9.13.09

Devin finished his second set of National boards today. Good job.
I'm making him some rice pudding as I type. Well, it's cooking I
should say.

Sweet sassy.. that boy has a lot on his plate.. BUT you know.. it
seems like everyone does. Really.. I'll keep my own dinner.

But anyway, here is long video for Grandmas and Grandpas...She
really started taking off today. Excuse the mess and annoying voice.
I would say it doesn't usually look this way, BUT... it does .

Before church, this morning, I was unloading the dishwasher. I always start with the silverware, so Naomi won't dump it all over the floor. She's like a shark waiting for me to open the dishwasher. She can sense it from anywhere in the house. Anyway.. after I emptied it, she took off with the silverware holder thing...

I finished up the rest of the kitchen and called her back...
She came wobbling around the corner and handed me the thing,
I looked inside... Just all the essentials you know.

The thing that really got me was where she had to go to get all these things: The comb is from Cache's bathroom, the feminine product from our bathroom, that is cache's breakfast spoon, she probably got from under the barstools and the car is from Cache's closet. I was also very impressed how she had them all in different compartments!

The hand-me-down rule:

you must wear each hand-me-down outfit(and all it's accessories) at least once.

sometimes having a little girl is JUST like playing dolls. Yep just like it. :)

Boys are fun too.

But usually they get more fun when they begin dressing themselves:

"I said.. don't--take--my.. PICTURE!"

p.s. Happy 29th anniversary Mom and Dad!

9.9.09

Devin is back to school today... without a smile on.

Cache started pre-school this week too!

Devin doesn't get summer's off but he got a little 2-week break, to help him catch his breath.

4 days of his break were spent at day-long board reviews and then another 4 days of clinic shift,, BUT in the little time he DID have free, we got to have a few fun days.Thanks to generous friends, we spent a fun filled day and a few evenings swimming, canoeing, eating loads of ice cream(home made) and watching movies. Oh the kids had fun too. I don't know what they were doing.. we were having too much fun ;)

Devin also took me on a date to see Mary Poppins the Broadway production at the fox theater. Incredible.

Our little girl has also started walking. She is pretty proud.

Full of attitude this one. We love it.

Farewell warm summer evenings....

I'm gonna miss you. A lot.

9.8.09

To: My sister Ashley
From: your biggest sister

I just typed the date and realized it was your Birthday.
So... lets just say a word about the funnest, peppiest, most talented little sister anyone ever had! Happy Birthday.
How old are you? 19? I know it is not too uncommon for me to spontaneously laugh or just smile and when questioned about it, comes the response: "Oh I was just thinking about Ashley."

So here is to the:
Beautiful
fun.
confident
opera singing(real operas not just the shower singing type)
hot pink wearing,
big belt loving, red lipstick wearing,
cheese sandwich eating,
weekly temple attending,
most cultured Spratling award winning,
4.o getting,
trend setting,
pedicure giving,
brittney spears t-shirt wearing(you know you did!),
sweetest,
softest hearted
Birthday girl there ever was.
Happy Birthday. Love you.

For the love of Spandex

Weekend in review: Devin went to Chicago for a two day seminar on nutrition and exercise. The babes and I decided to stay home this time, and instead got to watch all of our studs for friends not only complete a triathlon, but ROCK it. Almost all of them placing during their first ever triathlon! It was SO exciting! I was sure glad I got to enjoy it, by watching, and not competing as was planned originally. Maybe next year, maybe... NOT. I was a really good fan. So maybe I have found my niche. Cheering. Here are some pictures from that fun morning!

Swim. bike. run.
(the order of the race)

Brennan was the first person to come in on the bike. They start in different waves, so not necessarily meaning he was in first, but we knew he and Mary weren't in the first wave, so to be coming in from the bike first meant he was doing pretty darn good to say the least. The picture on the right is of Cade and Sam giving high five after Brennan went by.
I thought it was pretty sweet how excited they were about their friend doing good.
It looked pretty cool to see Brennan being the first one finishing the race. MILES ahead of anyone. Just jogging down the street. The only people in sight were those just starting the race.

Mary was in second place when coming in from the bike, then took a 3 minute transition time (forever!) so basically gave the girl a 5 minute head start) and then blew the girl to smithereens in the run. She started 5 min after but came in a good 6 minutes BEFORE the next girl. She is amazing. Her running split time I think was faster than Brennans. AND she could have pushed harder, she said she didn't want to make herself throw up AND when she crossed the line, you could tell she had more in her.. genetic superiority does exist. At least in Mary.
Here is a picture of the first man and first woman across the finish line. They were like: "Hey your super fast like me, we should date!" Just kidding, they are already husband and wife(and have 4 children together!)

If this award existed, Summer would have also won the beauty queen award. While everyone else passed looking like they were either gonna die or kill someone, Summer smiled, posed for pictures , cheered back at the crowd and just looked super cute while doing it. She is so funny. Crossing the finish line, she lost the smile and started to feel it, Cade ran with her the last couple of yards giving her that extra boost. They are so cute. Oh let me just brag some more for my friend, this girl broke her collar bone 2 months ago, and despite her chiropractors advise NOT to race(ahem Devin) she still took 2nd in her age group! Shows how much her chiro knows. Haha. Just playin.

Here Brennan and Rick doing awesome race faces. Brennan is showing us the face you need to come in first place. It helps. Haha. Rick, I think took 1st or 2nd in his "Clydesdale" division. (big muscle guys over 200lbs)

Here is everyone that is in our ward that did the race. Marty and Tracey did the long coarse. Which is like a mile swim, 30mile bike and then half marathon run. Astounding. Gerard ( the skull cap) finished the race with what may be a torn shoulder muscle! Devin taped him up the night before and he did it anyway! Anyway, Devin and I looked at these pictures and said: "How come we always find friends that are WAY cooler than us?" Talk about stamina! I guess they have a HUGE group picture of all the people in the stake that did the race including the stake president AND his counselors. Pretty fun! Why do Mormons like triathlons so much? What weird people ;) Good job everyone!

And because "some" get annoyed at me for not posting pictures of ourselves here are a few of Naomi on "The STOOP." She hangs out here well, Most of the day. Favorite spot.

Cache has taken on the responsibility of getting Naomi when she wakes up.
Usually by climbing in and then they just hang out for a bit. Nay usually loves it, except on days when Cache is a bear.(Like this day)

How did we ever Not know this face?

Nicknames:Naye,Yo yo?, Nanny, Nemo, Naye-bird, Nanny nooners

Clothing: 6-9 months and some 12 months.

teeth: two little toofers

Favorite things: Doggies,(screams until you let her pet them, then she's all smiles!) swinging at the park(giggles the whole time), sitting on mommies left hip, her silky pillowcase, slinkies, her babydoll, emptying anything and everything, "beeping" her nose.

whole peaches and plums(don't mess with her when she's eating these), "The stoop"(pictures to come),brushing her own hair, swimming and bathing,Buttons, being read to.

Dislikes: having to wait for food, being told "no", being rocked to sleep. The bathroom door(they are always fighting, I'm not sure why but she hits it and yells at it.)

Talents: blowing her whistle! making a fishy face, crawling like Mowgli from the the Jungle book.

Love that baby girl.

A picture from our backyard

Naomi is the only one with cute enough undies to dry on line. The rest of ours have to settle for the bar stools in our Kitchen, so until our dryers repaired.(In 2-3 weeks) Please don't think us rude if we take more than a few minutes to answer the door.
We gotta hide our skivvies!


Side note: (Or I should say side blessing) Our electric bill will hopefully be much cheaper, we are way more careful about wearing aprons in the kitchen and using napkins at the dinner table(instead of our pant legs). So manners are improving. We somehow magically create less laundry than before. And I never realized that how quickly it dries on the line. Seriously 20 minutes guys. Faster than the dryer! wwwhat? And every time I go out at night to hang our bring in laundry, our neighbor gives me tomatoes from his tomato plant. It's actually been quite lovely. I'm totally feeling all pioneerish.

I can now better relate to one of my favorite poems:

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Dream Car...

If I could drive ANY car in the world ...


I cannot explain my attraction to this car. I just love everything about it from it it's leather seats, quality of build, sweet imitation wood paneling, even it's speedometer. I just love it. Well driving to Nauvoo there was one for sale on the side of the road and I almost drove into the ditch. Yes, I'm coveting SO bad. Good thing I don't know anyone personally that owns one. Anyway I just thought I would share. If you ever see one for sale tell me!

On second thought.. don't tell me.
no really tell me.