December 2009

December was devoted mostly to getting the baby room done - which actually translates into me nagging and Clint procrastinating.  Sometimes I think my nagging actually drives him to further procrastinate just to see how far he can push me.  But even knowing this I am powerless to break the cycle.

Christmas this year was very low key and much different than in years past... perhaps the theme for 2009 should officially be 'breaking old traditions' since lots of things changed this year in the way we celebrated the season.  Instead of exchanging gifts with my siblings, we decided to do charity instead.... We pooled the money we would have spent on each other and adopted two homeless youth from the angel tree at work.  There is no better way to put our prosperity into perspective - even in tight times like these with new babies on the way and economic recessions abounding - than to give the gift of daily essentials.  Imagine if you were living on the streets... makes that new powerbook and iPod seem so trivial, doesn't it?

Novemer 2009

What a month November was! I wrote 50,000 words of the first draft of my novel and became an official winner in this year's annual NaNoWriMo competition. I've already recapped it here on my "other" blog if you want to read about it. Clint and Erin were both so supportive of my efforts this year allowing me to completely neglect them both for most of the month so I could focus on my writing. I couldn't have done it without both of them - a fact I'll be sure to remember when I'm published... so I can write something completely fitting in my dedication. Emphasis on the 'when'!

Erin's dance team performed at the Jazz game half-time.  This was Erin's second Jazz game and this year was even better because her cousin, Brynlee, is on the team. Makes the pain of paying $20 a ticket for upper bowl seats to watch a little less painful when half of your family is also required to be there with you. Of course, I am not a fan of basketball so I read a book the entire time (except when they danced) and took a lot of flak from my siblings... but I can handle them! And I only had two days to read before book club!  It was a very long and very crazy day that I had to handle on my own since Clint couldn't get the time off from work. The life of a dance mom is a crazy one... luckily I have Amber to share the insanity with!

The day started with having to be at the arena just after lunchtime... which meant I had to burn a day of vacation so we could hang out waiting for them to allow us onto the floor to rehearse. This is Erin with Brynlee and Taegan chilling before it was time to do make-up.

They let parents go down to the floor of the arena when the girls rehearsed - something they did not allow us to do last year. It's no doubt the only time I'll ever sit in seats that close to the court. That place is massive even without people filling the seats!

Between rehearsal and the performance we had about an hour to grab some dinner and get the girl's hair and make-up done. Luckily, Amber (aka my fabulous sister in law), was with me to help carry all our crap when we walked to Gateway - or rather I waddled while they walked. It was fun to watch Brynlee get all made up in her first "official" performance make-up.  Looking back on last year's performance, I could see what a difference a year of competition had made in both my comfort level of applying make-up and Erin's ability to sit still.  I know Amber and I are both looking forward to the girls being old enough that they can do their own make-up!  Of course, on the flip side I know the "it's only for competition" line won't work for Erin much longer and then she'll want to borrow my eyeliner and wear mascara every day. *shudder at the thought!* I'm enjoying her youth while it lasts...

At game time, we left the girls in this crazy hot room full of like a hundred dancers between the ages of 5 and 18 from all over Utah to wait out the first half until their performance. I thought I was going to pass out from heat before we could escape that little cramped room and begin our hike to the nosebleed seats. Brynlee was a little nervous at that point but luckily she had her cousin, Erin, to ease her fears - that and coloring books and DS games.

It all culminated in an awesome show. It still amazes me what a natural Erin is with performing in front of crowds. She has never once been nervous - just goes out there and does her thing and has a blast doing it.

So... here's where the video of the performance is supposed to go.  But the file is too big to upload!  It is kind of long (but only 5 minutes!) and probably only grandparents and die-hard dance enthusiasts will appreciate it but still it is supposed to be here...  I'll now attempt to become an expert at video editing on the computer so I can at some point get it posted.  (Wish me luck!)

It wouldn't be a post recapping November without Thanksgiving. Typically this is not an enjoyable holiday for me ever since the year I got married and had to start contributing as a grown up (and burned the mashed potatoes that year!) My Mom's side of the family has a very cool - albeit kind of insane - tradition I grew up with where we celebrate Thanksgiving with a formal, four-course, sit down meal (on china even) whose menu hasn't wavered since my childhood. We're all getting older and the last four years the planning and hosting of Thanksgiving has transitioned from my Mom's generation to mine while continually expanding to not only encompass all my cousins but also their spouses and children. The family is as close as ever but getting ginormous. Denice, my ultimate party planner extraordinaire sister, and I armed with our spreadsheets and months of preparation planning (some might call it OCD) have taken over the logistics of Thanksgiving from Mom and Gram and I have hosted this meal - for 25-30 people depending on who joins us vs. the in-laws for dinner - at my house for the last three years because I have the only place with space enough to host the crowd - kind of. I know this because we had a split Easter celebration for the first time ever earlier this year because of space. (I could host but who wants to hunt eggs in the mud pit in the back yard that is our current long-term landscaping project?)

Yes, you heard me right - I'm knocking on 40's door and I have only once in my entire life celebrated Easter without all my cousins. Weird, but true. And that isn't even my Italian side of the family.

But, we're talking about Thanksgiving here...

Several factors this year had me dreading the whole prospect. Like I'm almost 8 months pregnant and I'm attempting to write an entire novel in one month just for starters. The thought of the effort involved - three days of cooking and cleaning my house and moving furniture and setting up the tables the day before so we can set them, etc - was not appealing. Then, Brett and Amber decided they were taking their kids to Disneyland and would not be in town for Thanksgiving dinner. Without the six of them, there wasn't going to be that big of a crowd for our immediate family. Which got mine and Denice's wheels turning... What if we didn't cook and clean and stress and clean up afterward and instead just went OUT for dinner this year? We floated the idea past the entire family but in the end the tradition was too strong for everyone to break at once and thus it was just our immediate family sans Brett's clan who decided to take the plunge.

Talk about heaven...

We got reservations at Tuscany and this is Denice and I actually enjoying dinner instead of worrying about the exact timing of when to put the potatoes into the serving dishes to insure they are still warm when Dad finishes cutting the turkey so we can all eat warm food.

Erin got to dress up in her fancy dress and sit between Grandma and Pa at THE GROWNUP table instead of being banished to the kid table in the corner of the kitchen. Although, she was the only kid at dinner and ended up being a little bored.

We all agreed this is the way Thanksgiving should be spent. With loved ones who you actually still love at the end of the day instead of being so stressed out that you want to kill each other. (Yeah, if you think I'm a bitch, you should meet my sister!) No wonder Denice and I both kind of hate Thanksgiving when we are being honest with ourselves... We ate early - us, my parents, my brother Shaun, Denice and Amber's family who also got ditched when they decided to go to Disneyland. We relaxed and laughed and ate traditional food that tasted amazing and were waited on by professionals. No cooking, no dishes, we didn't even have to clear the table! Like I said... Heaven! Afterward, we went back to Denice's, watched a movie together and ended up at Gram's house with the rest of the extended family for pie in the evening. We all agree it was such a great and relaxing day that we are going to do it again next year and let Brett and Amber enjoy it with us! Hell, it just might be the new tradition every year!

 Speaking of new traditions... it has become a tradition to participate in Black Friday - something I swore for years I would never, ever, ever do. Until last year when I tagged along with Amber - the bargain shopping queen - and discovered Midnight Madness shopping in Park City. Seriously, it is worth the drive and the crowds for ONE store and until my kids can no longer wear clothes from The Children's Place, I will be at the door when they open at 12:01 AM on Black Friday. How can I pass up a sale where I can get jeans for under $5? Erin and her cousins had their traditional sleep over at Grandma and Pa's house while we all climbed in Brett's mini-van and shopped. Clint even when with me this year and helped pick out clothes for Erin. Brett & Amber had driven home from California that morning so what was another couple of hours of driving, right? I had to work on Friday so Clint and I only did the three or four Park City stores and then parted to head home and get some sleep. Brett, Amber, Denice and cousin Amy then shopped all the early bird ad's in the valley until something like 9:00am. I still think THAT part is crazy but if you have the stamina - and Amber to pour over all the ads to find the great deals - I guess it is worth it!

Erin was off track the first part of November and one day Clint took her to the Aquarium for another installment of "Disneyland Daddy" while I was at work. She has such a love for animals and I know it is because they do these kinds of things together. As always, I am jealous of all the time he has at home with his job but also so glad for the time they get together. I've said it before and I'll say it again... 12-hour shifts do have their benefits when you only work 3-days every week!

Erin talked for days about all the creatures they got to see. Although, she was too scared to put her hand in the tank with the rays. I blame Animal Planet and the fact that Clint let her watch the special they did about "the Alligator Hunter" when he died - by being stung by a ray... Oh well, it's nature, right?  She didn't want to leave and Clint practically had to drag her out of the place.  Can't ask for better than that in the dead of winter!

October 2009 - revisited

I know, I know... we were just here and theoretically haven't moved on yet.  But I just 'found' some more photos from THE BEST MONTH of the year... on my work laptop of all places.  Like I haven't sabotaged myself enough with obsessive organization by organizing our family photos based on which camera they came from, now I'm haphazardly saving photos on my work computer?  Yes, that's the Universe becoming unhinged because of my lack of organizational sanity and forethought folks! 

But, I digress....

I took Erin to Gardner Village with "Backseat Becky" for a girl's lunch.  We had an insane wait for a table since everyone else in the city had the same thought that weekend due to a bout of nice weather.  So we decided to see what all the fuss was about with their "Witches" while we killed time.  Basically, they put up Halloween decorations and make a scavenger hunt type of game out of it so the kids in tow with their crafty, shop-a-holic moms will drag them to every nook and cranny of the gathering of shops looking for all the Witches in hopes said moms will spend spend spend.  We fell into that trap for caramel apples and cotton candy and barely escaped with our lives and some fun photos from Becky's camera.

 

This was Erin's first Witch of the afternoon and she thought it was so cool to sit next to her on the bench.

 

This poor witch had seen better days since she's missing a hand!  Oh well, don't I look fab in my favorite hat with my cute baby bump?

 

Hands down, Erin's favorite witch on display.  She thought it was hilarious this one was in the outhouse - caught with her pants down no less!

 

I teased Erin that this will be her in about eight years ... and instead of crashing a broom, a car.  But then it dawned on me that it wasn't really that funny and  instead posed for a picture.  Thanks, Beck-ster, for a great day and for sending me photos because back then I wasn't cool enough to have a phone with a camera yet!

Did I mention Halloween?  Oh, I did?  muhahahah

This year I wasn't the new girl at work who'd only worked there for a couple of weeks and didn't want to scare the co-workers with my obsession with Halloween, so I went all out and in the process convinced a couple of my co-workers to do the same.

 

This is us posing for the official costume contest - the 20's (Melissa) the 50's (Michelle) and the 80's (me) all in one photo.  None of us won - because one team had a KILLER group costume that even I voted for - but at least we got photos for posterity!  (And, yes, that is a real corsage on my wrist.  I don't mess around when it comes to costumes!)

Michelle is a total ham - and I cannot get over how amazing this photo was of her!

 

Doesn't she look exactly like you picture a mean 50's housewife?  At least that's how I picture I would look if I was expected to play the part of the 'Leave it to Beaver' life of oppression women were forced to endure back then!  The best part is her bra strap showing which was completely unintentional on her part and made the costume complete!  God, I love Halloween!  And that I'm not the only person who dresses up every year at work.  And that my company embraces the holiday with all the respect it deserves!

October 2009

October is one of our favorite months of the year.  Me, because my favorite day of the entire year is Halloween, and Erin because it is her birthday month!  She turned 8 years old this year which amazes the hell out of me when I think about it.  Where did the years go and OMG what if the next eight go that quickly, too?  She is halfway to driving and dating (if I can get her to actually wait that long!) and yet she is still our little bundle of joy who first made us parents when we least expected to ever take that leap.  As always we spoiled her for her birthday with basically a week of celebration!

First the annual trip to Build a Bear Workshop for yet another addition to the never-ending collection of stuffed animals.  Erin really was never into dolls or Barbies but she can tell you the names of every one of her "kids" as she calls her stuffed animals.  This year we added Jessica (the big one) and Sara (the small one).  She also got a password journal - who knew we would be shopping in the 'tween aisle at the toy store so soon!  Months later I have no idea where the password journal is that she HAD to have but Jessica and Sara are never far from her - day or night.

Daddy was working and the evening was a short one for celebrating since Erin had dance that night but this was how we spent the night of her actual birthday.

God how I love this girl who is always ready for a camera moment or a hug or a game of Wii or a snuggle on the couch.

Next up, friend party at the pool!  Yes, that's Erin and twelve of her closest friends and cousins.  And Yes, I am a touch insane to tackle this group with just Clint and I for chaperone.  But, Sami, Shannon, Taya, Sydney, Linzey, Brynlee, McKade, Brooklyn, Erin, Kylee, Jocelyn, Bailey and Sydney had a fabulous time!

We confined everyone to a rented room, hyped 'em all up on sugar and soda, let them do gifts and then we hit the pool for a couple of hours.

After dragging everyone out of the pool (and dealing with a locker fiasco) Erin decided that's what she wants to do EVERY birthday!  Lucky for us, it was an inexpensive alternative to bowling or other crazy kid party options.

Final stop on the marathon of birthday celebrations was the family party.  I decided I had skill enough to decorate a cake instead of paying a ton of money for cardboard-tasting bakery cake from Walmart so Erin designed and I decorated:

Not too shabby if I do say so myself!

I must have been busy entertaining because these are seriously the only photos we took that night.  Sign of a good party, eh?

Halloween... did I mention that it is my favorite day of the year?  Like I start planning my costume months in advance and ALWAYS dress up?  This year was no exception and I actually have gotten Clint to participate the last couple of years.  Now remember, I'm pregnant this year and most people thought that would hinder my ability to properly celebrate but I am no slouch and thanks to my packrat skills I had a FABULOUS costume.

Flash back eight years ago.  It was September 2001 and one of my friends from high school was getting married.  I was 8.5 months pregnant at the wedding where I was the matron of honor.  Yes, I'm serious.  We had to purchase two of the same dresses and use one to alter the other to fit my pregnant girth and still match the other bridesmaids.  Several months later when I was packing away my maternity clothes - here's where the insanity of packratness comes into play since even then I knew we were DONE having kids yet still I packed away my maternity clothes in a nicely labeled box?  Anyway, this summer when I pulled out the box from the basement neatly labeled "maternity clothes" because we had decided to have another kid after all... what did I find on top?  My formal dress that would fit my pregnant girth at 8.5 months!  Of course nothing else in the box was worth pulling out except a pair of basic black pants but that's not what this story is about...  I HAD A COSTUME!  And a killer one at that! 

I was a pregnant prom queen!

I talked Clint into throwing on his suit and a tie and his 80's wig so we could be a themed costume.  This is us at our friend's costume party which my sister attended this year.  She went as the first attendant in something I just happened to have in my closet for just such a backup costume type of occasion.  Seriously, we threw her costume together the day before the party.  She made total fun of me that I had one wing of my walk-in closet full of Halloween costumes but I say there's nothing wrong with it when it is your favorite day of the year, right?  Finishing touches were the real corsages and boutineers from the flower shop.  Told you I love Halloween!  I even wore the costume to work - up 'do and all!

The actual day of Halloween we gathered at my brother's house for soup and trick-or-treating with all the kids.  This year, I was not the only grown up who dressed up!  Denice was Cinderella for the nieces and I had no date (aka, Clint said no to wearing his costume again) but I still wore mine and had a blast!

Out and about getting candy with the cousins!  Erin's face painting to match her butterfly wings - that took me forever to paint on - lasted about an hour before she begged me to wash it off so she could eat.  Oh well....

Amy the pirate and Amber as herself!

Erin - the butterfly - and Brynlee - Hannah Montana.

Another October is behind us and Erin is already talking about what she wants to be next year.  Anyone know where I can find a Squirrel costume?  I heart Halloween and I heart that Erin loves it as much as I do!

September 2009

Look at me!  Blogging consistently.... call it writer's block and you'd be right.  I am stalled working on my novel since my characters took me off the tracks and into the weeds so I'm letting my subconscious stew it over while I write a bit here.  I just poured over the photos from September and it seems like so long ago.  I barely looked pregnant and I remember still feeling well enough to hike around in the mountains.  Incredible given the discomfort of the most recent pregnancy memories I have from a couple of weeks ago.  It was a fun month of family memories even though Erin was in school since we took advantage of great weather and weekend outings.

Erin and her friend Shannon on a trip to the pool after school one day.  "Disneyland Daddy" spoils her rotten!

Erin swam so much this year with Dad that she has completely gotten over her fear of water and I don't feel so bad that we haven't gotten her into formal swimming lessons yet.  Not that I do guilt, but I did feel she might be deprived of the knowledge and therefore the joy of swimming - an activity that both Clint and I love.  My Dad was a swimmer in high school and I remember learning from him at Bear Lake which proves you don't HAVE to learn to swim from an instructor you paid to teach you!

We took a day trip to East Canyon since we had never been there before and it was close enough to do in a day one Saturday when we got a wild hair up our you-know-where.  Thanks to my cousin, Kerstin, and her fabulous tips, I have now perfected the self portrait with my digital camera.  We take a lot of them - especially when there is time to kill - and I love not having to be stuck behind the camera where posterity pouring over my hard drive photos might not realize I even existed.  Ok, so this was only one of MANY including lots of funny faces that we took that day while Erin and I hung out on the rocky beach eating peanuts from the shells and feeding the chipmunks.  It was kind of a hike down from the truck and it was nice to be out amongst the trees and the rocks.

Clint half-heartedly fished but apparently it isn't a great reservoir for fishing.  Oh, wait, it might have more to do with the family of immigrants who were just out of the frame of this photo who had a dog frolicking and a bunch of kids throwing the huge rocks into the water.  Look closely and you can see the muddy water they have churned up.  No wonder he didn't catch anything.  Any fish for miles had bee-lined it far from that area!

On our way home, we stopped at the East Canyon Resort - a place I had heard a ton about from people who have timeshare there - and were promptly told that even though the signs on the road for a mile on either side said they were open and that there was a restaurant that they were actually closed.  Are you kidding me?  Remember, I'm a pregnant woman at this point.  One who if I don't eat regularly, gets sick - very sick.  So we headed for home and grabbed a burger on the way down the canyon.  All in all, East Canyon is close but we aren't impressed enough to return.

This is part of my team from work participating in the United Way Day of Caring.  We went up Millcreek Canyon to a Boy Scout camp and helped run an obstacle course for kids from a school in an underprivileged area of the city.  It was sad to think that this place is twenty minutes from anywhere in the city and yet 99% of these kids had never even been to the mountains before.  What a tragedy!!  It was an awesome experience to volunteer and see what a difference we were making in the lives of the kids.  Not to mention that I FINALLY got to go to the boy scout camp my brothers got to go to every summer and I was forbidden from because I was a girl.  na na na na naaaa na!

This is my co-worker - Pam - who I now consider a great friend (and who coincidentally is married to another co-worker and friend from my days at the bank who also works with us on the systems team).  After the end of the volunteer morning when the kids headed back to school, our team gathered together for a dutch oven lunch cooked by some of the best dutch oven chef's I've ever had the pleasure of being served by.  We are lucky to have them working with us!

Another weekend, another day trip!  This time to Mirror Lake up in the Uintah Mountains.  I spent so much time in these mountains when I was growing up that I guess I take them for granted now.  It was like coming home driving the windy roads and seeing all the trees and animals.  Erin loves the mountains as much as we do and we have vowed to do more camping every year but it isn't easy with two full time careers and a dancer in the family.

This trip was really a scouting expedition for Clint who was looking for inspiration for a painting he wants to do next.  So, I took a book and hung out with Erin - who loved playing in the little stream next to our picnic table site - while Clint hiked around the lake.  It was kind of cold and windy but it was so beautiful to see the leaves all changing among the evergreens. Fall is my favorite time of the year.

These are just a few of the photos from around the back side of the lake.  I can't wait until there's a painting inspired by one of my favorite places hanging in my house!!

Clint did a guys weekend trip on his bike with one of his buddies.  This was his first road trip on the street bike that I "impulsively" bought him the day he had his ACL surgery - TWO YEARS AGO.  He's always been a dirt biker and has a ton of time of bullet bikes but he wasn't a fan of the V-star since it is not the bike he wanted or would have chosen for himself but it was the right price and the right terms so I jumped on it.  Granted, selfishly I think eventually it will be MY bike and in the meantime it has been sitting in the garage waiting patiently for Clint to come to love it or for me to not be pregnant and confident enough to ride it since it is pretty heavy and intimidating for me still - whichever came first.

 

 

I don't know if it was the open road or the beauty of Trappers Loop in the fall that weekend but Clint came back saying "it was the best time he's ever had with his clothes on".  He kept raving about how great it was to have ridden 400 miles on a bike without nagging back pain. (I smiled and tried really hard not to use the words "I told you so" very often.)

I guess I'll have to wait my turn to call the V-Star mine until we purchase his dream bike but I'm okay with that.

Erinism's retired

It is with sadness I realized today that the cute phase of Erin's life where she says incredibly funny things while trying to grasp a command of language is over. *sniff*  And thus, there no longer needs to be a section of the blog dedicated to these tidbits.  Being the packrat that I am - which HAS come in handy this year I swear honey! - I can't just delete them from the sidebar.  So, I'm adding them as their own post so they will live on in the blog archive forever.  Or hopefully forever... until the cloud in the sky called the internet goes away taking with it everything I am counting on it for.  (Oh the horror! That's definitely a topic for another entry.)  In the future, any outrageous outbursts from my amazing oldest daughter will be documented individually.  I love you, Erin, and am sad you are growing up so fast!

9/7/09 - "It tastes like I just struck heaven!" after the first bite of pumpkin pancakes.


7/26/09 - "I don't know where Phillip is!" when the neighbor asked for a phillips-head screwdriver.  (Phillip was her favorite dancer that season on SYTYCD.

4/20/09 - "My body is commanding me to eat"

2/10/09 - "Mommy, why am I listed last on the blog? I want you to change it so I am FIRST!" Guess who's officially reading!

12/22/08 - "Mommy, you smell good, like I want to eat you!" while moisturizing our winter-dry skin together.

12/20/08 - "You can't rush the artist." Discussing the intricacies of learning a dance routine for performance.

12/4/08 - "Mommy, everybody just cares about money money money at the stores. Don't they know the boss gets all the money anyway? Spongebob taught me that!" Out of the mouth of babes....

12/3/08 - "Mommy, crackers go with soup so well!" while eating tomato soup. Another generation of girl who puts crackers in her soup is born!

11/20/08 - Today Daddy said "Does my butt look fat?" and we laughed so hard!

11/18/08 - Things got awfully quiet in the backseat while we were waiting for Daddy to come out of the gas station with a map so we could get to the beach.
"Erin, are you sleeping?"
"No, I'm sun tanning"
"How do you do that in the car?"
"You put your sunglasses on and just lay there."

10/24/08 - Today we went to see High School Musical 3 with my cousins and aunts. My favorite stuffed animal is Kitty. Kitty is so cute.

10/22/08 - "Love is better than fancy things." (Said while snuggling on the couch watching a movie with Mommy.)

Blogging reborn

I'm officially on maternity leave after the birth of Erica on January 30th and one of my goals - besides establishing a reliable schedule of sleep patterns with a newborn so I can go back to work in mid-March - is to get the family blog caught up!  I've been blogging consistently on my "other" blog but everytime I go to update this one my OCD kicks in and screams "you can't post that when there's a huge hole between August and now!"  I vow to be better once I'm caught up which includes being better about downloading photos when they are taken so it isn't such a huge undertaking...  Because, let's face it, people don't want to hear what we are up to without photos, right?  I guess it would be easier if we didn't have photos on two different cameras and now two camera smartphones... ah, the hurdles of technology!