The Jungle

Lucky Seven

2012-01-24T23:37:00.011-07:00

Carter turned seven! This kid is completely obsessed with these little rubber toys called the Trash Pack. He loves them and wanted a Trash Pack party for his birthday. (Carter's not sad or angry in this picture. He just inherited his dad's "must pull a face in every picture" compulsion.)

We had so much fun celebrating Carter on his birthday. We started the morning with the party, which was at Xtreme Air Sports. We had never been there (in fact, I never even went over to check the place out beforehand), so I was just hoping that the party would actually be fun. And was it? Well, judge for yourself:

We've been cracking up over this next video, but only because Haley was OK. And it was a pretty sweet trick before she ate crap!

Adam and Drew were banished to the Under-Six area, but Chris made sure that baby pit saw more action than I think it ever has before:

After playing for a while we retired to the party room for pizza, cupcakes, and presents.

Carter wanted chocolate cupcakes with party picks in them like we did for his birthday last year.

His party favors each contained a Trash Pack "Trashie," which we buried in Carter's favorite candies.

And then we walked out the door and I didn't have to clean up a thing! That alone made it the best party ever. The kids all had a blast, and Chris and I can't wait to go back there on date night sometime!

After the party, Chris took the kids up Big Cottonwood Canyon to go sledding so I could spend the afternoon making Carter's birthday cake. I was pretty excited about how the cake turned out, and I think Carter liked it too.

I love birthdays. It's so much fun to spend the whole day just being happy that somebody is in our family! I hope Carter had a fun day and knows just how much we love him: it's a really lot.

... And a Pee Wee Shred

2012-01-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

I promise that a full report on Carter's 7th birthday is coming. But until then, please enjoy this clip of Carter's first snowboarding lesson. He had a little more trouble than Haley, but he is three years younger after all. And he managed to steer himself around a skier, so good on him for that! Carter had a blast with his dad and can't wait to hit the slopes again.

Mini Shred part III

2012-01-04T12:45:00.001-07:00

Haley's third snowboarding lesson. I am at once proud and ashamed to admit that she is already pretty much better at it than I am.

Mini Shred

2011-12-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

Chris took Haley up to Sundance today to teach her how to snowboard. I can't get over how cute she looks!

A Merry Little Christmas

2011-12-27T00:06:00.002-07:00

I'm supposed to be thinking up some creative and interesting post about our family's Christmas festivities. You know, an interesting story, cleverly related to the things we've been doing this month. But I'm drawing a blank. So much so, that instead of writing something that wouldn't make my English professors cringe, I'm getting completely distracted by Tangled on TV - even though my kids are fast asleep upstairs - and thinking that, if I grew my hair out really long, Chris and I could be Flynn and Rapunzel for Halloween next year. Oh well. On with the completely not creative list of what's been going on this month.

Visiting Santa

The kids were so cute with Santa. Our visit was short, though, because it was just too dang cold outside.

After the kids put in their requests with Santa we ducked into Blickenstaff's toy store to thaw out, and Drew got the scare of his life from a clown in a box. Seriously, can we all agree to outlaw clowns? (My favorite part of this video is Drew's nervous little giggle after his big startle.)

Christmas with the MoTab
Haley, my mom and I were able to see the Tabernacle Choir's Christmas concert this year. It was so amazing, and even more so to see it through Haley's eyes. She was completely blown away by the sets, the orchestra, the dancing, the snowfall, and especially by the choir. After the concert was over Haley remarked, "I feel different." I could tell that she was overcome by the spirit, and it left me wondering whether cutting arts funding in schools isn't just another of Satan's ploys to keep kids from feeling the spirit, by limiting their exposure to it through music. At any rate, the whole evening was magical and an experience that neither of us will forget.

Welcome Ellie Noel
We got the best Christmas gift ever this year: Lindsay and Ryan welcomed Ellie Noel on the 20th. How great is that name? Ellie is the tiniest, sweetest thing in my world and I love her to pieces. I can't wait to get over the horrible cough I have so I can spend some real time with her.

Getting Crafty
A while ago I saw this image on Pinterest and decided that it was the most perfect outfit ever.

I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had to have it. But since I didn't know where to get it, I tried to make a knockoff. And since I had about a thousand coupons for JoAnn's, I grabbed some red satin and made a Christmas skirt for Haley, too.

And I was having so much fun putting my remedial crafting skills to work, I decided that Ellie Bean needed an outfit for her first Christmas as well. Lindsay was nice enough to humor me, even though the holly berry headband is bigger than Ellie's head!

White Elephant Day
Christmas Eve was fun. We spent the day here with my family, eating ourselves sick, watching the kids do their gift exchange (in fact, Carter kept calling Christmas Eve "White Elephant Day") and of course watching Christmas Vacation.

How cute are Ellie and Miles? Can you believe that these two are only three months apart?

Christmas Surprises
Christmas morning we awoke to a special surprise: all three boys had pinkeye. Hooray! And since I'm still coughing myself into an early grave, we decided to stay home from church. I felt very guilty, it being Christmas day and all. And I felt even more guilty when we went to my parents' house later that afternoon despite our illnesses. I guess I thought that my ward would thank us for keeping our germs at home, but that my mom would probably be very sad if we didn't go over. And I for one am not about to make my own mom sad on her birthday! Clearly we wouldn't miss her surprise party for anything.

So that was our month. We hope that each of you have had a lovely holiday season and send our best wishes your way for a wonderful 2012!

Yellow Belt

2011-12-05T00:19:00.003-07:00

Carter had been begging since June to take Karate lessons, and this fall we finally gave in and let him sign up. Yesterday he received his first rank advancement and was awarded his yellow belt! We weren't allowed to watch the test because it's secret and Karate is weird. But any discipline intended to teach my kids respect, honor and humility is OK by me! And Carter loves it. Congratulations buddy!

On the Y

2011-12-04T22:51:00.002-07:00

Adam and Drew have been begging us to take them up Y Mountain ever since their last hike this summer. So my little family plus Matt's family and Steve spent Black Friday doing just that. The kids had a blast and everybody came home and fell sound asleep. Hooray!

Giving Thanks

2011-12-04T22:29:00.002-07:00

... for all of the blessings we enjoy, surrounded by family that we love.

Four-Square(d)

2011-12-04T22:18:00.003-07:00

When Adam and Drew were babies, I'd refer to the children and myself collectively as "The Circus." Any time we'd go out, you'd see me with a diaper bag built for two slung over my shoulder, a baby carrier and it's passenger hanging from the crook of each arm, and Haley and Carter holding on to the other sides of the carriers since I couldn't hold their hands. People would stop me constantly to tell me that they/their sister/their third cousin twice removed had twins. "Hang in there," they'd say. "It gets easier when they turn one."

Well guess what. Every one of those people looked me in straight the eyes and lied to my face. Having twins did not get easier when they turned one. When they turned one, Adam and Drew were big enough to fight over toys. To knock over Carter's Lego towers. To chew on Haley's art projects. "Maybe it will get easier when they're two," I thought.

Adam and Drew turned two, and having twins still did not get easier. When Adam and Drew were two they were big enough to run, which they did constantly, and always in opposite directions. When they were two, they stopped taking naps. When they were two, they stopped eating anything that was not peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. "Maybe it will finally be easier when they're three," I thought.

But then Adam and Drew turned three, and still nothing got easier. In fact, the opposite was true. It seemed like having twins was getting progressively harder with each passing year, and I started wondering whether it was ever going to be easier. I mentioned this to my sister-in-law's sister, who has eight-year-old triplets. (TRIPLETS!) Denise told me, "Honestly, it really does get easier when they're four. Four was the magic age when I felt like I could finally breathe again."

And you know what? Denise was right. Four has been wonderful. I can take the boys out in public without the massive double stroller, and they'll stay with me. I can let them play at a playground without being on high alert every second for fear that one will run away while I'm watching the other. I can trust them to play with toys without ruining them. I can even get them to try new foods on most nights.

And so even though what I expected to be the hardest year of my life stretched into the hardest four years, I wouldn't trade my boys or the experience of being their mother for anything. I have learned so much about myself and what I'm capable of. And now I have not one but two of the most amazing little men in my life. I love them more than anything.

We held a carnival to celebrate the boys' birthday. I had hoped to hold the party in the backyard, but the first snowfall of the season decided to fall that very morning. So we moved the festivities inside and still had a wonderful time.

And finally, in the tradition of birthday posts on this blog, here are my four favorite things about my Adam:

He is so. lovey. He hugs everybody (and I mean everybody). He'll happen upon a total stranger, point to him or her, and say "Mom, I love her."
He is so boisterous. He gets so excited about so many little things, which is a great reminder to find joy everywhere.
I love the way that he collects little treasures, which he puts in his backpack to take to school and show his Ms. Becky. He gets so excited to share the things he loves with others.
I love the way he looks out for Drew. Those two have each others' backs in everything.

And here are my four favorite things about my Drew:

Drew is just calm and sweet. He's always ready with an "I love you, Mom" when I need it. When I ask him to do something, his reply is always "OK, Mama." He's agreeable and loving.
He is creative. He's always building machines out of Legos that have very specific purposes, like the cleaner car that sweeps rocks out of the road. He loves to make ball tracks out of Play-Doh. He can entertain himself for hours.
He loves to have his belly rubbed or his neck tickled when I'm reading his bedtime story, and it's amazing how quickly he calms down.
Drew also looks out for Adam just as much as Adam looks out for him. Those two have the most amazing bond and I feel so blessed to get to witness it.

(Just for fun: here's a video of Adam and Drew trying out the "okie-dokies" that they got for their birthday. )

One is a Beauty, One is Steathy, and the Others are Schemers

2011-11-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

I think the fun in Halloween is the chance to dress up and be something you're not. Change your identity, hide who you really are, be somebody else for a night. And yet this year, my kids' costumes were unintentionally but amazingly representative of who they really are.

Haley is blossoming into a beautiful young lady. I see her putting the little girl she was behind herself every day as she grows and spreads her wings. She insists on doing her own hair, she loves pop music, and she's starting to care more about her future and the goals she hopes to achieve.

Carter is stealthy; a force to be reckoned with. You might never guess because he's so introverted, but his teacher refers to him as "gifted" and talks about what amazing things he does in school. He goes about, getting things done and learning new skills, without ever letting anybody know what he's up to.

Adam and Drew are truly each others' best friends. They play together all day, racing cars, building with Legos, creating marble tracks from Play-Doh, and of course, causing mischief. Some days it seems like their only goal is to drive their older siblings crazy, but deep down they're sweet as can be.

The kids had a great time wearing their costumes to different parties and out trick-or-treating. And even though putting costumes together every year is hugely stressful, I never regret doing it. The glee on their faces as they run around in masquerade is totally worth it.

Girls' Night Out with the Mini Me's

2011-11-06T21:51:00.003-07:00

Mylee and Tatyana are two of Haley's favorite friends.

Mylee and Tot's moms, Kim and Roberta, and our neighbor Mandi are some of my favorite friends.

You'd think we'd have all gotten together for a Girls' Night Out before now ("now" being a month ago, of course).

And if you take some of Haley's exclamations as evidence:

"This is the best night of my life!"

"If I was alone right now, I'd be screaming my head off because I'm so excited!"

you'd think that we'd do this way more often.

I hope we do.

On the Last Day of Summer

2011-09-20T18:04:00.013-06:00

Tomorrow is the first day of Autumn. Just like that. Unlike many people, I'm not especially sad to see Summer go. Summer has been a dear friend and we've enjoyed her to the fullest: visiting the West Coast and the East Coast, spending more than our fair share of time at the local water parks, hiking, watching fireworks with friends, barbequing, and spending lazy afternoons in the backyard, laughing and playing.

Hiking at Snowbird with Grandma Pat and Aunt Jen

But I adore Autumn. I thrive on structure, and after an entire season of spontaneity I crave the return of a predictable schedule.

I love the beginning of a new school year: gathering crisp, clean school supplies and anticipating new knowledge just waiting to be explored.

I love football season: absorbing the energy inside the stadium or gathering with friends and family to cheer or commiserate together over steaming bowls of spicy chili.

BYU vs. TCU 2009, with Brad & Christina Hubbard

I love Autumn's colors: knowing that our Heavenly Father made this earth so incredibly beautiful just because He knew that it would would make us happy.

Sundance Resort {source}

And I especially love Halloween and all of its festivities: planning and making costumes for my children with the hope that someday they'll look back and recognize that this was one of my ways of telling them "I love you."

I love so many of Autumn's other delights: the smell of pumpkin pies and pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pancakes filling my home, spending long evenings cocooned in a quilt made by my grandmother, playing with my little family at the school carnival, bringing my cozy sweaters out of hibernation ... I could go on and on. Now if only somebody could devise a way to keep grumpy old Winter from sneaking in and spoiling all the fun, I'd be the happiest girl on earth.

Holiday on the Cape

2011-08-17T12:32:00.002-06:00

"Where friendly little houses are
With blinds of blue or green,

Four Generations

Where water-lilies lift their cups -
The fairest ever seen -

Within the sound of Ocean's roar,
Along the ever changing shore

That's Cape Cod.

"Where gaily painted wind-mills whirl,
And Bob-whites call, and Whippoorwills;

We're descendants of nine out of 102 passengers on the Mayflower

Where old roads wind among the trees,
And every breeze some white sail fills;

Where roses climb on old gray walls,
When soft-voiced summer stands and calls,

That's Cape Cod.

"Where great white churches crown the hills,
And look o'er sea and land,

Blood-brothers of the beacons tall,
Like sentinels they stand,

Unshaken tho' the tempests rage,
Unmoved from age to age,

Drew called this street in Provincetown "Disneyland," which is fitting since they're both the "happiest" places on earth

That's Cape Cod."

-Bernice Hall Legg

Breaking Through the Wall

2011-07-12T17:14:00.001-06:00

Every single day, sometime between 3:00 and 5:00pm, my kids and I hit the wall. We're hungry and we're tired, and since not one of us deals well with low blood sugar or with fatigue, you can guess how much fun Casa Konold is in the late afternoon. And if you can't guess, I'll tell you: it's zero much fun.

Not surprisingly, yesterday was no different from any other day and right on cue, we hit the dreaded late-afternoon skids. The kids were yelling (OK, so was I), the kids were fighting, the kids were crying. And in answer to my constant, silent prayer of "Please help me to be patient with the kids until they go to bed," the thought kept coming to me: Have Family Home Evening. You need to have Family Home Evening.

After dinner Chris offered to take the kids outside to jump. Normally I would seize the opportunity to clean up a little or to sit down for a minute, but thoughts of Family Home Evening were still in my head. Realizing that this might be as close to an FHE as we were going to get, I headed outside with my family.

And as it turns out, some high-flying acrobatics,

A poor little frog who wandered into our yard,

The Kids Named Him "Swimmy" from Kate on Vimeo.

And another gorgeous sunset

Were the perfect sledgehammers for breaking through that obnoxious wall.

You Guys, I've Lost My Blogging Mojo!

2011-07-05T00:07:00.000-06:00

Seriously. Has this poor little blog become the most pathetic thing ever or what? I swear I've had writer's block for about a year now. I guess part of the problem lately is that the entire month of June was consumed by this:

Potty training. Boys. Two of them. At the same time. Oh, it was an exciting month. Potty training the boys proved more bittersweet for me than I'd expected it to be, because I realized that I was closing a chapter of my life. Now that my little guys are out of diapers, I'm officially done with my baby years. And if I let myself wallow in "My babies aren't babies anymore!" I get sad, but really I'm excited to be able to do fun things with my kids without having to worry about all of the stuff that comes with babies and toddlers.

One day when I was up to my eyeballs in potty training accidents and thought I might lose it, we made Minion cupcakes for a distraction. Who doesn't think the Minions are the best part of "Despicable Me?" These cupcakes crack me up. And I just love how excited the kids got about them.

Speaking of my kids getting older, Carter's gotten way into grown-up board games lately, and that's been nice. His new favorites are Battleship, Clue, and Monopoly, which happen to be three of my top four games growing up. So I've enjoyed playing games with him that are actually fun, instead of kiddie games like Backugan Brawl and Memory and Monopoly Jr. Disney Edition, all of which make me want to claw my eyes out from boredom.

What else happened in June? We headed home to PG for Strawberry Days, which is always fun.

The next day was Father's Day. I grilled ribs for Chris for dinner, which I'd never done before. They were pretty good but kind of dry, so I need to try again and tweak the recipe a little. Since Chris' favorite gifts are ones that don't cost any money, the kids gave him coupon booklets that they'd made. Haley's coupons were for things like, "One hike together" and "Cleaning up the backyard," and Carter's coupons were all for things that he wanted. "One free dog!" "One free trip to LegoLand!" And my personal favorite: "One free rocket ride!"

That evening was the most spectacular sunset I've ever seen. I wish that our camera could have done it justice, because it was breathtaking. Go here for a better picture.

I'll leave you with a picture that Chris took of Adam and me because he thought we were having a moment, but really I was just clipping Adam's nails. Ha ha! I think it sums up our summer pretty nicely: laid-back and unremarkable, but nice. We're having a great summer.

San Diego in Pictures

2011-06-16T01:20:00.003-06:00

Good golly, I'm behind on blogging. And since it's after 1:00am, I'm not even going to attempt to write about our trip to San Diego last week. Just know that we had a lovely time as always, and we miss Grandma and Grandpa already.

California Adventure

True story: thanks to my years of being a full-time student while also working full-time, I can sleep sitting up if I'm tired enough. Even during a riveting performance of "Disney Jr. Live".

La Jolla Shores

The beach, their shades, cold drinks. Now all these boys need is some pigment.

Point Loma

Pretty much the most awesomely awesome family portrait ever. I guess asking a bunch of light-eyed kids to smile into the sun for stinking five minutes while we took a bajillion shots was just too much to ask.

Anthony's Fishette and Petco Park
Our traditional date night with the big kids.

Mount Helix

Carter poses like this in almost ever picture these days. I think he missed his life calling as a member of a '90s boy band.

Birthday Cards for Grandpa

And Because No Vacation is Complete Without ...

Adam and Drew's favorite activities: hurting each other and breaking stuff.

Game Over from Kate on Vimeo.

School's Out for Summer (Part 3)

2011-06-16T00:11:00.005-06:00

Haley's last day of school was a couple of weeks ago. Never in my life have I seen kids wearing long sleeves, jeans, and coats on the last day of school. This was the most cold and miserable spring ever! Anyway ... Haley made this cute card for her teacher. Hales had a pair of "best friends" necklaces, and she decided that she would keep one and give the other to Miss Schoessow.

Haley had a pretty stupendous year. She was elected to the student council by her classmates and was able to go to a leadership conference at BYU. She won 3rd place in the spelling bee, sang "Thriller" in the school talent show (I have been strictly forbidden to post the video), wrote a book in the school's Story Studio,

and won 2nd place in the school essay contest. Each school in the state submitted their winning essays to the Freedom Festival essay contest, and Haley's essay won the Honorable Mention for her age group and was quoted in the festival's magazine!

On top of all that, Haley continues to take piano lessons and kick butt at soccer (she scored every one of her team's goals this past season), all while earning straight-A's in school. I am in awe of this girl. She is truly magnificent!

School's Out for Summer (Part 2)

2011-06-16T00:11:00.004-06:00

Adam and Drew's last day of Early Intervention Preschool was two days before Haley's last day of school. Again, coats on the last day of school. What gives?

I nearly cried when I picked the boys up after school that day, not because I was sad that I would no longer have nine hours of child-free errand-running time each week (but let's be honest here: I was), but because Adam and Drew have thrived at EIP. Especially Adam. My boys, who before could be mistaken for children raised by wolves, can now sing, count, sit still, share, interact with others, and follow instructions. It's been nothing short of miraculous.

The boys will have the same teachers in the fall, which is wonderful because they love Ms. Becky and Mrs. Debbie so much. Until then, Adam and Drew will have plenty of jobs around the house to keep them busy, like helping their dad mow the lawn.

Helping from Kate on Vimeo.

School's Out for Summer (Part 1)

2011-05-14T21:58:00.000-06:00

This school year has been crazy. We've been racing between two different schools with four different teachers and three different schedules, including three different Last Days of School. But all of that madness is finally coming to an end, and Carter is the first one to enjoy summer break. Here he is proudly displaying his Kindergarten graduation cap and final report card, which boasts straight P's! (P stands for Proficient.)

In case you're wondering whether C-Dog enjoyed his sojourn in Kindergarten, you can take this video as evidence:

Three Bags Full from Kate on Vimeo.

And now this is the part where I don't think about how I can't believe that my little guy is going to be a first grader in a few months and will be at school all day long! We'll just focus on enjoying summer first.

Well Technically it's an Octogon

2011-05-07T10:33:00.001-06:00

...but we won't hold it against him. (Who says TV rots your kids' brains? I know I didn't teach him geometry!)

Geometric from Kate on Vimeo.

Student Teacher

2011-04-27T21:39:00.000-06:00

Are you ready for the cutest thing ever?

Adam's beloved teacher, Ms. Becky, emailed me this picture from class today. She said that Adam set up this Shamu Story Time all by himself during free time. How sweet is that?

Celebrate Good Times, Come On

2011-04-25T18:40:00.004-06:00

We just had a fun weekend. Chris had the day off on Friday and sent his mom and me out to lunch (Indian - I dream about Tikka Masala and coconut soup) while he watched the boys. Best gift ever! I don't get to spend nearly enough time with Pat. I'm thinkin' that it's time for somebody to get a condo in Utah.

After lunch I got to have a date at the grocery store with my favorite 6-year-old. They hosted an Easter treasure hunt, in which the kids searched for pictures of animals and then made the sound that animal makes in order to win some candy. They also had face painting, bunny ears making, and cookie decorating. It was fun.

The Dog from Kate on Vimeo.

While Carter and I were hunting for animals at the store, Adam & Drew got to go to Alyssa's house for their very first birthday party. They had such a great time!

Saturday Chris and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. My how we've grown.

We started the morning with soccer games (Haley and Carter each scored two goals, awesome) and I lost Adam (not awesome). Luckily Pat was with me and helped me look for him. He had been at a playground about 20 yards from the soccer field and I was trying to watch Haley's game and keep an eye on Adam at the same time. I was watching a pair of legs at the bottom of the slide that I thought must be Adam's, since he certainly couldn't have gotten away during the 30 seconds I had my back to him. Well, imagine my horror when three or four minutes later those legs came out from behind the slide and I discovered that they did not belong to Adam. A few minutes of frantically running all over the park later and I finally found him at a different playground.

After the soccer games we headed straight to an Easter Carnival hosted by Adam & Drew's preschool. It was sponsored and put on by the youth from the stake I grew up in, so it was fun to see old friends and neighbors there. We had such a great time. They had midway games, bouncy houses, face painting, lunch, and carnival treats, and all for free! Service projects rock. The weather was not great, but the kids were having so much fun that we didn't mind.

Finally that evening Chris and I were able to celebrate our anniversary with sushi and furniture shopping. Probably not Chris' ideal date, but I certainly enjoyed myself! It was nice to be able to relax and focus on each other after such a busy day.

We had a nice Easter, also. In the morning we hunted for eggs and got dressed up for church. I don't know why, but it just feels wrong to wear anything but bright spring colors on Easter Sunday.

I saw these cookies on another blog and had to try to make them myself. I gave them to my Beehives at church. I am absolutely not above bribing 12- and 13-year-olds to like me.

After church we colored eggs and had a nice dinner over at Ryan and Kallie's house. I don't have any pictures but you can review the festivities here.

So that, in a humongous nutshell, was our weekend. We hope everyone had a happy Easter!

Attention Deficit

2011-04-15T17:43:00.000-06:00

So ... I'm already bored with Adam & Drew's Disaster of the Day. I don't know. The idea seemed funny at the time, but now it just seems kind of depressing. I mean, why would I want to rub my own nose in the memory of every disastrous mess every time I log onto my blog? I don't, really.

Today would have been a great installment, though. Adam spilled his milk at lunch, and it poured onto the rug before I had a chance to catch the stream in a towel. Not five seconds after I cleaned up that mess, I heard another crash and turned around to behold Adam glancing sheepishly at his bowl of macaroni and cheese, which had somehow flown off the table and scattered sticky, cheesy macaroni shells all over the area I'd just sopped dry of milk.

See? Who wants to relive this stuff? Once is definitely enough for me.

Who's Bad?

2011-04-13T19:32:00.000-06:00

This is a video that Chris took from inside the house; the kids were lip-syncing to Michael Jackson's "Bad" on the outside speakers and watching themselves in the reflection on the sliding glass door. This video is definitely going to give us some leverage when they're teenagers.

Who's Bad from Kate on Vimeo.

Un Dia Especial

2011-04-12T22:01:00.001-06:00

You've had a birthday, shout "Hooray!"

We want to sing to you today!

One year older, and wiser too!

Happy birthday [clap] to you!

Because SOMEBODY Needs to Get a Laugh Out of This Stuff

2011-04-11T20:28:00.002-06:00

We have at least one disaster of varying magnitude at our house every single day (95% of which are created by Double Trouble), and even though I can't quite laugh at these mishaps yet, somebody should! So I've decided to introduce a new feature here on the sidebar: Adam & Drew's Disaster of the Day. Please enjoy.

What Happens

2011-04-08T21:10:00.000-06:00

...if you leave your twins alone during breakfast long enough to answer the door?

Oh, they'll just concoct a tasty French Toast Soup in the fish bowl.

No big whoop.

(And you thought I was joking when I called them evil masterminds.)

Special Twin Powers

2011-04-06T15:38:00.011-06:00

Drew and Adam were given names and blessings in our church meeting when they were three months old. The priesthood holders in our family gathered around the boys one at a time - Drew first and then Adam - and the babies were quiet while their dad gave them blessings for the life ahead of them. I was in the congregation, enjoying the serenity of the occasion, until the end of Adam's blessing when Chris threw a curve ball: "I bless you that you and your brother will only use your special twin powers for good."

For a minute I sat stunned, wondering if I'd really heard what I thought I'd just heard. The circle around Adam broke and I saw Chris' dad and his cousin Ryan chuckling as they walked back to their seats. I wasn't sure whether I should laugh at Chris' sense of humor or frown on his irreverence. (To be honest, I'm still not sure.) But there it was, and the records in Heaven will forever show that Adam and Drew have special twin powers to be used only for good. And by extension, that my husband is a spazz.

I've heard of twins who can do crazy telepathy Jedi mind tricks, but I hadn't noticed any of those shenanigans going on between Adam and Drew until this morning. At 7:00am I awakened Adam as I always do on school mornings. I dragged the sleeping boy out of bed, and as I carried him down the hall to Drew's room, Adam said, "Mom, Drew's wet." I asked, "Drew's wet?" and Adam replied, "Yes. Drew's wet." I didn't think much of it until we went into Drew's room. As soon as Drew opened his eyes, he sat up and said ... wait for it ... "Mama, I'm wet." What do you know, Drew's diaper had leaked onto his pajamas and somehow, even though both boys were asleep in different rooms, Adam had known about it. How creepy is that?

So now, as if I didn't have enough on my hands, I've got to worry about my little evil masterminds using their special twin powers to take over the world. Maybe Chris was on to something with that preemptive strike after all.

Party All the Time

2011-03-29T18:21:00.005-06:00

Haley turned nine last week and enjoyed a solid week of partying! We kicked off the festivities with a birthday cake from Grandma & Grandpa on Sunday (which she shared with Kallie, whose birthday is three days before Haley's).

Haley's birthday was on Monday, and as luck would have it, she and Carter didn't have school that day. Haley woke up to a decorated door,

and then she got to go shopping with Grandma to pick out her birthday gift. That afternoon my mom and I took the kids to see "Tangled". Adam and Drew have been to the movies before and did fine, but that day they decided that they absolutely did not want to go into that movie theater ("It's too loud!"). After we wrestled with the screaming, writhing boys for about 20 minutes, my mom was a trooper and took them home so the big kids and I could stay for the movie. And to think, I was about to take the kids by myself! I don't know what I would have done had my mom not been there. Probably sat on the floor and cried.

That evening we had a Haley's Choice dinner (potato bar) and Hales got to talk to Grandpa Konold on the phone.

Then we had a little baby cake (from the leftover batter from her party cake) so she could blow out candles on her actual birthday.

Saturday was the day of the big Mad Hatter Tea Party.

The plan was to have a garden party in the back yard, but apparently Spring is stuck in traffic somewhere because she still has yet to show up. So we had to move the party inside because of the cold but still had a really great time. The girls played croquet (until their toes froze, anyway), decorated mad tea hats,

and got Glitter Toes pedicures.

Finally we had tea. Or in this case, blue Kool-Aid. (Yes, the Martha balls are back. Cheap + Easy = You bet I'm gonna ride that pony to death.)

After lunch we opened presents

and had some cake and ice cream.

Happy Birthday from Kate on Vimeo.

Thanks to all of the girls who came and shared Haley's birthday with her! Haley has the best little friends and they really helped make her birthday special.

Top to bottom: Katy, Tatyana, Camille, Annika, Haley, Abby, Avery, Lucy and Mari.

Also thanks to my lovely assistants. :)

We're so lucky to have Haley in our family for a million reasons, but especially because:

She's so responsible. She is one busy little girl, but she gets everything done on time, well, and without complaint.
She is a spiritual giant. You should hear this girl bear her testimony in church. She has the whole ward talking about her afterward because it's just beautiful.
She is the best big sister three little boys could ask for. She always puts them first and goes out of her way to entertain them with fun games and activities.
She plays piano beautifully and has written two songs by herself. One is called "The Reluctant Bear", and one is a song that she wrote for me that brought me to tears!
She's a very good friend. She never speaks unkindly about anybody and goes out of her way to be a friend to those who need one.
She's a great storyteller and writer.
She works hard at being obedient and making others happy.
She's unselfish. She'll put anybody else's needs before her own without thinking twice.
She's active and loves to have fun. She's brave and will try anything once.

Happy birthday Peanut! We love you so much!

These Little Monkeys Cried "Whee!"

2011-03-22T15:35:00.003-06:00

One of our family's favorite places is the Trafalga Fun Center up in Lehi. The second we step out of the car, Adam and Drew make a bee-line for the boat ride. It's pretty much one of the greatest things ever in their book. And this video is pretty much one of the greatest things ever in my book. (Drew is on the left and Adam is on the right.)

These Little Monkeys Cried Whee! from Kate on Vimeo.

Part of the reason I like that video so much is because it reminds me of my second-favorite commercial.

(What's my favorite commercial, you ask? Without a doubt, it's this one.)

What Happened in Vegas

2011-03-18T22:46:00.000-06:00

If you recall from my last post, Cam, Sarah, Chris and I bought tickets to the MWC tournament right after BYU beat SDSU for the second time. BYU was on a serious roll, and since we knew we wouldn't have to play SDSU or UNLV until the tournament's final game, we thought BYU would be a shoo-in for the championship.

But then a mere 48 hours later came word that Brandon Davies had been suspended from the team, and suddenly that championship was not so certain. We debated selling our tourney tickets, but finally decided to go anyway. My thinking was that, if BYU somehow pulled it off, we would be so sad to have had tickets but then missed it. And, if nothing else, it was a desperately-needed weekend away (thanks for watching the kids again, Mom!).

And whoa, Nellie did we make the right call. BYU did not pull off the championship, but we were there when Jimmer scored 52 points, became BYU's all-time leading scorer, and finally beat those dad-gum Lobos. I got to experience first-hand the hatred other teams' fans have for BYU (they really, really hate us), and gained a new appreciation for the acoustic quality of the Marriott Center. I'd guess only 15,000 BYU fans were at the tournament, but without the sound-absorbing benefits of the MC, those fans were deafening. My ears were ringing until the next morning.

On Saturday we did a little wandering around before the championship game started, and the highlight of our meandering was definitely the butterfly garden at the Bellagio hotel. Chris and Cam took their lily considering very seriously.

And although I had an absolute blast cheering for the Cougs and getting to know Sarah's wonderful family better, I was very happy to return home on Sunday to see my monkeys playing in the trees.

All Aboard the Jimmer Train

2011-02-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Four things that I love:

1. My Cougars
2. My family
3. A party
4. The Jimmer

So when all of those things collide on one perfect afternoon, I am one happy girl! We had a proper Game Day Blue & White Party on Saturday, complete with blue punch, blue and white candy, a Y-logo cupcake tray, and a Cougar whomping of the Aztecs!

Later that night Chris, Cam, Sarah and I got these:

Which was the icing on the cake of the best day ever. Go Cougs!

Pretty Much the Cutest Thing Ever

2011-02-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

Adam and Drew had (another) epic battle the other night. I won't bore you with the details, but it started with Drew stealing Adam's Thomas the Train out of a mailing tube that they were using as a tunnel and ended with Adam swinging for the fences, using said tube as a bat and Drew's face as the ball. Adam smacked Drew square in the mouth and split his lip in two places. (How many split lips have I treated in the last six years? One of the many perks of having sons, I guess.) So, I sat Drew on the counter and dabbed his lip with a wet paper towel until it stopped bleeding. After a few kisses to make it better, he was on his way.

Later that night as I was putting the boys to bed, Drew walked up to me and said, "Hug me, please." I sat on the floor and Drew threw his arms around my neck and said, "Thank you so much! Put paper on my mouth ouchie." I'll tell you what: I'll dab a thousand split lips if I can get a "Thank you" like that every once in a while!

And Then I Had a Meltdown

2011-02-04T21:39:00.004-07:00

Family Home Evening is not always a weekly event at Casa Konold. We try, we really do, but it's just so haaard to get three little boys to sit still, and I'm just so laaazy. I don't always feel like fighting them. And besides, we do something together as a family pretty much every week, so that counts, right? Right?

Let me describe a typical FHE around these parts. While we're eating dinner on Monday evening I'll suddenly realize that, Shoot, it's Monday evening. So I'll grab the Friend Magazine and pick a story that I hope might hold the boys' attention for more than a nano-second. After dinner the big kids and I will sit down and try to read from the Book of Mormon if we didn't do it before school, while Adam and Drew climb all over us, laughing at how funny they are because they can climb onto our heads. Carter decides that he would rather climb and laugh than sit and listen, so he joins the twins at his earliest opportunity. Then I kind of shout the Friend story over the rumpus and hope that somebody learns something. All the while, Haley sits next to me with her arms folded and answers all of the questions and acts super interested as compensation for me completely losing the boys' attention the second we sat down. I try to make it interesting, but honestly, the whole fiasco is over in about 10 minutes and I'm relieved to check off FHE for another week.

So. A couple of weekends ago, I don't know what was going on at our house but all six of us were in the worst moods we've ever been in. All at the same time. It was awful. So when Monday evening rolled around, I was determined to hold a proper FHE because it seemed like just what we needed to break us out of our collective funk. Boy was I wrong. The evening went something like this:

Me, still in my horrible mood and feigning excitement: Who wants to choose the song?
[Silence from Haley and Carter, who are slouched down on the couch with their arms folded across their chests in defiance. Adam & Drew are sitting on the coffee table and fighting over a toy.]
Me: Carter, do you want to pick a song?
Carter: No.
Me: Haley, will you please just choose a song?
Haley: No. OK fine - I want the one we learned in Primary.
Me: OK, but I don't know that one. Can you start us out?
Haley: But I don't waaant to sing by myself!
Carter: This is so boooring!
[Adam & Drew are fighting even more loudly and are starting to hit]

So this went on for a couple of minutes, and then I had a meltdown. I was irritated and angry, and I felt like not having FHE at all would be better than having an FHE where we all sat around and fought for 10 minutes. So I did something very mature. I threw my books on the table and said, "Fine! No Family Home Evening tonight! Everybody get your pajamas on!" Then I stuffed one twin under each arm like footballs and stormed upstairs to put them to bed. Haley called, "No! I'm sorry! I'll sing!" and she quickly started singing the song she'd learned in Primary that week. But I was still fuming so I said, "No! It's too late - you guys blew it!"

After I'd put the twins to bed and had cooled off a little, I went back downstairs to find out why Haley was not getting her pajamas on. I found her sitting on the couch with the Friend Magazine open on her lap. I said, "Come on Haley, it's time for bed." And then she said,

"I can't yet. I'm having Haley Home Evening."

And then I smiled, and that was what finally broke my bad mood. It was my Haley.

I Ain't 'Fraid a No Ghost (Well, Maybe a Little)

2011-01-24T20:45:00.003-07:00

I'll admit it: I'm a 'fraidy cat. I was blessed and cursed with an overactive imagination, and therefore do not under any circumstances watch horror movies. In fact, I can't even watch commercials for horror movies because I can completely freak myself out for weeks based on the images in a 30-second movie trailer. (To illustrate: when the movie "The Ring" - which I most certainly did not see - was in theaters, I scared myself silly one night when Chris was in the bathroom brushing his teeth. My thoughts went something like this: Huh. The light shining through the bathroom door frame looks just like the "Ring" movie poster, only rectangular. ... How freaky would it be if I looked over and the girl from "The Ring" was standing in my doorway? ... HOLY CRAP THE GIRL FROM "THE RING" IS STANDING IN MY DOORWAY! And then I probably hid under my covers.)

Aaaaanyway ... it should go without saying that, when I discovered real live spooks in my house last week, I was relieved to find that they were more of the Casper the Friendly Ghost variety.

Ghosties from Kate on Vimeo.

And Then He Was Six

2011-01-17T21:15:00.006-07:00

We celebrated Carter's sixth birthday a few days ago! The night before his birthday I decorated his bedroom door on a whim with some stuff I had on hand to surprise him when he woke up. All four of the kids liked it enough that I think this may have to become a tradition. (I tried to take the decorations down at bedtime on his birthday, but Carter insisted that we leave them up until January 18th. Well ... OK then.)

One of the things I love about our charter school is that the kids aren't allowed to bring treats on their birthdays. Instead, we get to go into the classroom and spotlight the birthday child, and read a story to the class. Carter's teacher told me, "Why don't you tell us some things about Carter?" and a boy raised his hand and said, "I know something about Carter: he's funny!" Well, that was all the encouragement Carter needed. He launched into what seemed like a five-minute slapstick routine wherein he would hit himself in the head, stick his tongue out and roll his eyes up into his head, and collapse spread-eagle on the floor. The kids were howling and demanded that he do it over and over again. Carter totally ate it up. I was finally able to wrestle the kids' attention back and we read the book Carter got for Christmas this year: "Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?" by Shel Silverstein.

I always have the best intentions of having Carter's birthday party planning underway before Christmas, but the hustle and bustle of the season means that I never actually do it. So it was to my great relief when, on December 26th, Carter informed me that he wanted to have his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. Hallelujah - party planned. The only hitch was that he wanted to have a Sonic the Hedgehog theme. Guess which stores sell Sonic the Hedgehog party supplies? Yeah, none of them. So we had to make everything from scratch, but I think they actually turned out pretty OK.

The invitations:

The token bags (for arcade games) and party favors:

Carter only wanted cupcakes at his party, but I made him let me bake a little 6" cake so we could have something to put candles in. This was my first dive into the world of fondant figurines, but I think it turned out alright. I'll probably try fondant again sometime after I've forgotten how long this little guy took.

I didn't take any pictures at the party. Lame. As seems to always be the case, the week leading up the party was one of the busiest of my life, so by the time the party rolled around it was all I could do to sit at our table with my eyes open to guard our stuff. Luckily my mom took some video of Carter blowing out his candles.

He's Six from Kate on Vimeo.

Did you notice how Carter looked away the second he blew out his candles? He was totally entranced by Chuck E. Cheese himself, who was leading some cheers at a party for some girl whose parents forked out the cash for an official Chuck E. Cheese party. Poor Carter.

Anyway, in honor of his sixth birthday, here in no particular order are my six favorite things about Carter:

The kid really is hilarious. He's sarcastic and quirky and smart, which in my book is the very best combination of things to be.
He's an analytical and careful thinker like his dad. Carter loves games and puzzles and will stick with them until he figures them out, which he always does.
He's honest. You always know exactly where you stand with Carter.
He's so loving. I always think of boys as gruff and macho, but Carter isn't afraid to show affection. He loves his family very much.
He's exuberant. Carter has the biggest, most infectious laugh and the greatest smile ever.
His airplane crash story (to this day, this video remains my all-time favorite of our home movies).

So, happy sixth birthday Carter! We love you so much.

"Third. T-H-I-R-D. Third."

2011-01-15T11:55:00.003-07:00

That was a lame title. Not lame: Haley took third place in the third grade spelling bee at school! Twelve kids competed in the grade spelling bee (the top four from each class). First and second place were determined before third place because six children all misspelled in the same round, leaving only two kids still in it to spell for first and second place. Once first and second place were determined, the six children who all went out on the same round competed for third place. (That didn't make any sense at all, did it?) Four of those kids dropped out pretty quickly, leaving only Haley and another girl named Michelle. Those two duked it out for a full 35 minutes before Haley finally took third place! She was so very excited and we're so very proud of her!

Well You Should Be, You Know!

2011-01-08T22:51:00.002-07:00

Something about this clip of Adam reminds me so much of the scene in "Young Frankenstein" when the monster is singing "Puttin' on the Ritz".

The Littlest Bee Gee from Kate on Vimeo.

P.S. Adam's Rock Star shirt, although definitely appropriate, was purely coincidental.

Look Who's Talking

2011-01-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Adam and Drew have been attending weekly speech therapy sessions as part of their preschool curriculum. Their speech has improved so much! A couple of weeks ago I recorded some samples of my favorite things they've been saying lately:

Sticky Bells from Kate on Vimeo.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

2010-12-21T12:32:00.001-07:00

Haley often enters coloring contests around town, and this month her determination paid off:

Her prize was a 30-second shopping spree during which she could fill her basket with all the Christmas candy she could grab!

Spree from Kate on Vimeo.
And while more candy is not exactly what we need around here, we've all been enjoying her spoils.

Way to go, Haley!

Pot Shots

2010-12-20T10:56:00.004-07:00

Guess who else won't be getting a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas?

Pot Shots from Kate on Vimeo.

Lame.

2010-12-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

And here we are again ... time for another lame-o, where-did-the-time-go-here's-what-we've-been-up-to post. I do apologize for the quality of this blog lately; I'm pretty sure I've been experiencing a year-long bout of writer's block. I'll read back over some of these posts and I feel like I should give my diploma back. But anyway ...

Adam & Drew Start Preschool

Because the twins have been diagnosed with isolated speech delay they qualify for our school district's preschool. They love it. They get to ride the school bus every morning which is pretty much the highlight of their lives.

On the last day of school before Thanksgiving break all of the classes joined together to put on a production of The Little Red Hen. Sounds cute, right? So we invited the grandparents and Lindsay, and then Adam and Drew cried almost the entire time. Oh, and the whole show only lasted about 15 minutes, which was less time than it took my family to drive there.

I tried to hide from the boys because I knew if they saw me it would be all over. But wearing my bright red coat was not exactly the best wardrobe choice for staying incognito. And that's how I ended up onstage with Adam on my lap.

Thanksgiving

We hosted Thanksgiving at our home this year with all of these lovely Konolds (minus Kayleen).

I didn't take any pictures of the festivities, but it looked something like this.

Just kidding. The real reason I didn't take any pictures is that I was too busy over-cooking the turkey. After two turkeys in a row with raw centers, I left this one in the oven longer than I thought I should and so our Thanksgiving looked more like this:

This Thanksgiving I was grateful for gravy, for without it we might not have been able to get that bird down.

First Snow

About a week after the infamous blizzard that wasn't we got an actual storm. The kids spent the majority of their time sliding down the slopes of the trampoline pit. Seriously, who knew that thing would provide year-round entertainment?

So that, in a nutshell, was our November. And now December is upon us and all I want for Christmas is my brain.

Family Pictures 2010: The Outtakes

2010-11-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

Three Squared

2010-11-04T23:57:00.001-06:00

I can vividly remember that car ride home from the hospital after Adam and Drew were born. Haley and Carter had been bumped from their seats in the second row of our minivan back to the third row, and in their places were two infant car seats. I looked behind me at our doubled-in-size brood and felt more panicked than I think I had ever felt before. And to be honest, I look back on those early days with the twins and I don't know how we all survived.

But survive we did, and this week we celebrated our twinners' third birthday! We had a scrumptious dinner of ham & cheese sliders and various side dishes contributed by all of our family.

Adam and Drew love all vehicles but especially airplanes and trains, so those were the themes of their cakes.

I stole a page from my aunt Laurie's book and we sing "Happy Birthday" twice: once to Adam and once to Drew. Adam did not want his cake disturbed at all and was none to pleased when his candles were extinguished. You should have seen him when we cut into that thing; it pretty much ruined his day. But Drew enjoyed his singing quite a bit. (And Blogger won't let me upload the videos. I'll try again; check back soon!)

We love Adam and Drew so much. Adam is so outgoing and friendly. He loves to run into a room and shout, "Heh-woh guys!" He also waltzes up to complete strangers and hugs them like they're his best friend in the world. And Drew is so sweet and kind. Drew is my snack monster, and any time he drags me into the pantry for food he's sure to take two so he can give one to Adam. We hope three will be an amazing year for our little buddies!

This is Halloween

2010-11-04T14:58:00.000-06:00

Good idea: sewing your kids' Halloween costumes. Bad idea: sewing your kids' Halloween costumes when you don't know how to sew.

That's right. I had intended to learn to sew for several years and decided to teach myself by sewing Haley's and Carter's costumes. Carter's Jedi costume? Easy. Done in one evening. Haley's Alice in Wonderland costume? Not so much.

Here's me: "I'll just buy a pattern for a princess dress and alter it. It'll be easy!" Well, three sleep-deprived weeks later I finally finished. The low point came the week before Halloween when I slept for only four hours one night and pulled an all-nighter the next. And then that evening we took the kids on a Halloween haunted cruise and I was the scariest of all the zombies there.

The finished products:

This was about the best shot of Adam & Drew we got. The elders were far too busy preaching the gospel to stop and pose for a picture!

We had a nice time at our ward Halloween party where Haley won the "My Mom Stayed Up All Night" prize for her costume and Drew won a massive cupcake at the cake walk.

We carved pumpkins,

... and tried to brave the monsoon to go trick-or-treating. We made it to the house across the street before we gave up and went trick-or-treating at the mall instead. After about an hour the rain stopped so we were able to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood, and Alice ran into her friend the Mad Hatter.

All said, we had a fun Halloween. But next year I'm going to start sewing costumes in August!

Remembering Debby

2010-11-04T13:47:00.003-06:00

As I mentioned earlier, Chris' sister Debby passed away in September. Debby was such a loving person; the first time I met her was at Chris' and my wedding reception where she welcomed me into the family with a huge hug and "Hi Sissy!" Whenever we were in San Diego she was always aware of how hard I was working to take care of the kids and offered so many compliments and words of encouragement. She had a great sense of humor and was a fantastic cook. We will certainly miss her, but we are at peace knowing that she is free from the physical pain that had plagued her for so long.

We stopped at Disneyland on our way to San Diego for one last visit before we have to start paying for the twins' tickets. Since Disneyland was one of Debby's favorite places, I didn't think she'd mind.

We also spent a wonderful afternoon at La Jolla Shores. Because the weather wasn't great we had the beach to ourselves.

We also found the best fish tacos in San Diego. (And only $1 each!) I've been dreaming about these tacos ever since.

Debby had requested to be cremated and her ashes spread around a tree. We went to Lakeside (where Debby used to live) and planted two trees in a beautiful and peaceful park there. Steve offered a touching tribute to his daughter and we had a delicious lunch provided by Chris' aunts. It was a lovely morning and the perfect way to remember Debby.

Be Right Back

2010-10-25T13:04:00.004-06:00

Aack! October is nearly over and I have been crazy busy this month, which explains the utter neglect of this blog. I have a backlog of pictures to share, including some from our trip to San Diego to remember Chris' sister Debby who passed away while we were on our cruise. I likely won't get around to posting until next week - after Halloween and Adam & Drew's 3rd birthday - but until then please enjoy this fun clip. Should I admit that I kind of love a Sesame Street song by Will.i.am, who is part of the band that I have vowed to hate for eternity? Lindsay will tell you that any space I occupy is declared a Black Eyed Peas-free zone. But this song is catchy and my kids like to groove to it. So there you go.

Defying Igor

2010-09-24T13:10:00.009-06:00

Despite Hurricane Igor's best attempt to ruin our vacation, Chris and I managed to enjoy ourselves Mity-ly (ba-dum-ching!) on the 2010 Mity Lite Caribbean Cruise. Matt and Lindsay were with us, and we had a great time spending the week with them.

Our pictures are not that interesting. I don't know ... I just wasn't feeling the picture-taking this time around. So consider yourself warned and don't come asking me for your five minutes back after you've read this post!

Puerto Rico

We spent Saturday night and most of Sunday in San Juan since our ship didn't leave until Sunday night. A group of us walked down the street from our hotel for some al fresco Mexican dining and got caught in a monsoon on our way back. As we sprinted for cover, Chris lost one of his flip flops and had to go back for it, which made me laugh so hard that I peed a little. Just thought you'd like to know.

The views from our balcony (the dark one is kind of hard to see, but it's of the hotel's pools). I probably would have been happy to just stay at that hotel all week. It was beautiful.

Barbados

We spent the day in Barbados on this beach. I don't remember what it was called. The guys on these boats had lettuce to attract sea turtles so people could snorkel with the turtles. I'm pretty sure the guests on the boats paid to do this, but since we had our own gear and just happened to be in the vicinity, we snorkeled with the sea turtles too. I'm not sure which was more entertaining: the turtles, or watching a bunch of pasty white people flapping around like they'd never been in water before. Those turtles must have been pretty hungry to swim through that gauntlet for some measly scraps of lettuce.

I asked Chris to buy me a condo in this building for my birthday and he agreed (jokingly, of course). When I asked one of the locals how much a condo there goes for, he replied, "There? Around $10 million US." So if we start saving now, I should get my condo for my 963rd birthday. I'll fly you all down for a housewarming party.

St. Lucia

Thanks to stinkin' Igor churning up the ocean floor, we were only able to do two scuba dives and both were in St. Lucia. But good grief, these dives were amazing. On the second dive we swam out to these two coral-covered underwater pillars that were just breathtaking. This picture is from the boat ride toward our dives. In the background are the Piton mountains, which are volcanic plugs. Supposedly you can climb them, but who would want to? (They're about 2,500 feet high and just a little bit steep.)

Mangrove forest. Mangroves are cool.

Antigua

Antigua was another beach day. The island has 365 beaches ("One for every day of the year!") and we asked our cab driver to take us to his favorite one. We were not disappointed. I don't remember what this beach was called either (maybe I should start writing things down?) but it reminded me of a Corona Light commercial. Not that I pay attention to beer commercials or anything. The sand on this beach was so soft and spongy. It was like walking on the moon.

The tiny white arrow in the picture is pointing to a massage therapist who I think may practice witchcraft. She was super nice but kind of creepy too. When we first arrived on the beach, she silently materialized and was suddenly standing about two inches away from me, and out of nowhere she goes, "I'm going to call you Kathy because you're bubbly!" What? Then she said that she could tell by the way I was standing that I'm left-handed. That was when I started to think that she must be some kind of mind-reading witch, but then I realized that she probably just saw me carrying my bag over my left shoulder. The rest of the day, any time I looked to my right, she was staring at me and would start maniacally waving. She was even smiling for this picture which was not even supposed to be of her. Like I said, really nice, but kind of creepy.

St. Thomas/St. John

Our fourth stop was supposed to St. Maarten, but Igor had kicked up waves so high that we couldn't safely port there. I was totally bummed because I had really been looking forward to seeing the island's airport.

Instead we ported in St. Thomas which was an acceptable alternative because this is my favorite scooter island. We took our scooters and ferried over to St. John on a cleverly named boat.

The beaches there were beautiful but the waves were too strong for me to venture into the water. Not everyone can grow up in San Diego.

Don't be jealous of our sexy scooter helmets.

St. Croix

Our camera met its untimely demise the evening before we ported in St. Croix so I don't have any pictures. We had planned to dive but settled for yet another day on a beautiful beach. Tough life, I know. The only thing that really set St. Croix apart from the other islands was the creepy welcome wagon at the mouth of the dock: guys dancing on stilts (which always gives me the heebie jeebies) and a dancer dressed almost in drag whose backup dancers were just kind of shuffling their feet while they talked to each other. The whole thing was very bizarre. I think M&L have video of it if you're really interested.

On the Ship

Formal night and my famous yellow pumps. I say famous because apparently Chris' aunt bought these shoes for her son's entire wedding party. Yep ... I'm a trendsetter. What can I say? Seriously thought, I know that material possessions aren't supposed to make us happy, but I kind of do a little jig every time I put these shoes on because I love them so much.

A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel on the front of his pants. The bartender says, "Hey, do you know that you have a steering wheel on your crotch?" And the pirate says, "Aye, and it's driving me nuts!" Just a little humor for our classier readers. (This picture was taken after the unfortunate camera-LCD screen-breaking, which explains why it's off-center and out of focus. I don't want you to think that I got tipsy or anything.)

Well, that's it. And since you asked: Yes, I am already counting down the days until Cruise 2011.

Leaving So Soon?

2010-08-29T21:31:00.015-06:00

Seriously guys, how is summer over already? I swear this was the shortest summer ever. Haley and Carter started school back on the 18th and so far they love it.

Chris and I did a tube-float down the Provo river with some of our very favorite friends a few weeks ago. It was fun but the water was fuh-reezing. If I hadn't worn my full suit I probably would have cried the entire trip down the river.
Other than that we've had a very low-key end of summer, spending most of our time in the backyard. I swear, that underground trampoline is the best investment we've ever made. For an impressive example of multi-tasking at its finest, enlarge the picture and zoom in on Drew (black shirt). Remember when Carter couldn't pull himself away from his cookie? Apparently this cookie was just as tasty. Drew gives a whole new meaning to the phrase in-flight snack.This is a new activity that the twins love: blowing bubbles in bowls of dish soap. Their speech therapists did this with the boys a few weeks ago and the twins have been obsessed with it ever since. Don't ask me how blowing bubbles with straws is supposed to help a kid talk, because my answer will be "I have no freaking idea."On the last Monday evening of summer, we held our First Annual Konold Family Back to School Feast (thanks for the idea, Nie). We had my very favorite summer dinner: grilled steak, corn on the cob, and stuffed baked potatoes. Mmm-mmm-mmm. Don't make fun of my crowns; I whipped them up in like three seconds because I didn't decide to do a Back to School Feast until about 45 minutes before dinner. After dinner we did the annual start of the school year father's blessings, so it was a lovely evening and a fun way to bring summer to a close.And of course, the First Day of School picture. I love this picture even though it's out of focus because it shows off a bit of the 'tude Carter is copping lately. I don't know what's come over him, but I think this tough guy act of his is pretty funny. He even got pulled out of his soccer game last Saturday for intimidating players on the other team. Twice when kids stole the ball from him, Carter gave them the stink eye and pointed at them like, "I'm watching you." It was hilarious. Until he got pulled, and then I was peeved. (At the coach, not at Carter.)Here's a delightful video of Carter talking about his first day of Kindergarten. I made a video of Haley too, but I don't think she'd appreciate me sharing it because she was very tired and 100% not in the mood to make a video. P.S. I forgot how boring the end of this video clip is. Once Carter gets distracted with shoving his paper in the cracks of the table, you might as well stop watching.

And now we're back in the swing of school, carpools, soccer practices, soccer games, speech therapy, piano lessons, and homework. How many more weeks until summer break 2011?

I Hate Today

2010-08-21T17:55:00.003-06:00

Adam

a.k.a. That's what I get for making pizza dough while the twins eat Spaghetti-Os!

A Very Merry Un-Birthday

2010-08-15T16:13:00.011-06:00

So, many of you know that I spent the first week in August at Camp MIA Shalom with the young women in my ward. For those of you not familiar with an LDS girls' camp, it's a yearly opportunity for the girls to strengthen their testimonies and draw closer to their Heavenly Father and to each other in a beautiful setting, free of distractions. I love girls' camp more than almost anything. But anyway, since camp this year fell during the first week in August, I was away from my family on my birthday.

I expected that the evening before I left for camp we'd maybe go out for dinner as a family and then have a cake to celebrate my mock-birthday. What I didn't expect was to wake up on the morning of August 2nd to a First Thing in the Morning Surprise Party! That Haley girl planned the entire thing with some help from her partner-in-crime Carter. The kids even used their own money to buy gifts, poster board, and balloons. And for probably the first time in all of my years of motherhood, they completely surprised me. I had no idea!Haley took my order for "Mom's Choice Breakfast" (breakfast burritos - yum), which she wrote down on a hot pink post-it note and delivered to Dad in the kitchen. While Chris made breakfast, Haley and Carter took me on a scavenger hunt for the first of too many gifts.
After we ate I opened gifts and then Haley and Carter put on a song-and-dance show just for me. Needless to say, it was probably the best Monday morning in history.

That night we had cheese cake (double-yum). I love Drew's face in this picture. Never mind his mullet - that's another story for another day.Who likes cheesecake?Thanks to my sweet little family for the best mock-birthday ever. If it hadn't been for that, I might have been completely depressed that my real birthday was spent freezing my tushie off and taking cover from torrential rain and hail. (Yet another story for another day. Yay for girls' camp!)

Inspired

2010-08-11T21:52:00.001-06:00

I have been a very bad blogger lately. I know, I know! I promise that before the week is out I will blog about my very special mock-birthday. But until then, I want to share this. I know that many of you have seen it before; I first saw this video two weeks ago and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. It is one of the most beautiful, inspiring stories you'll ever see.

Get a hankie. Trust me.

Redeemed

2010-07-31T21:04:00.010-06:00

A lot of days I find myself wanting to sell the twins to the gypsies. But then they go and do something like this,
or this,or this, and then I decide to keep them. They can be so darn cute when they want to be!

...Speaking of Cute Boys

2010-07-31T20:55:00.004-06:00

Carter and his buddy Jackson are hilarious when they get together. Yesterday they pretended that they were the Super Mario Brothers. Jackson was Luigi, of course, because he was wearing a green shirt, so Carter promptly changed into his Mario red. Watch out King Koopa - they're coming for you!

...and in Haley News

2010-07-31T20:49:00.003-06:00

Haley is a lunatic, in the best possible way. That girl dressed herself and her friend Camille up as a grumpy old lady and her dog, and I have not laughed so hard in a long, long time.

Pyros for Pioneers

2010-07-26T00:04:00.002-06:00

We hope everyone in Utah had a lovely Pioneer Day. Please enjoy a sample of our celebratory fireworks display and Carter's reaction to it:

It Seemed Like a Good Idea

2010-07-23T20:56:00.012-06:00

What seemed like a good idea, you ask? Well, I'll tell you: heading over to the river and loading four kids and only two adults into a canoe. Oh, and three of the kids are boys who don't seem to understand how easily they could fall into the river if they're running, climbing, and jumping around in the canoe. Or how easily they could fall into the river if they're sitting on the side of the canoe. Or how easily they could tip the canoe over if they all hang over the same side of the canoe at the same time. Add to that triple-threat the hysteria the boys' mother experiences every time her kids are around water, and well, you can imagine how much fun I had.

I was trying to figure out why I get so irrational around water, and I think my fear comes from 20 years ago when my best friend's 5-year-old brother drowned, which was horrible and traumatic. So please forgive me for peppering this otherwise entertaining video with killjoy comments like, "Chris, are you helping me balance at all?" Yep, I was that delightful all afternoon.

The most hilarious part of the trip happened just before I started filming; the duck tried to fly into the canoe to get more pretzels and all four kids screamed and jumped to the other side of the canoe all at once. We almost died, but it was really funny anyway.
Cottonwood fluff: completely obnoxious in my garage; kind of pretty on the river. It looked almost like it had snowed in the middle of summer.Next time I think Chris and I will paddle the river alone without the kids so I can relax. But once the boys are old enough to behave themselves and not shave 15 years off my life, I think canoeing on the river is something we will enjoy doing together quite often. If you live around here, you should definitely check it out.

Gratitude

2010-07-03T23:54:00.015-06:00

The Fourth of July has long been one of my favorite holidays. When I was a kid, my dad would take my brother Ryan and me to 9th East in Provo early in the morning so we could save a spot along the parade route for our family. Ryan and I would sit on a blanket while my dad ran over to the McDonald's that used to be there to get us breakfast (hot cakes and orange juice for me, every year). Then Dad would drive back to Orem to pick up our mom and younger siblings while Ryan and I saved our spot. We felt so grown up, and our family always had excellent seats for the parade. After the parade, we'd go home for a bar-be-que or some other fun family lunch before heading back to Provo in the evening for the Stadium of Fire. Back then, I loved the Fourth of July simply because it was fun. McDonald's breakfast, parade, fireworks on a summer night ... as a kid it just didn't get any better.

The only July 4th of my youth that I didn't spend in that manner was July 4th, 1994, one month to the day before my 18th birthday. On that particular 4th of July I found myself in Gaza, Israel. I had traveled to the Netherlands and then to Israel as a performer in World Folkfests and had been in Israel for about a week at the time. Signs of war and of violence were all around. The sounds of gunfire in the distance were constant; armed military men and women stood guard on every street corner. We endured a bomb scare one morning and nearly missed our performance because we weren't allowed to leave our hotel. One day our tour guide told us that each Israeli boy and girl serves a mandatory two-year tour in the national army upon turning 18 years old. I realized that, had I been born in Israel and not in America, I myself would be one month from military service. The thought frightened and humbled me.

Amber, Katie, Karen and Greg, Israel 1994

The Israelis loved us Americans. Although performers from many different nations traveled with the Folkfest, it was the Americans who were mobbed. We couldn't go anywhere without people calling out to us, "America! America!" They took countless pictures with us. I noticed as we toured the country that it was saturated in American culture. Movie posters, music, T-shirts with American athletes on them, kids flashing peace signs in the photos they took with us. I often wondered what it was about America that so fascinated them. On the Fourth of July I was on an excruciatingly hot beach after having marched in a parade promoting our tour. I was sitting in the shadow of a telephone pole - the only shade anywhere - when the slightest breeze picked up off the ocean. I dropped my chin onto my chest so the breeze would cool the back of my neck, and I caught a glimpse of my name badge: "Katie Browne, USA" on a background of stars and stripes. And then I understood what it was that the Israelis so idealized. Freedom. Peace. Security. The realization affected me profoundly.

Carter at the Stadium of Fire, 2006

And now since I have become a mother, the Fourth of July holds even greater meaning for me. I think of the mothers who live in the middle east, in Africa, in nations of South America who can't feed their children, who watch their children suffer with disease, who worry each day over how to keep their little ones safe from violence. My heart breaks for those mothers. How fortunate are we who can raise our children in safety and peace, in a prosperous country whose laws and regulations still reflect something of a moral compass? How blessed are we who can watch our children grow and flourish as they determine for themselves who they will become? For these reasons, I am overcome by tears of gratitude with every Olympic games and World Cup tournament, with every salute to service men and women, with every boy scout troop bearing the Stars and Stripes, and with every singing of our national anthem. Because we are America. And although I might not always be proud to be an American, I am always, always grateful.

Catching Up: Summertime Family Fun

2010-06-25T00:37:00.009-06:00

My family held a reunion during the first week of June of which I have very few pictures because the twins were completely out of control. For a more complete (and happy) review of the events, you can check out my SIL Kallie's blog, but here are the pictures I do have:We also went home to celebrate Strawberry Days this past weekend, checking out the parade in the morning, followed by a BBQ and swimming in the afternoon.
Call me crazy, but I have this feeling that the twins do not appreciate the sirens on police motorcycles. Just a hunch.

Untitled

2010-06-24T22:27:00.023-06:00

Preface: So, the weirdest thing happened. We went to San Diego at the beginning of the month (yes, I am way behind on blogging). While we were in SD I had this idea to title this blog post "There and Back Again". I thought it sounded catchy. But then yesterday I was catching up on a good friend's blog, and I saw that she had called her post about their family's vacation "There and Back Again." How weird is that? Cue the theme music from The Twilight Zone. So now I can't use that title or she might think I copied her.

We had a good time in San Diego, as usual. This time we spent a day at LegoLand. Chris and the big kids went on roller coasters all morning, which made me happy because it means that my kids are way braver than I am. (I didn't go on a roller coaster until I was 17, and that was because my then 12-year-old brother called me a chicken. He was right, of course, and laughed the entire ride because I was screaming so much.)
Anyway, Chris and the big kids were on coasters, which left me to entertain the twins. I remembered about "Duplo Playland" which is dedicated to little ones, and I thought that the twins would have a good time there. But since I didn't want to try and push our two umbrella strollers at the same time, I abandoned the strollers and let the twins walk all the way across the park with me. I was really, really nervous because the twins like to run away, and I was just praying the whole way over there that I wouldn't lose either of the boys that day.

It took us about 30 minutes, due in part to our detour to say hi to the boys' beloved Thomas,but we finally made it across the park to Duplo Land. It was there that the twins fell in love with the Water Works fountain band. I seriously think they could have watched that all day. (Don't mind my super-lame-white-girl "Go Drew! Go Drew!" I wanted to be able to remember who was who 20 years from now. Yes, I know that's no excuse.)

It took a bit of searching, but I finally found a play area with only one entrance. So I just parked myself there at the entrance and the twins were able to run free for a couple of hours, which was just heaven for them. I don't think they've ever had so much fun.
We were even able to go on the train ride, which was really exciting because the twins love, love, love trains.
The rest of our week was pretty low-key. We spent a couple of afternoons at the beach, where my kids were the palest kids by at least five shades,and ate at my new favorite lunch spot. We took in a Padres game and froze our little tushies off, but at least we got to see them win! (I don't think Haley or Carter really cares if the Pads win or lose as long as Dad buys them cotton candy.)

The most pleasant surprise of the week was the Mormon Battalion Museum in Old Town. The museum was recently revamped and is now completely interactive. (And bonus: it's free!) The kids absolutely loved it and Chris was a good sport.
At the end of the tour you can take as many pictures as you want with their old-time camera. You can take a print with you and also have a copy of the picture emailed to as many people as you want.When you're done taking pictures you go out to a courtyard where the kids get to pan for gold and keep whatever they can find: fool's gold, pretty rocks, whatever.
I was kind of embarrassed by the amount of stuff my kids took, but the missionaries were super nice and assured me that the kids were welcome to keep it all. The whole experience was a treat and I highly recommend it.

We had some good times at Grandma & Grandpa's house too. We spent a decent amount of time in the pool where Carter repeatedly treated us to his new, unfortunately-named "Hoo Ha Dance":

and Haley tried to learn to dive, but looked an awful lot like the old man in the game "Mouse Trap".

We were able to spend Grandpa's birthday with him. I don't remember her exact words, but Chris said something about Steve being young, to which Haley replied something to the effect of, "If 68 isn't old, what is?" Luckily Grandpa was amused and not offended. We clearly need to hold a family home evening lesson about proper birthday etiquette.

Mother Nature gave us a special treat on the way home; somewhere near Beaver we encountered this massive and extremely bright double rainbow. These pictures don't even do it justice - it was amazing.

I was completely disappointed though, because I thought for sure there would be four pots of gold out in that field since we could see four ends of the rainbows. And yet, nothing. I guess somebody beat us to them.

So, with the exception of the middle-of-the-night pool alarm false alarm (the boys wear wristbands that sound an alarm if they get wet), we had a wonderful vacation. Thanks again to Grandma and Grandpa for letting us crash your pad! We sure love spending time with you.

Naked as a Jaybird

2010-06-18T09:11:00.003-06:00

If motherhood has taught me anything, it's that I'm the biggest pushover ever. This is how the twins spent their entire Thursday afternoon and I'm terrified of the precedent we may have set. But after putting their diapers back on three times in five minutes, I realized that they were not going to give up! And besides, who doesn't think little naked bottoms are the cutest thing on earth?

Road Tripping 101

2010-06-04T14:30:00.013-06:00

Living 700 miles away from Grandma and Grandpa has made us seasoned road trippers. And since we've been road tripping with kids for the last eight years, I've had plenty of opportunities to figure out how to keep my kids entertained for 12 hours in a car. So if you're taking a family vacation this summer and want some advice, here's what works for us:

I bought these bags at Target several years ago for $2 each. They're special car bags that the kids are not allowed to play with unless we are on vacation. When I'm out and about, I watch for fun little surprised to put in the bags. The dollar bins at Target are a goldmine, and the dollar store is great too. I've also bought little packages of party favors and divided them among the bags.
This summer Haley's bag had a coloring book, some stickers, a book about dogs that I got at the dollar store, bubble gum, some of my old scrapbooking scissors, a little LED light to play with after dark, a mini Slinky, and a bunch of little party favors. She also has a little HSM activity book that has been in her bag for a while.Carter's bag had the same things, but I also stuck in a Mad Libs that I saved from a Wendy's kids meal, and those little electronic games which are at WalMart for $1 each. Those games have been in his bag for a while and he loves them. He also has a pinball game that has been in his bag for a while - he's always excited to see it again.
This idea was a huge hit. I bought 3-ring binders from WalMart and personalized them with leftover scrapbooking paper. The best part about the binders is that they double as lap tables.Inside the binders is a bunch of 3-hole punched blank paper, and the front pockets hold the activity books that the kids got at our recent family reunion and a packet of Crazy Cartoons. Who remembers Crazy Cartoons from elementary school? I was so excited when I found them online because I was sure Haley would love them as much as I did when I was her age. We all had a blast creating cartoons of each other all week. My other big idea this year was the one that got me the most excited. Every single time we road trip, somebody spills their crayons all over the back of the van. I have tried every container on earth, and nothing has worked. But this year I saved four plastic Crystal Light containers, which fit perfectly into the van's cup holders. Finally, no spilled crayons! I used Mod Podge to decorate them with more leftover scrapbooking paper. I filled them with those twistable colored pencils because crayons would be hard to reach in those long containers. The Twistables were a bit of an investment, but since the kids only use them twice a year I figure they'll last a while. Plus, they won't break like crayons do, and they don't need to be sharpened. I also added a couple of those pencils with the leds that you pull out and stick in the bottom (what are those called?) because they don't have to be sharpened either.The little guys are a bit trickier because they're not really into coloring yet. I've found that the best car toys for toddlers are the ones that make noise. It's a bit annoying to hear their noisy toys all day, but way less aggravating than screaming! So I just load their bags up with every battery-operated toy in our arsenal. Last year I found some mini bead-track things in the Target dollar bin that the boys still enjoy. They've also got books and Magna Doodles. This year I added airplanes to their bags, which are better than cars because they don't require "roads". The twins really liked the little Slinkys but they ruined them pretty quickly, and they loved the LED lights. If you click on the picture you'll see that there's also some whisks in there. The twins love whisks ... I don't get it but whatever. Haley really liked measuring spoons on a ring when she was a baby and those are good too.To keep myself entertained (because I get really, really bored too) I sign up for every free magazine subscription that comes my way, and then I save them all for our drives. I'll also save a month or two of church magazines and any catalogs that come before a trip. I also have our little portable DVD player in case it gets too dark to read, and then I'll just watch a movie I want to watch while the kids watch something else on the overhead DVD player.

So that's it! Wow, that was a long post. Hopefully something in there will help make your - dare I be so cheesy? - road a little less bumpy!

Serves Me Right

2010-05-29T13:30:00.005-06:00

Last night Chris' nephew Trevor graduated from high school. Knowing that Trevor's high school is quite large and knowing that my boys would never, ever sit quietly through a graduation ceremony of that magnitude, I asked my mom to watch the boys so we could enjoy the evening in peace.

But if I truly wanted to enjoy the ceremony in peace, I should have know better than to sit in front of Mari and Haley. I learned two things last night:

It takes approximately 50 minutes to award diplomas to a graduating class of nearly 700.
Mari and Haley can do this, without interruption, for approximately 50 minutes:

Poopy Weather and Poopy Feathers: A Novella

2010-05-24T13:36:00.012-06:00

This morning our landscaper (who we'll call Ed) was in the garage working on our sprinkler timer when two of the wild ducks who live on the river wandered in. Ed, thinking that my boys would like to feed these two wild ducks, shut the door and trapped the ducks in our garage.

But the two wild ducks did not want to be trapped. In fact, the two wild ducks became so alarmed at being trapped that they pooped all over our garage floor, smearing their feet and feathers in the poop in their panicked attempts to find freedom. The two wild ducks then began flying at our closed garage doors over and over again, which scared my boys enough that they didn't want to feed the ducks anymore and instead stood on the steps and ate the bread themselves.

So finally I opened the garage door to let the two wild ducks out. My boys, who are usually trapped inside themselves since we don't have a yard yet, followed the two wild ducks to freedom and ran straight out into the snowstorm. (Yes, you read that right: snowstorm.) The boys ran outside and took off in three different directions, and wouldn't you know it, all of them ended up in the mud. Drew made it the farthest, and when I finally reached him he sat down right in a deep puddle in protest. Then he started screaming because he was soaked and muddy and freezing.

So now I have wet, muddy boys to clean up, and wet, muddy shoes to clean up, and wet, slimy poop to clean up. Hooray! The end.

And Off He Goes

2010-05-23T16:06:00.006-06:00

Carter graduated from preschool this week. The kids put on a short program to demonstrate all the songs and poems that they've learned this year,

and then they received diplomas from their teacher, Mrs. Sherryn. Mrs. Sherryn was Haley's preschool teacher as well and we adore her.
I thoroughly enjoyed the entire program until the very end when all of the kids waved goodbye while singing a goodbye song, and at that point I may or may not have gotten a little verklempt. I don't remember what the real words to the song were because all I heard was, "So long, Mom! I'm off to big-kid school, and I'm not looking back!"But all in all it was a very nice morning. And now Carter is so excited for kindergarten that he asks me every single day how many days are left until school starts. Can't we just enjoy summer first?P.S. when I told Mrs. Sherryn how much Carter has enjoyed this year she replied, "Yeah, when I could keep the girls off him!" So I may have to have a little chat with him to get to the bottom of that one.

Disaster Averted

2010-05-17T14:55:00.006-06:00

Definitely not one of my finer parenting moments, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! (I'm pretty sure Adam was in an actual sugar-induced coma when this shot was taken.)

Lindsay & Ryan

2010-05-08T18:08:00.023-06:00

My little Ninny-Poop got married yesterday! It was an absolutely perfect day.Chris and I figured, hey, we'll all be dressed up nicely. Let's try and get a family portrait taken since our last one is so old! Today I'm laughing at our stupidity. But let's see: which picture do you think we should frame above our mantle?

Option A: the one in which everybody is squinting and some of us are in the shadowsOption B: the one in which everybody is squinting, some of us are in the shadows, and some of us are screamingOption C: the one in which some of us want to go back outside, some of us are screaming, and all of us need a napor Option D: the one in which some of us want to go back outside, some of us are screaming, all of us need a nap, and one of us is laughing maniacally to keep herself from sobbing
On to happier pictures.

Carter and Haley wanted to go inside the temple and Chris told them they could ... if they could get the door open. They pulled on it long enough that I started to think we should get their IQs tested.Mom & Dad with Linz. I think Lindsay has dethroned Ryan as the favorite in our family. Sorry, Ry.My sister is the most photogenic person I know, except that she blinks in pictures ... a lot. It's kind of a problem.
I think this picture is hilarious, but I seem to be the only one. I don't know what it is. The way Cam & Lindsay look like they're the newlyweds? The way Ryan is practically sitting on the steps behind him so he can be as short as the rest of us? Or the way I'm laughing like a lunatic at Ryan and his crouching?
The only portion of the day during which the twins behaved themselves (I'm not exaggerating) was the luncheon. And that was because Ryan's genius mom Shelly put bags of candy at each of the kids' seats. I let my kids eat candy for lunch yesterday. And I don't regret it one bit.
The boys pulled a lot of flowers at the reception. I felt bad, except that when they were pulling flowers they weren't screaming. Please don't tell on us.Oh sure, now they'll smile.My family ate a canned-foods-only diet for two days to make this car possible. If we die this weekend, somebody have the coroner check for BPA.The sparkling send-off. We're so happy to have Ryan in our family and wish him and Lindsay a lifetime of happiness!

#333

2010-05-08T14:00:00.008-06:00

This is my 333rd post on this blog! 333 just happens to be my very favorite number, and I can't think of a better subject for this momentous post than my very favorite girl. Haley and I attended a Fancy Nancy Tea Party at her school last week and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

We made bracelets, painted our nails, and decorated our place mats with glittering jewels.
Haley and I drank our "tea" from teacups that had been my grandmother's, so that was kind of special.Haley showing off her spread.What can I say, besides "oink, oink"? I was starving, OK? I'm glad my favorite cutie patootie and I got to spend some time together without our smelly boys!

That's My Boy

2010-05-06T16:12:00.002-06:00

Not sure whether I'm more entertained or embarrassed by Carter's worksheet from preschool today:

(Click to enlarge)

Sick Day

2010-05-04T16:16:00.003-06:00

I feel terrible that they feel terrible, but I still think that sick kids are super cute.

Singleton

2010-04-28T12:36:00.005-06:00

Yesterday I got to rock this chubby little love-nugget to sleep. It was heavenly, except I must admit that as I rocked him I found myself thinking some pretty selfish and ungrateful thoughts. Here's the thing: sometimes I feel cheated because my last baby split into two. I didn't get to savor my last baby, rocking and cuddling and doting as most last-time mothers do. In fact, I don't even really remember Adam and Drew when they were babies. The time when they were tiny is muddled in my memory into an exhausted glob of doctor's visits and diapers and feedings and keeping the boys on the same schedule no matter what.

But let's just keep this between you and me, shall we? Because even though I do feel kind of jipped, I know that I am very, very blessed.

Showered with Love

2010-04-25T09:33:00.014-06:00

Yesterday we held a bridal brunch for my very favorite baby sister. It was a lovely morning and I hope Lindsay enjoyed herself as much as I did. Lindon ladies are such fun company!
The custom invitations were made by the girls at Save the Date Co. I can't rave about these girls enough; they are so sweet and so talented!
Since I worship at the temple of Martha, I decorated with her accordian rosettes. We also enjoyed looking at pictures of the lovebirds that were scattered around the room.We didn't plan it this way, but our outfits coordinated with the decor colors!I'm not usually one for shower games, but this idea was so fun that I had to copy it. And now the only thing left is the wedding itself ... I can't wait!

Us (Through the Years)

2010-04-23T15:40:00.023-06:00

199920002001

2002 2003 20042005 20062007

200820092010I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you for eternity. Happy eleventh.

{Shudder}

2010-04-19T19:08:00.004-06:00

...and the number one thing you never, ever want to hear come out of your five-year-old's mouth:

"Mom! Look at this dead bird we found!"That's right, friends. This most-disgusting-bird-carcass-ever was in my kitchen this afternoon, pinched tightly between the thumb and forefinger of my firstborn son. I might not recover.

La Musica

2010-04-18T13:10:00.006-06:00

Haley played in her second piano recital on Tuesday. I was so proud of her! Her first song, the theme from The Pink Panther, was really hard for her and she struggled with it a lot. A few times during the song I was afraid that she might give up and leave the piano, but she stuck with it and made it to the end of the song. Afterward she said, "I almost had to make up a new ending because I couldn't remember how the song goes!"

Haley took some time during intermission to regroup and played her second song, Le Tambourin, beautifully.

We're so sad that Kallie won't be Haley's teacher any more! Kallie has been so wonderful with Haley. I'm forever in her debt.

Let Me Count the Ways

2010-04-13T12:54:00.005-06:00

In honor of my beloved's 34th birthday, here in no particular order are my 34 favorite things about Chris:

He's the hardest worker I know
He tolerates my need to throw big parties
He always has energy to play with the kids
He gets me out of my comfort zone and addicted to crazy things like boarding and diving
He promised not to do our landscaping himself (for both our sakes)
He's careful and analytical
He can always get Haley to laugh when she's in the throes of one of her tantrums
He's teaching the twins to count
He picks up after himself
He likes to travel
He's my complete opposite, so we complement each other nicely
He never makes bad decisions
His idea of a perfect gift is when I say, "What are we buying anyway that I can wrap up and call your present?"
He quizzes the kids on math problems in the car
He claims to be socially awkward, but he always comes across as perfectly at ease and makes others feel the same way
He does whatever it takes to provide for his family
He's very smart
He's tenacious
He knows I hate the shows he watches, so he waits to watch them until I go to sleep or he uses headphones
He's really probably the only reason we have any friends
He sometimes lets me listen to my music in the car (until an ABBA song comes on, anyway)
He takes the kids swimming whenever they want
He buys me cheesecake on my birthday
He's fearless and adventurous
He's humble
He makes me laugh
He lets me decorate our home
He still loves me even though I'm turning into a crazy old lady way sooner than he'd bargained for
He makes me want to be frugal (a step in the right direction, right?)
He reads Carter's bedtime story every night, which is mind-numbing because Carter always picks the same book
He takes us to Disneyland even though it's his least favorite place on earth
He calls people on the phone for me when I'm too shy to do it myself
He's confident without being arrogant
He's still hot!

So there you have it. Happy birthday to my favorite husband ever. I love you!

She Belongs

2010-04-02T22:56:00.017-06:00

As I mentioned below, Haley was baptized into our church last weekend. Before her baptismal day, I had planned four pictures that I specifically wanted to take to help her remember the day:

A photo Haley in her cute outfit.
A photo of our family, preferably outside the church building.
A photo of Haley and her dad in their baptismal clothing.
A photo of everyone who came to be with Haley.

I had such good intentions. But then Adam and Drew did their thing, and I was so flustered that I forgot to take any of those pictures! Grr. So here are the shots we did get:

Haley in her cute outfit, minus her patent leather ballet flats (my favorite part) and with most of her body blocked by a gift and a Drew. Our family, just not all together. Or in front of the church.Note to self: never, ever pose like that again. It makes your gargantuan head look even bigger than it really is.Haley and her dad in their baptismal clothes. I did have the presence of mind to take this one, although it's completely out of focus. Yay me!
Everyone who came to be with Haley. I think I got almost everyone. Thank you, thank you, thank you all. You made Haley's day so special and we love you.Anyone want some deli meat? We could feed a small nation with our leftovers. Seriously.

Joke's On Us

2010-04-01T23:40:00.004-06:00

Everyone in Utah knows that the biggest prank of all was played today by Mother Nature, who has so far tormented us with a 100% spring-free spring. But at our house the prank was food-related, as pretty much everything at our house is. I give you The Cupcake Dinner.I told the kids that the April Fool's joke was that we were having cupcakes for dinner, in an effort to throw them off the scent (literally) of the real prank: the cupcakes were made of meatloaf and the mashed potatoes and gravy were really ice cream with caramel sauce. I made the "beans" by rolling out ropes of green fondant and then cutting the ropes into segments to look like green beans.

Just kidding. The beans are really just beans.

Devils and Angels

2010-03-27T16:19:00.005-06:00

Today we baptized Haley into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (pictures forthcoming). Adam and Drew ran up and down the halls of the church, screaming all the way. Then they ran laps around the waiting room, screaming all the way. Then they ran laps around the Relief Society room, screaming all the way, while our sweet bishop tried to conduct the meeting as if nothing was happening.

Then I stood up to give my talk, and Adam and Drew pitched a fit and pushed on my bottom to get me to sit back down while I tried to concentrate on what I was trying to say. Then my sweet brothers took Adam and Drew out into the hallway so I could speak, and Adam and Drew pitched an even bigger fit and we could hear them screaming from behind the closed door. Then the baptismal font was opened, and Adam and Drew pitched a fit because they wanted to jump into the font and play in the water. And so it continued during Lindsay's talk, Haley's confirmation, and our bishop's closing remarks. When the service was over, my brother said, "Now I know what you go through all day, every day."

We came home and I put Adam and Drew down for a nap, grateful to have some peace and quiet. I sat down at the computer to prepare my lesson for church tomorrow, but instead got distracted by the blog of a mother who recently lost her baby boy. I cried and cried for her. And when I heard my little monsters awaken from their nap, I went upstairs and hugged them and cried and cried, because I'm just so grateful that they're here.

Eight is Great

2010-03-22T09:13:00.008-06:00

We celebrated Haley's eighth birthday this weekend! Haley chose a chef-themed party, so we invited her friends over for a birthday luncheon where they prepared their own food. Haley wanted the colors to be baby blue with chocolate brown accents. And since the decor featured the ubiquitous Martha Stewart pom pom balls, we also used white carnations to mimic the balls' look.
The girls prepared personal lasagnas, bread sticks, and skewered salads-on-a-stick, and then they decorated the aprons that they had been wearing while their food cooked.
After that, they decorated cupcakes which we placed in little cupcake boxes to take home. And I failed to take any pictures of the cupcakes the girls made or the cute boxes, so you'll just have to trust me that the girls did a great job. And don't worry moms: your daughters only consumed about three pounds of frosting each in the process.

Finally it was time to eat! Party goers from left to right: Natalie, Sadie, Haley, Annika, MariLeft to right: Camille, Tatyana, Mylee, Avery, AbbyAfter Chris and the boys got back from McDonald's (I'd banished them during the party) we sang Happy Birthday and had cake and ice cream. The best news of the day was that we finally used up the last of the super tall candles that I bought when Haley turned five. I think the novelty has long since worn off!I think it's safe to assume that Haley had a good time, considering she told me no less than 15 times that day that I was the best mom ever. I guess one day out of 365 ain't half bad, right? Happy birthday to my sweet Haley! I hope eight will be your best year yet.

Of All the Words

2010-03-04T15:18:00.005-07:00

You may have already surmised by the lack of Adam and Drew quotes on our sidebar that the twins do not talk. Well, they do say some things: Drew speaks mainly in his own little ewok language, and to Adam, pretty much everything is "a bubble!" But they are way behind. This is our saga:

It all began in November when I took the boys in for their 2-year checkup. Their doctor asked me how many words they spoke, to which I replied, "less than five." I had already been concerned, but my anxiety level went through the roof when the doctor told me that they should be speaking 50 - 200 words. He began asking all sorts of questions that I recognized as autism markers. Once that was ruled out, he recommended that the boys begin working with speech therapists.

In the four months since then, we have had twice-monthly sessions with speech therapists, who play with the boys and then give me all sorts of advice on things that I should be doing with them to help increase their vocabulary. And while their advice is good and helpful, I can't help but hear, "You don't spend enough time with the boys. If you did these things, they would talk. This is all your fault." I have had more nervous breakdowns in these four months than I care to admit, and have been enjoying some awesome physical manifestations of stress, including blistering rashes on my palms that are just delightful.

The point in sharing all this is to help you understand why today was so momentous. The TV was on while I was getting Adam dressed this morning, and a character on the show asked, "What shape is this suitcase?" To which Adam replied:I thought, Did he just say 'rectangle'?!?? I looked at the screen, and sure enough, there was a rectangle. I was ecstatic! But seriously, of all the words to begin speaking with, he chooses "rectangle?" I don't even care. To hear him respond verbally to a question, and to say something besides "a bubble" absolutely made my day. Maybe we're finally getting somewhere!

But Please Keep Your Feet on the Ground

2010-03-02T15:58:00.007-07:00

Let's just put it out there: freestyle aerialists are nuts. The kids and Chris were watching the Olympic competition on Sunday and I could hear them exclaiming with every takeoff: "Woah!" "Look how high he is!" "Those guys are crazy!" "How do they do that?" Even Drew was getting in on the action, yelling "Aaah!" from every takeoff until landing. After watching several athletes complete their flights, Chris asked the kids, "Would you guys ever do that?" To my great relief, Carter immediately shouted "No way!". But Haley paused for just a second and then replied, "If I was good at it."While I dearly hope I never have to sit through a freestyle aerials event in which Haley is a competitor, I was happy to hear her answer. I've always been hesitant to try new things because I don't like to get hurt and I don't like to fail. I have stayed safe, but I know that I've missed out on a lot of experiences in life. So I've been trying to teach Haley that she can do anything she wants to - hard things, scary things - if she works for it. I was so glad to hear that she knows it's true. But maybe now I need to start teaching her the difference between courage and recklessness, because four concussions is seriously enough for one family.

Sad But True

2010-02-25T14:44:00.005-07:00

When Evan Lysacek began skating his Olympic short program the other night, I quickly recognized his music as Igor Stravinsky's Firebird. How, you might ask, did I know the title and composer of that particular piece of music? Was it because of my high school AP Music class, or my Music 101 class at BYU? No. Sadly, it was because Stravinsky's Firebird is the featured music in an episode of Disney's Little Einsteins.

Maybe we watch a lot of that show around here. But seriously, nothing else on planet earth can give me 30 minutes of this:... which is particularly nice while I'm trying to cook dinner.

1st Ward Primary Talent Expo: The Highlights

2010-02-19T23:11:00.011-07:00

The little guy whose talent was throwing a football to his dad clear at the back of the cultural hall
The innocent-looking sisters who sang a song that they'd written, which began with "If it was raining weiner dogs, I'd be happy for eternity" and ended with a gang sign and a "What Up?"
The boy who sang "Do Your Ears Hang Low" while his brother accompanied on the guitar, but finished singing before his brother had made it halfway through the song
The girl who read a story she'd written, entitled "Snakes Family Christmas"
Haley's piano solo

The Sunbeam who rolled herself in the curtain like a burrito and her two classmates who stood frozen onstage while the audience sang "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" for them
The emcee who told jokes like "Why did the gangster cross the road? 'Cause he was stapled to the chicken!"
How Carter couldn't tear himself away from his cookie long enough to pose for a picture with his display
When I looked around and realized that the only two people in our new ward whose names I can remember are named Katie and Drew

And my Number One favorite highlight from the 1st Ward Primary Talent Expo:

When the Primary president stood at the microphone and announced, "I don't know if this is a problem, but a bunch of kids are running around the display area, and they're running with sharp wooden sticks that could impale them, so ..."

Valentine's Day: Then and Now

2010-02-14T15:48:00.007-07:00

1999: Loved having a fiance for Valentine's Day
2010: Love that my baby sister has a fiance for Valentine's Day1999: Got dressed up so I'd look pretty
2010: Gave my daughter a red manicure so she'd look festive

1999: Spent the day in a cubicle at work
2010: Spent the day decorating cookies with my kids
1999: A dozen red roses for me
2010: Candy and homemade gifts for everyone

1999: Writing a book for children
2010: Writing a blog about children

1999: Intimate candle-lit dinner for two
2010: Noisy family dinner for 17
1999: Strolled around Park City
2010: Paced the floors with sick toddlers

1999: Madly in love with my best friend
2010: Madly in love with my best friend

Becoming a Tween

2010-02-13T14:58:00.003-07:00

Anybody who knows Haley knows that she is completely obsessed with animals. She doesn't discriminate; she loves cute ones, ugly ones, creepy ones, cuddly ones, smelly ones, dangerous ones, fluffy ones ... she loves them all. In fact, if Haley's future career does not involve caring for animals in some capacity, I will be shocked. She loves them that much. So it should come as no surprise to learn that Haley has a massive menagerie of Littlest Pet Shop toys. Since about 2006, every birthday, every Christmas, every spending of allowance money has revolved around collecting more Littlest Pet Shop animals.Haley's 8th birthday is about five weeks away, so naturally she is already thinking about which gifts she'd like to receive. But as I settled in the other day for another discussion of which cute LPS puppies and armadillos and panda bears she doesn't yet own, Haley threw me a curve ball that broke my heart a little. "I think I have enough Littlest Pet Shops," she said. "I think I'll ask for some jewelery and a Taylor Swift CD for my birthday."

Yet another sign that my baby girl is growing up.

Hangin' Tough

2010-02-12T16:06:00.005-07:00

Adam and Drew have decided that they will no longer take naps. They've made this decision abundantly clear to me in the past few weeks: instead of sleeping, they strip down to their birthday suits and then use their cribs as trampolines until I let them get up again, squealing and laughing the whole time. Still, I have this sneaking suspicion that they could still use the sleep.

Mini-Mini-Mini Golf

2010-02-10T14:19:00.002-07:00

Carter and I spent the afternoon Gator Golf-ing. I may never stand upright again.

Acquata

2010-02-08T17:22:00.007-07:00

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I'm not really a food storage kind of gal. I mean, I've got a few things hanging out in the pantry that could sustain us if they had to (we can live on fruit snacks and condensed tomato soup, right?), but my level of concern over a natural disaster is pretty low. Still, since I know in the back of my mind that "The Big One is coming!" and since I go through an obscene number of two-liter bottles, I figured that I might as well start putting my emptied bottles to good use.
One down, 35 more to go. Gotta start somewhere, right?

All for Clean Dishes

2010-02-06T20:47:00.002-07:00

It's amazing what mothers will tolerate if it means getting some housework done. This sound, for example.

Remember the Time

2010-02-05T20:32:00.019-07:00

I was an amazing journal-keeper when I was younger. OK, that's not really true. What I was, was an amazing chronicler of every second I spent with every boy I ever liked. But then I got married and became considerably less boy-crazy, and therefore less interested in journal-keeping. I have exactly one journal for my entire marriage with exactly three entries in it, each of which begins with "Wow, I can't believe that I haven't written in X years! A lot has happened since I last wrote ..."

But then I started having crazy kids who did a lot of really funny things, things that I knew that I'd never remember if I didn't write them down. I really wanted to keep a journal of their goings-on, but I was so overwhelmed by the idea of sitting down every night and trying to fill pages of a journal. Enter the calendars.
I keep the current year's calendar in a drawer in the kitchen so it's easy to whip out when the kids do something noteworthy. And because the squares are so dad gum small, I feel no pressure to write more than a sentence or two.The calendars have become some of our most prized possessions. Haley already loves to read through them, although she debates me on whether she actually said some of the things I wrote down! And I think it's interesting to look back and remember where my head was at during any given month.

Scrummin' It

2010-02-04T14:21:00.002-07:00

Have you ever watched a pee wee futsol game? No? Not to worry: I can sum it up for you in 23 seconds flat.

The Well-Oiled One

2010-02-03T12:47:00.007-07:00

You know that old saying about the squeaky wheel getting oiled? Well let me tell you, nowhere is that saying truer than at our house. This guy? He squeaks. And then he gets food, or a game, or a friend to come play.These guys definitely squeak. Squeak, squeak, squeak! And then I have to break up a fight over a toy, or build a train track, or try to figure out what they want out of the pantry.But my Haley? She doesn't squeak. Haley is a well-oiled machine. In fact, I'm pretty sure I couldn't survive without Haley. If I was in a beauty pageant (snort) and the judges asked me my wish for the world, I wouldn't say world peace. I'd say, "I wish every mother on the planet could have a Haley Konold."
Haley recently won first prize in her school's art show with her drawing entitled "The Great Taj Mahal". But I'm proud of her for more than her accomplishments. I'm proud of the girl she's becoming. She is responsible, motivated, kind, and generous. She shows love freely and puts the needs and wants of others before her own. She's funny and smart and just a great girl. I can't wait to spend more time with her as she gets older. Because it's nice to hang out with somebody who isn't squeaking at me all the time.

The Reason

2010-02-02T12:51:00.003-07:00

Maybe I had it all wrong before. Maybe Carter is the real reason behind my dumbing. Please enjoy an excerpt from our riveting lunch conversation this afternoon:

Carter: What's Max's mom's name?
Me: Stacey.
Carter: Stacey?
Me: Yep. Stacey.
Carter: Who's Stacey?
Me: Max's mom!
Carter: Which Max?
Me: The Max at your preschool!
Carter: Oh. What's his mom's name again?
Me: Stacey.
Carter: Oh. Stacey.

This Is Your Brain On Twins

2010-01-30T23:46:00.008-07:00

Photo courtesy of Indie Art Photography

I used to consider myself a fairly intelligent person. I got good grades in school when I wanted to, earned a degree from a reputable university, and even made a living correcting other people's grammatical errors. And even after Haley and Carter were born, I felt like I was able to hold it together pretty well. No "mommy brain" here.

And then came the day my trusty brain cells got the shock of their lives. "You're having twins!" declared the ultrasound tech, and right then and there every single smart brain cell in my head jumped ship. The smart cells caught the next flight to the Caribbean and left me and all of my dumb brain cells to fend for ourselves. And ever since the twins joined our circus, my life has been little more than one scatterbrained mishap after another. Here are a few of the things I've done this month alone:

Haley and Carter were playing with the Loftus kids, who have been our good friends for six years. I went to the wrong house to pick them up and didn't realize it until the owners came to the door.
One day I took off Drew's dirty diaper, cleaned him up, and put his pants back on without a diaper underneath. I didn't know what I'd done until Haley screamed, "Ew! Why is Drew all wet?" I nearly made the same mistake two days later with Adam.
The other day I went to the grocery store to pick up Adam & Drew's vitamin prescription. I came out of the store with $46 worth of cereal and steaks, but no vitamins.
I got the three boys all bundled up and buckled into the car one day, slid into the driver's seat, and couldn't find my keys. I emptied my purse, searched the car, checked the counters in the house, and still couldn't find them. So I took the boys back inside, took off their shoes and their coats, and then found my keys in my pocket.
After I'd been out running errands one day I went home to our old house.

I know that Adam and Drew were both meant to be in our family, and since Chris and I had decided to have only three kids, the only way they were both going to get here was to come together. And yet three years later, I still don't understand why. Don't get me wrong: I love Adam and Drew just as fiercely as I love Chris, Haley and Carter. But I wonder, why was it so important for them to both come to us?

I've spent so much time during these years pondering that question, and I'm starting to realize that maybe having twins was the only way I would learn the lessons that I need to learn. I'm learning that we don't have to be perfect. I'm learning that some things can and should slide. I'm learning that it's OK to ask for help or to say no if I need to. I'm learning that children can fend for themselves and even struggle a little and still turn out alright. I'm learning that being completely overwhelmed every day is the thing that keeps me tethered to my Heavenly Father.

I'm sure there are other reasons for the twins to be in our family, reasons that I'll discover and understand as life progresses. And even though I'm on the fast track to complete, raving lunacy, I wouldn't trade having twins for anything. If nothing else, the road to lunacy is an entertaining ride.

...'Til We Meet Again

2010-01-22T08:04:00.006-07:00

We lost my cousin Joey yesterday. Joey suffered from MPS, which causes the body's inability to break down and recycle materials in the cells, leading to progressive damage throughout the body. Joey lived to be 21 years old, significantly longer than expected of children with this disease, and yet not long enough for those of us who love him. Joey and his mother have provided me with a testimony of God's plan for each of us and an example of selfless sacrifice that I will never forget.

Because Joey lived on Cape Cod, I only saw him three times during his life. The second of these visits came in 2003. At the time, I hadn't seen Joey since I was 15 and Joey was three, before his MPS symptoms had begun to appear, before anyone knew that anything was wrong. I am embarrassed to admit that I was nervous to see him. I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't sure how to act. I was afraid that I would inadvertently say something stupid, which I tend to do.

I was feeding 15-month-old Haley lunch when Joey came home from his school that first day. I heard his bus pull into the driveway, and was feeling a bit apprehensive as I listened to my aunt bringing him onto the porch. But the most extraordinary thing happened. The second that Joey's wheelchair crossed the threshold of the home, I was hit by the strength of his spirit so forcefully that I stopped with Haley's spoon mid-air. I had never felt anything like it. I felt the immense love that Heavenly Father had for this special son and the strength of the love between Joey and his mom. I knew in that instance that I was in the presence of one of the great ones. I knew that Joey had so proven himself before this life that he came to earth not to be tested, but to teach. And I knew that I was privileged to be in his presence.
Joey's life has helped me understand that even our trials are gifts from a Heavenly Father who is aware of each one of us. My aunt Priscilla made her first and only trip to Utah under circumstances so random that I have to believe they were guided by a loving Heavenly Father. During her visit here, she was able to offer comfort to a grieving family who had lost a child to MPS and was unaware of the network of MPS support groups. I don't believe in coincidences. I believe that Heavenly Father cleared the path for Priscilla to come and offer that family support when they needed it most.

I am so grateful to have known Joey. I wish that we hadn't grown up so far apart. I am in awe of my Auntie, of her strength, of her selflessness, of her capacity to love. I can imagine that she must have often felt alone during her years of caring for Joey, but I want her to know that I watched, I knew, and I will never forget. And though my heart grieves today for the sweet family that Joey left behind, I rejoice in knowing that his spirit is free from the limits of his body, that he is right now with our Grandpa on the other side. I like to think that they are laughing together and having all of the conversations that they couldn't have on earth. I look forward to the day when I can join them and tell Joey all of these things, and thank him for blessing my life.

Just Doing My Part

2010-01-19T15:14:00.008-07:00

Forget October. As far as I'm concerned, hunting season falls during the months of January through April. I spend the entire first four months of every year stalking grocery stores, hoping to find this on sale:
I just polished off my first carton of the season. (It lasted eight days - a new record!) It's probably a good thing that this frozen manna from heaven is not available year-round. My personal rule is that I'm only allowed to buy it if it's on sale, but you can bet that any time I find it discounted at all I kind of turn into Gollum ("My precious!") from Lord of the Rings. But you know, a portion of my proceeds goes to the Girl Scouts of America, so really I'm just contributing to the future of our nation. You're welcome.