Bryce Canyon

I am so behind on my blog =( Between traveling and an unreliable laptop, it's been a challenge. On Wednesday, we went to Bryce Canyon, UT. We spent most of the day hiking around the top and down through the canyon. It was gorgeous! This is definitely a place everyone needs to see. We LOVED the views, and all of the unique rock formations. The boys also found little patches of snow down below and made snowballs. We figured that we hiked almost 3 miles around and down in the canyon.

From a 4 1/2 year-old's perspective

I haven't been able to get on the computer much the past couple of days with the boys being home. They are on break from school, and they all want to use the computer for various things. The laptop has been temperamental and will just shut off, so that's not been a reliable option for me. Anyway, I wanted to share some pictures that T took with the small digital camera. He was entertained for a long time. He took pictures of everything! Here's a sample:

Some of T's favorite toys by his bed

The lone bar of soap in the tub

Here's T trying to get a picture of himself

I was kinda surprised by how well this turned out! Future photographer??

I thought this one was interesting. I changed it to b&w. He made a mess of my bed and took a picture.

Like my miss-matched knives??

So, he took lots of pictures. I would have died if it was on my older camera with actual film! Digital is so nice that way. We can see it immediately, edit or delete it. One fabulous picture didn't make the cut. T surprised G as he was getting out of the shower! G got modest in the nick-of-time, but the picture was immediately tossed to the cutting room floor! The other one I was surprised by was the picture of the toilet bowl. It was empty, but ... ewww!

Last Soccer of the Season

Today marked the last soccer game of the '08 season for the boys. Definitely bitter-sweet. I will be glad to have our Saturdays back, but the boys have already said that they will miss their teams and the games.

B's game was @ 10am, and it felt like an Indian Summer day. It was hot! His team played really well today. They did awesome at passing and it paid off: they won 3-1! It was a great way to end the season. B played 1/2 of the game as goalie. He only handled the ball once because his team did such a great job of keeping the ball away from the goal. B has enjoyed his team this year and plans on staying on this team.

J's game was @ noon. I brought my umbrella to his game! I had kids crowding around me to get to the shade =) J's team won today, too, 3-1 (I think). J was really sad after the game was over. He said to me, "I wish that soccer could go on for another 3 months." He loves his coaches and team mates, and he's learned so much this year. Bottom line: he had FUN!

Here's J with Coach John. Thanks for EVERYTHING!

I just LOVE the fall colors. I had to get a picture of J in front of this tree. He was so hot, exhausted, and just wanted to go home. Actually, he wanted a slurpee, but I was on 'auto-pilot' getting home and just forgot. Instead, he got to pick out a soda from the pantry when he got home.

Soccer Team Parties

On Wednesday night, we went to Round Table for B's soccer team party. G was gone teaching Institute, so I had the 4 boys by myself. They were really good. J's coach gave him a disc, and to be honest, we haven't looked at it yet. She said it was a slide show. His coach said she liked B's "philosophy" on what makes a team and his positive attitude. Another Mom took lots of great pictures and gave us that disc, too. He has a great coach, however, she does not like trophies ... at all. So the team mom ordered trophies on the down-low for those who wanted them. We had to go to her car after the party to get them. It reminded me of a black-market kind of deal.

Then, the very next night, we went to another Round Table for J's soccer team party. J has been with the same team and coach for 3 years now. They had another great season. They tied one game and won the rest. Actually, his team has not lost a game in all 3 years. They keep improving, too. Their passing skills are amazing. Anyway, here is J with his trophy. He also received another fantabulous 'special' book made by my dear friend, Raimi (coach's wife). Thanks, Raimi!! He couldn't stop looking at it all night.
Then, I received some cute potted flowers along with a gift certificate to a pedicure! Every family signed a card for me, and I really appreciate that. Oh, I was the team Mom again this year. Yeah, I know ... crazy. I only have a million things going on ...
Aside from the constant worry that I was forgetting something, it worked out pretty good. The parents were all very supportive and helpful, and it helps to have a coach on top of things. The coaches were awesome, and worked so well with the boys. J just loves his coaches and team mates. Both B & J have 1 more soccer game this Saturday. Oh, would you believe that J asked for pizza for dinner tonight?!! Are you serious!!!?

Fall Leaves

We have a big tree in our front yard that has been dumping leaves lately. After I took the blower and blew all of the leaves off of the lawn, J & T played in the pile near the sidewalk. T rode his bike back and forth through the pile so that the pile was not much of a 'pile' anymore. It was stretching out longer and longer the more he rode his bike through it. The next day, N used the wheel barrel and moved the leaves BACK to the lawn and played around in them. This seems indicative of my house work, too. I clean it, turn my back for a second, and then it's messy again. But, at least they are having fun!

Tag of Twos

TAG OF TWO'S

My sister-in-law, Sylvia, tagged me with this quick list of questions. So, here goes:


Two names you go by:
1. Mom
2. Steph

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Jeans
2. short sleeve stretch crew

Two things you want right now:
1. a maid
2. my 'to-do list' all checked off and done (is that even possible??)

Two things you did last night:
1. Watched "Kung Fu Panda" with family
2. Made banana bread

Two things you ate today:
1. Turkey/Avocado sandwich
2. banana bread

Two favorite drinks:
1. Crystal Lite mix-in
2. Water

Five people I'm tagging: 1. Raimi 2. Allison 3. Julianne 4. Mom 5. Holly

Harvest Parties

Despite being super busy (who isn't??), I was able to stop by both J's and B's class parties last week. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to B's party, but it all worked out. I still had groceries in the van while I visited with B. His party was on Friday morning.


Here, B is showing me his tissue paper art pumpkin. Quite colorful, eh?Here, I'm enjoying the turkey and cheese sandwich B made for me. Even though it was chilly outside, it was 1000 degrees in the classroom. Lots of people. I think they should consider making larger classrooms for the 4th & 5th grades. The students are packed in there like sardines! Anyway, it was nice to see B and surprise him.


J had his party on Thursday. I brought trouble, I mean, T with me. Actually, he was good. He followed J around, and J was great about it. They made carmel apples, decorated a cookie, did a word search, and made a graph of a couple dozen M&M's. T really enjoyed scribbling on the dry erase board!

T sitting by J at his desk

I'm glad that I was able to come by the parties. I love visiting my boys at their school. G & I got to see more of N's new Middle School on Friday, too. He had his parent/teacher conference. He's doing great, and he LOVES his new school. It's been such a good fit for him this year. I can tell that the teachers love being there, too. BIG difference. B is really looking forward to attending Middle School next year. He's so DONE with elementary school.

Primary Program : DONE!!

We had our annual Primary Children's Sacrament Meeting Program today. The kids did great. T kept coming down to me from the stand. But what do you expect from a Sunbeam?! G did a great job on the piano, too. N & I sat together in the congregation. It was kind of weird just only have the two of us sitting on the bench. G & I gave the opening and closing prayers, too! We did have our Primary Celebration with the entire primary afterwards. Boy, they were wound up! We have such a young primary that it made it really challenging. Regardless, we were able to watch a slide show, have fruit, play 'name-that-tune', share our testimonies, sang along with G playing the banjo, ate rice krispy treats, and watched a church DVD. The match game I had planned got canned after the kids were too wild. Oh well. I'll just use if for FHE. Score! The kids left with a personalized certificate of achievement and some yummy popcorn balls (from our music leader). I left sweaty & worn out!

Random Pictures

I've been going through LOTS of pictures lately because I've been putting together a slide show for the primary kids in our ward. Sunday is our Primary Program. After the program, we are having our Primary Celebration with the kids. Many call us crazy, but it's fun and I think everyone appreciates a little break from routine. We excuse all of the teachers (they SO need a break!), and we have the entire primary together for snacks, lesson, singing, games etc. I'm surprising them with a slide show, too. I've gathered pictures from many of the parents and I've taken lots of pictures at our Primary activities. So, I've been really busy with getting things done for Sunday. Not a lot of time to concentrate on other things right now.

Election Day

It's Election Day and I'm nervous! It's been a tense atmosphere out here in CA, and I'll be glad when this day is over. I just found out that two members of our stake were seriously hurt last night while they were waving 'YES on 8' signs at a busy intersection. They both were hit by a truck. I don't know if it was deliberate, but the way things are right now, it's not a stretch to think that it was on purpose. The gentleman has internal injuries and both legs are broken. Prop 8 has been so heated because it strikes at the core. I want marriage to mean something! Lots of "8"signs have been vandalized and stolen on a regular basis, whereas other political signs go untouched. My friend was tired of it so she slathered tons of shortening all over her sign to deter thieves. I think it worked because her sign has not been stolen! Despite the contention on this particular issue, I am SO thankful to live in a country where we can have a voice. Obviously we don't all agree, but we all can say what we think. I'm going as soon as T goes to preschool to vote. I strongly feel that if you don't vote, than you really don't have a right to complain about what's going on in government. Speak up. Do your part. Get out and VOTE!

Shouldn't this be protected?

More candy .. Here we come!!

Here's the crew before we headed out to 'trick-or-treat' around our neighborhood last night. The rain did let up for a while, but we did get sprinkled on a bit. The whole family went around the block together and then G stayed home to hand out candy while I took the boys farther into the neighborhood. The boys went through quite the spook house at our neighbors. Later, T could barely carry his candy. We made a pit-stop at home to dump some candy and to get drinks. The boys still wanted to go out. I was game for whatever. Finally, the rain really started up and we were done. It was fun to see lots of people out in our neighborhood having a great time. After the boys sorted their candy, we got p.j.'s on and watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas" projected onto our living room wall. What a GREAT Halloween!!