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You've Heard of Christmas in July...

2011-12-10T09:52:00.001-06:00

How about July in Christmas? As I write, my computer is sitting on a Christmas tablecloth but I am so far behind on my blog that I am writing about 4th of July. Ah, well. I've got a few weeks off coming up--we'll see how far I get.

We spent the 4th in Centerville, UT, where they celebrated the 4th on the 2nd (?). The day began with the annual Freedom Run 5K, the longest footrace I had yet done. I ran the whole way and finished! Of course, my time was just a hair under double Greg's time, and Kelsey walked the dog most of the way and still beat me. There were grandmas out there that I couldn't catch up with. The whole way my mantra was, "I have short, little legs!"

Next was the main event: The Centerville 4th of July Parade, where the candy haul rivals Halloween:

Back home at Grandma and Grandpa's we had a big lunch (barbecued chicken and apple pie--mmmm...) and then began the 1st Annual Willden Olympics. Events included a doughnut-eating contest:

A balloon and squirt bottle tether-ball game:

And a water balloon toss. We began with your basic person-to-person toss, then brought out towels and launched the balloons as teams:

It was a fun, fun day. Everyone received a medal for their stellar performance, and we later capped the day with a fireworks display a la Michael (not pictured because it was too darned dark).

Like Hayley Mills and Hayley Mills

2011-10-04T17:22:00.001-05:00

You know, long-lost sisters reunited at last! She lives in India, I live in Texas. . . The twain just don't meet often enough for my liking. I hadn't seen Shannon in way too long, and we had so much fun together.

Chock Full of Cousiny Goodness!

2011-10-04T17:13:00.001-05:00

The best thing about Utah is COUSINS! Ella and Nat had a terrific time playing and playing and PLAYING with Jacob, Laurinda, and Lindley from Pleasant Grove and Spencer, Zack, and Alli (My Palli) all the way from India! (We missed Nico and Cata very much--they were enjoying themselves in Chile.)

Here's Nat and Alli. I call her Alli My Palli, and Nat calls her "Alli-da-palli". They WUV each other.

Hayrides and rock candy--it just doesn't get any better.

Here the cousins pose on their great-grandpa's tractor.

We tie-died patriotic t-shirts for the 4th of July.

I made all the girls matching skirts.

All the kids had fun bouncing around at Kangaroo Zoo.

A trip to Hogle Zoo is always a must. (Not pictured: a harrowing train ride through a hail storm)

Uncle Steve, a.k.a Cap'n Beav, planned a pirate treasure hunt for the kids, complete with sword fighting, rope swinging, talking like a pirate, and dubloons!

Top of Timp

2011-10-04T16:52:00.001-05:00

Okay, we didn't actually hike to the top of the mountain, but we did make it to the cave, which is no small feat, especially with two small fry. The hike up is strenuous, to say the least--all switchbacks, all the way. Before they even let you hike up, a ranger talks you through all the ways you may die on the way up--falling off the mountain, having rocks fall on you, et cetera. I quote from the ranger spiel: "Red lines on the trail denote rock fall danger zones. Continue walking through these areas--do not stop! Rock slide will sound like hands clapping. Should you hear that sound, get close to the face of the mountain, crouch down and cover your head with your arms." They are so concerned about giving you the best chances at making it back to the bottom alive that after the cave tour and before you hike back down another ranger gives you ANOTHER speech full of doom and dire warnings: "There is a tendency to feel that once you have made it up the mountain, the hard part is over. People DIE on their way down because they aren't being careful."

To be fair, it is a scary trail, generally without railings and very steep. I don't mean to mock the rangers--they know their stuff and do a great job. I have no problem, however, making fun of fellow hikers. You know how when you go on something like a cave tour you really get to know the strangers with whom you are briefly trapped underground? We narrowly avoided getting put in a tour group with a woman I named "The Gobbler" because of her loud and incessant turkey-like laugh. That was a close one! In our group was a woman whose questions made me giggle. The best of all came at the end of the tour, after the "don't die" lecture. The ranger mentioned that the Provo River running through the canyon was extremely high and dangerous, and that people should exercise extreme caution near it because one person had already died in it this year. (These rangers are a wealth of statistics of local deaths and maimings.) The woman in question then asked the ranger a question so fabulous I wondered if I had heard her correctly. As she made her way down the treacherous path, I murmured to the ranger, "Did she just ask you where the river is?" to which he replied, "Yup." I said, "Did you tell her it is AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON?!" to which he replied, with a smirk, "Yup." I looked around at the steep and narrow canyon we were perilously perched above and wondered exactly where else a river would be hiding.

Anyhoo, here are some pictures of us on the hike. We made it to the top and all the way back down to the bottom without even one rock slide!

Middle Earth

2011-09-28T17:36:00.001-05:00

When you look at a map of the state of Utah, the vast middle is crossed by scant highways and dotted with tiny towns. In short, it looks like there is a whole lot of nothing out there, which is correct. However, as we spent a whole day driving the very long way from Zion to Aurora, UT, we discovered that the nothing (feel free to hum "The Neverending Story", I know you want to) is amazingly varied and stunningly beautiful. As we drove I kept thinking that surely we had passed all the beautiful stuff and that the rest would be ugly and boring, but no! We would come around a bend or over a hill and a whole new vista would stretch out before me, different than what we had left behind and even more 1amazing. We drove through Escalante National Monument and on north and as we drove the view changed from this:

to this:

and then this:

and this:

followed by this:

and finally this:

We watched the sun go down as we drove. It was a great day. We even stopped and played in Calf Creek, carefully avoiding the snake we saw. Fun for all!

Beautiful Zion

2011-09-28T17:02:00.002-05:00

The next (and main) stop on the Willden Family Fun Trip of 2011 was Zion National Park. What an unbelievably gorgeous time we had. I love to be absolutely surrounded by the beauties of God's earth, when the view all around me is so breathtaking that I feel like I can't actually take it all in. It astounds and humbles me. Even the view from our motel in Springdale was beautiful--red rock cliffs, glowing in the sunset.

We spent a full day hiking, starting at the top of the map and working our way down. Due to very high waters, this was as far as we could go up the canyon. Ella and Natalie were perfectly happy to throw rocks in the river to their hearts' content.

This photo is one in a series we call "Ella on a Rock". There are lots and lots of them. (Photos, that is. Come to think of it, there were a lot of rocks, too.)

The sheer cliff behind Greg is topped by a narrow path to a pillar of rock called Angel's Landing, which Greg ran to, of course. It's an 8.7 mile hike round trip, and here's what the hiking guide says about it: "Long drop-offs. Not for anyone fearful of heights or young children. Last section is a route along a steep, narrow ridge to the summit." (It's a good thing Greg isn't fearful of young children, eh?) I was glad he told me where he ran after the fact, because that ridge was scary. I did a little running, too, but I stuck to the tame (but still lovely) paved path at the base of the canyon.

This was Ella's favorite spot--Weeping Rock. A short, very steep hike led to an overhanging cliff that was literally weeping. Ella had a great time getting thoroughly dripped upon. I thought the view was well worth the climb.

This was Natalie's favorite spot--the smoothie stop at the lodge. It was nice to relax in rocking chairs, sipping and people-watching, before we resumed our hike in the heat.

We hiked about 5 miles that day. "How does a three-year-old manage to hike 5 miles?" you ask? On Daddy's shoulders, of course. She walked the first couple yards, but at the pace she was going we would still be making our way out of that canyon right now, had we let her continue.

The main canyon is only accessible by tram, which saves the park a thousand-car traffic jam every day of the high season. We all loved riding the tram.

Thems the Breaks

2011-09-28T16:38:00.001-05:00

While in Utah this summer our little family of four took a vacation-within-a-vacation through the middle of Utah. Our first stop was Cedar Breaks National Monument. It was the first day of summer, and in celebration all national parks and monuments were free that day! (So make sure you mark your calendar for next year.) Cedar Breaks looms east and a good distance above Cedar City, Utah--over 10,000 feet above sea level. Please note that on the first day of summer there was still a fair amount of snow on the ground--and dig my kids playing in it in their sandals and summer clothes. They were in awe of how far their dad could throw a snowball.

Tri Aquarena Springs--You'll Like It

2011-09-26T17:24:00.003-05:00

They call it a "sprint triathlon", to which I say, "Hah!" Sprint, my eye! At a 500 meter swim, 14 mile bike, and 5K (3.2 mile) run, the Aquarena Springs Triathlon was one and a half times the only other tri I had ever done. When Greg first found this tri online I was immediately interested in it because I really wanted to swim in the springs. Aquarena Springs is a small spring-fed lake in San Marcos (between San Antonio and Austin) where you can take glass-bottom boat rides, but cannot swim unless you participate in one of the twice-yearly triathlons. The length of the run was really intimidating, but I wanted to swim in the lake so badly that I decided to go for it, AND I dragged my wonderful friends Kristen and Valerie along with me. (Considering they are both WAY more athletic than I am, I didn't feel too bad.)

We got to the race site at 6:30am--it was dark out and the lake was pitch black. I stared at it, thinking, "And I wanted so badly to swim in the abyss because...?" then the sun came out and... it was still intimidating. Here we are, surveying the course. We later saw a fish, a big, fat gar, which was the last fish I saw that morning. By the time I entered the water any and all fish with any brain in their little fish heads had fled the scene in the face of 250 mad triathletes thrashing through their territory. (Valerie did see a turtle on the swim--it was long gone before I made the plunge.)

Here I am, emerging from the swampy depths. Dig the wetsuit! I was concerned about the 72 degree water temperature, but I needn't have been--I was plenty warm. (The wetsuit does make me look TOUGH, though, doesn't it?) Actually, it wasn't swampy. Full of phytonutrients (aka underwater foliage), yes, but otherwise pretty clear. There was one murky stretch right at the end, and the sun was also full in my face at that point, so I couldn't see in or out of the water, which was exciting. I just followed the splashing and hoped I wouldn't run into anything. I have got to say that I loved the open water swim--unlike a pool swim, there was plenty of room to pass other swimmers without throwing elbows. I passed lots of swimmers and threw nary an elbow (this time).

And she's off! That's my Firebolt I'm riding. I don't know how it performs in a Quidditch match, but it rides GREAT in a race. I spent the summer riding and I definitely felt a difference. (I passed lots more people on the bike--I had never done that before!)

Check out how both of my feet are flying off the pavement! This was the home stretch, and I was running as fast as my short, tired little legs could go. The middle mile was all uphill, mostly after a very steep fashion, which caused me much mental whimpering, but it meant that the last mile was all downhill.

We are the champions! Valerie won a medal, finishing second in her age group. I came in 5th of 16 in my age group and 31st of 86 women in the race, finishing in 1 hour and 40 minutes. I was very pleased. And again, we look so TOUGH!

After my last tri, my mom asked about it and then said, "So, do you LIKE doing these things?" (Ours is not a terribly athletic family.) And I said that of course I do, for a variety of reasons. Competing in these races gives me a goal to push toward--it gives meaning to exercise. I love swimming and biking, and I tolerate running. It makes me feel good to push myself and see progress. Also, it is rewarding to voluntarily do something that is really hard and really scary. The days leading up to the race I always start to think, "Now why am I doing this again?" because it is really scary for me. I get very intimidated by all these stringy athletic types strutting around in Spandex. Jumping into the lake was TERRIFYING, but once I was swimming it was exhilarating. Racing my bike along country back roads, passing fields of cows, I kept thinking, "I LOVE this!" I am never going to come in first, but it doesn't matter. I am racing myself, conquering my fears, doing the hard thing and coming out better and stronger on the other side. So, if you can float, pedal a bike, and move in a forward direction on two feet, and don't mind being terrified, I highly recommend finding a triathlon to do! You won't regret it.

Three Times the Cuteness

2011-09-14T09:23:00.001-05:00

While in Utah over the summer, my former mission companion Camille and I visited a third companion, Michelle--the three of us served together in a threesome for two weeks when we were missionaries in Seattle. Our first day tracting together was marked by a man opening his door and barking madly at us and by one of us stepping off the curb and onto a used condom. Missionary work is not for the faint of heart, folks!

Anyhoo, back to the subject at hand, which is the fact that Michelle now has three babies, making six children total. Yes, she has triplets! And three older kids!!! From the time I found out she was pregnant with triplets to the time they were born I could not shut up about my friend who was having three babies. All my friends here in Texas heard all the updates regarding the triplets, spoken in reverent tones of awe. On our visit we spent the afternoon holding babies, because that's what you do at the triplet house--you hold babies, feed babies, change babies, and do it all over again. As Camille so wisely put it, if you are ever feeling that your life is hard, go spend a day at the baby house. You will quickly learn that your life, with all your sleep and free time and the ability to leave the house at will and eat meals when they are hot--heck, the ability to eat meals at all as opposed to living on handfuls of Cheerios and the crusts from your kids' pb&j sandwiches--your life is CAKE.

Here I am with all three babies. They are the cutest little bugs you have ever seen, tiny but healthy. Do you see the panic in my eyes? Once I had all three babies on my lap I could not move--I was trapped in the La-Z-Boy! I was really glad no one cried (myself included).

Ella Bean, Swimming Machine

2011-09-14T09:06:00.001-05:00

That is my nickname for Ella--Bean. Ella Bonzer Bean, if you want the full name. She's actually had many nicknames over the years--I'm full of them. "Bean" has stood the test of time, however, while many other lesser nicknames have fallen. Natalie is currently "Nattle", "Beetle", and "Beets". Actually, a lot of the time she is "Trouble", but that is a post for another day.

Ella (The Bean) had an amazing swim team season this year. She consistently came in 1st and 2nd in freestyle and backstroke at her swim meets, and it was so much fun to watch her. In one relay event she swam freestyle in the last leg of the race. When she left the wall she was in 2nd place, but as she swam her 25 meters, she caught up with and then overtook her opponent to win the race for her team. (I was the jumping, shrieking maniac on the side of the pool, in case you were wondering.) Oh, and it should be mentioned that while she was not always in the lead in her races, she never once was disqualified from a race, which is quite a feat for an 8-year-old.

Here she is with some of her scads of ribbons:

And here she is in action--go, Bean, go!!!

8 Years, 4 Eyes

2011-09-14T08:56:00.001-05:00

Ella turned 8 in May and within a few days of her birthday got glasses and also got her ears pierced. All of a sudden she looked so grown up! The traditional Willden birthday hat adds to her aura of maturity, don't you think?

I Know What You Meant, But...

2011-09-11T19:30:00.003-05:00

In my ongoing attempt to exploit ridiculous internet typos, I submit to you the following head-scratcher from a post on Tripadvisor regarding Storyteller's Cafe at Disneyland:

"Disney seldom misses the mark, and this was no exception. Extraordinary food, remarkable service, an atmosphere unlike anything else! What a worthwhile experience. We ate and choose the buffet over off the menu. The value is sexing to none when you consider hand carved NY loin, salads, soup, sides, veges, meats and a world class desert bar...and all you care to eat?!"

Did you spot it? Could you have missed it if you tried?!?! Greg says when it comes to "sexing" it's all about the loin.

Tri, Tri Again!

2011-08-25T19:13:00.002-05:00

It's the Windcrest Freshman Triathlon! Again! I was ready this year, though. Last year, I threw an outfit together from the clearance rack at Ross (and the shorts threatened to fall off during the run), I rode my cruiser (everybody passed me--EVERYBODY), I swam not one yard in preparation for the race and it showed, BIG TIME. I had nightmares the night before the race and was really just glad to finish. Period.

THIS year, however... I still didn't exactly have the competition quaking in their boots, but I had trained and had all the right equipment, which made a huge difference. I even had the padded bike shorts, which I HIGHLY recommend. A friend who knows his stuff found me a road bike on Ebay--a red Specialized that I named the Firebolt. (When it arrived Ella and I were in the middle of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban".) Having been swimming 3-4 times a week for several months I knew exactly how long it would take me to do the swim, and I would have been dead accurate had there not been a pileup of slow people in front of me the last 50 meters. I passed one guy and accidentally elbowed him in the face. I am so hard core! I didn't crash spectacularly on the bike (I had only ridden it a few times by race day and was still a little nervous on it), and I ran most, but not all, of the 2 mile foot race. When I got off the bike, I had serious spaghetti legs and was amazed that I managed not to fall on my face. I had it better than some, though--as I started running, I could hear the guy behind me throwing up. I had the presence of mind to be grateful that he was behind me and not in front of me. (I am pretty sure he passed me soon after that.) I ended up coming in 4th in my age group in both the bike and the swim, but nearly last in the run. My first tri inspired me to swim, my second has got me running. I'm doing my next tri in a month--wish me luck! I'll be happy if I can run the 3 miles on my spaghetti legs and not throw up.

You can read all about my triathlete transformation at http://www.trainermomma.com/2011/05/katie-is-a-goal-getter/

Happy Easter 2011

2011-08-25T18:54:00.000-05:00

Fiesta, Y'all!

2011-08-25T18:49:00.001-05:00

Fiesta in San Antonio is a BIG DEAL. It is a week-long festival with various events all around the city: parades, street fairs, carnivals, what have you. The second graders at Ella's school make "floats" and the rest of the school lines the halls while the second graders parade their creations through the school. It's a pretty fun tradition and the floats were fun. Ella and I worked together to give the Barbie on her float a gown with a long, sparkly train, in the tradition of the Fiesta "royalty" who ride in the parades and wear the most amazing beaded creations. Here are Ella and Natalie with their floats:

Natalie struck a pose in front of her future elementary school, wearing a traditional Fiesta crown:

Another Fiesta tradition is that of cracking confetti-filled eggs, called cascarones, over the heads of loved ones. (Well, loved ones, strangers, anyone you can catch, really.) Ella made cascarones at school and she and Natalie went crazy with them in our yard. This is what Natalie's head looked like when they were done:

Greg, who is in charge of the care and nurture of Natalie's hair, was thrilled. But what can I say? Who can resist sisters having fun together?

Unforeseen Blessings

2011-08-25T13:03:00.005-05:00

I think all five or so of you who follow our blog know this already, but I started teaching early morning Seminary this week. (See above photo. Don't we look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed?) Hoo-boy, when they say "Early", they are not joking. I took my first nap (first of two, and then I was in bed before 10pm--the last time I hit the sack that early I was pregnant with Ella) at 9:30 yesterday morning. I was attempting to study in my comfy chair and couldn't keep my eyes open, so I put some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on for Nat and crashed on the couch for an hour, then woke up STARVING because my body thinks it's lunchtime at about 10am. I am suddenly remembering why I spent all of high school snacking through science and sleeping through French. early Morning Seminary.

In addition to the wacky biorhythms, the last week or two have been emotionally exhausting. Extended family turmoil, an altercation with a neighbor over our guests' right to park on the (public) street in front of her house, a baby shower at our house at which a friend missed a step coming down the stairs and broke her foot... Did I mention that said friend is 6 months pregnant? The baby is fine, thank goodness, but the foot is broke. And yesterday my dishwasher went on the fritz. Come on! This is not the time for one of my hardest-working (and newest, might I add) labor-saving devices to konk out on me. It could be worse--I heard this morning that a friend of mine had a huge tree come crashing through her bedroom window at 3am. And she still managed to get her daughter to Seminary at 5:50! She is my hero today.

I get that doing the hard thing, the right thing, comes with challenges. But here's the thing--it also comes with blessings, often unforeseen. I went to the doctor today (routine check-up, nothing wrong) and I had an experience I have never had before. I stepped on the dreaded scale and the weight landed a full 7 POUNDS LESS than I was expecting. When does that ever happen?!?! I have had it happen the opposite way a gazillion times--pretty much every time, as a matter of fact. I questioned every medical professional in the office as to the validity of the scale, and they all swore by it, saying that people constantly complained that it was too heavy, not too light. I said, "I know! I am usually one of those people!" The ridiculousness of the situation did not escape me--I have been working my tail off to lose weight and get in better shape, and when I finally see a major pay-off, I try to find someone to prove it wrong. According to the doctor's scale I have lost 19 pounds since December, and I am a pound BELOW my goal weight. Time to set a new goal, I guess. I am going to stop arguing and go try on some jeans. Ooh, and eat some chocolate chips!

They Call Me Cupcaketress

2011-05-29T21:50:00.001-05:00

So, so many cupcakes. In November I made groom's cupcakes (Here in Texas there is always a groom's cake at weddings, and it is always chocolate. If there is anything better than wedding cake it's TWO wedding cakes!) for a friend's wedding. The cakes were all chocolate, with four different frostings: chocolate buttercream, white chocolate buttercream, chocolate cream cheese, and peanut butter.

Leisa and Erika Parsons made the wedding cake--check out the center leopard-print layer. It took Erika days to perfect, and it was a work of art. Here we are with Emmie, my right-hand helper:

For April Fools Day Ella and I made TV dinners: fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas and carrots, and a brownie for dessert.

A couple weeks ago the Parsons ladies and I baked for another wedding--Leisa and Erika created the amazing daisy-festooned wedding cake and I made lemon poppyseed cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting. Yes, I am here for all your cupcaking needs.

Far East? Far Out!

2011-05-29T21:18:00.001-05:00

My mom went to Hong Kong to fine-tune the production of her product "An Extra Bag" (more to come when it's ready for purchase) and brought back some treats. Yes, those are wooden skewers in the girls' hair (we didn't have any chopsticks). That's Olivia, Ella, Oscar, and Natalie:

She brought back robes for herself, Lora, and me. They are silk, and quite luxurious. Here's what the tag on them had to say:

"Oriental Village" offers you a collection of delicate and high quality fashion mixed with Oriental traditional elements, vivid color and fine modern fabrics are employed giving the traditional Oriental clothing a fresh new look. With its new execution and authenticity, "Oriental Village", Oriental fashion is definitely your great choice to feel the soul of the Oriental culture.

We were totally feeling the soul of authentic Oriental culture.

A South Padre New Year

2011-05-29T21:02:00.001-05:00

We rang in 2011 on South Padre Island. Here in Texas it is too ridiculously hot to enjoy the beach during the summer months, so we go in the winter when it feels more like the proper beaches of my youth, which is to say cold and windy. We had never been to South Padre Island because it is 5 hours away, but we decided to make a go of it. We stopped in Brownsville on the way and visited the Gladys Porter Zoo with my mission companion, Christie Jeppson Blair, and her family. It was fun to play with friends, and the zoo had many things going for it that the San Antonio Zoo is sadly lacking, including a great spray park and giraffe feeding! There is nothing I love more than poking food into the mouths of exotic animals. Show me an exotic animal and I will shell out the dough to feed it.

When we got to the beach we found it to be a tad too cold and windy for comfort, so we played in the heated hotel pool. Natalie is proving to be an aspiring aquatic Evil Knievel.

There was one good thing about the extreme windiness: it made for extreme kiting. Greg and I both flew our kite (at sunset--awwww) and were dragged down the beach several times.

Happy New Year!

2011-05-29T20:48:00.001-05:00

So I'm a little late on the New Years salutations. I CAN report that I have stuck to one of my two resolutions faithfully--I have eaten neither chips nor fries this year. (The other resolution was to clean out all my closets. I have tackled one so far. The closet looks great, but the room I emptied it into is still a mess. Ah well--it's only May!)

Our stake was in charge of what we call the annual five-stake New Years Eve Eve dance (on the 30th, not the 31st) and the theme was Rock Around the Clock. I made poodle skirts for our stake Young Women presidency (I've been the secretary for years and years) and Greg reprized his role as UberNerd. The skirt was excellent for swing dancing--very swishy and twirly.

Memorial Day... Christmas... Whatevs

2011-05-29T20:41:00.002-05:00

I know tomorrow is Memorial Day, but here are a few Christmas pictures for you. We've had several 100 degree days here in San Antonio, so it's kind of nice to hearken back to a cooler time.

See how bundled up we were? We went to see the lights on the Riverwalk, which are always delightful. Santa and Mrs. Claus were greeting guests on a barge on the river. The lighting was bad and Natalie was clutching me for dear life, but there you have it--the Willden Santa photo of 2010.

I saw this idea for a red and white candy tower in Marthe Stewart Living and had to try it.

At our house, making gingerbread houses is the one holiday tradition we ALWAYS make time for.

This year I also made our gingerbread family. Hee!

And here are the girls at Holiday Seaworld. Happy Holidays!

A Bit More St. John

2011-05-29T20:24:00.001-05:00

A few more pictures of St. John and then I'll shut up about it, I promise.

This was the view from our veranda. Aaaahhh...

Trunk Bay. Paradise, I tell you!

I told you I am obsessed with beachcombing. Here I am snorkeling in about 2 inches of water, looking for shells.

And here are some of the shells I found. (Okay, WE found--I have Greg well trained.) To give you a sense of perspective, in the first picture the largest shell at the top is so big I need to use two hands to pick it up.

Under the Sea

2011-05-29T20:14:00.003-05:00

While in St. John we snorkeled every day, usually twice a day, and rarely repeated locations. The shoreline of St. John is a series of bays which provide calm waters and excellent snorkeling. All we had to do was park the jeep, take a few steps or a small hike to the edge of the water, and get in. Every bay had different features and creatures. Parrotfish were everywhere. I read somewhere that if you got close enough to them that you could hear them crunching on the coral, and lo and behold it was true. The following pictures don't really do the experience justice, but they'll give you a taste, anyway.

We saw tea turtles everywhere--they let us follow them all over the place. I can't even describe how much swimming with turtles delights me.

We only saw these large starfish (the four-legged variety are called sea cushions) in one place, off Waterlemon Cay, but there were gazillions of them. I even saw one of them moving. It was not very exciting.

This picture isn't great, but it was taken at my high point of the trip. By the end of our trip we had seen virtually all the creatures shown in all the books except for the spotted eagle ray. It became our white whale, so to speak. On one of our last snorkels, there they were! First there was one, then suddenly there were three, circling around us, snuffling around for food in the grass and sand, seemingly oblivious to our being there. They were huge--several feet across, with tails about 8 feet long. I could not keep my eyes off them.

Look very closely--there's an octopus hiding in there amidst the conch shells. We knew the shells meant that an octopus was nearby, and as we swam down for a closer look, we could see it pulsate and change colors! SO COOL! We also saw lots of squid swimming around--I chased one and made it ink.

One day we were snorkeling close to shore and I suddenly heard Greg shouting, "KATIE, KATIE, KATIE!" I looked his way and saw a shark. Holy crap, a shark! It was a nurse shark, about six feet long, just cruising along the bottom. Not dangerous, but freaky just the same.

So, bottom line, if you are in the market for some amazing snorkeling, go to St. John. St. Croix was so-so, St. Thomas is a pit to be avoided at all costs, but St. John is heaven. I'm already planning our return trip in 2015!

Heaven is a Place on Earth

2011-05-29T19:37:00.001-05:00

Seeing that summer vacation starts next week, I thought I should probably update the blog with some of the things we've done since LAST summer. I know, I know, I am such an overachiever...

In October, Greg and I visited Heaven On Earth, otherwise known as St. John USVI. The trip celebrated our 10th anniversary, so in honor of 10 years of wedded bliss we took a 10 day vacation. (The kids stayed home with the game-for-anything Grandma Kathie.) Getting to St. John is no easy task--flight to Dallas, flight to Miami, flight to St. Thomas, crazy jam-packed van ride across the island to the ferry terminal, ferry to St. John, walk with luggage up the hill, find rental Jeep with key under mat (and a sticky note on the dash reading, "Do not worry about the engine light." We didn't.), and finally drive to condo. When we finally arrived it was the dead of night, pitch black and mysterious. It makes you wonder what you spent the whole day traveling for. Ah, but then you wake up to this:

HEAVEN!!! St. John is my ultimate paradise. 2/3 of the island is a national park, so it is pristine and sparsely populated. There is not a McDonald's to be seen. The weather was gorgeous, the water was perfect... paradise, I tell you.

Here we are at the highest point on St. John. I believe that's one of the British Virgin Islands in the distance. It only takes about half an hour to drive from the bottom of the island to the top, and you pass this point every time. That's our jeep in the bottom left corner--we felt sooo cool tooling around in it. The engine never did give us problems, but we did wake up one morning to find a colony of ants living in the driver's door. Very curious.

One of the best things about St. John (for me) was the abundance and variety of seashells to be found. I am admittedly obsessed with beach combing and tend to haul home half the beach (which I then arrange artistically in glass jars--I'll show them to you any time. They remind me of our trips to paradise and make me happy.) Greg had a way of finding more unique items:

One day we rented a kayak and paddled out to an island, which we then snorkeled around. Look at me--I felt SO TOUGH! Like I'd just walked out of the REI catalog or something.

All in all, a perfect vacation. The most fabulous part was that we snorkeled every day, nearly all day. But to read about that, you'll have to skip on over to the next post.

Love, Ella and Natalie

2011-02-14T15:26:00.000-06:00

When San Antonio Freezes Over

2011-02-04T13:29:00.001-06:00

It SNOWED last night! I was very skeptical when the weather forecasts predicted snow because I have noticed that Texans tend to overreact when it comes to Weather, with a capital W. Stores close, classes are canceled when there is nary a cloud in the sky, all because Weather may be on the way. So imagine my surprise this morning when I awoke to actual snow on the actual ground. School was canceled, Greg didn't have to go to work until noon. Once-a-decade snow is a big deal around here.

So we threw on a double layer of clothes and whatever boots we could find (do you like Nat's rain boots?), and of course Ella couldn't brave the tundra without her nose warmer. The teenagers next door were kind enough to build a rather nice snowman in the middle of the night so we didn't have to build our own. (I am especially fond of the film canister eyes. Who still has film canisters laying around?) We took a walk around the neighborhood and enjoyed crunching through the thin layer of snow and sliding around on the icy patches.

Happy Winter!

Pedernales Falls

2010-12-28T19:09:00.001-06:00

One Saturday in the fall we took a family trip to Pedernales Falls, in the Hill Country. Ella had the best time EVER (according to her) walking on rocks, and Natalie, well, she wandered around, too. I didn't bring bathing suits for everyone because I thought it would be too cold to go in the water, being October and all. Silly me. So we rolled up our pants and waded in anyway.

Those are the "falls" behind us. Who knows? After some good Texas rain the water may do more than trickle.

Ella enjoyed a snack on one of her beloved rocks.

Look at those curly locks! Stretched out, her hair falls past her shoulders but you'd never know it.

Summertime IX: End of the Endless Summer

2010-12-26T23:09:00.001-06:00

For months Ella had been reading about various sites around Temple Square in the Friend magazine, so while we were in Utah we spent a day in Salt Lake City visiting some special places.

Our first stop was the Conference Center, an amazing facility. The waterfall starts as a river on the roof garden (which is covered in native grasses and flowers) and falls all the way down to street level. Inside the main hall each of the thousands of seats has an unobstructed view of the stage. We visited a gallery that houses all of Arnold Friberg paintings of scenes from the Book of Mormon, and it was very moving to walk with Ella through the gallery and discuss each picture.

A family picture from the roof of the Conference Center (don't mind the cranes).

We attended the acoustics demo in the historic Tabernacle and it was impressive to be able to clearly hear a pin drop on stage. We stayed for a little bit of the daily organ recital as well.

This is the #1 reason I wanted to visit Temple Square: there is a new diorama of the Salt Lake Temple on permanent display in the, um, I think it's the South Visitor's Center. It's the one you've never been in. There are beautiful displays detailing the importance of temples and temple work, as well as displays about the building of the temple. Then there is this amazing new diorama, a miniature Salt Lake Temple with a wall cut away to reveal the interior. It is fantastic. I loved the teeny tiny floral arrangement in the Celestial Room.

Next, we walked through a crazy downpour to the Lion House for lunch, where as a grand finale at the end of our meal, Natalie ejected a cup of lukewarm hot chocolate all over Ella. Poor Ella was not happy, but I cleaned her up the best I could, wrapped her up in my sweatshirt. and walked over to the Beehive House for one last tour. She loved seeing all the things she had read about, and it was sweet to enjoy these fabulous church history sites together.

Summertime VIII: Lagoon

2010-12-26T22:45:00.001-06:00

I had not been to Lagoon, Utah's premier (and only) amusement park, since I was a kid. It was a delight to be there with my kids, though I do miss the old fun house with the big slides. Remember it? Anyway, Grandma and Grandpa generously sponsored a day at Lagoon, and again the cousins had a ball together. There were a TON of kiddie rides for them to enjoy, and Ella even braved a couple of roller coasters--she even asked to go on one of them a second time.

Ella, Rinda, Lindley, and Jacob on some sort of ladybug contraption.

These boats were so old-timey and cute.

I had never seen miniature cars on a track before. The girls loved them.

Yes, they have Nat-sized bumper cars at Lagoon. I loved them when I was a kid, and Natalie thought they were terrific, too. We put her in one and thought, "Well, we'll see what she does." Wheat she did was go around and around in circles, shooting offended looks at the few kids who managed to bump into her. Oh my gosh, we laughed so hard. When we asked her to smile for the camera this is what she did:

Summertime VII: Little Cabin in the Woods

2010-12-26T22:33:00.001-06:00

Greg's parents have spent years building a cabin on property on the south fork of the Ogden River, and it is lookin' GOOD. Ten years ago, when I first visited the cabin, it was just a log shell of a building. Now there is a kitchen, bathroom, furniture, flooring... It's an honest-to-goodness cabin! The cousins had a grand time playing together in and out of the river. Here are Laurinda, Ella, Catalina, Lindley, Nicolas, and Jacob, Willdens one and all.

Greg took time off from moving rocks (Have you never moved rocks? Oh, man, according to the Willden brothers, you have not LIVED until you have rearranged river rocks.) to help his girls play in the (FREEZING) river. You will notice I was on the bank, taking the pictures.

The cousins got to stay up late watching a movie, then bunked together upstairs.

Got to love the camping hair.

Summertime VI: If You're Going to San Francisco...

2010-12-26T22:20:00.001-06:00

So, my sister-in-law Lora, who married my brother almost exactly 10 years ago, had never driven down Lombard Street, a.k.a "The Crookedest Street in the World". She'd never been to the Palace of Fine Arts. She'd never walked out onto the Golden Gate Bridge or seen the famous Victorian houses called "Postcard Row" or been to Coit Tower. WHAT?!?!? I had CLEARLY been remiss in my duties as her sister-in-law. She'd never had the Katie Tour--how is that possible? (To be fair, we were just beginning the Katie Tour with her parents in 2000 when my mom's car frizzed out and had to be towed back to Walnut Creek. The only sight-seeing we did that day was from, hands down, THE wildest cab ride I have ever experienced. We crossed the entire city of San Francisco and only stopped at two lights. But, I digress...)

We had planned to go to the Exploratorium, but upon arrival discovered that it was Free Day, complete with a million kids waiting to get in. So we saved the Exploratorium for another day and instead danced like children of the night past the Palace of Fine Arts. (Note: That's a reference to the movie "So I Married an Axe Murderer", in case you didn't catch it.) Oscar was an especially fine and willing dancer.

Look at those ladies! We didn't end up walking out onto the bridge because there was no parking and the restroom was closed (it was a major issue at that particular moment). Instead we drove across the bridge and parked on the Marin County side, where the parking and bathrooms were plentiful and the photo ops groovy.

My delightful cousin Maddie joined us for our San Francisco adventure--I drove a minivan packed with two adults, one teenager, and four kids (who mostly snacked and watched "Phineas and Ferb") all over the city. It had been a while since I'd last done a tour, but amazingly enough I could still get around pretty well. Driving around the city was one of my favorite high school pastimes, after all. We did have an incident with a street sweeper that Maddie will probably not soon forget--she was nearly abandoned in front of the house from "Mrs. Doubtfire".

Does this picture cause the theme song from "Full House" to run repeatedly through your head? Sorry about that. Those are some seriously famous Victorians, sometimes called "Postcard Row", sometimes the "Painted Ladies". They are lovely. The kids had fun playing "Red Light, Green Light" on the lawn at Alamo Square park, across the street from the houses. We really don't know WHAT Livy is doing in this picture, but it makes us laugh.

Oh, and we did drive down Lombard Street. If ever you want to visit San Francisco with me, I'll take you there, too.

Summertime V: Santa Cruzin'

2010-12-26T21:59:00.003-06:00

You've heard of Christmas in July, right? Well, how about Summer in December? I don't know what my excuse is for having neglected the blog for so long, but buckle up--I'm about to catch you up!

In August Ella, Natalie and I flew to California to stay for ten days, then on to Utah, where Greg met up with us for another week. It was a long trip, but we had so much fun playing with cousins and friends and sucking the marrow out of the end of the summer. We went to Santa Cruz with Jake, Lora, Oscar , and Livy and it was a blast to share the Boardwalk, which I love so much, with my kids.

This picture CRACKS ME UP. It's worth at least a thousand words, I'd say.

All four kids went on this whippy race car ride four times in a row and we adults nearly wet ourselves laughing at their reactions. Livy and Natalie were especially giggly.

In the morning we took a chilly walk on the beach. Livy, a girl after my own heart, loves to "pick shells". Lora hedged her bets by buying a packet of shells in a gift shop and dropping them in the sand where Livs could "pick" them. Oh, she thought it was grand.

Summertime IV: That Nat!

2010-08-22T22:32:00.001-05:00

We once again have a 2-year-old in the house. Natalie had been preparing for her role for many months, so when she turned two in July she was ready to take on all the lovely attributes that come with the job. All I can say as I haul her bodily from, well, any place and every place, kicking and screaming and trying to bite and/or scratch me, is, "She's two." Luckily she is equal parts crazy and hilarious, so while she makes me nuts she also makes me laugh. And sometimes she crawls into my lap and nuzzles against me and I rest my cheek on her curly head and relish the moment, knowing all too soon she won't fit on my lap anymore.

Here we were at a rockin' Joe McDermott concert. I think I asked her to say CHEESE and got a mouthful of fruit snack flashed at me.

Here's Natalie with her first "co-cone". She's hooked.

Grandma Kathie made Natalie's birthday cake and Nat was a BIG help, I am sure. When she senses that the mixer is coming out she comes running and drags a chair across the kitchen so she can help. After the first few ingredients are in the bowl, she scampers to the silverware drawer for a spoon and climbs back up into the chair, waiting for a taste. I have to watch her carefully because she's not patient about the waiting. One day I turned my back for a second and returned to the mixer to see her with a spoon in her hand and a nasty look on her face. In her impatience for the good stuff that she knows eventually comes out of that mixing bowl, she had scooped up and eaten a spoonful of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Pure Nat. The eyelashes! The curls peeking out! The drooly shirt! The toothy grin! The dimples! Oh, the Natty goodness.

Summertime III: A Walk on the Wild Side

2010-08-22T22:03:00.001-05:00

I spent the first week in July at church Girls' Camp. For the uninitiated, Girls' Camp is a chance for young women ages 11-17 to spend a week every summer away from the world (that's right, no cell phones) and have a chance to focus on spiritual matters without having to worry about whether or not their hair is perfect, etc. It is a time of growth and reflection, AND we have a lot of fun. Every year the girls choose the theme and then we adults go nuts with it. This year's theme was "It's a Jungle Out There", which explains all the random animal prints in the photos to come. At last year's camp we walked around dying in 105 degree heat, with only two (weak) window AC units in the leaders' bunks at night. This year everyone got to sleep in air-conditioned cabins, ahhhh... After the first night, some of the girls complained that they had been too cold and were told that that was a first-class problem, indeed.

Here I am with two of my favorite girls, Emmie and Sabrina. I have known them since they were teeny tiny, and it is such fun watching them grow up.

Melva and I had mango popsicles after lunch, and I suspect the coloring was not 100% natural. (Can you tell that Melva had one and I had two?)

Here are all the girls and leaders from my ward (i.e. congregation). We had about 110 girls total at camp. There were 36 first-year girls (11- and 12-year-olds) and they all slept in one huge enclosed pavilion--wall-to-wall air mattresses and sleeping bags. I dubbed it "The Monkey House" because they were only slightly shy of literally hanging from the rafters.

We took this shot a couple of times. After the first one we all decided we looked tired, so we re-shot with jazz hands. Don't you think they liven us right up? These are my wonderful friends, the sisters I am so grateful to serve with: Melva, Kathryn, and Kari.

Summertime II: Pass the Pie

2010-08-22T20:58:00.001-05:00

Ah, the 4th of July. The pancake breakfast, the fireworks, the pie! It's all about food and pyrotechnics, two of my favorite things! Well, I suppose I also reflected on my gratitude for having been born in this beautiful land of freedom and prosperity. I can never get through "America" without crying. I truly do love my country. (And fireworks--I LOVE fireworks!)

Here are my chickies, posing in the front yard. I made the dress Natalie is wearing when Ella was her age. It was fun to give it another wear.

These two are BUDS. Oh my goodness, they love each other. Tyler is six months younger than Natalie (and a wee bit shorter, but bear in mind that a couple inches of Nat's height comes from her hair) and they are best friends.

For the past I don't know how many years we have been enjoying the Six Flags Fiesta Texas 4th of July fireworks spectacular from the mall parking lot behind the park. Same show, minimal crowds. Lots of friends come and we all bring treats and sit around in camp chairs while the kids basically play in traffic. (Well, near traffic.) I look forward to it every year.

You know, I'm not usually one for pie. Given a choice, I will always choose cake, then cookies, because those are usually the options containing chocolate. Well, and cake tends to be covered with frosting... mmm, frosting... However, twice a year, on Thanksgiving and the 4th of July, I must make and eat pie. For Thanksgiving they must be pecan and pumpkin, and in July I must have apple pie a la mode. I have this Mrs. Fields recipe with a crumbly top--dynamite! This year I went a little crazy because we were having dinner with lots of friends and there would be a high demand for pie. I made blueberry-blackberry and strawberry-raspberry pies from Martha Stewart Living (find the recipe here). I highly recommend the blueberry-blackberry, with vanilla ice cream, of course. This picture is my patented "get down with the desserts" pose that Greg REALLY makes fun of me for.

Summertime I: Ella Shakes It Up

2010-08-22T20:36:00.001-05:00

So, I was recently chastised for my lack of blogging lately (come on, it's only been... 2 months?!) and I can only plead SUMMER! Holy cow, what a crazy summer it has been. We just got back from a three-week trip to California and Utah, and school starts tomorrow. Of course, it's still 100 degrees out, but let's not talk about that, okay?

Ella had her annual dance recital at the end of June. She takes tap and ballet and performed in two numbers. She prefers ballet (ask her--she'll tell you ALL about it), but she did a lovely job in both. She especially enjoyed watching the older kids perform in the dress rehearsal--they are amazing! I was mostly just glad that the costumes were both feather-free this year. (The first year both costumes had feathers and after I removed them from their protective plastic wrappings it looked like a pink and red chicken had exploded in my living room.)

Like A Fish!

2010-06-20T22:18:00.001-05:00

Ella has just finished her first season of swim team, and she has LOVED it! By her first swim meet she'd only had a few practices, so she only competed in one event: the backstroke. Can I just tell you how crazy swim meets are? I didn't grow up doing swim team, so this has been all new for me, too. Let me tell you, these meets are LONG and so hot, and there are screaming parents all over the place. I was intimidated by this first meet, and was just praying that Ella would be able to get in the pool without crying and make it to the finish line. Well! She jumped in to the pool like a pro, took her mark, and swam to finish first in her heat! The look on her face when they handed her a blue ribbon was worth all the time and heat and crazy parents. It gave her the confidence to keep progressing and yesterday, at her third and last meet, she swam freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke in five different events, including two relays. We are so extremely proud of her.

Swimmers take your mark, get set, GO!

Go, Ella, GO!

Ella with our pals Tressa and Brian Reading

Swimmer of the Week--WOO-HOO!

Now We're Cookin'!

2010-06-20T21:57:00.001-05:00

Both my girls LOVE to help me cook, and if you have been around Natalie lately, you can imagine how very helpful she is in the kitchen. Any time I get the mixer out, she comes running from wherever she is, yelling, "Chair! See! Hep!" She has to stand on a chair at the end of the counter and I have to make sure the mixer is beyond what Greg calls "The Drool Zone". She has a way of tipping ingredients before I'm ready for them, causing me to dump flour on the floor and add a bit more vanilla than was called for. When she senses that a concoction is ready to taste (and she has a real knack for this) she scampers over to the silverware drawer, grabs a spoon, and demands a scoop of whatever is in the bowl.

This is the look I get from her when I ask her to say "cheese". Not QUITE a smile...

One day when she wanted to "help" cook, I gave her a bowl of ice and a few random cups and spoons. It kept her occupied longer than anything save Elmo, and that's saying something! Now she often requests "hice" and a "poos", which is to say ice and a spoon.

We made our own pizza (which Natalie calls "pee-pees"--charming, I know) one night for dinner. Nat's was pretty much a pile of mushy goo by the time she was done with it, but she was ever so proud of it. Here she is again, saying, "Cheese!"

Ella Turns 7!

2010-06-20T21:39:00.001-05:00

Seven years old! Can you believe it? Ella is ever so grown up these days. For her birthday party she decided to have an American Girl tea party, although the guest list was not restricted to American Girls--various other dolls and stuffed animals also made an appearance.

I really had fun preparing this one. I went to Goodwill and bought a dozen random punch cups, the ones that look like little clear teacups, and for Mother's Day I chose a set of stackable cake plates. The food that you see at each place was a doll-sized potion on doll-sized plates. I've always had a thing for miniatures.

The Menu:
frozen lemonade
fruit kebabs
cheese cubes
mini bagels with strawberry cream cheese
pigs in a blanket
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with frilly toothpicks

Greg was in charge of the piñata. My mom thought it was HILARIOUS that Ella wanted to have a piñata at her tea party, but hey, this is San Antonio--ALL birthdays include piñatas. This one WAS an ice cream cone.

The girls were invited to dress fancy for the occasion: Kira, Rachel, Ella, Avery, Emilee, and Kaitlin.

Ella's big surprise gift was and American Girl "Just Like You" doll--see the resemblance? Grandma Kathie made several gowns for her, including a knock-out bridal gown. Ella named her Bella, and she sleeps with her every night.

Oh, The Yumminess

2010-06-20T21:16:00.001-05:00

So, one day a few months ago my neighbor, Geri, dropped by to pick her daughter up from a play date and found me right in the middle of some cooking project or other. Geri, who works full-time outside the home, said, "Huh. So is THIS what stay-at-home moms do all day long?" Not every day, certainly (somebody's got to clean the toilets and make sure no one runs out of clean underwear), but on a good day, yes! What I failed to mention to her is that most of the time when I bake, it's for some event or other--for a Young Women event, a ward party, gifts for teachers or friends... I'm always volunteering for the cooking jobs, and especially the baking jobs. I'm not as good as I would like to be, and everything I do is copied from somewhere or other, but I enjoy it. Here are a few things I've done lately that were fun:

Valentine's Day Cupcakes: In February I did something I'd never done before: I bought a Martha Stewart Living magazine at the check-stand, which led to ordering a subscription shortly thereafter. She may be a convicted felon, but that woman has some great ideas! I saw these filigree hearts in the magazine and thought, "I can totally do that." And I did! There were many flops that didn't make the cupcakes, but these turned out okay.

Faux Popcorn: I got this idea from the book Hello Cupcake! Ella thought they were HILARIOUS. We made them for April Fool's Day and gave them to her teacher, our bishop's family, and other friends.

Brynn-cess Cookies: A good friend recently adopted a baby girl and named her Brynn, and some friends and I threw a gala baby shower for her with a princess theme--"Brynn-cess", get it? We made these cookies as party favors. The style of the "B" combined with the pink and green color scheme make me think of Barbie. I'm still learning the "flooding" technique using royal icing--my first efforts were... very strange indeed. Kind of fluffy. I'm getting better, though.

Becoming Butterflies: Our theme for a Young Women leadership training meeting was "On Becoming", so I jumped at the chance to try out these butterfly cupcakes I'd seen, again, in Hello Cupcake! They scored big points for the WOW factor, but they were deceptively easy. I'm looking for an excuse to make them again, so let me know if you need some!

Howdy, Flat Chloe!

2010-05-13T22:59:00.002-05:00

So, I started to describe what Flat Stanley is all about, and then had a thought: isn't this what Wikipedia is for? So if you've never heard of Flat Stanley, here you go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Stanley

My cousin Chloe, a third grader in Fresno, California, sent me her Flat Chloe to visit our family and San Antonio for a few weeks. I was so honored! Natalie took to her immediately, as you will see in the pictures. I was alarmed that Flat Chloe had no feet, much less shoes, so I made her a pair of cowboy boots to match her outfit. We took her all over the place--downtown San Antonio (including a stop at Schilo's for their homemade root beer... mmm...), IKEA, Austin, the Hill Country (yes, she was with us on the ill-fated wildflower drive fiasco), Five Guys Burgers and Fries, my triathlon. At home she helped me sew, and we made hootinanny pancakes and crepes together. Unfortunately a bout of the stomach flu knocked us all down (well, all but Flat Chloe) midway through her visit, so a few of our plans were canceled. Still, I think she had a pretty good time.

Here's Natalie giving Flat Chloe loves at the Alamo.

No visit to San Antonio would be complete without dinner at Rudy's, home of the self-proclaimed worst barbecue in Texas. (Don't you believe it.)

Flat Chloe even got to go on a field trip to Seaworld with my friend Valerie, a dolphin and beluga whale trainer. (It's nice to have friends in high places.)

And here we are at the state capitol in Austin. Again with the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Capitol It is the largest state capitol in the nation, thus proving that everything truly IS bigger in Texas.

Thanks for the visit, Flat Chloe! You were the perfect guest.

One Wild Day

2010-05-13T22:28:00.001-05:00

First of all, check out these pictures:

Ugh, aren't we just so cute that you want to throw up? Smiling and hugging and wearing color-coordinated outfits, all wrapped up in wildflower goodness? Uh-huh. Here's the true story of The Day of The Wildflowers (I'm lifting the following story from an email I already sent because I don't think I can relive it all by writing about it one more time):

"The wildflowers have been outstanding this spring, following a couple really rotten years, so I did lots of web-based research and found a great drive for us to do together. We set aside a promising Saturday at least a month in advance, because our Saturdays fill up like crazy, as I am sure yours do, too. I looked forward to it for weeks and when the day came... I set off with such a good attitude. An hour out we stopped at our favorite bakery for cookies, then pressed on to "The Willow City Loop", which was really, really beautiful. Bluebonnets all over the place, and even some very picturesque longhorns grazing in a field. ("Look at the beautiful flowers! Oooh, don't they smell nice? Oh, Nat, look at the cows!") Ella was bored the whole time, and highly vocal about it. Natalie was ultra-grumpy, and threw fits every time we stopped the car and got out because she wanted to sit in the front seat and "drive" the car. After a couple hours of this, all I wanted was a family picture so we could prove we'd been there. We found a likely spot, with a little bald patch in the midst of the flowers, good for sitting. I sat, Greg brought me Natalie, and she she arched her back and threw her head straight into my nose. Yeah, it's all fun and games until Mom gets hit in the nose. We did take a picture, finally, and luckily I was wearing sunglasses so you couldn't see the tears streaming down. Then, as we were shoving children into the car, I heard Greg say, "Don't step on the flowers!" I turned and saw a kid just stomping the heck out of a patch of bluebonnets by the road. His mother immediately whipped around and yelled, "Don't tell my child what to do!" which sparked a big long argument. Meanwhile, I had detected that Natalie's diaper was full to overflowing and had to change her on the trunk of the car while Redneck Mama continued yelling and Greg defended his (shaky) ground."

"Then we went home. Oh, wait, we also stopped at some port-a-potties and after getting Ella settled in one ("Don't touch that, and EW, don't touch THAT") I opened the door to the neighboring one and there was a man inside, LUCKILY facing away from me, who bellowed in a very shocked way. Um, hello? That's what the lock on the door is for. I got back in the car, told my family that I was DONE making fun for them, and sulked all the way home."

I have since recovered and once again found myself on the "Let's Have Some Family Fun" bandwagon last weekend when we drove up to Austin to see Ralph (Of the Disney-affiliated "Ralph's World"--ever heard of him?) in concert. More on that to come. I'll just say that as no noses were nearly broken, I called it a success.

Triple Wheeze

2010-05-01T20:47:00.001-05:00

So, in the 5th grade I was diagnosed with activity-induced asthma, and I spent at least the next 15 years wheezing. After I got married I finally saw a specialist who helped me get things under control, and I can now do most anything without any medication at all. Really, it is a miracle. I can remember dreading having to run "The Mile" in middle school because by the end I would literally be on the ground, gasping for air. (You would think that the oh-so compassionate PE teachers would have noticed something amiss, but nooooo...) But today I did a freshman triathlon--200 meter swim, 10 mile bike ride, and 2 mile run. And I finished! When I signed up my cavalier attitude was something along the lines of, "I know I'm slow, but I'll do it just for fun." A couple days ago, though, panic set in, and I was sure I'd be the last one to cross the finish line. I had a nightmare at 2:30am about running before swimming and therefore messing everything up. I woke up at 5:30 this morning thinking, "Why am I doing this again?"

But you know, I did it! Here I am plugging along in the swim. The pool sure didn't look that big, and I only had to do 4 laps there and back, but wow was I glad when it was over. I think my swim cap is super chic.

Here I am leaving the transition area with my granny bike. I love it--it's super-sturdy and comfortable to ride. Also super-heavy and slow, but oh well. The ride was by far my favorite part, but the whole time (as my lungs adjusted to life after the swim) I couldn't stop thinking, "And they expect me to be able to RUN after this?!"

And I'm off! I didn't make it very far before I had to walk (oh, and readjust my $5 shorts so they wouldn't fall down around my ankles) but I did run on and off the rest of the way. I ran the last 200 yards to the finish, of course.

And here I am with my babies, who cheered me on with their daddy every step of the way. I came in 197th overall (out of 250+)--not bad for the little wheezer that could!

Allergies and the hookworm

2010-04-08T10:35:00.002-05:00

It's allergy season in San Antonio. Which means that everything is covered with green powdery pollen from the oak trees. It is everywhere and my body is not happy about it.

Last night while driving home I heard Act II of This American Life episode 404 about a guy with terrible allergies and asthma who learned that those diseases basically don't exist in the developing world. The reason for this, he learned, is a parasite, specifically hookworm. According to the program, having a hookworm calms your immune system response so you don't develop that condition where your immune system is trying to kill you. (my exaggerated non-scientific language, but still, you get the point)

So this guy goes to Africa and walks around barefoot in yucky places to intentionally infect himself with hookworm. He returns to Santa Cruz and the next time allergy season comes around he has no issues. His eyes don't swell shut. He is not sent to the hospital because of severe asthma attacks. He is cured. He drives down the highway with his windows rolled down shouting for joy.

Fascinating stuff.

Hmmmm hookworm...

Hoppy Easter!

2010-04-04T08:48:00.000-05:00

Natalie, Ella, and the Easter Bunny (otherwise known as Sadie) wish you a beautiful day!

Tour de Willden

2010-03-29T20:19:00.002-05:00

So, my mom was here for a few weeks and we played and played and PLAYED! We all had varying degrees of colds and the weather was generally pretty icky, but still managed to have fun. One Saturday I woke up to find that Greg and Grandma had decided that it was a good day for a bike ride. I wondered at Grandma's enthusiasm for the plan, but it seemed genuine, and I'm always up for a bike ride so off we went to the mission trail. Natalie had her first ride in the trailer, and I pulled it for the first time EVER (I am SO TOUGH), while Ella cruised behind her dad's bike on her new Schwinn Runabout. Have you seen these things? They basically create a tandem bike--Ella loved it. And Grandma? Well, she made it to the first hill and decided she would find a comfy spot in the shade and wait out the rest of the ride. We picked her up when we were done.

The helmet didn't last--it was way too big. And she was sitting in a pool of snacks by the time we were finished.

Greg and Ella took the lead on the trail and Ella shouted warnings to me as they rode: "Bridge!" "Big bump!" "Going uphill!"

I eventually fixed Nat's straps and removed the helmet so she no longer looked like a little slumpy mushroom.

Fortunately for Grandma, she had her cell phone with her so she could make some calls while she waited for us at Mission San Juan.

Love Darts

2010-03-03T12:24:00.002-06:00

Natalie and I just got back from a walk, and it is a gorgeous day--warm, blue skies, mild breeze... As we walked, I caught a scent in the air that took me straight back to my elementary school playground, a smell that can best be described as "hot weeds". It made me smile, and suddenly I was thinking about love darts. Did anyone else make these or were they peculiar to Walnut Acres Elementary? During recess, we would run around picking weeds, specifically a hard, round yellow one (which I am pretty sure is chamomile because that's part of the "hot weeds" smell) and a feathery green one that we thought looked like a stalk of wheat. We stuck the feathery one into the yellow one, and voila! A love dart! I don't remember the exact magical powers of the love dart, but it had something to do with the boy you hit falling madly in love with you forever. (We were VERY careful with our aim, believe me!)

Which led me to think about Eddie Rathbun, my first boyfriend. We were 6 years old, and quite the hot item of the first grade. In the third grade we suffered through a unit of square dancing together and had to HOLD HANDS, which was mortifying, but in the first grade everyone knew we liked each other, and that was pretty much it. Well, except for the day I kissed him. It was recess and I was at the water trough (remember those?), probably on a break from running around, throwing love darts at boys. I was trying to have a peaceful drink, but Eddie was pestering me. I tried to think of a threat that would make him back off, and this is what my 6-year-old mind came up with: "If you don't leave me alone, I'm going to KISS you!" The pestering continued, and what can I say? I couldn't back down--I had to kiss him! I chased him, caught him (he was shockingly easy to catch), and planted a smooch on his cheek. But it didn't work! He didn't go away! Ah, the power of love darts. I'll have to warn Ella, who is now a first grader, that kissing boys as a way of getting them to leave you alone may not have the desired effect.

And check this out--a genuine picture of me in a play in the first grade! I was a gypsy, can you tell? (Nice handiwork, Mom.) And Eddie is in the picture, too--he's the kid in the back with his head down.

Here's one more of me, age six, minus the fetching kerchief and beads.

5,256,000 Minutes of Wedded Bliss

2010-02-26T11:15:00.001-06:00

10 years ago today Greg and I were married! It was a marvelous day. Despite predictions of apocalyptic storms and "gale force winds" our wedding morning dawned gray but pleasant. Our sealing at the Oakland Temple was beautiful and we were surrounded by loved ones. My bouquet was a masterpiece and smelled divine--whenever I smell stock or tuberoses I go right back to that day.

People are STILL talking about our reception ("My reception, my reception!") 10 years later because it was a rocking party! We danced the night away. Our cake was utterly delicious--layers of chocolate and hazelnut topped with vanilla buttercream. It was so good that instead of sticking the top of the cake in the freezer for a year to become increasingly inedible, we took it with us on our honeymoon and enjoyed it properly.

You know, I knew when I married him that Greg was the right man for me, but every one of the 5,256,000 minutes that have passed since that day have confirmed and enlarged that understanding. I love him with all of my heart. We have had the best of good times together, and he has been my steady rock during the more turbulent moments. He's my best friend and the love of my life. I look forward to the millions and billions of minutes ahead of us, whatever they may bring.

Oh My Heck!!!

2010-02-16T09:10:00.004-06:00

We won, we won, we won! Greg just called me and said, "I thought I'd let you know that someone in Hurricane, Utah has commented on our blog to congratulate you on winning the Shannon Hale contest." Huh? So I did a little investigating, and lo and behold, WE WON! To see the announcement, go to Shannon Hale's blog at http://oinks.squeetus.com/. You can see our entry here.

I am so thrilled! We had so much fun reading the book, discussing, and putting our entry together. Four of the six of us (Mandi, Jen, Rebecca, and I) have birthdays in March, so this is one heck of a birthday present for us. We'll have to throw ourselves a party, with Jell-O, birthday pie, and punch, and open our present! (Oh, the contest prize is a box of books from the author.)

Mandi, Jen, Rebecca, Debbie, and Amy, you are the best! I love you lots!

Outlaws From Other Planets

2010-02-14T20:25:00.002-06:00

Ah, Valentine's Day. Not a year passes that I don't fondly look back on the Valentine's Day I spent as a missionary in Seattle, Washington, way back in 1998. My companion, Sister Jeppson, and I were out being diligent missionaries and we met a very special lady. Here's part of my journal entry from that day:

"We met a most interesting lady while tracting today--Dorothy Sinclair. The first clue to what awaited us inside her house were the three totem poles in her front yard, the most prominent a HUGE seahorse. She invited us right in to talk--something was definitely fishy. Turns out she wanted to talk to US. She told us about how many lives she's had, about the UFOs she's seen, and the extraterrestrials she's met. They get planted here, you see. Outlaws from other planets, sometimes. There is another Earth behind the sun in our Earth's orbit (so we can't see it, of course), peopled by Neanderthals--she was once there during an out-of-body experience. She spent 600 years on Venus during one of her lives--did you know there is no monetary system on Venus? In another life she was a Pygmy in Africa, a male one. One day while she (he?) was off hunting bears (yes, bears in Africa) to eat, she keeled over dead. She read our auras--mine was blue with a little pink around the hands and yellow around the head and silver around it all. There was no star, which means I am not on any kind of spiritual quest on the earth, but I did have a lot of question marks, which meant I wasn't believing all she was saying. No, REALLY!"

One of the best days EVER! Kids, grow up and serve missions! You'll never be the same. Dorothy Sinclair, wherever you are (Jupiter? Hunting muskrats with fellow Inuits?) , I salute you!

Rodeo Time

2010-02-11T11:03:00.001-06:00

It's Rodeo, San Antonio! I took Ella, Natalie, and our friend Rachel to the Stock Show last week and a good time was had by all. What's not to love? Cows mooing and being led (sometimes pushed) across the walkways by their teen-aged owners, a petting zoo full of the most docile critters that have ever nibbled on your clothes, free bouncy castles, free food samples, rides and junk food galore, pig races, and hats and boots as far as the eye can see. We look forward to it every year, and it never disappoints.

Yep, that's a pig snout in Natalie's hand. She liked it, too. She also LOVED the petting zoo, where she tackled, mauled, and kissed (yes, kissed) every animal that wasn't faster than she was. I chased her around saying, "Soft, Natalie! Be soft!"

Natalie also loved the carousel, which we call The Fastest Carousel in the West due to its unnaturally high speed. She loved it so much that she threw a screaming, kicking fit when I took her off. The very nice ride operator let us ride again for free, which made the girls very happy and made me very dizzy. It was worth it to see Nat get giddy when the ride started up again.

Ella and Rachel, long time best buds, sampled all the delights of the day, including a cotton candy for each of them, lots of bouncing, and a variety of rides. Here they are posing on a fake horse. Who knew it could be so much fun?

Hooray for positive peer pressure! Rachel is the 4th of 6 kids, and as such is much more daring in the rides department than Ella. Ella rode a few things, including the big swinging boat ride, that I could never have gotten her on in a million year, purely because Rachel was brave enough to go on them. Check out the following action shot:

Stampede!!!

2010-02-11T10:42:00.002-06:00

This year for the very first time we went to the Rodeo Stampede, the official opening of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. A herd of longhorn cattle trotted down Houston Street and ended at the Alamo, and that was pretty much it. Oh, wait, there was also a slightly alarming group of elderly samba dancers that started the whole thing off, banging and stomping down the street. One particularly androgynous hoofer had us giggling for hours. It was a simple event but also really fun. How often do you get to see a herd of cattle walk down the street, with plenty of cowboys on horses close by?

Greg took this great shot of the herd.

After the herd had passed, Natalie said, "MO!" As in, "More cows, please!"

It was a cold, clear day in San Antonio. Ella found it necessary to wear her nose warmer from Grandma Hawkie, which she actually wears pretty regularly. It cracks people up, and she doesn't understand why.

Crazy Lady

2010-02-02T20:14:00.001-06:00

So, Natalie is part girl child, part Tasmanian Devil, and some days the devil portion really takes over. Mondays tend to be especially action-packed because that's the day I clean the house and she trails not far behind me, making more messes. Yesterday I was getting Ella an after-school snack while also doing laundry in the laundry room-cum-pantry when suddenly I noticed that Natalie was dangerously quiet. I entered the pantry and found this:

Apparently she was in the mood for some Rice Chex mixed with floor dust. Notice that her binkie ("Bee") and fuzzy ("Fuh") were both within arms reach, as always. Another day, I came downstairs after my shower and found her very happily sitting and watching Elmo like this:

Binkie and Fuzzy, together again! I removed her and five minutes later she was back in the drawer. Another day her BFF Tyler came to play. It's a good thing he's a solidly built little dude because she really rolls him around. She decided he needed a little help with his Cheerios, whether he liked it or not:

Did you notice the cute little ponies she was sporting in her hair in the last picture? It's her latest look--they look like two pompoms stuck to her head. Here's what her hair looks like at the end of the day when her dad removes the rubber bands and brushes her hair:

She saw the camera coming and said, "Chee!" and made that lovely face. There appears to be something lodged in her hair--not an uncommon occurrence.

And tomorrow I get to clean up the pile of rice and chicken bits that she threw on the floor at dinner time. (She likes to throw food on the floor and then shake her finger at me, saying, "No! No! No!") I've learned by experience that rice is much easier to sweep up when dry and crunchy. Oh, the things that this kid is teaching me!

Photos By Ella

2010-02-01T21:40:00.001-06:00

Jake and Lora got Ella what she most wanted for Christmas: a camera of her own. It's a High School Musical one, too--nice touch! Following are some of the (few) pictures rfom our trip to the zoo that were actually in focus. I am particularly fond of "Still Life with Pumpkins and Old Christmas Trees".

Bundle Up, It's Zoo Time

2010-02-01T21:34:00.001-06:00

The day after Christmas we, including my Aunt Kris and Uncle Bill, wrapped ourselves up in many layers and headed to the Oakland Zoo. Due to the cold, we pretty much had the zoo to ourselves, which is always nice. The elephants roamed happily, the gibbons swung from the treetops, the tortoises had lunch, and the crocodile floated alarmingly close to the window.

For the first time ever Livy was tall enough to go on more rides than just the carousel. Despite the fact that we call her Midge, she does appear to be growing!

Aunt Kris, Ella, and I shared a sky basket. Ella and I coached Aunt Kris on how to sit down on the thing, and Kris won the prize for spotting the elusive bison from the air.

Ella took some marvelous pictures with her new High School Musical camera. (Photos to follow in next post.)

The Hottest PJs in Town

2010-02-01T21:20:00.001-06:00

Seriously, so hot. So hot that no normal adult could possibly sleep comfortably in them anywhere outside Siberia. However, since the point of the matching PJs was not so much to sleep in them as to take pictures in them, they were a roaring success. Doesn't Grandpa Ricky looked thrilled to be a part of the whole hoohah? We like that he wore PJs and boots.

That's Rick and Kathie; Jake, Lora, Oscar, and Olivia; and Greg, Katie, Ella, and Natalie

Worth 1000 Words

2010-02-01T20:01:00.000-06:00

I was going to get a picture of just Nat with Santa. THAT didn't happen! (She recovered quickly, don't worry.)

Willdens and Browns, Together Again!

2010-02-01T19:56:00.001-06:00

While we were in California for the holidays, we were able to spend some time playing with our good friends the Browns. We had a lot of fun touring the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield. The "seasoning" area was the coolest--stacks and stacks of trays filled with every color bean imaginable. We got to taste beans from each stage of production, from just the jelly center to the shiny, delicious finished product, and I think it is safe to say that the samples were the kids' favorite part. Oh, and the keen hats!

We spent an entire afternoon at the park without even one incident of hair-pulling or head-locking! (Ella and Scott have a long and storied history together.)

Ella and Scott took an adventurous hike up the hill together, and it was so sweet to see these old pals in action again.

Little Willdens and Browns: Natalie, Ella, Tali, Scott, and Ada

Rock On

2010-02-01T19:32:00.002-06:00

In December Greg's parents Gary and Joan came for a visit, to see the new house and spoil the grandkids. We drove out to Enchanted Rock State Park to go for a hike. You can see the rock behind us in the picture, and if you look really close you can see the little ant-people wending their way to the top. When we arrived, Natalie was asleep, so I stayed behind while everyone else began the hike. 10 minutes later she was WIDE awake and I was stuck in a van with a toddler and no cell phone reception. Rats! So I threw on the baby backpack, which I had previously not had any intention of using because I was pretty sure I wouldn't make it to the edge of the parking lot, much less up that hunk of granite. Oh, and when I say I "threw on the baby backpack" in oh-so cavalier a fashion, I mean I set it up on the ground, stuck Natalie in it, spent several minutes figuring out the intricate system of straps and buckles, then sat down in front of it, strapped myself to it, and somehow managed to stand up with all these pounds of kid on my back. Long story short (WAY too late, I know) Natalie and I made it to the top, a little sore in the calves but no worse for wear. By the time we got there, though, the rest of our group was nowhere to be seen. Rats! No witnesses to my awesomeness, and no camera to Kodak the moment. So we made our way back down the rock, only getting slightly lost along the way, and took some pictures when we all met up at the bottom. Good times!

P.S. Enchanted Rock is 425 feet high, and the hike to the top is around half a mile, so my awesomeness is all relative.

My First Ultra-marathon (Bandera 50k)

2010-01-14T19:17:00.003-06:00

So last Saturday I ran my first Ultra-marathon, any race longer than 26.2 miles. In this case it was a 50 kilometer race, or about 31 miles. It was at the Bandera 100k/50k/25k. The last two years I have run the 25k option and the fun just ended too quickly. This year I almost decided to do the 25k again because I was having a little nagging pain in my feet, but I ultimately decided to go for it.

I've been reading about ultra-running for quite a while now and I've wanted to give it a try. The last link there is the blog for Sean Meissner. He lives in Oregon and posted that he would be coming down to run Bandera. I talked to him briefly just before the start and again after I finished. He was really nice and appreciated that I've been reading about all of his adventures. It was cool to meet someone I've been reading about online and in magazines.

As you are probably aware, the country has just gone through a pretty good cold snap. Texas was not immune either. On the morning of race day I got up at 4:30am and made the hour drive out to the Hill Country State Natural Area. It was a balmy 9 degrees Fahrenheit when I got there. I think it had warmed up to 10 or 11 by 7:30am when a race official yelled out, "5 seconds, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!" I had agonized over what to wear for this race. I generate a lot of body heat when I run. It has to be in the 30s or low 40s before it makes sense for me to even wear a long sleeve shirt and I had never run in temps below 20 degrees so I didn't know what to wear. On the bottom I wore a pair of compression shorts to avoid chafing and two pairs of tights. On top I overestimated the cold and so I wore a short sleeve shirt, for when it would warm up later in the day, two thin long sleeve shirts and a very thin rain shell type jacket plus a hat and gloves. Within the first mile I had to start stripping off the layers. I took off the hat and just left my Buff as a headband and to cover the ears when needed. The thick gloves came off, replaced by very thin ones. The jacket and one long sleeve shirt came off too. All of this I now had to schlep around with me until the midway point aid station (at Chapas) when I put them in a drop bag.

The trail out there is really brutal. Big rocks, small rocks, and steep trails that go straight up the hills (they don't believe in switchbacks in Texas). It really beats you up and forces you to walk up the hills and try not to crash on the way down. Coming up on the first main aid station at 10 miles, I heard this music coming out of the trees. When I rolled into the aid station it was blaring. I picked up a paper cup of water, tipped it back to drink and nothing happened. I had to crush it to break up the ice before I could drink it. At the halfway point I dropped off most of the clothes I was carrying and stripped off the other long sleeve shirt and just went with my short sleeve shirt with gloves. This aid station was wild for a different reason. They were cooking waffles, grilled cheese sandwiches and a bunch of other stuff. I refilled my hydration pack, grabbed some pretzels and kept moving. It was hard to start running again after walking or standing for a while. Gotta keep moving.

The next section to the Crossroads aid station was relatively flat. Then came a rocky 5 mile loop with a few hills before coming back into Crossroads at a little over 26 miles. At this point I was hurting pretty badly so I pulled out my mp3 player, cranked up the rock and put the hammer down for the rest of the run. I knew what to expect and I ran it hard. I passed a lot of people and I just suffered through the pain. I finished in 5:50:28.

I was really sore for the rest of the day but I recovered remarkably quickly. By the next day I was basically fine, walking down stairs, lifting my leg up high. It was great! I'm really happy with how my training got me ready for this race and I'm especially happy with how I ran that last 5 miles or so. Awesome!

For Shannon Hale

2009-12-19T23:33:00.011-06:00

If you are not Shannon Hale (and let’s face it, most of you aren’t), let me explain this post. Shannon Hale is a Newbery Honor-winning author of books for adolescents and adults. She also happens to be LDS like me, and like many of you. One of her latest books, The Actor and the Housewife, is the story of a Mormon housewife from Layton, Utah who meets and subsequently becomes the best friend of her biggest Hollywood crush. It is hilarious, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking, and I highly recommend you read it! Ms. Hale announced a contest in conjunction with the book’s release, and the following is the entry that my book club and I came up with. Bon appétit!

Dear Ms. Hale,

We are six Texas transplants, five of us married, four with kids, all LDS—including one Relief Society president (bless her!). Let us introduce ourselves by way of our Readers’ Polls:

Rebecca

Height:

5’9” in her favorite heels

Build:

Working on her Maria Sharapova tennis body

Age:

4^th anniversary of her 29^th birthday

Born:

Ft. Bragg, North Carolina

Resides:

In the “Enchanted Manor” in the heart of Castle Hills (model A3—all 756 sq ft)

Marital Status:

Single; last date was with a man old enough to be her father; still holding out hope her husband didn’t die in the war in heaven

Memorable roles:

Sister Bertha (disgruntled singing nun in her high school musical’s version of the Sound of Music), glorified babysitter and distributor of historical facts at local high school

Best Features:

Shocking red hair and sexy freckled legs

Readers’ Rating (of her Jell-o):

Jiggly Smooth

Katie

Height:

5'5'' on a good day

Build:

Small, but well-padded

Age:

Born:

Walnut Creek, California

Resides:

In 2600 square feet of tract home heaven, deep in the heart of San Antonio, Texas, in a neighborhood where opossums eat the cat food on the back porch and deer casually roam the sidewalks

Marital Status:

On the verge of celebrating a decade of wedded bliss

Memorable roles:

Reader of bedtime stories, obsessive shell seeker, and She-Who-Dazzles-With-Baked-Goods

Best Features:

The crookedness of her grin, her Spock ear, and her alluring finger-toes

Celebrity Crush:

Paul Newman (whom she fully expects to meet in the hereafter)

Readers' Rating (of her Thanksgiving pie selection):

Mmm, Mmm, Good!

Mandi

Height:

5’8” (okay, really 5’7 ½”, but does the DMV really check this stuff?)

Build:

Baby’s got back

Age:

Born:

Tucson, AZ: the land of saguaros and brown as far as the eye can see, and where mansions and trailer homes share the same street address

Resides:

In a perfect two level home located in a cul-de-sac where the kids can and do roam unsupervised (hopefully they have clothes on)

Marital Status:

Happily married to a very hard-workin’, hot man who saves lives daily (a physician)

Memorable roles:

Gestator. lactator, star main dancer in a modern dance piece when 38-weeks pregnant (in a purple and pink unitard), and She-Who-Can-Throw-Together-A-Children’s-Sacrament-Meeting-Program-In-Her-Sleep.

Best Features:

A huge smile that inexplicably shows more gums than teeth

Celebrity Crush:

Hugh Jackman. Any one who can sing and dance and looks like THAT!!? Ouch!

Readers' Rating (of her Whole Wheat Bread):

Luscious and the Best in the Lone Star State

Jen

Height:

5’3” - “Though she be but little, she is fierce”-Shakespeare

Build:

Petite, or so her mother says and insists she shop in that section

Age:

Born:

Orem, Utah

Resides:

In a cozy 1964 red brick home with black shutters, shaded from the sweltering Texas heat by giant hardy oaks

Marital Status:

Considered a 6-year newlywed

Memorable roles:

Best wacky song artist of 2009, family paparazzi, and She-Who-Always- Needs-A-Special-Treat

Best Features:

Her sparkly brown eyes, tiny bony ankles, and the freckle on the tip of her nose

Celebrity Crush:

According to online quiz: Ryan Reynolds

Readers' Rating (of her OREO Shakes):

America’s Favorite!

Amy

Height:

5’7 ½” (but who’s counting that ½”?)

Build:

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice

Age:

3(cough)4??? Already?

Born:

Watonga, Oklahoma

Resides:

In a cute one level 1500 square foot tiled home where peace and quiet don’t exist…

Marital Status:

Happily married to a jack-of-all-trades guy

Memorable roles:

Fastest activity chairman/planner in the west (2 weeks to put on a Christmas dinner), accidental flasher on a cruise ship, blogger extraordinaire, She-Who-Tells-Her-Girls-“Tell-Your-Sister-You’re-SORRY!!”-ALL-THE-TIME!

Best Features:

Her dazzling blue/gray chameleon eyes: they change color in a flash depending on what she wears and by how she feels…. Watch out James Bond

Celebrity Crush:

He’s old enough to be her father, but George Strait has her heart

Readers' Rating (of her photography):

Oooohhhh. . . aaahhhhh. . . gasp. . .

Debbie

Height:

5’9” unless slouching to give husband the illusion that he’s as tall as his wife

Build:

Built to last

Age:

Who’s counting?

Born:

Ogden, UT

Resides:

In a “pointy” (as described by a 7-year-old) 70’s era home featuring a hot pink front door

Marital Status:

Blissfully married and keeping it that way

Memorable roles:

Alto unsuccessfully impersonating a soprano, facial ventriloquist (can suppress a yawn and display captivated interest simultaneously), and yard sale junkie

Best Features:

Smiley blue eyes and crow’s feet to prove it

Celebrity Crush:

Charlton Heston, a man with priorities: wife, guns, and the Ten Commandments

Readers' Rating (of her flower garden):

Lovely and Fragrant!

We all read The Actor and the Housewife and then got together on the only night in November that worked for all of us to eat treats and discuss. We all brought whatever we had on hand for ice cream sundaes and had us a party! The discussion was lively. One friend admitted that if her celebrity crush had asked to kiss her on the steps of the state capitol, she would have said, “Heck, yes!” We loved the character of Becky Jack, a realistic Mormon woman in a real world, complete with bad words, tattoos, alcohol, and genuine trials of faith. The story is fantastical, but the themes are universal: What do you do when you know what is right for you but everyone tells you it is wrong? What is love? What is friendship? How do you balance loyalty to self and to all those who depend on you? We all related to Becky in our own way, and her challenges resonated with each of us. Thank you for writing a book about an LDS character that is neither cynical nor sugar-coated. Thank you for your delightful prose which made us laugh out loud one moment and broke our hearts the next. Thank you so much for letting us see a ward potluck through Felix’s eyes! And most of all, many thanks for creating this contest and giving us the chance to put this together for you. We have had a great time.

Your appreciative readers,

Rebecca, Katie, Mandi, Jen, Amy, and Debbie

P.S. We will be having a follow-up night out to hear about some of the previously undisclosed information in the Readers' Polls--Amy, you seriously flashed someone?!

Beach Camping: The Camping Part

2009-12-08T19:55:00.001-06:00

We thought beach camping would be a sandy disaster, but the campground was a dune away from the actual beach, so the sand was minimal. It was nice to sit around the campfire listening to the waves--well, it was nice after Natalie went to bed and we no longer had to constantly keep her from tripping into the fire. The day before, after our Thanksgiving feast, we had made foil dinners with our leftovers: a layer of mashed potatoes drizzled with gravy, sprinkled with turkey, and topped with dressing and one more protective layer of potatoes. We threw them on the fire for our camp dinner, and they came out steaming hot and SO DELICIOUS.

Valerie and Adam Carleton: LOVE the head gear!

Tyler (otherwise known as Mini), Jen, and David Wheat: lovin' the foil dinners.

As waited for dinner to cook we got drizzled on a bit, and the drizzle produced a fantastic double rainbow over the Gulf.

Beach Camping: The Beach Part

2009-12-08T19:45:00.001-06:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend we went beach camping for the first time at Padre Island National Seashore with our friends the Carletons and the Wheats. It was so much fun that we want to go again ASAP! The weather was cool but comfortable and we had the beach to ourselves. The wind was perfect for flying our kite:

After the kite flying I went off on a beach walk in search of the elusive sand dollar. When I left Natalie was doing this:

When I returned she was doing this:

She was half-dressed and soaked, shivering and turning a pale shade of blue, but there was no getting her out of the water. We've got ourselves a beach girl! Huzzah!

Howling at the Moon

2009-11-22T19:33:00.006-06:00

Yep, I was one of those crazies who went to the theater to see "New Moon", the latest installment in the uber-hot "Twilight" series, at 12:01am Friday morning. I'm not a fanatic by any means--I enjoyed the books but I didn't even see the first film in the theater. All my friends were going, though, including several who have grandchildren, so it was all about peer pressure and a general desire to be a part of the action. I literally had to wake myself up to leave for the theater at 10:30pm, and when I got there the scent of popcorn in the middle of the night was a violent assault on my senses. I expected a rowdy crowd of tween vampire enthusiasts, but our particular theater was pretty sedate--no screams of, "Marry me, Edward!" or howling when Jacob came on the scene. There was a collective intake of breath every time one of the male leads took off his shirt, which was about every 5 minutes. So, you know, the general male chestiness kept me awake and alert for the duration. Overall a good time was had by all.

Here I am in the middle of the gang, looking fetching in my fleece warmup pants and tennies. I am a HOTTIE after midnight! (Pat, Leslie, Katie, Laurie, and Dinah)

The young women from our ward made t-shirts that had Jacob's face on them and said "I'd imprint on that!" Which is really funny, if you've read the books. Their YW president is with them--can you pick her out of the crowd? (Emmie, Jen, Sabrina, Hilary, and Erika)

Ultra-Running

2009-11-19T15:57:00.005-06:00

I get rolling waves of the chills when I watch this video by Matt Hart about Ultra-distance trail running. Ultra-running is running distances longer than a marathon: 50k, 50m, 100k, 100m. The trails in this video are amazing.

Last year when we were in Utah we visited Bryce Canyon. After dinner the girls played in the pool and went to bed while I went back into the park and ran trails for a few hours. It was fantastic! I love covering all that distance and seeing so much beautiful scenery so quickly.

Jungle Jack

2009-11-08T20:49:00.001-06:00

So, have you ever heard of Jack Hanna? He's done all sorts of animal shows on TV. I think his current show is called "Into the Wild". We have a bunch of VHS tapes of an old show of his called "Zoo Life" that Ella has watched several hundred times. He comes to Seaworld every year and we love to catch his show when he comes through town. He brings out lots of exotic animals and tells all about them. Yesterday we saw a couple different types of owls, a 20+-foot python, a lemur, flamingos, penguins, a warthog, a macaw, and a spider monkey, among others. We learned that if you are ever bitten by a python you should sit still and wait calmly for the snake's jaws to unlock, which only takes about half an hour. Hey--this blog is nothing if not educational!

Paletas son buenas

2009-11-08T20:38:00.001-06:00

So, we gave Natalie her own popsicle to eat. Not just any popsicle: a Paleta from El Paraiso Original, a Mexican popsicle joint that we recently discovered here in town. Mmm... they are so tasty. Natalie enjoyed a Strawberry Fruit paleta. I lean towards Pineapple Fruit, Ella prefers Strawberry Ice Cream, and Greg likes the Pecan Ice Cream, the Banana Ice Cream, the Cookies & Cream Ice Cream... (Greg likes ice cream.) We have yet to try the Pickle flavor. If you come to visit we'll get you one and you can let us know how it is.

Good Times With Grandma

2009-11-08T20:29:00.002-06:00

On Halloween morning, we went with my mom to the Guenther House for a yummy, yummy breakfast. Good food eaten in a mansion, AND there's a gift shop! What's not to love?

After breakfast we went to the farmers' market at the old Pearl Brewery and then explored the new stretch of the Riverwalk that opened just a few months ago. We ran into a friend from church who drives the water taxis on the weekends and he gave us a free ride, which was very fun. Natalie protested at first, but once we got underway she thought the boat was pretty cool. In this picture she is freaking out ("Oooooohhhhh!") over the art installation hanging under the freeway...

...which is a whole school of these huge sunfish strung under the overpass near the Museum of Art. Natalie, lover of all finned things, lurves them.

The new section of the Riverwalk features the only fully recreational locks in the USA--the barges (and the occasional police boat) are the only vessels that use the locks. We descended 9 feet and then, of course, rose back up on the return trip. It's no Panama Canal, but it felt delightfully exotic.

Down on the Ranch

2009-11-08T20:15:00.001-06:00

While my parents were here in October we went to one of my favorite places, LBJ State Park in the thriving metropolis of Stonewall, Texas. What makes it a favorite is the Sauer-Beckmann Farm, which is run circa 1915. Ella likes to go in to the farmhouse and see all the old gadgets and furniture. Natalie pet the calf and cracked up at the roosting hen, and we all got a kick out of the two huge pink pigs running around their pen. We then drove through the LBJ ranch, which was pretty interesting. If you ever find yourself in Stonewall, I highly recommend stopping by.

Deep-Sea Natalie

2009-11-08T20:01:00.000-06:00

Actually, I suppose she was Coral Reef Natalie. We called her Nema. She learned to walk just in time for her debut as a clownfish, and she thought she looked pretty funny in her costume. (So did everyone else.) Check out the tail fin on her!

Ella the Good

2009-11-08T19:55:00.001-06:00

Grandma Kathie outdid herself yet again with Ella's Halloween costume this year. Ella wanted to be Galinda from Wicked. Not that she's seen the play, but she knows all the music and has seen clips on YouTube. She does a mean "Toss, toss!", let me tell you, and her rendition of "Loathing" is not to be missed.

State Fair of Texas: Old Fashioned Family Fun

2009-10-21T21:21:00.001-05:00

It was a cold, wet day at the Fair--even the hundreds of deep-fat fryers scattered liberally across the fairgrounds couldn't ward off the chill. It didn't actually rain on us, though, and the weather kept a lot of people home. We had a fun day and tried to experience all the fair had to offer:

Fried food (see separate post)
African acrobats--the lowest limbo I have ever seen
Car show
Petting zoo (again, separate post)
Dog show--Natalie LOVES doggies
Puppet show--Ella thought the marionettes were pretty cool
Butter sculpture
Rides
All kinds of exhibits--crafts, food, animals, etc.

Here we are with Big Tex, the symbol of the fair. His jaw is hinged, and he periodically gives announcements.

Ella and I rode the 212-foot tall Texas Star, the tallest amusement ride in the western hemisphere.

We spent the entire ride freezing our patooties off.

Ell had a grand time piloting her own plane.

State Fair of Texas: What a Zoo!

2009-10-21T21:06:00.001-05:00

So, if you know me, you know that I really like a good petting zoo. For some reason I like being slobbered on by whatever animals you've got, and the possibility of having my clothes chewed up and my toes stepped on just adds to the thrill. The petting zoo at the state fair was fantastic, full of all kinds of animals from the expected (pigs, sheep, donkeys, and a million goats) to the exotic (zebras, camels, a longhorn, a small giraffe, ostriches, emus, llamas that for some reason had been shaved to resemble poodles, and a kangaroo with a joey in her pouch). Ella bravely fed some of the animals, and Natalie, who has yet to develop any sense of fear, was highly amused by everything that approached her for a sniff or a lick.

State Fair of Texas: Fried Food Fiesta

2009-10-21T20:45:00.001-05:00

I didn't eat the fried butter. Did you really expect me to? They were like little fried dough balls, and people said they tasted like fried dinner rolls. I watched a man eat one and as he bit into it, the butter squirted out and dribbled down his chin. It didn't look like a pleasing experience.

I did, however, try the Deep-Fried Peaches & Cream, which won the award this year for best taste. It wasn't half bad, and it didn't cause anything to dribble down my chin, so bonus! Four peach slices were rolled in a crunchy graham cracker/cinnamon/ginger coating and then fried and served with whipped cream and strawberry sauce.

Here were some of the other fried foods at the fair:
fried s'mores
fried Moon Pies
fried chocolate truffles
jalapeno "corn dog" shrimp
fried cookie dough
chicken fried bacon
fried bananas
fried pecan pie
fried grilled cheese
fried PB&J

There were at least 5 different kinds of fried potatoes available, which is what Ella ate--plain, old French fries. (She also had pink cotton candy hot out of the machine.) Greg had three, yes, three corn dogs, or "Corny Dogs", as they are called at the Fair. Evidently they were invented there decades ago. Yes, here in Texas we have a rich (saturated, even) history of frying up pretty much anything and everything.

Silly Sisters

2009-10-21T20:19:00.001-05:00

As a 1-year-old, Natalie is, of course, VERY helpful around the house. One day she was keeping me company as I moved a load from the washer to the drier in our pantry-cum-laundry room. She stayed busy for quite some time placing packages of peanut butter crackers in to a hamper one by one. There were about 50 of them in there by the time she was done. She took her job (ie rearranging the pantry) very seriously. (And do you like my subtle nod to the Container Store?)

Ella Willden, First Grader, is a reading machine lately. Natalie doesn't enjoy reading books as much as rapidly flipping the pages and then throwing them, so this picture captures a unique moment.

Ella has lost a few very important teeth. She worked VERY HARD to lose the first one at school so that she could go to the nurse and get a little plastic tooth necklace to carry it around in for the rest of the day.

Natalie, on the other hand, is not short on teeth. Just short in a general sense, although the hair does give her about 2 extra inches.

Here I Go Again

2009-09-28T21:37:00.003-05:00

Again with the web-based research, again with the typos that make me giggle. This time I was looking up recipes for peach salsa (I'm all revved up about home canning and feeling saucy), which led to a recipe for homemade chili powder, which led to this:

"Cut the chilies into little pieces with the shears and put in your grinder. It could be a brushed clean coffee grinder, or spice grinder, or the grinder/ blender bowel of a brawn hand wand mixer type. Grind away till you only have little flakes."
(source:http://foodiemama.com/Cooking-from-Scratch/Homemade-Chili-Powder.html)

Blenders with bowels? What WILL they think of next?

Baby (and) Beluga

2009-09-20T18:27:00.001-05:00

Bay beluga in the deep blue sea, you swim so wild and you swim so free... You can't help but hum that tune when you visit Seaworld San Antonio. Greg's annual company picnic was at Seaworld yesterday and we had a great time. Ella loved feeding the dolphins and Natalie thought the eels were great--they caused lots of pointing and gibbering on her part, anyway. We are really lucky to have such a terrific park only minutes from our house.

Here we are at the dolphin feeding pool. Greg totally paid that dolphin to pose for us. (Do you pay a dolphin in fish?)

Natalie liked the Viva show, which we went to with our friends the Walkers. Diving, synchronized swimming, acrobatics, dolphins, belugas, and a funny guy--what's not to like? She enjoyed clapping along with the audience. Oh, and she had to wear her shades, of course, because she is really into accessories lately. She would have worn my red heels to the park if she could have somehow gotten away with it.

Once again our friend Valerie (who ROCKS!) took us backstage at Viva, where she trains dolphins and beluga whales. We saw a baby dolphin that was only a week old--cutest thing ever, and impossible to photograph. (Her mother looked tired. Amen, sister.) The belugas were very friendly--I suppose it helped that we had a bucket of fish on hand. One of the whales spit on Ella, which she thought was great. They feel kind of soft and squishy, in case you were wondering. Thanks so much, Valerie!

The Spring of Summer

2009-09-17T21:37:00.001-05:00

Summer in Texas doesn't get much better than the spring-fed pool at Landa Park on a hot day. It's cool and wet and there are little fishies in the water. Hooray for simple pleasures.

Greg took the girls for a leisurely boat ride.

Look at Ella go!

I don't know what was up with Natalie's chipmunk teeth, but it must have had something to do with the novelty of walking in water. Good times.

The Wild Life with J & O

2009-09-17T21:20:00.002-05:00

Jake and Oscar came to Texas--yay! While they were here we treated Jake to some of San Antonio's culinary delights--tamales, paletas from El Paraiso, Blue Bell ice cream (Groom's Cake, mmm...), sandwiches from Pam's, and "The Country's Best Tacos" from Taco Taco Cafe (Jake chose a taco de chicharron--that's pig skin, folks, and that's exactly what it looked like). To show Oscar a good time, we went to the zoo to feed the lorikeets and to Natural Bridge Wildlife Park to feed the zebras. I overcame a longtime fear and hand-fed an ostrich. You don't think they are scary? Come on down and I'll introduce you to one!

Cousins chillin' in the back seat as we began the safari.

I've still got zebra slobber on my window from that dude.

Jake's ostrich encounter--he inspired me to new heights of bravery.

Thanks for coming, J & O. We love you, and we had a great time!

The First of First

2009-09-17T21:04:00.001-05:00

Ella is a bus-riding, book-reading, front tooth-wiggling first grader! Here she is before school on the first day (it was dark outside), getting off the bus for the first time, and posing in front of our new house.

Fun With Curly

2009-09-17T20:59:00.000-05:00

So, Natalie has this amazing head of hair. Perfect strangers at the supermarket exclaim over her curls and reach out to pat them. At home, we have a great time trying out new coiffures--bath time is especially amusing, and Greg is a surprisingly enthusiastic stylist.

Countdown to Big Tex

2009-09-08T16:32:00.002-05:00

So, you know how I get all excited over silly things? And how I love to plan trips, big and not-so-big? Well, the perfect storm is coming next month--a short trip to Dallas and a visit to the State Fair of Texas! We've never been to the fair before, but this being Texas, we know it's going to be BIG. It is famous for--what else?--fried food, and in reading over the list of finalists in the Big Tex Choice Awards I found this little treasure that I felt compelled to share with you:

Deep Fried Butter – 100% pure butter is whipped till light and fluffy, then specially sweetened with a choice of several flavors. The tantalizing mixture is surrounded by a special dough and quick fried.

Doesn't that just set your taste buds on fire? I'm pretty sure you have to show proof of low cholesterol levels before placing your order.

Happy, Happy!

2009-08-26T17:27:00.000-05:00

10 years ago today Greg asked me to marry him. Ten years! Ten GREAT years, I should say. He took me to dinner on the Riverwalk and then we took a casual stroll along the river. (Casual, HAH!) When we came to the Arneson River Theater we discovered that there was a show about to begin and we couldn't pass through. We had to walk up the stairs into La Villita, which was good, too. I mean, we were just casually strolling, right? We came to the plaza and sat on the edge of the fountain... and sat... and sat. Greg was acting a bit odd, and I soon found out why when he kneeled down and asked me to marry him. I was sitting up on the fountain and he was somewhere down way below. I bent down and gave him a kiss, and said yes. It was really a beautiful night for a stroll.

Here we are on the Riverwalk before dinner.

We went to Rudy's for lunch a few days later--can you tell I'm showing off the ring for the camera?

This is the famous La Villita fountain. If you come visit us we'll show it to you--and then we'll take you to Schilo's for homemade root beer... mmmmm... It's fun to be able to show our kids where Dad asked Mom to marry him.

Google Voice

2009-08-22T12:30:00.003-05:00

If you take a look at the right side of the blog you will see the following button:

We are trying out Google Voice and it has this cool feature where all long-distance calls in the continental US are free. So click the button, type in your name and phone number and Google will call your number and call our number and connect us for free. Go ahead. Give us a call.

By the way, this button will call our home number, but it could be configured to dial any number we want, or even dial multiple phones at the same time.

Natalie's Birthday:Take 2

2009-08-02T20:24:00.001-05:00

We also celebrated Natalie's big day with her birth mother, Shelby, who we love so much. Nat really hammed it up with the cake the second time around--she was a sticky mess by the time she was done, but oh, the good times!

Natalie's 1st Birthday: Take 1

2009-08-02T20:16:00.001-05:00

Natalie is one year old! It's hard to believe she has been ours for a whole year now. How can I express our gratitude for her in our lives and in our family? We simply adore her, and we think she likes us, too.

We have a traditional birthday hat in our family. Nat wasn't real thrilled about the idea--this is the best picture we got.

"Here, Dad! Here's a Little People!"

We gave her a few licks of her cupcake, but mostly she wanted to remove the whipped cream from the top and put it on the table. Notice the nudity for quick and easy clean-up!

La Companera and Company

2009-08-02T20:03:00.001-05:00

My mission companion, Audrey, and her family came to visit over 4th of July weekend and we had so much fun! It was fun to catch up after so many years and to get to know each other's kids. We went to San Marcos one morning and rode a glass-bottomed boat at Aquarena Springs, then went and swam in the river. The river was full of people and "phytonutients" (aka "big chunks of plant matter"), but the cool water felt wonderful on such a hot day. We even braved "the waterfall", as we called it, a water slide that has been created in the river. If you ever find yourself in San Marcos, TX, I highly recommend you check it out!

The boat ride was fun--we saw lots of turtles.

Ella and Natalie LOVED the river.

Here's Audrey mid-slide and me about to slide down. You can't really see it, but I have a "What have I gotten myself into?" look on my face.

Audrey made it through the wall of water, and I was about to go through it. And why, exactly, did I bother blow-drying my hair that day?

Curly Top Mop

2009-08-02T19:46:00.000-05:00

That's one of my nicknames for Natalie. It's what I do--I nickname people. She is also (currently) Zoom-Boom (if you've ever seen her scootch across the floor on her bum, you'll understand that one), Beezoo, Chubbie (which she isn't), and Pretty Face.

Hors d'Oeuvres, Anyone?

2009-08-02T19:32:00.004-05:00

Occasionally, while surfing the under-edited and woefully un-spell-checked Web, I find a gem that makes me stop and go, "Huh?" Here's one I found on Tripadvisor last night while researching an upcoming (like, next summer) trip to Florida:

"We just returned from a trip from Cayo Costa State Park and it exceeded our expectations. The 2 of us went tent camping. Please be advised there is not much shade since a lot of the shade trees were destroyed in Hurricane Charlie. I would suggest bringing a dining canapé."

I'm picturing these people huddled under a little toast triangle with a bit of cheese on top.

Here Comes the Kelsey

2009-07-31T11:58:00.001-05:00

Disclaimer: Okay, Taylor, I've got to apologize straight off for not posting any pictures of you--I ended up with surprisingly few! Next time, YOU wear the poofy dress and we'll see if we can't come away with a few more pictures of you, okay?

Kelsey got married! (To Taylor--you'll just have to take my word for it.) When Greg and I got married, Kelsey was 12. Now she's all grown up!

Kels and the girls: Katie, Shannon, Kelsey, Veronica, and LeRita.

Kels and all her big brothers: Michael, Jeremy, Kels, Matt, Jeff, Greg, and Steven (down front).

Willden nieces and nephews: (top row) Jacob, Lindley, (bottom row) Laurinda, Alli (my palli), Spencer, Nico, Natalie, Catalina, Zack, and Ella. Cata--sorry you have a bow covering half of your face, girl! In all the other pictures someone was making zombie eyes (that would be Zack).

Just plain silliness. Nat gets on Greg's shoulders and there is no telling what will happen next.

Bryce Canyon III: Escape to Mossy Cave

2009-07-22T20:37:00.001-05:00

After the Navajo Loop hike the trail to Mossy Cave was cake. (It would've been cake anyway. Ella's walk to school was more than 0.4 miles.) My shoulders were hurting from carrying Natalie, so Greg carried her in the Moby for the first time. That's what the pose is all about.

That's Ella and me sitting at the edge of a waterfall. Are you freaked out, Grandma Kathie? (Grandma Joan is not freaked out. She is used to seeing her children dangling from ropes, jumping from planes, and running around second story roofs with chainsaws. One measly waterfall is nothing.)

Red rock everywhere. It was really something to see.

We walked a whole 0.4 miles and THIS is Mossy Cave! (Greg called it Mossy Overhang.) They say that some years there are icicles in the cave year-round. We didn't see any, but it's a cool fact nonetheless.

Bryce Canyon II: Attack of the Navajo Loop

2009-07-22T20:20:00.001-05:00

We stood at the top of the Navajo Loop trail head, gazing down into the canyon and watching the little ant-people hike around down there, and Ella said, "I want to go down there!" So we headed down the trail, and when I say "down", I mean STRAIGHT down. I was carrying Natalie in the Moby wrap and couldn't see my feet, which gave an added element of adventure to the hike. The loop trail is only 1.5 miles long, but half of that is straight down and the rest is straight up. Ella was tripping along the first few switchbacks, noticing chipmunks and interesting rocks, shouting, "This is FUN!" while the people we passed on their way up looked half dead and severely lacking in crucial bodily fluids.

The view down into "Wall Street".

Little Ella in front of a big chasm.

Natalie fell asleep while we were at the bottom and I carried her 20+ pounds of dead weight all the way to the top. About half way up Greg said, "If she wakes up, I'll take her." I responded, "No way! Do you think I want to tell people I carried her MOST of the way?" I wanted the full bragging rights.

And although I did seriously consider throwing up at one point on the hike out of the canyon (We were over 8,000 feet above sea level, for Pete's sake. San Antonio is, like, 12 feet above sea level.) we made it! Don't I look triumphant? And, yes, dangerously low on fluids.

Bryce Canyon

2009-07-22T20:02:00.001-05:00

While in Utah for a wedding (more to come on that) we took a family trip to Bryce Canyon National Park. It was a really great time. The drive was surprisingly beautiful--most of what I'd seen of southern Utah consisted of the view from I-15, which is largely a pretty big yawn. Panguitch, UT wins the award for the cutest little old-timey motels you've ever seen. They almost made me want to stop and stay a while in Panguitch. (Almost.)

Here, Natalie shows you where we are: "Bryce Canyon, guys!" (Interesting, unrelated note: After a few hours in the park we started keeping track of the different license plates we were seeing, and we ended up see the plates from 41 states, plus three Canadian provinces. We even saw Alaska and Hawaii! By the end of our stay we were driving through parking lots purely to scope out the license plates--"SOUTH DAKOTA! YES!!!")

I sat Natalie down for this picture and she immediately picked up a rock and popped it into her mouth. She was pretty happy, despite the fact that I didn't let her eat it.

We had heard that there were ravens in the park, but didn't see any until one of the last viewpoints we stopped at. We tossed bits of PB&J sandwich crust to the birds and they caught them mid-air. Someone said they would eat right out of your hand, but I wasn't that brave. They were BIG, and staring me down.

The rock formations that Bryce is so famous for are called hoodoos. We started calling Nat "hoodoo", mostly because of the hair.

A Few Springy Bits

2009-07-22T19:29:00.000-05:00

Ella's school had a field day at the end of the year, which she loved. She wasn't all that sure about the sack race, having never been in one before, but check her out! She totally won. She is now a big fan of sack races.

One day I put Natalie in a laundry basket to keep her contained while I did something or other. I kept tossing measuring cups and wooden spoons in with her to keep her happy.

Happy Happy Birthday, Ella Dear!

2009-07-22T19:18:00.002-05:00

Disney On Ice came to town in April, so a month before her birthday I took Ella and her three friends (Rachel, Katelyn, and Emilee) down to the Alamodome for an early birthday celebration. Then, on the big day, May 18th, we celebrated at home with a cake of Ella's choice--green with pink writing. Why my cakes turn out so lumpy is beyond me, but Ella really didn't care. Natalie wasn't so sure about the ice cream.

A Few Last Syracuse Pics

2009-05-20T19:53:00.001-05:00

We got a "Bed-In-A-Bag" (what a cool concept!) for the master bedroom, and two lamps from a garage sale! We sprayed them black, of course.

Natalie's room was the only one we did not repaint--I couldn't bear to change the "Yellow Room". Last year, when I was feverishly waiting for my baby and going not a little crazy, I did these flowers paintings to match the bedding.

We've been in our little first house almost exactly nine years--we bought it when we had been married only five months. Both our babies came home to this house. We are ready to have a little more space, but we'll miss our little box on Syracuse Street.

More Photos from Syracuse St.

2009-05-20T19:42:00.001-05:00

Here's the new and improved guest bath. We took the old, crummy mirror and light fixture down and replaced them, and replaced the yucky counter top with a new one. We put in a new faucet and new towel rack, etc.

The living room pretty much just got new paint (color: "Wild Honey") and new/rearranged accessories. We did get a new couch and chair this year--hooray for sofa beds!

The master bath just got new paint and hardware, and a little staging on the shelves.

Before and After

2009-05-20T18:57:00.001-05:00

So, we decided a couple of months ago that we are going to stick around San Antonio for a while, which meant finally moving up to a bigger house. We did all sorts of stuff to pretty up the house in preparation for putting it on the market. The first thing we did (well, really, my mom did it while we mostly watched and kept the kids out of the way) was scrape the popcorn ceiling off and then have someone come in and texture and paint it for us. What a huge difference! Then we painted the kitchen cabinets "Toasted Marshmallow". Here are some photos from before (WAY before, like 2006):

And here's one we took as we were already taking the cabinet doors off. Charming, don't you think?

Here's the finished product. We were pretty proud of ourselves. My mom, who loves HGTV, spray painted all the knobs and hinges black, which looks great and saved us loads of cash. We also put on new countertops. What a difference!

Nifty Gifties!

2009-05-14T21:48:00.001-05:00

Okay, I just read my friend Megan's blog about a "Pay it Forward" that she is doing and I want in because she's uber-talented and fun. So here are the rules:

The FIRST THREE people to leave a comment on this post will receive at some point during this year a gift from ME. What it will be and when it will arrive will be a total surprise. The CATCH is that YOU MUST PLAY TOO! Before you leave your comment here, write a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (you can cut and paste these instructions). Then come back and let me know that you are going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift.

You KNOW I love to send treats! Good luck!

Um... huh?

2009-05-14T21:31:00.006-05:00

So, I was browsing Craigslist today in search of a refrigerator for our NEW HOUSE (more on that to come) and there, in the list of fridges, was this gem:

NEED YOUR TO BE REALLY BY A NICE TRUSTWORTHY EXPERIENCE LADY 707-8699 (EXCELLENT/FRIENDLY SERVICE CALL MARIA)

Clearly English is not Maria's native tongue, but if you click on the questionable header I just quoted, it leads you to a very nearly grammatically correct description of Maria's services. (CLEANING services, that is.) Why, then, are there whole chunks of vital information missing from the title? It is a genuine conundrum, that's what it is. You can thank me later for sharing it with you.