PUGH

Our Christmas card photo shoot was a little less than ideal this year.  Here are some of the outtakes.   We call the top one the "George Castanza."

Is it bad that this last one makes me laugh?

It's been some time since the last man blog.  This is probably a good thing for most of you.  But it is time to speak my mind with all the craziness going on in the world with elections, tanking economies, and holiday planning.  That's why I've chosen to write about cereal.

Who doesn't love cereal?  It's one of the best foods ever invented.  You can eat it for any meal, and it's loved by people of all ages.

The other day I was trying to decide upon my favorite cereal.  You might think that's an easy question to answer, but it's not since each cereal brings so much uniqueness to the breakfast table.  So I've broken them down into various categories and have analyzed them by the following characteristics:  taste, marketing appeal, texture, nutritional value, and overall coolness.  Yes, I'm a nerd.  Embrace that fact up front and you will be better prepared to enjoy this man blog entry.

We start with the classics because, well . . . they are classics.

KIX - I like the little balls and how they crunch in your mouth.  But they don't hold sugar well when poured on.  That's a major downfall.

FROSTED FLAKES - Some may argue that Frosted Flakes belongs in the sugar delight category (see below), but this is my list, so I can do what I want.  Tony the Tiger is hands down the coolest cereal mascot.  He would make a "GRRREAT" University mascot.

LIFE - "Mikey likes it."  What a great commercial.  They just don't make those type of genuinely happy and totally cheezy commercials anymore.  Timmy likes it as well.

CHEERIOS - Gets religious points for being so popular with kids at church.  I personally don't like them, but they are healthy and kids love them for some reason.  Why?  Do they have some addictive chemical in them?  Even Tommy eats Cheerios.

CHEX - Corn and Rice Chex are the best in the Chex family.  But they've confused me with all their different kinds of Chex.  Do we really need this many Chex choices?  Who really likes Bran Chex?  If they decide to add yet another brand to the family, I'm campaigning for BBQ Chex . . . that would be awesome.  My brother-in-law, Todd, would buy them for sure.

RAISIN BRAN - Clearly the best healthy cereal.  But don't make the mistake of buying just any Raisin Bran.  Post Raisin Bran is horrible.  You need to go with Kellogs.

WHEATIES - The breakfast cereal of champions is like the network channel that was invaded by cable TV.  At one point it was top dog, but it got complacent and let the competition pass it by.  But if I'm picking a cereal that could make a huge comeback, it would be Wheaties.

LUCKY CHARMS - The leprechaun is fantastic, but really, I'm not a huge fan of Lucky Charms, which I know will offend some of you.  I just can't get behind the marshmallows.  I think marshmallows are kind of gross.  What are marshmallows made of anyway?

TRIX - People wear shirts that say, "Trix Are For Kids."  If you have shirts made after you, then you know you have arrived as a cereal.

CAPTAIN CRUNCH - Tastes good, but not worth the pain.  The captain will destroy the roof of your mouth as you crunch.

FRUIT LOOPS - Love them, and I really like having the bird as a mascot.  Generally, birds don't sell product well, but Toucan Sam has done a tremendous job working me over.

COOKIE CRISP - Really?  This is a cereal?  Someone decides to put cookies in a cereal box and then it becomes a cereal?  If I put Milk Duds or Dots into a cereal box and pour milk on it, does it all of a sudden become cereal?  Nice try Cookie Crisp, but we see right through your feeble attempt to confuse the cereal consumer.

GENERICS - I know grocery expenses are rising, but please look for other places to cut your expenses.  Don't buy generics to save money only to lose your soul in the process.  If you plan to argue that generics are as good as brand cereal, I will consider deleting your comment.

COCOA PUFFS - Solid cereal, but nothing like the line below . . . 

COCOA RICE KRISPIES - Rarely does the sequel surpass the original, but such is the case with Cocoa Rice Krispies -- so much so that I'm not even mentioning Rice Krispies.  Part of the reason is because Rice Krispies treats have overtaken the cereal itself.  Snap, Crackle, and Pop have gotten too big for their britches.  Plus, the whole marshmallow thing surfaces again.  But the Cocoa Krispies crew is a different Snap, Crackle, and Pop, and they produce the best tasting cereal on the entire planet.

VARIETY PACK - I love the variety boxes.  There isn't nearly enough cereal in one of those little boxes, but just the fact that I have so many choices gives it major bonus points.

I'm sure I've left a few great ones off the list, so go ahead and make your case to the Cereal Committee of One.

my two year old and my five year old playing Monopoly together---in French.  (Note:  The sun hasn't come up yet.)

On another note, as I reread my last blog I realized that I seriously said seriously way too many times.  Seriously.

So, here's my little green monster.  He's been really looking forward to soccer this year.  After their practice this Wednesday his team got their uniforms.  Tommy was so excited, he made a little "uniform man" when he got home.  (This includes laying the uniform out on the floor as if it were being worn)  I have been told that Tim often did this in his youth.  (Seriously, Tommy is a miniature Tim)  Tommy then thought it would be funny to lay under his "uniform man."   Ha ha ha. . . 

Here is the green monster during his game.  Seriously, he was loving it . . . giving thumbs up and fist pumps after each goal his team made, hustling, cheering.  Tim and I were more than a little proud.

And here is Hannah, trying to be patient after watching so much sports.  First Daddy's wiffle ball games then Tommy's soccer.  (I know, you're thinking "wiffle ball?"  If you want more elaboration, ask Tim for a man blog post.)

Okay, so Tommy's team isn't the green monsters, but shouldn't they be?  I mean, look at them!  They're green.  All over.  Shirt, shorts, socks--all green.  And what's their name?  The Tigers.  C'mon, green . . . tigers???

Okay, so it's Fall Break here.  I'm trying to figure out how to entertain the kids for a week.  Tonight was pumpkins.  Tomorrow . . . ?

So lately I've been on a sewing kick.  No, I'm not an experienced sewer, but I thought I'd try my hand at a skirt for Hannah.  Hannah wasn't so into the dress up and photo shoot, but after some struggling, seam adjustments, more struggling, and distractions, I finally got a couple pictures of the completed project on the model.  Don't look too closely . . . and remember it's my first time!  (Okay, I stand corrected.  I have done it before, but that was over 8 years ago!)

On another note . . . Tommy is the defender of the world!

Watch out evil-doers.

This last weekend we were able to make a quick jaunt to Utah.  It was a short trip, but we were able to cram lots of things in!

GOLFING:

VISITING GRANDPARENTS:

RECONNECTING WITH OLD FRIENDS:

CAMPING PUGH STYLE:

PLAYING IN THE FLOWERS . . .

. . . WITH A FRIEND:

MAKING SILLY FACES WITH COUSINS:

We really had a blast!  We came home tired and happy.  Thanks Anna and Todd for hosting us and being our shuttle service.  It was really fun to see friends and family, especially those we haven't seen in a few years!

Oh, and . . . 

Not long after Tim and I got married, we were in need of paper.  See, I was still in college and needed some paper to print out my reports, projects, etc., not to mention the other random needs one has for a sheet of paper.  Well, we had a membership to Sam's Club, so on one of my visits, I thought, "Hey, I'll just pick up some paper while I'm here."  So, I proceeded to put some paper in my cart.  

I'll bet you're imagining me putting a ream or maybe a package containing a couple of reams of paper into my cart.  Oh, you would be wrong, dreadfully wrong.  I got a Sam's Club size BOX of paper--a BOX I could barely lift!

I brought my BOX (I have to capitalize it to emphasize how BIG it was) home, so proud of myself for having completed my errand.  Tim got home and was aghast at the amount of paper I had just purchased.

Well, this BOX of paper has been through our entire 7 plus years of marriage so far.  It has lived in four different homes with us, including a trip across the country.  It served me well in my last year of college and now serves Tommy in his school activities.

Sadly, this reliable source of paper will soon be coming to an end.  We've faithfully used it, sheet by sheet until now, of our BOX of paper, only one ream remains.

Dear BOX of paper, I bid you farewell.

Those are the words we've been hearing in our house for weeks.  Hannah has been so excited for her birthday!  The morning began with a stirring rendition of "Happy Birthday" sung by the talented vocalists, Mommy, Daddy, and Tommy.  Hannah was a captivated audience and laughed and clapped afterwards.  Here she is with the one present she got to open in the morning.  She needed a toy to play with during her "Happy Day," right?

That evening Lizzy and Jose came over to have a birthday dinner and enjoy some Olympic fever.  Go Beijing 2008!!  

Finally it was time for Hannah to blow out her candles.  Was all her blowing practice going to pay off?  She got the first one out no problem.  But the second one was a little more stubborn.  While Hannah was blowing it out, she brushed her chin against the flame.  There was no injury, but Hannah was more than happy to have Daddy help her finish the job.

Oh, and the mark on her face is not a bruise.  We went to pick up clothes at the cleaners, and the cute lady who owns it saw that it was Hannah's birthday and painted hearts on her cheek and hand.  Hannah loved it!

Then came present time!  As you can see, Tommy is more than happy to help Hannah open her presents.

I am thankful for my little girl who brings so much laughter and happiness into my life!

Tommy had his very first day of school today.  Doesn't he look so sweet!  He has been looking forward to kindergarten for awhile now.  On meet the teacher night, we stayed the whole hour and a half because he just didn't want to leave.

This morning I walked him to his classroom and stole a shot of him in his desk before the teacher closed the door.  (Needy mom, I know.  But isn't it cute?)  He was really excited to be at school, and as much as I was anticipating this day, I found that I got a little choked up.  It's weird not having him at home all day.

Hannah really missed him too.  She cried all the way home, and when we got home she kept crying and calling his name until I put a show on to distract her.  In the middle of the show there was a knock at the door and she shouted out, "Tommy home?"  When Tommy finally was home, she loved having her playmate back.  They laughed and ran around together most of the afternoon.

When we got home from picking Tommy up, there were cookies waiting for him.  He got to eat the cookies and tell me all about his first day of school.  I learned about Eddie Bear and the Gingerbread Man.  It sounded like he had so much fun, I couldn't help being so happy for him!

On Saturday Tim and I took on what I thought wasn't a very ambitious project but which turned out to be a touch longer than I expected.  Why does painting always take longer than you think it will?

For Christmas the kids got a little playhouse for outside.  We put it together fairly soon afterwards but it's been sitting there, unpainted for months.  So, I decided it finally needed to be completed (remember my post about unfinished projects?)  Unfortunately I decided this on a hot, Arizona summer afternoon.  (I know, what was I thinking???)

Tim and I were out there for about 4 hours baking in the sun, painting, watching Hannah and Tommy playing in the wading pool.  I nearly got in there myself!

The obvious downside of this endeavor was the heat and the amount of time it took.  However, we now have a nice, completed playhouse, and the paint took only a few minutes to dry!!

So, my brother, the last of the Strong clan, has donned the ring and gotten married!  Congratulations Justin and Tanya!  We had a fun weekend with family to celebrate their nuptials. (I'm so glad I got to use that word.  How often do you hear nuptials?)  Unfortunately, I was terrible at taking pictures during the festivities and got my camera out only once during the weekend.

On the upside, their photographer, Lindsay Silsby, took some beautiful pictures and posted a handful on her site.  So if you want to see some pictures of the happy couple, click here.

We were able to have my brother and his family stay at our house during the wedding.  It was really fun to have them.  Tommy and Hannah both loved having cousins to play with first thing in the morning.  And I loved having Dallin and Lauree to talk to after kids were in bed!  It also made leaving Grandma's house a lot easier for Tommy when he got to bring cousins home with him.

Hannah absolutely loved having Savannah read to her.  And I absolutely love that they are both known as "Nanna" and look like they could be sisters in this picture.

One morning I let Tommy get down his little video game.  It was cute to see all 3 boys crowded around such a little screen!

Unfortunately those are the only pictures I took.  I know, totally lame.  But that just goes to show how much fun I was having seeing everyone!  

To make this tray, we used an 11x14 frame, hardware, scrapbook paper, ribbon and stamps.

We took the frame, opened the back and removed the glass and paper they had in it.  We used the paper that was in the frame to glue our scrapbook paper onto.  That way we could make sure that our "design" would be the correct size.  The scrapbook paper we had wasn't long enough, so we had to use two pieces.  Make sure you match up the design so the seam is hidden.  (I tried to show a pic of this below.  It turned out fuzzy, so I hope you can still see it.)

We then added a ribbon to separate the two different patterns of scrapbook papers that we used.  Next, we added circles of patterned paper to add "umph" and 2 circles of neutral paper--one for Santa's plate and one for his glass of milk.  (They were already stamped with the circle and words when we got there)  We antiqued the paper by adding yellow and brown ink to it.  I'm trying to remember exactly how we did that.  I think we took a paper towel, kind or crumbled it up, dipped it into the stamp pad, then onto the paper.  We added stamps to decorate (flowers) and letters to spell "Santa" and "For."