Holmes on the Range

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Rylee's bday

Rylee had a birthday this year..yes! It is true! To celebrate, Rylee and her friend Emily got the royal treatment at a local hair salon. I am posting so Emily's mom can see just how much fun they had waaay back in May!

And the afters..

Of course, the befores are gorgeous and these girls are da bomb..but it was fun to get all gussied up!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Persis Spencer Carling

Since no one commented on my last post, I know that no one will read this and I can therefore write whatever I want :)
This past month my grandma passed away. She was 91, so her death wasn't entirely a shock, but it was nonetheless heartbreaking. I thought I was ready for her to go. I thought that I would be happy for her when her time did come. I wasn't prepared for how emotional I would be to have her gone. She was always the spiritual one of the family, the one that had so much faith and love. She wrote such faith filled letters to me while I served on my mission. She was always sewing wonderful "made with love" gifts for me as a child. When I was young, she would give me $11 for my birthday..so I would still have $10 to spend after paying tithing. She was angelic.
Over the last few years, however, I saw another side of my grandma that I hadn't seen in the 30+ years that i had known her. I saw her quick wit. She would say things that would just floor me..and make me love her even more. You see, I am not the most reverent person. I tend to think that my ability to say something "snarky" to lesson the stress of a situation was the only gift I had been given. Now, I wouldn't say this gift is a heavenly gift, just a personality gift. However, over the past year or so, I have really learned that being "snarky" isn't a gift that a person would want. Not many people understand someone that is "snarky." In fact, quite the opposite is true. Most people I come in contact with think that it is obnoxious and that I should change that side of me.

As I have gotten to know my grandma's "other side" I learned that she can be angelic and still have personality. I finally learned where I acquired some of my personality from. Now, the one of the few people that actually understood me, is gone. That breaks my heart in one way, and makes me happy in another way. Happy because now I have an example of how to grow-up and be angelic and still have some personality. It gives me hope that all angels in heaven aren't flying around singing and being ultra-nice. Maybe, just maybe, some of those angels actually have personality, like my grandma.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

July

July has been fun, and crazy. My sister and her family have come and gone now, but we certainly painted the town while they were here. My brother, Nate and his girls, me and my 3, my parents, and Shannon and 3 of her kids got a 3 day City Pass for Salt Lake, which had to be used in 3 consecutive days...what a crazy trip! On day one, we went to Thanksgiving Point. We saw all the gardens, including the children's garden with all it's fun mazes and water features. We also saw the dinosaur museum. Afterwards, we headed to Snowbird to ride the tram. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, a lightning storm picked up, so we got a return ticket for a later date. While up in the canyon, we encountered a moose, which was pretty cool. We also got to witness the fullest the river has been this summer..it was a scary, wicked river!

On day two, we went to the "This is the Place" state park. We thought the kids would be bored there, but 5 hours later, we finally pulled them out! We then headed over to the zoo and caught a show and checked out the dinosaur exhibits. Then, decided to add a little more culture to our kids lives, we took them to the downtown Pie. That brought back some memories to this old lady of times there in high school...back when the place was so smokey you couldn't even taste the pizza! The kids were amazed at the 28" pizza!

Day three we went to the Planetarium and caught two shows. On this day, we were joined by 9 months pregnant Mallary and Greg. The IMAX show was pretty good, but the star show put Mallary to sleep. One of my neices walked out of the star show since the "big bang" scared her. Not the highlight of her day! I think it was the highlight of Mallary's though..she really needed that nap since, unbeknownst to any of us, she was in labor!! We then headed over to the Lion House for a nice lunch..well what was supposed to be anyway. Paige threw such a fit over not wanting chicken fingers that this mom was about ready to throw her into the lions den and leave her there! We then went to the children's museum and playing in the fountains..well most of us did. Mallary and Greg were "tired" and I was "fried" so the three of us took off a bit early. I had to get ready for the next days adventure..Ben's birthday!

The next day, was the big guys 12th bday. He wanted to do his traditional birthday celebration in the evening which includes going to Classic Waterslides, followed by fireworks, smores and water games in our backyard with the neighborhood friends. That was the plan, but when Ben woke up, I decided to take him on a mommy-son date to Kneaders for breakfast. When I got in the car, I checked my cell phone for the first time that day, and discovered that Baby Gage had been born on Ben's bday! We read the text..went and announced the news to the rest of the family, then got on the phone for the details. Ben and I enjoyed a french toast breakfast and enjoyed the idea that both Ben and Gage had the same birthday. Gage was the best bday present Ben had ever received.

After breakfast, we got the rest of the family and headed to the hospital for the bday boys to meet. That little guy is the cutest little thing. We are so happy to have him in the family.

The next day, we threw a party celebrating Ben's ordination to the priesthood. We had both families over for dinner. Thankfully I had help, because after this crazy week, I hadn't had much time to cook OR clean..and frankly, I was too tired to care how my house looked. It was a great day for our family to celebrate Ben..and to light fireworks.

The next day was the 4th of July..and more fire. We went to the neighborhood parade in the morning, then just relaxed the rest of the day..we needed it. That evening we went to a neighborhood fireworks/ picnic and socialized with the riff raff that surrounds our home.

Somewhere in the midst of this week, Ben had a track meet. He has discovered the joy of running (I have never discovered that myself..but some say it exists) He ran the mile, the 800, and a 4X100 relay. He also did the long jump. He is pretty good at the long jump, but I am just impressed that he finds joy in the distance races. He told me that the only time his brain stops churning is while he is running. I am glad he has found a positive outlet. His grandparents came to 2 of his meets and helped cheer him on, which was really nice.

Well, that is a week in the life of me..kinda crazy! I am so glad I have the kids I have that enjoy hanging out with me ( for now anyway) I hope to stretch this out for as long as possible!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Summertime and the living is easy?

Holy Cow! Hello summer! It sure came with a vengance this year. Clear through the middle of June we were topping off in the 70's then whammo- the temps rose and it finally feels like summer. Don't get me wrong, I loved the cool and the rain. In fact, my yard has never looked better. But, geesh!

Holy Cow pt. 2...this is the first year in the 7 years that my kids have been in school that we have had a real summer break. We have always been in a year-round school, until this year. We actually have 104 days of summer vacation before school comes along just to end it (k..maybe not 104 but there is a certain ring to that number) Here I thought on June 2 that I would have a long summer ahead with bored-out-of-their-mind kids. NOT..we have been so busy..here's the rundown.

First of all, we decided to finish our basement. I have had to babysit weirdo men in my house. I have been trapped inside listening to hammering, jackhammering, Spanish and Tongan.

We went to Southern California..joining Kevin's brother's family for a week of Disney and beaches and swimming pools. My kids were great fun at the park this time..no strollers, no crying babies, no crying big kids either for that matter. The girls finally pulled up their big girl panties and decided to go on the "scary" rides without making their parents look like child abusers

Guess what..they actually LOVED the scary rides this time! HORRAY!! And a hats off to Mulan, who told the girls not to be wimpy princesess but to be tough and reach their goals. She even spent a good five minutes teaching them how to defend themselves from the Hun..I LOVE YOU MULAN!!

We made an obligatory trip to the beach, much to Kevin's chagrin (he has an intense hatred for sand) but had a good trip anyway.

Returning home, I tried to establish some routines for the summer..hahaha...there is this thing called friends that kinda ruined that. I am a sucker for fun, and would hate for my kids to miss out on anything fun so if fun comes to town, routine heads out the door! I babysat some neighbor kids (3) for 2 days and that is where our routines took a nose dive. That was last week..tonight my sister and 3 of her kids (the 3 that are the same ages as my 3) arrive in town. We have non-stop fun ahead for the week with them. This coming weekend Ben turns 12 and we have all the celebrations that go along with that in addition to our country's bday and all the hoopla and fireworks that accompany that. So, for the next 2 weeks don't miss me too terribly! In addition, in the middle of all this I hope to become an aunt again! It has been way too long since these arms held a newborn, and I can't wait for little Schist (not his real name, I hope) to make his appearance. Speaking of schist..it is a mineral and my bro is a geologist. Since they refuse to tell us the names they are thinking about naming their firstborn, I have lovingly named him Schist..pretty, eh? One way to look at it is, whatever they do end up naming him won't be as repulsive as Schist :)

Oh yeah, this is the part where I mention Kevin threw his back out again..ERRRRR

Anywho..here's to August and a little bit of relaxation????? Yeah, right. But hey, I found some time to blog :)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

snow

Here is my weak confession for the day: I love it when it snows and covers my driveway. Why? Cuz I actually enjoy shoveling the driveway. Don't tell Kevin, I would hate to take away the fun he has with his snowblower.

Reasons I like it:
I get exercise.
I like to actually get out of my house in the winter and this gives me a great excuse.
I can see that I am actually accomplishing something and my kids can't mess it up!
I like to be able to wave to all the neighbors as they drive by.
I also like to see the looks of pity from the neighbors :) he he
makes me feel tough.

That is my confession for today anyway..a day where it snowed 1 inch. If it snows more than that another day, this confession is null and void.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Seasons

You know how in your twenties you are so excited to get on with your "real" life? Adventure was just around the corner and life changed so much from year to year. Seriously, I think that decade was amazing. From gallavanting around the world, graduating from college, to falling in love, to getting married, and then having kids. Yes..there was a period there. That pretty much ended the "all about me" phase of life. It is amazing how the types of adventures drastically change once the kids show up. Is it bad? NO! Just different.
Now that I am well into my thirties (some would say I am late, actually) I am starting to look back and learn. I have learned that there really are seasons in life. Old people used to tell me that, and I thought "whatever..I am just going to let summer last forever." Now that I am where I am, I see that even though summer is the best, it is still exciting to see the leaves turn colors when Fall comes around.
I look back and see that where I am now is so much easier than a few years back..in some ways, and so much harder in others.
Easier in that I can actually get some sleep. Easier that I can leave my oldest home to tend while I run to the library to drop off books. Easier that Saturdays mean that the kids can play with friends all day and I don't have to entertain..they figure it out on their own.
Harder in..the kids are getting big enough that they can no longer be forced into the car..they actually have to get into the car themselves. This may sound weird, but I can no longer force the kids to go buy shoes, because those feet can't be picked up and forced into the car. Harder in the fact that my kids are smart now, I can no longer just tell them "because I said so." Harder in that the kids are busy and I have to be available to make the busy happen.
Some people may look at my life and say that I have it so easy. I may look at their life and think they have it made.
In my old age, I have learned that everyone has it hard..it is just different hard.
In my "season" it is much easier to go places than in the past "season" but I am now dealing with emotional stresses that I didn't have to deal with in the previous "season."
All I can do is try to help others whose lives are not the same..and try to not judge them based on my life. To every season, turn, turn, turn.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Nerd

Today I got an email from my Congressman. He has arranged for my family to tour a ton of places in Washington D.C. I know we can't do them all, and I am so torn as to which tour to give up. Do I visit the Pentagon just to say I went there? Do I go to the Supreme Court and see where the law goes down? Do I do a tour, or just look myself..oh how I love planning trips..it is even more fun than actually going sometimes.
One thing I am for sure doing..going to the Library of Congress! Me in the largest library..I shall feel just as Nicholas Cage's character did in National Treasure. I shall geek out and maybe get a bit verclempt. I even hope to get a library card, ohh baby!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Hello, my friend, hello

Here I am!

Can I just take a moment to list the things that are making me happy right now? Please? I feel I need to list these happy things so that I can remember what they are, cuz somehow the unhappy things seem to have more weight in my head..why is that?

1. My littlest brother and his wife are going to have a baby! We haven't had a little one around for 4 years..I cannot wait. I think they should name it Shiest or Gneiss since my brother is a geologist. What do you think?

2. I get to go visit my sister in Virginia! For my birthday my hubby surprised me with a family trip to her house for a week..and my sister agreed to put us up as her end of the bday gift. I can't wait to see her!

My family..except for Nate's family..we missed you Nater!

3. On that subject..I love my birthday! So many wonderful friends took time to express their love, and I soo needed it. Thank you to those fantastic friends that threw me a party or sent notes. Love ya!

4. I have money burning a hole in my pocket that is all mine! I will still have that money next year, but I just love knowing that it is all mine, if I find something worthy of spending it on :) Yes, I am that cheap..and thank you Mom and Dad for allowing me to burn that hole..another reason I love my birthday :)

5. I am thankful for my kiddos that make me Lego love you notes. I just adore them!

Me a long time ago, with an awesome missionary companion

6. I am so happy to have a friend serving an LDS mission right now. She listens to my advice like I know something..little does she know...but I love her for letting me pretend!

7. I am happy to have a husband that works so hard..and puts up with me. I can be a real peach sometimes.

8. My brothers, sister, grandparents, and parents that help me..thankful they are healthy and happy and so glad they allow me into their lives.

Life is good, you just have to look for it sometimes. That is my "thankfulmony":..the end

Monday, October 11, 2010

Ice skating

Here is what I have learned this year.. Don't take a 5 year old ice skating if the rink doesn't have one of these walker thingys! Even if they do have one of these walker thingys, make sure you do lots of back stretches first. This picture was taken up in Park City at their outdoor rink last February. Paige thought it was so fun. I stood behind and pushed her, while she enjoyed the free ride. After an hour, I was stuck in a Hutchback of Notre Dame pose. It was great bonding and fabulous weather.
Well, that experience made Paige think that she was heading to the Olympics. She kept begging and begging to go again, so I took her and her two siblings to the Murray indoor rink. BIG FAT MISTAKE! First of all, this rink does not have those cool walker thingys. I had to hold Paige the entire time. (OUCH!) Second, her sister and brother had never been ice skating, so 3 kids+1 adult= CARAZZY MOMMA! The oldest child was so uncoordinated on skates that he was in tears out of embarrassment. The second child was in tears because I wasn't watching her amazing skills of holding on to the wall AND moving. The third child was in tears because she thought she was a pro since this was her second time in a rink, and could NOT figure out why she kept falling. After an hour, mom said ENOUGH..but that is the exact second that child #1 and child #2 finally got the hang of it, and didn't want to go. So THE HUTCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME returned to the ice, hunched over Paige and carried her for another 2 hours!
I don't know what the heck I was thinking when I decided to try ice skating with 3 kids. I must have had some delusional moment when I thought they may actually be handing out Mother of the Year awards. I must have had a vision of me receiving accolades and maybe even a cool tiara when they (the Mother of the Year award show hosts) saw how amazing I was. But, alas, there is no such show or hosts. Instead, I got sympathetic looks from other mothers that said, " ha ha, been there done that!" Well I have one word to say to those people..WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN ME??
So, this is my warning to you..
You will not receive an award for taking 3 kids ice skaing by yourself.
You will have back pain for 3 days after ice skating.. and that is even if you don't fall.
Your kids will love you for taking them. It is this last item that will probably make this insane mother take them ice skating again in the very near future. What a weirdo I am :)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

My fans beg for more..

Wow..three whole people that noticed I posted! Maybe I have kept my fans in limbo for so long they may actually miss me???
Well, here is the scoop why I have not been a blogger this summer...Young Womens presidency. Need I say more? That church stuff sure can take all the energy out of a gal.
I have always looked forward to the time I would be deemed worthy to be able to be in Young Womens as a leader. Who wouldn't want to go play every week? YW is were the fun is! Between girls camp, swimming/boating activities, weekly paint-your-fingernail activites..the fun never ends, right?
Ok..so maybe I just want to be a yw again, perhaps not the leader??
Too bad I had to grow up and have to be all responsible.