Scenes from Christmas

This was a first for us...Christmas as a family of four. We have never been "alone" on Christmas, yet we never felt alone this Christmas. The kids woke up about 7:30 AM and explored the bounty under the tree. While we snuck in a few extra minutes in bed, I overheard their excited talk. One of my favorites from Keely: "Quinn, I am so glad we were good this year!" :)

We took turns opening gifts from under the tree. The kids each received new shoes from Mom and Dad, and quite a few toys and fun things from Santa, Grandma & Grandpa, and aunts and uncles. After presents we enjoyed a lovely breakfast of eggs, bacon and English muffins. Quinn got to work right away on what was his favorite present, a Bionicle dinosaur and figure that sits on top. James got a couple of books, cologne, gift cards to Macy's and iTunes, and a Keurig coffee maker. I received a book, The Office Season 5 on Blu-Ray, a Hokie shirt, perfume, and a robe (much needed since my old one was not only ugly but 13 years old!).

We also discovered the wonder of Skype. We talked with Lois and Ryan for 1.5 hours, finally getting to "meet" baby Adelia. She is so cute and precious and now I am even more excited to travel to see her in person next month! Then we talked with Nana & Papa and all the extended family who were enjoying Christmas at their house. It was nice to see everyone and be a part of their celebration even though we were 2000+ miles away! It is hard to be away from family but the inventions of modern technology are making that a bit easier.

So without further adieu, I prepared this slideshow of pictures from Christmas morning (well, Picasa prepared it since I was too lazy to upload these photos again and they're already on Picasa). Enjoy :)

Merry Christmas to All...

Since most of our family and friends did not receive our card yet, here's what it will look like when it arrives. And we wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

33

I had a birthday this past Saturday...33 years old now. As I've been telling family and friends who call to wish me happy birthday, I feel every bit of those 33 years! I love being in my 30s, it's great. I do not long for my 20s or anything younger. But for the first time in my 30s, I am starting to feel like my body just can't do the things it used to do. Aches and pains abound from simple activities and they don't heal as quickly as they used to. Heating pads, ibuprofen and Icy Hot have been part of my daily routine and they may become regulars. I feel the need to stretch more often at the gym -- I used to work out without any stretching. Yes I know that stretching is good for your muscles, yada yada...but I just didn't need to. Now I can't do 30 minutes on a stair master without a nice 5 minute stretch afterwards. Well, enough complaining. I am happy to be alive and well to celebrate another birthday.

I was so happy that my birthday was on a Saturday this year. It was also the first regular weekend we have had since before Thanksgiving. So it was nice to sleep in...interrupted only by my sweet children wishing me a happy birthday. Quinn even made me a homemade card without prompting :) We did the typical Saturday stuff (gym, Sam's) with some Christmas shopping mixed in there. We went out to a lovely dinner at one of my (our) favorite restaurants, Bohemian Brewery. Then we walked around the mall and did a little more Christmas shopping, mostly though to walk off the big yummy meal! I got a great birthday present from James and the kids -- an iPod shuffle that I have had my eye on for months. It is super tiny so I can clip it on my shirt or pants at the gym and it can hold 500 songs. Can't wait to try it out!

So I had a great birthday, and look forward to my 34th year. :)

Smart Cookies

Last week when I picked the kids up from school one night, Quinn grabbed me right away bringing me over to the gym lobby to show me his newest achievement. Each week the students have a "Math Counts" competition where they have to answer a certain number of questions as fast as they can. If they get them all right in under 2, 3, or 4 minutes their name is put on the board in the lobby. Quinn and a few other children in his class achieved the 4 minute mark for the first time this year! He was quick to tell me that he's aiming for 2 and 3 minute marks soon, but honestly those are all 3th to 6th graders so it may be a ways off. He loves math and zooms through that part of his homework, so it was not a surprise. But it was fun to see him so excited about his good work :)

And while I am on the subject of smarts, we have had two other achievements this week as well. James passed the PE exam (Professional Engineer) and I passed the CQA exam (Certified Quality Auditor). Not totally surprising, especially James and the PE -- I just knew he would do fine on it having taken it myself 6 years ago. Oh, and not to leave Keely out...she has been working on her math skills also and is now counting without any effort to 100 by ones, fives and tens :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

I promise I will get back to Thanksgiving shortly. But in the meantime, the Christmas season is upon us. December has been a whirlwind so far and it's going to continue for another week. After that, the month seems to settle down and I hope to be able to relax and enjoy the season a tad more. Amongst the "busy"ness....the house is decorated. The tree is up and decorated, even complete with a new star on top. There is snow on the ground. The temperatures are bitterly cold. The first batches of cookies have been made and eaten...sugar by James and chocolate chip by Callie. Yes, my counter cruiser is at it again. And we have once again proven that chocolate is not deadly for dogs. There is still much to be done before the big day...shopping, Christmas cards, baking, and I'm sure more that I am not thinking of right now. But December is upon us and this little girl would not let us wait much longer to get the festivities started. She has even invented new uses for Christmas decorations :)

The Fight Begins Again

Keely was born in Arizona which I can only presume is the main reason for her distinct aversion to all things cold. She is a happy go lucky girl when she can wear a bathing suit, flip flops, tank tops, shorts, you get the idea -- anything summer like. I dread the winter months with her. The snow has already flown in our neck of the woods and the temperatures are dropping. Which means one thing for me. The fight has begun. Wardrobe issues, as I like to call them. Thank goodness for school clothes because it is the one thing I don't have to fight with her about. And she's way into wearing her pants these days. Yes, I said pants! This from the girl who wore her jumper for one entire year it seemed. But on the weekends and in the outerwear department, I struggle so. She seems to be allergic to socks. She hates her winter coat. She just doesn't want to wear her winter gear. She makes me freezing just looking at her when she's in the house with a summer nightgown and no socks! Warm blooded for sure and most definitely not my offspring in that regard. So the fight has begun and it's no fun. It will continue until say, March or April except for the few warm days that we are graced with before Spring. Oh, and the time we are in Las Vegas. And the time we are in Florida. See why I want to move somewhere warm??? At least this is one thing I wouldn't have to fight about, since she gives us fits and trouble with many other things...

Girls Night Out

On Saturday night, Keely and I had a special night out with her friend Annika and her mom. The girls have birthday within 2 weeks of each other so we decided to treat them to a fun night in honor of turning 6. We took the Trax downtown and headed to The Gateway for dinner. We dined at a "lovely" restaurant (the girls declared it such) called Thaifoon. Both girls are adventurous eaters so we ordered a couple of main dishes, rice, pad thai and lettuce wraps. Oh, and a couple of fruity drinks for the adults (hey it was our night out too!). After dinner we headed over to Energy Solutions Arena for our main event, Disney Princesses on Ice. I have never been to a show like this before but it was actually pretty well done. The girls were mesmerized the whole show. Lots of other girls at this show were dressed in princess gear and I was surprised that most of the people around us were not children but young adults and women. The show lasted about 2 hours with a short intermission and then we hit the Trax back to Sandy. I enjoyed reliving all of the Disney movies and singing along to the music. Keely said she did not have a favorite Princess but she enjoyed the whole event and evening. It was fun and I look forward to more events with my girly-girl :)

The Main Event

The last day of our trip to New Jersey (minus travel day on Wednesday) was the entire reason the trip had been planned at all. I spoke of this event way back in January! It seemed to have arrived all too fast for something that long in the making, but time flies as it always does. The confirmation was scheduled for 2 PM. It was a very well planned event and it moved along smoothly. I especially liked the Bishop's homily about what confirmation means, he really aimed it at the 8th graders and I hope they got as much out of it as I did. He spoke on their level and made some jokes that I think they mostly got. I don't remember having a funny Bishop when I made my confirmation but certainly it's not the same person as it was 20 years ago (holy cow, that makes me feel old). After the ceremony, we went to a lovely Italian restaurant and had a great dinner. The kids enjoyed spending more time with their cousins. In particular, Keely was happy to be with a girl. Let me explain...all of my cousins are boys. Danielle is the only girl and the next girl born was Keely, nearly 7 years later. And Keely lives 2,000 miles away so they don't often get to spend time together. They were both pretty excited to have another girl around, as evidenced in this picture!Thanks to Suzie for taking the pictures, since I did not have a camera. I think this family picture plus Danielle & Michael came out really nice.
Here we are with the Bishop. It was very orderly and since Danielle is one of the shortest in her class, we were practically the first out of there with pictures and all.
I am so happy that (a) Danielle asked me to be her sponsor and (b)we were able to make the trip to New Jersey for the event. It was an honor to stand up with her in such an important milestone in her religious life. We enjoyed the time we got to spend with all the family as well, so I'd say it was a perfect trip. Tiring, but fun!

Action Packed...

We don't visit NJ all too often. When we are there, we cram as much as possible into whatever time we have. We visited with family. We visited with friends. We visited with Grandma and Grandpa. We ate pizza. We ate bagels. We had Dunkin' Donuts (there aren't any out West). We had good ravioli. Can you tell we ate a lot?!?! Pretty much ate and visited, then ate more and visited more.

The busiest day was Monday, when we visited New York City followed by Staten Island. The kids have never been in the City before. Heck, I hardly went there even when I lived in NJ. We took the train in and had a lovely breakfast with Jessica. We walked to the Empire State Building and waited in line with all the other tourists to take the elevators to the 86th floor observation deck. We walked down (or maybe up) 5th Avenue to the American Doll Store. Keely got a doll of her choice from Nana & Papa for her belated birthday gift. She initially named the doll Julie, but changed it to Amy Jasmine. We walked all the way back to Penn Station. We met up with Dan for a quick visit. Then we headed back on the train to NJ. It was a busy day, but then we drove to Staten Island for dinner, dessert and two different groups of family visiting. Wow, a busy day but so much fun.

Our day in pictures in no particular order, Keely got to hold my cousin's baby. In family relations, this would likely be Keely's 5th cousin. Her name is Emily Marie and she is a little peanut, about 6 lbs. and just precious. Keely looked just huge holding her!
Quinn on the 86th floor of the ESB, and notice the man's hat flying off in the background!
Now Keely but she's inside the glassed area because it was mighty windy out on the deck.
Quinn admiring the view.

That was most of the trip, minus the entire reason for it. I'll tackle the Confirmation next...

Only in New Jersey...

...do you see a ~12 year old boy dressed up as a Hasidic Jew for Halloween?!?! :) We trick or treated in New Jersey after our late late arrival on Friday night.

Oh wait, I cannot discuss Halloween without an event that occurred first. On Thursday evening, we got home and were headed back out to get some pizza for dinner. The kids both saw a silly piece of paper stuck in our front door and immediately wanted to get it. So I thought I would head off the collision at the door by asking Keely to get the mail, which is in the opposite direction. Silly me. What ended up happening may ruin Quinn's modeling career. They collided, Keely's forehead and Quinn's nose. Oh boy, did he get hit. Immediately bled profusely and I got some ice on it. The swelling started the next day, followed by black eyes. He couldn't breathe through his nose for the first few days and I was really nervous. But we consulted with our family medical personnel and it was decided that (a) it was probably broken and (b) there was nothing a doctor would do but tell me to ice and use ibuprofen to keep the swelling down, which I was already doing. He looked like he's been in a hell of a fight though. Perfect for his ninja costume!

So back to trick or treating. We went to my cousin's house and joined up with 4 cousins and some friends. We had some lunch and then hit the streets. And boy were those crowded streets. I have never seen so many kids out at once. They even have a neighborhood party in a cul-de-sac with music and free food. There was even a Robert DeNiro and Tony Soprano sighting. Good times! We also bobbed for apples, even me -- which I don't think I have ever done before. Here's the evidence...Keely after soaking herself in the first try for an apple...The kids lined up eating their free Italian Ices in the cul-de-sac. From left to right, a ninja, two hippies, a rapper (who may have been a pimp...), a scary dude with a Scream mask, pirate with muscles, and a joker with another scary mask. Cute group, huh? Quinn was the only one missing.
Here they are, my two ninjas. This was the only time that they have picked the same costume. Aunt Annie (A.A. as they've started calling her) ordered them online and I was a little nervous that they would not fit. But they were perfect and the kids loved wearing them! If you zoom in, you can see the nose swelling.
Keely loved to pose in her costume with her knives. All weapons were fit into the suitcase and made it home safely.
That was Halloween in New Jersey. The rest of the action packed trip to come...

Conference Time

The kids have already finished their first quarter of school (actually it was on October 16th) so it's time for report cards and conferences with their teachers.

We visited with Mrs. M first to discuss how Keely is doing in Kindergarten. I was honestly expecting it to be a not-great report because of her behavior issues. But like I said, the past two weeks have been great and Mrs. M believes she has the situation under control. Keely still has her moments, but they have a good relationship and Mrs. M feels things are on the right track. Aside from that, Keely is doing wonderful with her Kindergarten learning. She knows all of her sight words (and more) and all of her letter sounds. This is not surprising as I can remember driving down the road with a then 3 year old Keely in the backseat saying "Mama, wuh-wuh-wuh-Wendy's!, that starts with W" :) So she is doing well and we are happy to hear the good news!

Then we moved to 2nd grade to talk with Mrs. P about Quinn. She went over some of his work with us and showed us the main things they are working on in Science, Phonics, Math, etc. He got almost all C's (remember, that's the best grade) on his report card so obviously he is doing well. The worst mark on his report card was an S in Handwriting. He just hates writing and wants to move so quickly that sometimes it is unreadable. And when pestered about it, he gets very annoyed so it's almost better to just leave him be and make sure it's at least readable. He definitely doesn't get his neatness from James or I! He also had an S in Conduct for a few times he has been mean to other children, one time even making fun of another's work. We gave him a stern talking to when that happened and I think he got the point. He's usually a well behaved child but sometimes he gets caught up with other kids and makes poor choices. Overall though she didn't have much to report on Quinn as he is a great student. We are proud that he is doing good and happy that he loves learning so much. He is still like a little sponge and I'll enjoy this stage as long as it lasts :)

It's Her Birthday...and She'll Lie if She Wants To

The night at the hotel went pretty well. Keely chose to eat dinner at Red Rock Brewing Co. (the girl has some good taste!) and then we headed back to the hotel to change into our swimsuits. Quinn snapped this photo of Keely and I at dinner.

The pool was pretty chilly but you know that never bothers kids. I only partook in the hot tub which is probably why I ended up getting sick the next day (more on that later). We let the kids swim until almost 9 PM then tried to get them to calm down with some chocolate fudge cake and ice cream (something tells me that plan was not well thought out...lol). We all ended up going to sleep a little after 10 and I knew the morning would be rough. The crazy guy knocking on the door at 12:45 was annoying and that ended my good night's sleep. We were all up about 6 AM but the excitement of Keely's birthday kept everyone going strong through breakfast.

Keely brought cupcakes to her class and then the rest to EDP to share with the teachers there. Enter the lying part, just a small white lie that she told to get a second cupcake. No big deal and to be honest, aside from that it has been her only infarction the last two weeks.

She opened her presents after a fast food dinner at Wendy's. She got a Barbie sleepover puppy dog from Quinn, and a diary, jewelry box and some more Easy Bake oven supplies from us. Then we had cake. Well not me because at that point I am in the midst of the stomach virus I caught in the hot tub (allegedly). I make James take these pictures for posterity as I am doubled over with nausea. Too much information, I know. She was happy nonetheless to be sung to and enjoyed her cake. For a Kroger box cake, it was not bad but definitely a little cardboard like (I finally was up to tasting it last night).

And without further ado, here is my Princess cake with no face drawing required :)

Preparations

Tomorrow my baby girl will turn 6 years old! Wow, where did that time go?!?! I was a tad unprepared but in a last flurry, we seem to be ready for her special day. Her cake is made and decorated (photos to come) -- she chose a box Princess cake that came with edible princess images. Those that know my history will be familiar with my past attempts at princess cakes, not too successful to say the least. I am just not good at making faces! So this was a welcome relief, to have it all done for me. It came out really cute and we'll see how it tastes since it was a store brand cake mix. We are celebrating Keely's birthday a tad different this year. James is taking the P.E. (Professional Engineer) exam tomorrow downtown at the Salt Palace. So instead of driving him down there for the early morning start (it's an 8 hour test), we decided to stay downtown in the Hilton...for free, of course using our points. As usual, I am hoping for an upgrade to Executive Level which means bigger rooms and free food :) We will head down this evening after work and Keely gets to choose where we have dinner, as it will be her official birthday dinner. Then we will swim in the pool and try to get to bed at some reasonable hour because there is still school/work tomorrow. I'm picking up cupcakes (pink frosting with princess rings, of course) this evening to bring to Kindergarten tomorrow morning. So her cake is made, presents are wrapped and we are all set for the big day. She is beyond excited and the added fun of a night in a hotel is making it even more exciting!

Social Butterflies

We typically have quiet weekends with the usual errands and laundry that has piled up over the course of a week. To tell the truth, I kind of like it that way. When we do have busy times on the weekends, it often feels like I need a do-over to catch up. That's why I like working from home on Mondays :)

This weekend was not all that typical. On Friday night, we went to a fall BBQ that is held annually by the younger members (under 35) of ASCE. We've gone the past two years now and it's a nice family event. They cook up some yummy food, it's free and they provide pumpkins for carving. Last year we (mostly the moms and dads) gutted the pumpkins and then helped the kids carve in pretty much pitch black since it was up in the canyon. This year it was at Sugarhouse Park so better lighting...and two of the guys who put this thing on spent the evening before gutting the pumpkins for us! So all we had to do was carve. Wonderful, genius, love it and I thanked them for their consideration, and my clean hands! They added a fun new wrinkle this year, a contest for the best carved pumpkin. The kids each made one and Quinn's won a prize, $20 gift card to Target. I should say that James rightly won that gift card since he carved it but Quinn told him what to do with the face so it was a joint effort. Of course Quinn spent the $ though :)

Keely with her pumpkin on our front porch. In the background is ever curious Suka, our neighbor's dog who we are babysitting until tomorrow.True to form, Quinn would not pose with his pumpkin but here's a picture of the winning carve...nothing special but I guess they liked the funny look!As you can tell from how Keely is dressed, the weather this weekend was gorgeous - really warm for Fall. Quinn had his last soccer game and we didn't freeze our tushes off. Yesterday, we spent the day and evening at a friends' house with their family and two others from the kids' school. We watched football, everyone pitched in some food so we shared a great meal, drank beer and some other adult beverages, and had a lot of laughs. The kids played so well and had a lot of fun too. We have an open invite to their house for Sunday NFL football (as long as we cheer for the Steelers, which is not a problem for us) and I think we may have to take up that offer again soon. It's so nice to have a fun day with friends where the parents and kids can all have fun together!

Volunteerism

The kids' go to a Catholic school and part of that schooling is a commitment to serve 20 hours as a family helping the school in some fashion throughout the year...or pay $12.50 per hour if you don't. We do not pay, I have always gotten 20 hours. It's hard though because as a working mom, a lot of the volunteer opps are during school hours and I obviously cannot do that very often. The last two years, I fulfilled a lot of my volunteer hours through the Junior Achievement program. This is a wonderful program that I have been involved in off and on since 1999. Last year, I took on the coordinator position for the school's program meaning that I lined up all the volunteers for each grade. It was a bit more work than I expected but I liked it, plus I was the volunteer for Keely's class (I did Quinn's class the year before). Getting to 20 hours was easy with that position. But then unexpectedly, the school principal and teachers decided not to continue that program this year leaving me with no position and at a bit of a loss for volunteer hours.

So now this year is underway and I noticed a few Board positions open so I inquired. Next thing I know I am Vice President of the HSA (Home and School Association, like PTO). Being on the Board automatically gets you 20 hours of service, but you put in way more than that. So we're all set, but now I am in the midst of lots of volunteering time. I really like it so far but I am definitely busy. I've put in almost 20 hours in the past 2 weeks as we prepared for an Information Fair last night. I made posters, prepared welcome gifts for new families and manned the HSA table at the event. It's a bit exhausting but fun too. I really like getting to know other moms and forming a circle of friends. We've been here 4 years now and I finally feel like an "insider". I have people I can count on for help when I need it, we have stores of babysitters built up, and I am making friends with common interests. These are nice things to have when you don't have family 5 minutes away.

So this was a long way of explaining what I have been so busy with these days, i.e. why I have not been writing on the blog as often. I don't feel like I am missing chronicling anything but I do feel a bit more absent and inconsistent than usual. I do expect things to slow down a bit here now that soccer is ending tomorrow, and most of my volunteer commitments are done for the moment. But in case you wonder why you're not reading any new material, at least you'll know what is likely keeping me busy :)

Sickness and Other Things

Wow, this blog has gotten away from me. I can't believe we are 9 days into October and I haven't posted once this month. I swear I have good intentions but just thinking about all that has happened in just these 9 days overwhelms me when I try to put it into words.

Most of the updates have to do with Keely. Quinn had his 5 moments of fame and now it's back to her. Not really for good reasons though, but it is her birthday month so it will turn good in the end. Last week was another downturn in school. First she got sent to the office for lying and then she told a boy in her class she was going to kick his a$$. By the end of the week I was at the end of my rope. No ideas on how to make her behave and feeling pretty low about it all. Then she got sick. How can you be mad at a sick child?!?! You can't. She was down and out for about a week, just today returning to her old self. James was also sick which is so odd. It would be me who falls ill 10 times to his one. But this time I skated through and he got it. He swears they had the evil swine flu. I go back and forth, battling between cold and flu on the verdict. They had fevers and a cough, with minor congestion. And fatigue. So mostly it looked like the flu. But with all the hype on the swine flu I have to say if this was it, then it was pretty minor. All that media buildup for nothing much. Keely missed all but 2 days of school this week and I worked from home and took some sick time. I am lucky that my boss is flexible and that I have a laptop. So far, Quinn and I show no symptoms (still knocking on wood every time I say that).

So Keely had a sick week, but at least she couldn't misbehave. There's a bright side to everything :) Hopefully we are back to normal and can enjoy the rest of October fun events to come, including Keely's birthday in just 2 weeks and our trip to NJ on the 30th.

Quinn's Birthday in Retrospect

Quinn had not just a birthday but a birthday weekend :) I picked him up early on his birthday as planned and we went to the doctor for his well check. He weighs in at about 57 lbs. and is 51" tall. Right about the 50% for his age though I always have a hard time finding kids who are taller (oh wait, I just remembered that it's all the kids on opposing soccer teams, or so it seems...). We had a change in plans for dinner (McDonald's instead) and then headed to the airport to pick up the "non-delated" Nana and Papa. We came home and sang to Quinn, then he got his present from Nana and Papa -- a 600+ piece Lego Space Police set. He spent the majority of Friday and Saturday building that one! He also got a new automatic Nerf gun set from us, and a couple of Bionicles from Keely.

On Friday night, we went out to Porcupine's to celebrate a better birthday dinner...followed by ice cream from DQ. And then it was Saturday, the day Quinn's been waiting for since probably March :)

I prepared his cake in the afternoon and was quite pleased with the result. Good thing I flew in my professional icer (otherwise known as Nana). The brains behind this cake (and clearly the more creative of the two of us) was Quinn...he wanted a reptile cake and told me he would help make it. I really think it's my best work in his 8 years :)
His friends arrived between 5 and 5:30 PM and promptly began to tear apart the house and backyard...well not really, but boys will be boys and it seems like chaos without some sort of organized activity. They started with Nerf gun fights...we had bought a few extra so that each boy would have one. The fight continued until all boys had arrived and then we took them away so we could start the games. We had them play a bean bag toss and then Papa set up ladder ball and organized them in a game of that while dinner was being prepared. We served hot dogs, hamburgers and chips. I think the actual eating part occupied them for 5 minutes in total! Then we did the pinatas, Quinn had picked 2 frogs. I have no pictures of that activity but let's just say I'm glad no one got hit in the head with a stick!

Before cake and presents, I took this picture intending to get all the party guests smiling nicely. Guess the boys had other plans...
Quinn and his friend Isaac goofing off while singing Happy Birthday To You...
Getting ready to blow out the candles...
Eating cake and ice cream. Boy, that cake went fast!After cake and opening presents (which Quinn said was his favorite part), three of the boys left. Honestly I was about to go crazy at that point and really didn't think I was going to make it through the night. The noise level of 9 boys plus 2 girls was just too much to handle. But with each departure, it got more manageable. We ended up with 6 boys and 2 girls and it was a nice group of kids so the sleepover part went about as good as it could have. The boys all settled into the family room for a movie...
And that's where they ended up sleeping. Keely and Annika slept in our double sleeping bag in the living room. We turned off the TV after the movie, then they played DS for another 30 minutes or so, then we made them put them away. Then we turned off the lights and there wasn't much else for them to do but go to sleep...right about midnight they were all asleep :) But morning came early for them, someone woke up and then before I knew it they were all up....before 6 AM :( I demanded they go to the basement so we could adults could get some more sleep, and I think I actually fell back asleep until about 7:30 AM. They played so great for the 3 hours until it was pickup time. They loved the cinnamon french toast and bacon and then in a flurry they were all gone and the house was quiet once again.

So that was it, Quinn's birthday extravaganza is over. It's a good thing we have a year to recover because if he wants another sleepover, we need that long to be ready for that again. We're all tired still (2 days later) but the most important thing is that Quinn (and his friends) had a blast!

On the Eve

Tomorrow is Quinn's 8th birthday! As I was putting him to bed, he said "Tonight is the last night I am 7 years old!". He is SO super excited for tomorrow and the weekend to come. We have lots of fun planned.

Tomorrow I will make a nice breakfast (something I do not ever do on weekdays) of pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon. Quinn is like me, breakfast is most definitely his favorite meal. He will then go to school as usual, but he gets a few perks on his birthday while he's in school. He gets a no homework pass and to pick a prize out of the birthday bin, then he gets to pick the activity in gym class. I'll pick the kids up at the end of the school day (as opposed to my normal 5 PM time) and we will go to the pediatrician for Quinn's 8 year well check. No shots involved so he's excited for the usual height, weight, blood pressure, eye check, etc. When James gets home, we will go to dinner at a restaurant of his choice. He's stuck on Porcupine's for their pasta with alfredo sauce (my boy loves his carbs, again like his mama!). I can't say I'm upset with his decision because Porcupine's is one of our faves too :)

After dinner, we will head to airport to pick up Nana and Papa (if their plane's not "delated" as Keely calls it). Then we'll have presents and some cakes or cupcakes (to be decided tomorrow after school)...I'm making a reptile cake for his party on Saturday so I'm not going to make two cakes.

And that brings us to the highlight for Quinn...his very first birthday party. How have we gotten to this point without a birthday party?!?! Well many reasons but don't worry, he's been treated very nicely each year :) He chose a sleepover party and invited 9 friends. It worked out perfectly though because 1 can't come and 3 are coming but not sleeping over. So that leaves 5 friends sleeping over plus Keely and one of her friends. We must be crazy! It will most definitely be a wild, and most likely long night. I am not one to be kept from my sleep so I hope they get to bed at a decent hour but I know that's unlikely. So I'll put Papa on night duty :) He's chosen a reptile theme for the party...so far we are having frog pinatas, dinner, reptile cake and presents for the main party (i.e. the first 3-4 hours). I still need some more activity ideas for that portion of it. Then we will put on a movie about 9 PM and pop some popcorn. Hopefully they'll wind down but I'm not betting any money on that. I'm sure chaos will ensue and boys will be boys :) I'm planning hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner and then french toast and bacon for breakfast.

We are looking forward to a fun birthday weekend, and stay tuned for pictures!

Like Ridin' A Bike...

Keely has learned to ride her two wheeler this summer. She did so on her own timeframe and most likely could have done it earlier, but as is typical to her personality she had to choose to do it. She isn't all that into though and she meanders around mostly watching everything around her instead of where she's going on her bike. But she can do it and it's nice to think we could do family bike rides now. This video was taken a couple of weeks ago at the park where she plays soccer.



Speaking of soccer, she has now played in two games. It's quite cute when they are this little but I have to wonder how much they get out of it. There are 8 girls on her team, all of which go to her school and are in the afternoon Kindergarten (but she knows most of them). They play 4 vs. 4 with no goalie. That's a recipe for breakaways and a lot of goals. In just her second game she scored her first goal! I'm glad that I got there in time to see it, as I was rushing from Quinn's soccer practice. She was beaming and just thrilled to score a goal, and more importantly in the right goal (trust me, it happens -- you spend a lot of time yelling turn around as they head the wrong way). So she likes it and they have 4 games left in this season.

While I am on the subject of Keely, a couple of other follow ups on other things I have talked about recently.

--She seems to have gotten over her separation anxiety. Thank goodness!
--Her behavior in school has improved dramatically. Seems she just needed to get into her groove and understand the rules. I got a nice e-mail from her teacher today saying that she has been sitting at tables with her friends all week and only needed one reminder to not chat. Her teacher is proud of her and we all hope that it continues. Her behavior at home and EDP has also been quite good. Not sure what we did but she seems to have fallen into a nice pattern. She is such a good helper and will do whatever you ask of her...she loves to unload the dishwasher and will get something for me most times that I ask. She is so loving, constantly hugging and kissing me and saying "I Love You, Mommy (or Mimi if the mood strikes her)"...so sweet :)

So that's the update on Keely. And I've realized that most every post this month has been about her. The rest of this month's posts will focus on my firstborn who will turn 8 in just one week!

RSL

As a part of soccer registration this season, Sandy City gave each player and one parent a free ticket to a Real Salt Lake game. We're fortunate to have an MLS team playing about 2 miles from our house yet we've never gone to a game. Since I am a coach, I also got a free ticket and Keely got one as part of her soccer registration. So bam...four free tickets! We went as a group with all 15 of Quinn's soccer team and their parents and siblings. I think we totaled some 70+ people in all! We all met up in a parking lot and walked over to the stadium together. The boys were going crazy with excitement, all in their team uniforms (Green Gators) and all siblings in uniforms as well. The reason for all that was the biggest coup our team's Coach was able to score...a trip down onto the field for the National Anthem!

The kids all went down with the other two coaches and waited for the opening announcements. They were to be a part of the 'Parade of Kings' onto the field with other local sports teams. Here they are walking out, see if you can spot Quinn.
They were to be on their best 'church' behavior when on the field and I think the size of the crowd and all the activity kept their wildness in check. I'd think it was pretty surreal to see 20,000 people all watching you :) Keely's in this one, right in front in her lavendar Butterfly (her team name) uniform.
Another one of the group...seriously they all look so calm, you can tell they are somewhat in shock :)
Walking back off the field after the Anthem, now they are loosening up a bit...
The boys mostly sat together in one row once they got back to our section of seats. We were in the 10th-12th rows on one corner of the field. We didn't really see Quinn since we were sitting at the other end of the section. He had a blast, here posing with his friends Jacob and Gabe.
This was our group...taking up the majority of three whole rows!
Keely and her friend Anneka, who is on her team had a blast too but I'm not sure they got much out of watching the actual soccer game. Also behind them are our friends Lilliana and Raul (Gabe's parents).
The game ended in a 1-1 tie. We all had a great time and I'm glad we went as a group and made it a team event. The stadium is gorgeous and I think we'll have to take advantage of it a little more often now that we know about it. I am glad though that we ate dinner before (burgers at Salt City...yummy) because just a bottle of water cost me $4! All in all, it was a fun time and I'd do it again :)

A Sight for Sore Eyes

After 19 consecutive school days, she finally chose to wear something other than her jumper :)

Miner's Day 2009

Each year on Labor Day, Park City holds an annual day dedicated to the miners that founded the town over a hundred years ago. We have been in Utah for 5 (!) Labor Days now and each year that we aren't traveling out of town (Vegas one year, Colorado another) we head up for the main event of the day, the Mucking and Drilling Contest. James is always asked to be a judge for the two contests and he's done that 3 times now. Mostly he just times each contestant and it's a fun event. I now even know most of the contestants by name and who is going to be real good and most likely take home some money. The weather this year (as opposed to last year when it felt like winter) was great...warm in the 80s with a nice breeze. We sat in the bleachers and watched while James did his work down in the "pits" :)

I snapped this picture of the kids posing on the top row of the bleachers. Someone please remind me next year NOT to sit up there again...something always gets dropped to the ground and I am freaking out about a child (most likely Keely) flipping off the back of the bleachers. We started out up there but ended up moving down as the stands got less crowded, making me much less stressed and calmer :)

Here's James down chatting with the other judges prior to the competition. Behind him is the mucker that is used for the first contest. I also love those mountains in the background...and how the ski runs are carved out. Too bad I have no desire to be up there in the winter when it's snow covered and skiers are out there hitting the slopes.

So that was how we spent most of our Labor Day and how we have for the majority of the past 5 years. It's a fun time and we all had a nice time up there :)

The Proof is in the Pudding

Quoting myself from yesterday: I never know what I will hear when I pick Keely up at the end of a given day at school/EDP.

Case in point - This morning at work I get a phone call from her teacher. The conversation goes something like this:

Me: Hello?

Mrs. M: Hello Mrs. Donovan, How is your day going?

Me: Fine so far. (expecting bad news)

Mrs. M: I just wanted to tell you about what happened with Keely this morning in art class. The teacher had them cutting circles with scissors. But Keely didn't cut a circle. Do you know what she cut?

Me: No, what? (while thinking what possible obscene or inappropriate shape she could cut)

Mrs. M: Her hair! She cut a chunk of hair from the back of her head! So I just wanted to let you know so that you're not surprised by the plastic bag of hair in her backpack.

With that, I present the latest keepsake for her baby book...

The teacher mostly thought this was humorous as did I, but Keely and I had a nice conversation about what not to cut with scissors. She said she didn't know why she did it, just "because". Then she actually tried to tell me that someone was controlling her hands making her do it! Can you believe her?!?! Luckily, the hair she removed is covered by other hair and you can't even tell she took any off. But she did get quite a chunk!

So that was the news from today. I'd be surprised if her teacher hasn't memorized my cell phone by now :)

P.S. Some boys found the shoe today, buried in sand in the playground and it is now safely on her foot...mystery solved!

Only My Daughter...

I never know what I will hear when I pick Keely up at the end of a given day at school/EDP. Sometimes it's news about how she misbehaved. On Monday she tried to kiss a boy (although vehemently denied it to us!), tried to lock a teacher in the bathroom (well, not really lock but just hold the door shut), and one other thing that escaped the teacher's memory. But I never would have guessed what they told me today. She lost a shoe! How does a child lose one shoe?!?! Seriously, I have no idea but she managed to do it. She was on the playground and kicked off her shoes when she was hanging from the bar. They were both on the ground below her and then 30 seconds later, one was missing! The theories about where the shoe is range from buried in the sand in one of the holes the boys were digging to being taken home accidentally by a girl's father who was picking his daughter up about that time. So tomorrow I have to call the office and ask the secretary to let me know if anyone digs up a Size 11 Unlisted Black Slip On Girls Shoe while at recess...they are going to think I am nuts :) Lucky she has a pair of school approved shoes from late last year that are not in that bad of condition to wear until we (hopefully) find the other shoe.

In other Keely news, she is a challenge to her teacher in Kindergarten. But she is absolutely thrilled to be there...one night while looking at her work from the day, she exclaimed "I can't believe I am actually in Kindergarten!" :) Her behavior was fine the first week but on Day 6, she went to RED on the teacher's behavior stoplight. That's two offenses and cause for a note to be sent home. Then this week we get another note saying that she is now sitting by herself since her concentration is much better that way. This was cause for concern to us (although Keely thinks it's grand) so I called the teacher the next day. It's actually a good thing because she needs to evaluate Keely and she was having trouble doing that since she's chatty with her neighbors. She works so much better now, finishes her work early and now the teacher can see how smart she is thus placing her at the right table (they group them according to similar skill sets). She will stay at her own table this week and next, then back to group table the following week. She needs to learn to do her own work and not chat with friends. She is very social girl and that's a hindrance when you sit in groups. Even Quinn had trouble with chatting in K. So hopefully her transition back to the tables will go smoothly and we can get into a good groove with her. But I really never know, and can only hope she behaves herself!

Also, I signed her up for soccer today. She will be playing on a team with 7 other Kindergartners from her school on Tuesday nights. She's excited and wore her uniform the whole night :) I also may sign her up for a drama class on Friday afternoons...she is just so artistic and creative that I think it would be a good outlet for her since singing and dancing suit her so well!

So that's the update on Keely...oh and one more thing, I got a phone call from the school on my cell today about lunchtime and thought oh no, who's sick? But it was Keely just calling to say she missed me. We chatted for a couple of minutes and then she was off with a "Love You, Bye!". Guess she just needed a mommy fix, such a sweet girl :)

Ocho

It seems like just yesterday that Quinn lost his first tooth. In reality it was almost two years ago! That first tooth was swallowed because he was so afraid to touch it. #7 and #8 were both pulled out with an announcement first. How far we've come :) Last night we were at the school's Fall Festival about to buy tickets for the rides when Quinn announced that he was going to pull out his tooth because it was all twisted. Indeed it was and in a second it was out. So now we're at the Fall Festival with no safe place to put this tooth until we can get it home for the Tooth Fairy. He ended up putting it in his shorts pocket with a Velcro closure and I am happy to report that it made it home safely into that tooth pillow!

While I am on the subject of Quinn, he started fall soccer last weekend. They've had two games already. The first was a win! That was a first for at least Quinn because the best they could muster last season was a tie. This week was a different story and they lost by too many goals to count. Quinn is playing well when he pays attention :) He almost scored one goal each week. He would have scored last week had someone on the other team not caught the ball before it could go in the goal!

Second grade seems to be going well for Quinn. He's fallen right back into the routine and is happy to be back with his friends and in the classroom next door to last year. For all the attention I pay to Keely's challenging behavior, I don't give enough to Quinn and his overall good behavior. Yes, he has his moments but I think he's finally figured out that if he listens to us the first time his life is a lot easier. He is funny and smart and still loves to hold my hand when we're walking somewhere (something I will cherish now because it may not always be that way). I can't believe my baby will turn 8 in less than a month but I really do enjoy the boy he's grown into :)

Recent Hiking Trips

We did two hikes in the last week, one last Sunday and one yesterday. The first was one of our favorites, Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It's an easy hike that we'd done last summer and the kids had already done this year with camp. The end of the hike is a great place to hang out and enjoy the cool water. This year I noticed way more little ground squirrels and chipmunks foraging around for people food...and judging by their guts, people are quite generous :( It makes me think camping in that canyon could be quite annoying!

Keely and I at the base of the falls. It was cool enough for sweatshirts, a really Fall like August day. Quinn doing a funny face...
We've never seen the top of the falls and the reason for the name but this time James hiked up there and snapped some pictures so we all could see why they call it Donut Falls.
Here's the kids and I at the end of the hike back to the car. I think we posed on this same log last year :)
Yesterday we again headed up Big Cottonwood...this time to beat the 100 degree heat (yes, that's our crazy weather here, fall one weekend and then summer the next!). We went all the way to the top and parked in the ski lot for Brighton. We've been on hikes from this area before but not in this direction. This ended up being our longest hike with the kids, at 2 miles each way! It also gained 1100' in elevation so it was no easy feat. It packed a lot of punch with not one but four destinations along the way plus some walking through water which always makes it more fun. The destinations were all lakes...Dog Lake, Lake Mary, Lake Martha and Lake Catherine. We actually didn't veer off to Dog Lake but saw it from above between Martha and Catherine.

The kids enjoyed playing on this rock on the way up to Dog Lake.
And posing nicely for the camera with a nice Alpine view behind them...
Keely took this picture (obviously) of us on the way up to Lake Mary.
Keely and I are relaxing at the first stop off, Lake Mary. We enjoyed our picnic lunch here and rested a bit. But not too much because James was anxious to get to the final destination.
An aerial view of Lake Mary. Oh how we wished we could jump into that crisp cold water! And some people did but technically it's not allowed because it is ultimately our Valley's drinking water.
Keely again with a great view behind her...
After passing by Lake Martha and then getting an aerial view of Dog Lake, we ended up at the final destination. Lake Mary and Lake Catherine are the largest of the 4 lakes. We've actually seen it from another hike we took from Little Cottonwood Canyon a couple of years ago...but we'd never been at lake level. We hung around on the beach to rest and relax before the descent.
Then it was time to head back down, it was already after 4 PM! Keely did great on this hike and I'd say she walked about 90% of the time. And because she walked the entire way down (2 miles!), we celebrated with dinner at Porcupine's :) This was a great hike, and definitely the hardest we've done as a family!