on the way home he handed me the BYU game schedule and said "Kath, do you want to go to the next game with me?" I looked at the schedule and said "It's in Hawaii." My dad said "I know. You wanna go?" Let me think about that for a second..."YES!" We flew over on a military cargo plane and stayed at a friend's house (my parents lived there before any children were born). We spent a little time at the ocean but our main purpose was the game. We sat in the nose bleed seats with not a spot of Cougar blue anywhere around. I cheered my little heart out, my dad was a little concerned because of all the huge Polynesian men glaring at me but that didn't deter me for cheering for my team. BYU won and I even got to have my picture taken with Cosmo (the mascot). If I had a functioning scanner I would include this priceless gem. This was an experience with my dad that I will always cherish!

So don't be surprised if you call my house in the next few months and I tell you I'm watching the game...it's part of who I am!

Service and Small world

So, for several months now, I've had this perfectly good scrapbook room in the basement just waiting to be organized and I just haven't had the energy (ok, let's be honest, I haven't had the desire) to get it done. Well, Friday night, my cute sister Amy came over to go on a Sonic slushee run. Of course, I jumped at that and when we came back we ate the dinner I had made earlier. Then I took her downstairs to show her some of Sam's handiwork in our never-ending construction and she walked into the dreadfully disorganized scrapbook room.
A: "So, Kath, what's in these boxes?"
K: "Um, I really don't know. I just need to get someone to help me go through them and get this room organized."
A: "Let's do it right now."
K: "Seriously? You want to? OK."
Little did I know that Amy was going to help me Hitler-style. "Do you want to keep this? Ok, what are you going to do with it? Hang it? No, don't put it down and wait, hang it right now." She was relentless! We cleared out 5 or 6 "keepsake" boxes in a matter of 20 minutes and kept only a few items that had really sentimental value (like my diploma and wedding certificate). I even parted with old letters from college and Oakcrest, AND my decaying wedding bouquet. Amy didn't pressure me into getting rid of anything, she actually questioned me a few times when I threw stuff away. But she did keep me working for a few hours and we accomplished so much. There is still more to do but we got a huge chunk of it done. Thanks, Amy, for your service. It was just what I needed and guess what? I actually made a card Saturday in my scrapbook room at the table! It was so great!

Sunday, more service was rendered to me, this time by my hubby. I noticed my toenails were looking pretty hammered and I tried to touch up the polish. Unfortunately, this big belly makes toenail painting near-impossible. So I asked Sam to help me, and he obliged. Now, you have to understand how huge this is. Sam HATES fingernails and toenails that are painted, especially toenails. I don't know why, he's never really explained his disgust, he just hates it. So, I knew it was a long shot when I asked him but he actually did it, and did a better job then I have ever done! Now, that, I tell you, is true love!

Now on to small world...a month or so ago, a man walked into my dad's office at church and told him he and his family were moving into the ward. He said his name was Phil Banza and my dad immediately recognized his last name as an Elder's that I served with on my mission. So, he asked him if he served in the Johannesburg mission and Phil replied that he hadn't but his brother had! So, Sunday, Phil and his sweet wife spoke in church and then Phil, his brother Junior (who was my first zone leader and someone I love dearly) and two other men sang "I need thee every hour." Sam and I attended with the kids and had a little reunion afterwards. It was so fun to see Junior and his family. I just can't believe what a small world it is, especially when you are LDS. Imagine an Elder from the Congo goes to South Africa on his mission and meets a Sister from Salt Lake City and 13 years later, the Elder's brother is in the ward where the Sister's father is the bishop! Crazy!

Baby update: Today was my 30-week appointment. The same girl weighed me and put my weight down as 19 pounds less than last time!!! My midwife came in and looked at it and said, "that's not right" No, it isn't. The girl doesn't know how to read a scale!!! She put down that I weigh 10 pounds less than I actually do. Normally, I wouldn't complain about losing 19 pounds in 2 weeks but at this point in my life, weight gain is critical. I swear that girl needs weighing lessons!!! Aside from the weight loss, everything is looking good with this wiggly baby girl!
Oh, speaking of weight loss...Curtis was watching "The Biggest Loser" premier with me last night and he suggested that after I have the baby that I go on the show. What is it with my kids and my weight?!?

Week Re-Cap

I have so much to blog about but haven't had the desire to do it so I'm finally making myself sit down and type!

First, and most important:Noah's 1st day of Kindergarten!

He was so excited to start school and go to the same school as Curtis. He was really happy that the cold front hit so that he could wear his new Hot Wheels shirt for the first day! He didn't seem nervous at all, just marched right into the classroom, found his name tag, his table and his locker and didn't bat an eye when Sam and I left. He was already immersed in the school experience and was ready to learn! I thought I would be emotional sending him off to school all day but when Sam and I got to the car, I gave a little squeal and said "I'm so excited!" and then we went and had a fabulous, quiet breakfast (just the 2 of us!) at a cute little diner in Sugarhouse, Finn's. I figured I had a long, quiet day ahead of me but it actually went really fast and I didn't even get half the things on my list done! I'm going to have to organize my day a little better!

When I picked Noah up, he just ran to me and gave me a big hug. I asked how his first day went and he exclaimed, "Good!" "Did you learn a lot?" "Well, we did learn some stuff but not a lot."

By 7:00 that night, he was so exhausted. During our reading time, he kept flopping back and forth and groaning. When I asked him what the problem was, he said "are we almost done? I want to go to bed." Poor kid, he isn't used to this all day stuff! We are going to try bedtime a few minutes earlier to make the transition a little easier.

Second: Sam's 40th Birthday!
I hadn't planned anything for Sam's birthday because we were going to go to St. George with some friends of ours but they ended up moving that week so things were a little crazy for them. Sam had school in the afternoon so the boys and I went and bought 12 black balloons and some window paint and went to the school parking lot. We tied the balloons to Sam's truck and wrote messages on the window. Unfortunately, before we finished, the wild W. Jordan wind either blew away or popped half of the ballons! Needless to say, I was a little miffed by the time we were finished. Sam called before we were even home to tell us he discovered it and said there were only 2, TWO!, balloons left when he came out of class. Argh! It's the thought that counts, though, right?

Since Sam had to work that night, the next night I got a babysitter and Sam and I met his parents for dinner at Johnny Carino's. We had a very enjoyable dinner and then a little shopping at Target afterwards. A low key 40th but I think just what we needed!

Third: Curtis's Speech Therapy

Curtis has been receiving Speech Therapy since his first year in pre-school and has made a ton of progress. I spoke to his Speech Pathologist at the school Open House and she said she would be evaluating him the first week and would then call me. We met with her and Curtis's teacher and the principal for his IEP on Wednesday and the only thing she feels she needs to work on with him is the "th" sound. She was very pleased with his progress and said she would be surprised if he needed Speech after Christmas! Way to go, Curtis, you are awesome!!!

Fourth: Labor Day

Sam really wanted us to go fishing for his b-day so on Labor Day we headed up to the Uintah Mountains for some cooler weather and fishing. Sam took the boys there a few weeks ago and they really wanted to go to the Fish Hatchery again so we stopped and did a little tour. It was kind of cool and there were a ton of fish.

Then we stopped at Provo Canyon Falls. It is so beautiful there. The Falls are amazing, the rock looks like it was carved out by a machine but it wasn't, it is just God's beatiful creation! The boys had fun climbing the rocks and we all enjoyed the cooler weather by the water.

We then settled at Teapot Lake for a very unsuccessful fishing trip. Sam got the boys set up and he kept having to re-cast for them and by the time he got himself ready, the boys were done. We hung out there for a little while longer and then packed up. Sam had seen a spot on the river that he wanted to try fishing so we stopped there and Curtis and Sam took off walking down the river. Noah was content to sit in the shade next to me in our camp chairs and he talked my ear off! He was so cute. I wasn't very talkative but he kept the conversation flowing just fine. My favorite was when he said "Aaah. This is relaxing. I love to relax in the shade by the river, in my chair, in the quiet, just the sound of the little waterfall. Do you like to relax here, Mom?" Sometimes, he is just so grown up! It kills me.

After awhile, Sam and Curtis came back (sam caught 4 fish) and we made the trip home. It was a nice, relaxing day but Sam realized that if he really wants to fish, he's going to have to go without the boys!

Fifth: Funny things kids say and do

Noah walked into my room on Sunday just as I was picking up my dropped towel (my back to him) and said "Mom! Does your tummy getting bigger make your butt get bigger?" "No, why?" "Because your butt looks huge! It is bigger than Dad's!" Thanks, buddy, you know how to make a girl feel good about her ever-expanding body.

Curtis had planned to wear his camo pants to school on Wednesday with a cute long sleeve shirt we got to match. Wed. morning came and he decided he didn't want to wear the long sleeve shirt, he wanted a short sleeve shirt and the perfect choice was his camo shirt. I told him it didn't match his camo pants and that he needed to change. He was throwing a fit so Sam said he was going to call the Fashion Police and picked up the phone and pretended to call. Curtis FREAKED! He quickly decided to wear a short sleeve white shirt and his olive green hoodie. Who knew a Fashion Police threat would work on a 7 year old boy!!!

Well, this is turning into a novel so I'm going to wrap it up...The End

First day of School!

Yesterday was the long awaited day...first day of school! For Curtis at least. He was so excited. He wasn't nervous at all. We decided to walk him to school with our friends and neighbors, the House family. Halfway there we met up with another friend, Seth. Curtis, Noah and Seth pretty much ran the rest of the way to the school. When we got there, Curtis immediately found his class lined up and ran to his friends from his class last year. I'm so happy that he is in the same class as some of these boys again, they are good kids. When I picked Curtis up, he happily exclaimed "No homework!". As I questioned him about his favorites of the first day, he said "Having three recesses. Oh, and the lunch you packed for me!" Ahh, how sweet. So far, 2nd grade seems to be serving him well. Noah starts all-day kindergarten next Tuesday. Not really sure what I'll do all day without having to referee two boys!







On a baby note, I am 28 weeks today. I had to do the Glucose test for diabetes, which is never very enjoyable. So far, I haven't heard anything back but I don't really know how long it takes to get the results. Get this, though...I gained a WHOPPING 12 pounds in the last 2 weeks! How is that even humanly possible? There was a new girl training today who weighed me so I'm hoping that is was her mistake because seriously...that is a ton of weight to gain in 2 weeks! My midwife wasn't too concerned as that only brings my total weight gain to 19, but still! Ridiculous. I guess we'll see in 2 weeks if that was correct or not. Curtis took this belly shot of me a few minutes ago...I'm huge but that's what happens when you're only 5 feet tall! YIKES!

Edited to Add: I stepped on my scale at home and it was 10 pounds less than what I weighed at my appointment...I'm going with my scale and blaming the 12 pound gain on the new girl that weighed me!!!

Scrapbook Retreat

Just wanted to let all you scrapbookers know that my business, Alphascraps, is hosting an overnight scrapbook Retreat on August 24-25. All the information is on http://www.alphascraps.com/. You can register right on line...just click on Crop Registration. Registration is only $25 and includes lunch on Saturday. Hotel charges vary, depending on the number of guests in each room. I believe that the room rate is $69 so split 4 ways, that's only about $18 with tax. The retreat is at the Cottontree Inn in Draper. I have hosted on event there before and it is a nice place with a great conference room with plenty of table space to spread out. Hope to see you there!!!

Park City Recap

We just got back from a week-long vacation in Park City and boy was it great!

My parents have a Marriott time share and had an extra week that was about to expire so they practically begged us to use it for a little family get-away. So, we did!

The boys and I went up Friday afternoon (Sam had to work Friday night so couldn't come). We basically just chilled out in the condo that night: ate, watched TV, read, took a jacuzzi bath.

Saturday morning, we headed back down the canyon as our dear friend, Karen, was getting married. My mom picked up the kids (thanks Mom and Dad!) and Sam and I went to the luncheon and wedding at the Bountiful Temple. It was so special to be there with Karen, she has waited a long time (and dated a lot of Mr. Wrongs) for Mr. Right to come along. We are so happy for them...Congrats Karen and Jim!

After the wedding we headed home and met up with my parents, sister Amy and sister Suzanne
and niece Isabelle. Suzanne and her family are moving from Omaha to Las Vegas and had just rolled in to town so it was nice to see them for a few minutes. We then headed back up to Park City. The Kimball Arts Festival was going on right down Main Street and we got up there just before it was ending so we were able to go to it for free. We saw some amazing art and heard some fantastic musicians.

Most of our time in Park City was spent in the pool and the boys really honed their swimming skills. Noah has been pretty hesitant in the pool but I think it really helped to have Sam there to help boost his confidence. By the end of the week, he was jumping in without his floatie and swimming to the side. Both boys are little fish! I enjoyed floating in the pool because it made me feel weightless so whenever my back was hurting, I headed to the pool. We unfortunately didn't get any photos of the pool because all of us were always in the pool and didn't want to leave our camera unattended.

Sam went fishing Tuesday morning then came back and took the kids for a little adventure. When they were coming down the hill on their scooters, Noah got going a little too fast and instead of using his brake, used his foot and ended up crashing. Curtis pounded on the door and was frantically telling me that Noah crashed and got hurt really bad. Luckily, it wasn't too bad, just a little road rash on the arms, tiny bit on the nose and forehead (thank goodness the boys never ride their scooters without helmets!). When we were patching Noah up, he exclaimed "Now my day is ruined!" He forgot all about this later when we were swimming.
Curtis and Noah scootering pre-crash

On Wednesday, we did some Park City touring. There is a free trolley tour up and down Main Street so we caught the trolley and cruised around a little. We then went to the Territorial Jail which is actually pretty creepy. We walked down the steep stairs into the Jail and Noah exclaimed "it's spooky down here" and it was! When it was in use it was nicknamed "the Dungeon" and I can't think of a better name for it. We then walked back down Main Street to ride the ski lift. The Town Lift is right across the street from the condo and everytime we looked out the window that is what we saw so we had to go on it. It was actually quite a long ride and there was a cool breeze which made it very enjoyable.

When we got to the top we started to explore. I have only been skiing at the Park City Resort once and never got up quite as far as this lift took us so I was unaware that the old Silver King Mine was still standing. Sam and Curtis had fun exploring the old mining buildings while Noah and I waited safely outside. We then headed back down the mountain and Curtis rode with me, pointing out every single old tower that used to haul buckets of ore down the mountain. He would point them out to me and then yell back to Sam "Dad, there's another tower!" "I see another one camoflauged in the trees!" I had this yelled in my ear approximately 27 times. Not quite the peaceful ride as on the way up!

We then wentover to the resort area and the boys rode the Alpine Slide. Curtis was so excited when we measured him and he was tall enough to go on the Slide by himself.

They all had a lot of fun although Curtis was a little disappointed because he wanted to go faster but was a little scared so he didn't. Next time, buddy.

That evening, we caught the trolley again and strolled down Main Street and stopped at Cows to get some yummy icecream. Then we went back to the condo to change and hit the pool!

Thursday we swam pretty much all day. At 5:00 pm we finally dressed (in something besides swimming suits) and headed out for dinner. There is a great Mexican restaurant at the resort called Baja Cantina. The have yummy chips and salsa and we ordered chicken flautas (which next time I will just get for my entree instead of an appetizer) the boys had quesadillas, Sam got a beef fajita salad and I got the "Claimjumper" which is a massive pork burrito. I was stuffed by the time I was only 1/4 of the way through the burrito!

After dinner we went to check out the Alpine Coaster. It is a new mountain "roller coaster" that pulls you up the mountain and then you quickly wind down the mountain. Sam couldn't resist and Curtis desperately wanted to go with him. So they bought tickets and Curtis was so excited that when he was walking back up to the coaster he was yelling "Can you feel the love?" "oh yeah, oh yeah!" They loved the ride! Noah didn't want to go so we let him choose what he would like to do instead. He decided to go on the trampoline with the bungee cords. You have to be at least 40 lbs to do this and he is only 44 so it was a little difficult for him. He tried to do a flip and couldn't get enough momentum so only went halfway...he ended up being upside down, bouncing (softly) on his head for a full minute! Sam and I were laughing so hard that unfortunately we weren't able to get a photo of this...it was too funny.

We ended the night with more swimming and were exhausted when we finally turned in for the night. We had such a great time together and cherished the time that Sam was able to be with us. Thanks Mom and Dad for giving us this opportunity! We had a wonderful time!