Summer Day 5

Today started early ... as in 5:30 AM. 5:15, if you want to get technical. I knew it would be one of the last mornings {for a long time} that would have a low temperature in the 60s, so I had to get in one last "cooler" run. Crazy, I know. I logged 7 miles and made it home well before Steve left for work and the kids woke up.

After a little "wake up" time, the kids dug into their chores while I got dinner in the crock pot and sat down to plan.


I spent the better part of the morning cleaning the kitchen, organizing new recipes in Evernote, and putting together a meal plan for the next 2 weeks. I've been a lazy dinner planner lately, and I've found it makes a HUGE difference to have a game plan. It also helps a ton with the grocery shopping.





The kids finished their cleaning and were rewarded with some Wii time while I finished my plans.


After lunch, Steve finally made it home from work and I headed out to run a few errands ... the biggest of which was grocery shopping. Between the shopping and the putting away of food, I'm pretty sure it occupied at least 2 hours of my life. At least.


Dinner was almost ready as I finished up, so we ate and then settled in for a family movie - Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Once the kids were in bed, I made some smoothies and kicked back from a long day!

Summer Day 4

With no swim team practice this morning, the day started LAZY ... I even had to wake a few of the girls to get things moving!! We started the day with a trip to the bowling alley with the Wilsons! An hour of bowling finished off with pizza and root beer made for the perfect morning :)

Cougar

Alex

Amanda

Kendyl

Kayla

Ashton

Brinley

Of course, we had to spend some time in the arcade, too. I love that they were thoroughly entertained without actually paying to play a single game!!









After a break at home, we headed to Krispy Kreme to celebrate National Doughnut Day with free doughnuts!








Next, we hit Costco and bought every snack that they carry so we can start our summer snack buckets on Monday - YAY! After a quick trip to drop a smoothie off to a friend who had his tonsils out on Wednesday, it was home for some pickup and some Wii time ... Just Dance 2 *WOO HOO*


After a super speedy dinner mac & cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches for the kiddos, Steve and I snuck away for dinner at Rubio's followed by frozen yogurt. It was the perfect start to the first weekend of summer 2011!!

Summer Day 3

We took the kids to lunch at Wendy's where Cougar had some fun with French fries ... he's kinda obsessed with mustaches right now.


Then it was off to see Kung Fu Panda 2 - loved it!! After a little time to relax, we were off to the first swim meet of the season *YAY* Here are some of the highlights ....

Waiting for the meet to start

Cougar and Alex snacking (all meet long)

Ashton freestyle

Ashton backstroke

Kendyl backstroke

Kendyl freestyle

Both girls swam in a freestyle relay and then individual backstroke and freestyle. They did great!! Brinley opted not to swim in the meet tonight, but will be swimming next week :)

Summer Day 2

The view from my "office" today.


Overcast weather, friends over to play, hot dogs on the grill, afternoon swimming, piano lessons, Rock Band. I remembered today just how much work it is to be swimming twice a day. So.Many.Towels.And.Swimsuits. Oh, the laundry ....

Summer Day 1

Playing catch up, friends over for playdates, noodle fights, and lots of trampoline time ... with the hose.

Bringing my "C Game"

I wish I was feeling up to my "A Game" these days, but it seems like I'm scoring A's in some areas and D's in others ... don't know that I'm completely failing at anything in particular, just feeling like I'm not completely on top of things the way I would like to be.

Clearly, January came and went with hardly any blogging ... which is sad, really, considering how great November and December were. I think I just needed a break. And I was busy posting on 2 other blogs daily. And we were busy recovering from the holidays. And celebrating Brinley's 12th birthday. And planning a fun {and simple} birthday party. And taking my "baby girl" to the temple for the first time. And recovering from a "bathroom catastrophe" courtesy of Cougar. And planning for family photos (that we've been planning forever). And a few other things, I'm sure.

So, since I have lots of pics to get organized and lots of stories to come, I'm just going to share some of the "sneak peek" photos that I got back from our family photo shoot last week. I already shared links to these on Facebook, but I know a lot of people haven't had a chance to see them who will really WANT to see them!!

My girlfriend Bethany and I have been talking about having her shoot our family pictures for what seems like forever. Her son and Ashton have been in the same class at school for a few years now and they are dear friends. I have grown to just love their cute family and am SO EXCITED we finally got to make these photos happen!! I was really wanting some fun pictures that would really capture our family "as is." That is totally her style. She totally "got" us and I couldn't be happier!!

I'm not going to post all of the pics she shared ... you can see the rest HERE and HERE. She is actually challenging herself to blog every day this month and is a completely inspirational woman and momma, so stick around her blog and be inspired!! I am so excited to see the rest that she is working on!

And now ... US! You can click on the images to see them larger ;)

Help a Girl Out

My dearest blogging friends, blog followers, and commenters,

I love you all. I would love to respond to all of your comments. I would love to keep track of all of your personal blogging. The problem is, I also like to streamline my process. I {as many of you} have my blog set up to e-mail me when someone leaves a comment. The easy thing to do would be to hit REPLY from that e-mail so I could reply directly to you about your comment rather than leaving a comment on my blog in reply to your comment, realizing you will likely not come back to the comments to read my reply. Have I lost you? My smarty pants friend Brenda (also known as the Techie Geek Mom) tipped me off to how to fix this {since she couldn't reply to my comments via e-mail} and it has been a joy for her (and me) ever since! Run on over and read this post, follow the directions to enable your profile, and I will love you even more. Forever and ever. And I will reply to your comments when you choose to make them.

Now, for those of you who have private blogs, there is one downfall to your privacy ... no feed to Google Reader. I have found that the easiest way to keep track of the blogs that I read is to keep them all in my Google Reader. I do have an easy solution to this problem {you wanting your privacy and me wanting to know when you post without having to go looking for updates} ... add me to your BlogSend e-mail list in Blogger. I did this with my mom (who never checks my blog) so now she gets an e-mail every time I update - she loves it!! You can do this for up to 10 people within Blogger so if you have other friends or family that are too lazy to check your private blog {I have 3 different Google profiles and one non-Google address and can only log into your blogs from whichever one I was invited through ... I often can't remember}, you can add them, too - and they will thank you for it! Here's how you do it:
Log into your blog dashboard, click on the Settings tab, select E-mail and Mobile, and enter my e-mail address in that very top box. I'm attaching a screen shot so you can see exactly what it should look like {right down to my e-mail address} ... you're welcome ;) Click picture to enlarge and read the details clearly.

WOW ... now I feel like a demanding diva! Guess that's what happens when you go back to bootcamp after 2 weeks off and every muscle in your body hurts - you want other people to make your life easier. Oh, who am I kidding? It has nothing to do with my aching muscles. I'm just a diva.

Simply Sunday

Today we are "back to the daily grind" of being just us in our house and preparing to grab our schedule and routine by the horns tomorrow. Don't get me wrong ... we have loved the time we've had to spend with our families the past two weeks!! That being said, there is something so lovely about settling back into a routine. Our "normal" has been nowhere near NORMAL for almost 8 weeks now with the whole kitchen debacle!! There is much to be done around here to get the house back into full functioning order, and I look forward to tackling the cleaning, the clutter, the Christmas decor, and even the laundry. Sick, I know ...

We FINALLY got the opportunity to go back to the 9 AM time slot for church. I'm pretty sure the angels were singing when we walked into the chapel ON TIME! It helps that I had been up since 6 AM to see Ed & Pam off to the airport ;) With Steve being in the bishopric, I believe that 1 PM church may have been the worst time on the planet. He would leave for meetings by 7 AM, {possibly} make it home for about an hour (if we were lucky) before having to be back at the church for interviews and such before 1:00 meetings, and then wouldn't make it home after church {which ended at 4} until at least 5:30 or later. Add to that occasional firesides, Bishop's Youth Nights, and home teaching, and you can see our Sundays were often gone without more than an hour together. I'm hoping that our new earlier schedule will afford us a bit more time together as a family on Sunday!! I'm not complaining - really. I wouldn't have it any other way for the opportunity it affords Steve to serve with our amazing bishop and the people in our ward. It is such a blessing to our family to know that he is worthy and willing to serve in such a capacity.

I can already tell I am going to love our new schedule. Not because I'll get to take Sunday naps {cuz seriously ... will I ever REALLY be able to get a nap in?}, but because it opens my afternoon to the possibility to do.more.good. Not that I couldn't have done more of that in the mornings before 1 PM church, but that I usually didn't. I was scrambling to get 4 kids ready, myself ready, a lesson (or handout) ready, etc. Not making the time to just sit, focus, and enjoy the fact that it was a "day of rest." Starting at 9 means those things need to be done on Saturday ... as they should be anyway.

Today I got to spend my afternoon working on plans for our upcoming RS meeting this week, helping my daughters complete goals for their Faith in God requirements, listen to my girls sing at the top of their lungs, attend a scout committee meeting, make dinner for my family, and sit to read from the most recent conference issue of the Ensign.

I want to be better about writing down the things that impress me as I read or study them. To capture just a bit of the whisperings that I feel from time to time. The words of our modern day leaders have a way of reminding me of truths that I may already know while gently nudging me {without to much guilt} to act on those truths.

I was reading Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk entitled "Of Things That Matter Most" and was once again reminded of the need to focus our lives more on the fundamentals of the gospel. He said, "I think most of us intuitively understand how important the fundamentals are. It is just that we sometimes get distracted by so many things that seem more enticing....

...we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most....

... Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship - the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace."

It's going to be a big year for us here ... Cougar moved up to "big boy" Primary today as a Sunbeam, Brinley will turn 12 and enter Young Womens in two weeks {her New Beginnings program is actually on her birthday}, and Kendyl will turn 8 in September and be baptized this fall. We are so blessed and I could not be more proud as a mother or feel more fortunate. Did I mention I'm going to love our new 9 AM church schedule?

Seems a Little Strange ...

Crazy to think that two full months have gone by with a post every.single.day. I learned/observed quite a few things from my experience! Here are just a few of them:

1. I can do hard things {like blog every day for 2 months and survive a kitchen redo in the midst of the holidays}.

2. I will never remodel any part of my house - by choice - during the holidays again.

3. I focus a lot on food and treats ... sorry {and you're welcome - don't pretend like you haven't gone to Target to grab one of my latest finds or that you haven't made Addiction for all of your friends. Yup ... you're welcome.}.

4. I did my hair almost every single day in December. I'm thinking that might be a record (kinda like blogging every day for 2 months).

5. I posted more pics that had me in them than I thought that I would ... and I'm glad.

6. My family does not like me taking pics of them on such a regular basis.

7. I don't express my gratitude often enough - even for the little things.

8. I would rather have mediocre, unedited photos of our life than no pictures at all {remember the blogging hiatus? It was kinda a picture hiatus, too *sigh*}.

9. My "everyday life" is pretty darn good ... even when it's not.

10. I am not meant to be a daily blogger.

I'm sure I learned more than that but I'll spare you the details - you've heard enough from me the past few months!!

BUT, with New Year comes the time for reflection and sizing up what you want to do/be/change/complete or experience in 2011. I've been making a bit of a list that I know will grow/change/modify as the year goes on, but for now, these are a few of the things the I will be focusing on this year {in no particular order}:

Read my scriptures - consistently.
Send birthday cards.
Volunteer in my girls' classrooms.
Attempt to do more {some} sewing.
Plan a party for fun.
Do my visiting teaching.
Send thank you cards ... just cuz.
Learn to make jewelry.
Maintain my fitness routine.
Eat breakfast.
Think of others more often and DO something about it.
Blog more regularly.
Try 1 new recipe a week.
Spend less / Save more.
Read 4 books for fun {quit gasping, people!!}.
Attend the temple once a month.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Wishing you all the best that 2011 has to offer! Thanks to those of you who joined me the past 2 months ... even if you didn't comment ;)

2010 Goes Down in the Record Books ...

So, I'm postdating this by about an hour so it still "counts" in my December posts ... I think it's fair since I haven't gone to bed so "technically" it's still the same day as when I woke up, right? We stayed up to ring in the New Year - all the way until midnight - and then I still had to get the pics downloaded and post written. Sheesh.

We started the day with breakfast ... made by me, again! I think that's a record on the number of times in a week that I would actually make breakfast. Today was pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, and *perfect* bacon. Seriously.

I hopped on the treadmill after breakfast and then we got everyone ready for the day. Steve only had to work a half day today so once he got home the games began! Skip-Bo was first on the agenda.

Cougar helped make his own lunch - a bologna face! These are pretty popular around here ;)

I had to make a trip to the grocery store go grab some goods for dinner tonight, plenty of snacks, and things needed for dinner tomorrow ... the grocery store was PACKED!!

I got home just in time for everyone else to decide a quick run to In -n- Out was in order for a late lunch. While they were gone I headed to the airport for the 5th time in the past 2 weeks ... Grammy & Paca were returning from their week in Seattle!! They came back to our place for about an hour before getting on the road to head home. Since they weren't here on Christmas this year they got to see all of the kids' loot, play a quick game of Pirate's Cove, talk some Bowl games, and get a french horn performance from Brinley. A group hug and they were on their way!!

Pam took some time to make Steve's favorite guacamole dip ... I've tried to make it several times and just can't get it right, so he only gets it when his mom is around.

I got busy making dinner. I'll be honest ... it was good {in my opinion}. It's been unseasonably cold here the past few days (got some snow flurries in the valley yesterday and temps dropped into the 20's - BRR!!) so soup sounded awesome. Baked Potato soup in bread bowls sounded even better!! That's what I decided to make for our last dinner of 2010 - pretty darn good choice, if I do say so myself! I think EVERYONE was extremely pleased and I am THRILLED to have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow!

After dinner and clean up it was time to prepare ourselves for some New Years festivities! We had gotten "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" from the Redbox so we sat down about 8 PM to watch it. Kendyl decided that she didn't want to see it, so she took a movie up to the playroom to watch on her own. The pic of her is dark but I had to take it ... when I went upstairs to check on her she was sitting in the dark, had turned on the lights on the Christmas tree in the playroom, and was sitting and singing along to the Disney Princess Christmas movie that she had chosen ... it was so cute!

The movie ended at 9:52 PM ... just in time to get ready for the ball to drop at midnight in NYC!! I love that we can watch the ball drop at 10PM so the kids feel like they got to ring in the New Year without having to let them stay up until midnight ;)

We had hats, party blowers, clapper rings, leis, masks, and party poppers all ready. We partied like rock stars, drank sparkling cider, blew out every party popper, smooched, and then it was off to bed for the kids!

The party didn't stop there, though. Tonight we busted out the cards for a game of hand & foot. We hadn't played in quite a while and it seems we always play when Ed & Pam are in town. The ladies were on a hot streak tonight, taking the first 3 hands. The men came back to win the last hand, but were too far gone to catch up ... gotta love a good win {since I NEVER seem to win}!!

Our game ended just a few minutes after midnight and thus ended 2010 ... and my December "on the go" challenge. It became a lot more than what I had originally planned in terms or the number of pics and the details I added, but I'm so glad to have done it!! My family, on the other hand, has told me more than once how glad they will be when I am done taking pictures of everything and writing everything down. It's funny - I don't blog for 10 months and people complain. I blog every day for 2 months and people complain. Clearly I need to find a "happy medium," right? My girls have started to tell Pam stories and she's said "I read about that on the blog!," to which they have replied "we don't have any stories to tell you cuz they're all on the blog!" I think it's funny ;)

2010 has been awesome. I'm sad I didn't write more of it down, really. I am totally looking forward to what 2011 has to offer ... should be an interesting ride!