Don't Let the Name Decieve You!

So I've been sicker than I can remember for the past day...and I'm blaming it on...the Honey Bucket. They had these at the Start/Finish of the Freedom Run Race on Saturday. And of course, I used one. Good running protocol. Once before the race...Twice after. And MAN, it's the only thing that I can think of that would make me this sick. At first I thought it was food poisoning, but Adam pointed out that we all had been eating the same thing, and nobody else was sick. So my next assumption was my lovely visits to the "Bucket."
Not that I love talking about my bowels with everyone, but just warning for you all. These "Honey Buckets" might not be so sweet for you.

Celebrating Freedom...is Exhausting!

So the night before I was inspired to make this lil' cake. You know you've all seen them on the cover of a magazine as you're waiting to check out your groceries. And you're thinking..."I can do that! Looks simple enough." Sure it's simple if you're not trying to make it look like it belongs on that magazine cover. And since this blog is hardly a national publication, it will have to suffice. But I do have to show-off my domesticated abilities occasionally to make certain Adam appreciates me to the fullest!
My 4th started off at 5 am. Got up, got dressed for the Freedom Run 10k. Though the race didn't start till 7am, I always need a few hours of prep time for a race. Cut my time down from last year, but I'm really struggling still. I want to stop all the time. What kept me going is knowing my lil' family would be there at the end cheering me on. Here we are right after my run. My biggest cheerleaders! Afterwards we trekked it over to the parade. The kids really enjoyed that. We then hopped over to the festival and checked out a bounce house. Grabbed some lunch, came home, went swimming, came home, showered the family, and then I took Pud and Cal to watch fireworks over with the Richins and the Galley's. The kids had a blast and as you can see, they were darling!

Let me tell ya, Brandon Richins....bit of a pyro. Actually used a blow torch to light the fireworks. Ok, so it was a mini-blow torch, but still! He was enjoying it entirely too much. 4th of July really is when all the Pyros come out to Play!
The kids really enjoyed it, but by the end they were both back about 10 feet sitting in my lap. Sparks were getting too close. Which is all relative I suppose, since Cal wouldn't even hold a sparkler like the rest of the kids. But hey, I'm not complaining. At this age, I'd rather the kid be afraid of fire. We've all seen what he can do with a razor, I'd hate to see him get too comfortable with a lighter.

HaPpy BiRthDay to mY LittLe SisTer CaRrie

Weird, when your little sister turns 30. Even weirder to think I've known her, her Whole Life! When Celeste wasn't constructing some musical for us to perform in, Carrie played with her Barbies. She use to spend hours doing their hair and dressing them. We use to take dixie cups and punch out the bottom so that we could make our own Wonder Woman bracelets.
This is the pet duck that our Grandma Bea gave us for Easter one year. We tried to see if it could swim underwater. Others called it drowning...semantics.
Our mother got us to wear ugly sweaters. Which I think is where Carrie got her fear of all things flashy and colorful. Her style these days is a little more subdued.
My mother always sewed our Sunday clothes. Carrie loved dressing up on Sundays. So much so that sometimes she'd get so excited to put on her dress...she'd forget to put anything else on...namely underwear. Sorry Care, I had to do it. She was a real hit over on the railings where she would twirl around and hang upside down.
Though Sundays were dress-up days, the other 6 days of the week were pretty much delegated to Pj's. Carrie lived in them. Just look at that cute little girl!
So here's to you Care, Hash Browns, Inky Baby!
I Love ya girl, and I always will! Though after this blog, you might reconsider how you feel about me... ;)

The Trip that keeps on Giving...

Just wanted to post some more pics of our Father's Day Camping Trip! Some of them may seem random...but I thought they were sort of pretty and interesting.


This would be one of those interesting ones...and I thought it was pretty in an ugly sort of way!

More Pics from Camping Trip

Conversations with Sister Richins

Isabelle's Primary Teacher sent me this message on my FB account today:

I Have to tell you the funny things Isabelle said yesterday before I forget:
"Do you have hair in your nose? really? Do I have hair in my nose too?"
"Do you hear Jesus in your heart?" "I do too, he tells me to sing"
LOVE THIS GIRL!!! She is SOOOO cute. We are pretty much BFF's now.

Thanks Ashley! Seriously made my day!

J-E-L-L-O spells F-U-N!

So for FHE tonight we went to the 3rd Annual Jello Fight at Thanksgiving Point! What a kick! Free Jello that your kids can make a total mess of and it's not at your own house. Dreams do come true!
As you can see we started off with some Green Jello, showing our loyalty to all things Utah. What we tried to get into Jones' little head was to not put the Jello in his Big Mouth! Especially since he was getting it from off the grass...other people's clothing, my Shoe... Don't worry, the grass clippings were minimal, but added a little fiber to his diet.
Here's Cal after clean-up. We had taken the kids to the bathrooms after the 2nd round of jello throwing and didn't realize till after we were done cleaning them up that they just turn on the sprinklers to hose everyone down afterward. Good thing to remember for next year!
SIDENOTE: Some kid came up and threw Jello at Cal. So Cal did what anyone and everyone else would do, he threw some jello at the kid. Well the kid didn't like it so he kicked him. Mama Bear came out in me and I told the kid, "Hey, we don't kick!" and then turned to Cal and said, "Get that kid with some Jello!" Was that Christ-like of me?
In the end the fam was not too dirty, which is mostly because they consumed more of it than they chucked it. Oh, well! This will be a good Family Tradition to start. Next year we'll just bring the Cool-Whip for Jones, so he can eat his Jello proper.

The Final Cut

What happens when you leave your two boys to get the phone. In a normal household...probably not much. Gosh, I wish we were normal somedays.
Last Wednesday, while I was trying to get the kids ready for our City's Strawberry Day Children's Parade, Cal decided to take my pink Gillette Razor and try it out on his and his brother's heads. Cal's hair was pretty repairable. I just buzzed it at a 1 and it looked fine. Jones on the other hand... As you can see above he did not get off so easy. I thought perhaps as I was shaving the boys' heads that they should have the Old-Man-Do. Love the sideswept curls on Jones. I thought it would be sort of a punishment to Cal for doing this to him and his brother. Unfortunately at his age, embarrassment doesn't come so easily. He was so excited about this hair cut that he said, "MOM, MOM! Look! I look like a MONSTER! I have a Monster Haircut!" That's when the rest of the hair was quickly sheared off. No way was I going to let this kid think he was going to get rewarded for shaving his brother's head with a cool "Monster Haircut!"

Just look at those eyebrows defy gravity....
"I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!"

Just a little Wicked reference there for you'all. Which seems so absolutely appropriate for this blog entry.

I've been dragging my feet to even blog this particular incident, since there seems to be a daily occurence of mayhem on such a grand scale. Which in turn makes me look like such a spiffy Mom. Broken Arms, Painted Heads, Ruining their Lives. I suppose I'll look at the positive and say that I'm getting a lot of heavy duty experience with the Mom gig.

After I was finished with Jones' hair he took off like a Bat outta Hell. Cal on the other hand was all to happy to take some more pictures. Does he even look sorry to you? I'll tell you what he DOES NOT look like to me...Innocent. Sure it's all cute and somewhat harmless now, especially since not a drop of blood was shed. But it's sure going to be sad when we have to visit this kid up at the Point of the Mountain someday. (Utah Reference: The State Prison is at the Point of the Mountain.)

HooDoo You Love?

So we went to Bryce Canyon this weekend for a Father's Day Retreat. Filled with all the things that Adam loves...fishing, camping, and US...his family of course! Ok, you can stop gagging now...I know that was cheesy.
We had an amazing time! But more on that later. ToDay, being Father's Day & All...I'd like to dedicate this blog entry to Adam.
He will never give himself the credit he deserves, so that's what I'm here for! And Adam, please stop that list you're making in your head of all the things you aren't doing perfectly. I have the floor now, so sit back & Chillax!

Our children are so incredibly blessed to have you for a father. And here are just a few of the many reasons why that is so!
1. Our children have learned how to play from you. Certainly not me! My version of play is a great sale, a hot bath, a good book & my bed. So yes, they have learned to use their lovely imaginations from the time they spend with you. Whether it's pretending that they can fly, be Nacho Libre or just a simple game of Hide n' Seek...they experience that best with you!
2. Not only have you taught them to play, but you've also taught them to work! I know that when I ask Pud to do something and she replies, "I'd love to do that for you Mom!" I know she has learned that from you. Now Cal & Jones might still be works in progress, but hey they're still considered toddlers...they have a few more years to catch up to par.
3. You're not afraid to discipline our children, but more important, you're always there to show them more love after their reproof. Finding that balance is tough sometimes, especially when emotions can get high. But you seem to find that balance so well! Even when Cal says things like, "I don't wanna be a part of this family anymore, because Dad spanked me!" Hey, we can't win 'em all.

4. Our children LOVE seeing you. From the moment they wake up they're wondering where you are! Which can be a little redundant, because I have to tell them that you're at work & that no we can't go see you right now. But perhaps we can have lunch with you or take you lunch later. That usually gets a lot of cheering and yippees. What a great Dad you must be to have your children want to be around you so much. We better hold on to this moment now...I hear adolescence changes this particular facet of the parent/child experience.

So, Happy Father's Day Adam! Your Children Love You! I Love You!

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