GOING GORDON

LET THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME

2012-01-27T10:43:00.003-07:00

I grew up having timeouts when I was naughty. A lot of times, my mom simply said, 'Go sit on the stool,' and we knew we were being put in timeout (until we remodeled our house and then it was 'go sit on the stairs'- but that's another story). In timeout we would sit on the stool and think about what we had done and what we were going to change. When we were able to tell Mom how we were going to choose better next time, we were able to get off. It allowed us to have some time to calm ourselves down and think. I believe it was a positive experience and that is why I do something similar in my home.

My children 'sit on the stool' too. I don't really use it that often, only if they are fighting or being unkind and won't stop. We have a bar at our kitchen counter and I pull stools out to the middle of the kitchen and have the two that were arguing sit on them. They are allowed to get off the stools when they have sung 'As I Have Loved You' to each other. It has to be done together and they have to look at each other while doing it or they have to start over. It has never failed to work. They are laughing and smiling by the time they are done and the situation has been diffused. They don't even remember what they were fighting about. Definitely an inspired day when that idea came to my mind.

TALENT SHOWS & CORNEAL ABRASIONS

2012-01-13T17:44:00.006-07:00

D and A competed in a talent show at their high school yesterday. I went to watch and take photos but low and behold the battery in my camera was out of juice. I was sad. They ROCKED the house- umm, the school! I was so proud of them! Their band took 2nd place (I think they should have gotten first, but I am their mom...).

Then, later in the day, Princess P was at a birthday party when I got a phone call that some kid was swinging an arrow and she had been hit in the eye with the back of the arrow and I should come look at it. I ended up taking her to the eye doctor and she had huge scratches in her cornea with wood pieces still in there, and a big gouge in the white part of the eye. It was pretty creepy looking. They cleaned it out, put a contact-type 'band-aid' on her eye and we had to put antibiotic drops in once an hour.

Today we went back to the doctor and he said it has already almost closed. Our bodies are so amazing! Eyes are amazing! Kids are amazing! We feel very blessed. It could have been SO much worse!

I HAVE NO CLASS

2012-01-11T09:28:00.003-07:00

My class got ixnayed for this semester due to lack of students. There was some confusion with scheduling and it only had 4, so we decided to cancel. I'm not sure if I'm happy about all the free time I'm going to have now, or sad because of all the free time I'm going to have now. I am going to take Printmaking 2, so that will give me something to do. And there's always plenty of housework...

A NEW YEAR

2012-01-03T07:45:00.003-07:00

I have put this post off for a while just because I have no photos to show for all the time I've missed. I had a family party at my house and in all my hostess duties, completely spaced digitally recording any memories. I know, that is SO unlike me. I guess I will briefly record our New Year's weekend and move on.

New Year's Eve day, we went up the mountain to play in the snow. It was FREEZING, windy and icy so we only stayed 2 hours- very unlike us. That night my family came to town for dinner and we played some games afterwards. The kids all had fun with the cousins but we were still in bed by 11 pm. I am just not a big fan of staying up late, even for New Year's.

I have some resolutions floating around in my head, but nothing to record permanently yet. There, I've posted about New Year's (my least favorite holiday of the year). Now we can move on.

WHERE'S THE WHITE STUFF?

2011-12-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

This has been a sad year for snow! We hardly have any, even in the mountains!

This is D, S and Little C. The lack of snow didn't stop some of my children from going boarding at Park City this week with some of the cousins. It has been cold enough that the resorts have been able to make snow, so they still had a blast.

Here is S with her cousin B. They had a great time and made some fun memories.

DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

2011-12-26T20:12:00.004-07:00

We had to put all the new snow equipment everyone got for Christmas to good use, so we went up the canyon today to ski/snowboard/sled/tube/BBQ/snowmobile/have fun!

The lack of snow this year (check out the hill behind the truck) has been a HUGE disappointment for us. It isn't great conditions for using new snowboards on either, but we did it anyway. We are praying for snow!

There are always issues with the old snowmobiles, so here's a photo of the guys fixing one of them.

Here's a photo of the cute little girls on the huge tube. Princess P had a blast with all her cousins tubing down the hill.

CHRISTMAS IS HERE!

2011-12-25T19:49:00.003-07:00

Well, Christmas finally came and went whether we were ready for it or not. I happened to be ready this year, so everything was great!

We went up to the 'Barn' with all the other Gordons in town to celebrate, as per tradition. My sister and her family came for dinner too. That made it extra fun for me!

Here are the actors in our yearly nativity play. There was a lot of laughing (like every year), but the message is too important to be forgotten. Jesus Christ's birth means everything to us.

Santa Claus had come during the night, so the next morning we all had a great time seeing the gifts he had brought. Princess P wanted (and received) the Lalaloopsy Silly Hair doll. We heard about it for 3 months, so she was VERY pleased!

D was happy with his new helmet cam and A loved his new electric shaver (he also got skis he was happy with as well- spoiled little brats).

S got this cute new hat, some new snowboard bindings and a new coat. She was a happy camper as well.

Little C was happy with his new snowboard too. We were all happy! It was a very merry Christmas for all!

After we checked out all our gifts we ran home, showered and went to church. I wish Christmas was on Sunday every year. It brought such a wonderful spirit into our day. I LOVE singing Christmas music ON Christmas! I just love Christmas in general! I'm so sad its over for another year...

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

2011-12-23T13:01:00.001-07:00

'TIS THE SEASON FOR BAD ART

2011-12-22T15:29:00.007-07:00

Last night I hosted the traditional Art Department Christmas party. As some of you may remember from years past, we bring an original work of art to trade. This year, as an added bonus and inspired by our spring trip to New York, we did a 'bad art' exchange as well.

I didn't get photos taken of the pieces I took to the party, but here are the ones I got to bring home. This is my rockin' bad art piece. One of the guys on the faculty got it at a dollar store. There was some hilarious bad art! I think we've started a fun new tradition!

Here we are, displaying our 'bad art.' I brought the lovely violin on the far left. (Aren't we a good looking faculty!) There was an Andy Warhol-esque version of Justin Bieber, a Bob Ross-esque DI painting, and a yarn and plastic calendar that smelled like old people, to name a few.

This is the good art I got. It is a linocut print and I LOVE it! ©Adam Larsen

HECTIC HOLIDAYS

2011-12-21T07:49:00.006-07:00

Why does it seem that things are going so well and I am all ready for Christmas until the week before? Yikes! It's like someone pushed the fast forward button on the time machine! Slow it down! I guess it could be the fact that I went to Maui and lost 5 days...

Monday we did graham cracker houses for Family Home Evening. I didn't want to because I was already so stressed from shopping 'up North' all day and trying to figure out some ward issues, but I did it anyway. I am a die-hard Christmas lover and if my kids want to do a seasonal activity like that, how can I say no?

Here are the builders of the future generation. They were complaining about the warpedness of the graham crackers. I guess that's what we get for buying the store brand... S had her friend S over and he helped Little C since Big C was doing some repairs.

Here they are tasting their creations. S always has to lick everything. What a bunch of goofs.

Last night was the Elementary school program. Here is Princess P singing 'Christmas Cookies' with her classmates from clear across the gym.

Little C always gets stuck behind the tall girls. Not sure how that happens, but it is really consistent. He sang 'Feliz Navidad.'

Here they are afterward with their Lions Club candy canes. It was nice going to watch with just Big C and I. With only the two of us we got pretty good seats thanks to my sister!

BIOGRAPHY FAIR & SANTA

2011-12-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day. Little C has been working on a biography of Jesse Owens for a month or two now and has really enjoyed it. He was an amazing runner, track star, and olympian. He set world records in high school!

In the 1936 olympics in Berlin he won 4 gold medals. Hitler didn't want to congratulate Jesse (since he was African American), so he left the stadium. Interesting info. and Little C did a great job on those homemade gold medals, wouldn't you say?

When the two youngest got home from school that afternoon we went to our friendly neighborhood supermarket- Kent's to visit Santa and get a treat. Here is Little C. He wants snow pants for Christmas.

Here is Princess P with Santa. She was reluctant to sit on his knee, but candy always helps win her over. (We need to watch out for stranger dangers with her). She wants a Lalaloopsy doll. Bring on CHRISTMAS! We LOVE it!

LAST MINUTE MAUI

2011-12-13T22:06:00.008-07:00

Big C came home from work last Tuesday and said, 'I don't really have any work the rest of the week and J is going to be gone. Let's go to Hawaii or something.' So we booked a trip that night and left early, early Thursday morning for Maui. What's even more strange is that our good friends that went with us to Hawaii last time, came with us again!

Here I am the first day, fresh off the plane (that's why I'm still in jeans). Leave it to Big C to find a beach first thing that was covered in kiteboarders (see them behind me?). He has a nose for the extreme. He never did get to try it though. The day we had it scheduled, the wind was gone. So sad.

The next day we got up early and drove the road to Hana. It is a skinny, winding road around the southeast part of the island. One lane, so you had to be careful no one was coming the other way before you crossed the bridges. It was an adventure in itself!

At a two-laned point we stopped and Friend C found a coconut. Having seen the coconut presentation at the Polynesian Culture Center nine years before, we were able to husk it and crack it open with the help of the guard rail's I-beam. It was yummy!

We stopped later, at a black sand beach and couldn't get over the black sand's contrast against the blue of the water. You couldn't swim here, unfortunately, because of jelly fish/man-o-wars, but it was gorgeous!

We went on a hike up to see a 400 ft. waterfall. This AMAZING banyan tree was on the way. It has to be the coolest tree I have ever seen!!

There were guavas on the trail the whole way up. Everyone ate them but me. I just couldn't do it. They are slimy with seeds. I do love the flavor though. Guava juice is one of my favorites.

On the way up to the waterfall we hiked through a bamboo forest! It was VERY cool!

We made it to the waterfall and then it started to pour on us. We came back very wet and muddy, but had such a great time!

Snorkeling was another favorite of the trip. We found a place where we saw so many turtles we lost track of how many there were. And the fish were gorgeous, very bright and not afraid of us at all.

It rained a good deal while we were there, but we didn't mind. We were in MAUI! No matter what the temperature was, it was warmer than home! We were just happy to be there. This was a rain forest we visited in the rain!

We had lots of good things to eat. I am not a seafood fan, but had good stuff anyway. This is at Bubba Gumps.

Lahaina was my favorite little town. It had an old Main Street with all the buildings turned into shops and eating places. We just had a great time! Last minute trips are the BEST!

Here is the slideshow version. More photos, less info. if you so desire...

Customize a picture slideshow

CHRISTMAS LISTS

2011-12-10T09:55:00.002-07:00

My kids still make their lists for Santa and since we are such an art family, they usually do the illustrated version. Sometimes,even in color!

Here is Princess P's list for this year. Isn't it cute! I just love her drawings!

This is Little C's list. I guess he changed his mind about the iPod, which it good, cuz I doubt he's getting one.

Here's D's list. He's 17 and still illustrates his too!

A on the other hand, makes a list of everything and anything he wants regardless of price. D added up everything on the list and it came to $5,980. What a stinker! We need to work on his materialism issues...

WHITE WEATHER

2011-12-05T13:27:00.006-07:00

We finally got some snow to go with our chilly weather! (4 or 5 inches on Friday night, Saturday morning). The kids from the 'hood were out playing all night and day.

This is Little C (in the blue and red) with his buddies. They played snow soccer almost all morning Saturday. Wish I had that kind of energy. Big C and S went skiing/snowboarding and said the powder was amazing but they did hit a few rocks. S's knee is feeling good. It's the first time she's been on her board since her ACL repair. She's relieved. D has been boarding at Park City 3 times already. Bring on the winter! The Gordons are ready to go!

DARE & ARROW OF LIGHT

2011-12-02T11:02:00.002-07:00

Little C reached a couple of milestones yesterday. First of all, the 5th grade graduated from the DARE program. They all got a certificate, a t-shirt, and some knowledge about the detrimental effects of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

This is his class (Little C has an arrow pointing at his head).

That night he finally received his Arrow of Light award. He earned it over 3 months ago, but there were a couple other boys coming up, so they waited until they were all ready. Here he his pinning me with the 'Mom pin.'

'Crossing the bridge' into the Boy Scout program. I am proud of Little C and his achievements. Scouting isn't his favorite thing, but he does a great job anyway.

CARDS FOR CHRISTMAS

2011-11-28T13:32:00.005-07:00

Here they are! The official 2011 Christmas cards of the Gordon family. Everyone knows I can't do just one. Actually, this year it wasn't my fault.

When I brought these home, D complained and said they were way too boring (I like to think of them as traditional, but I'm just the mom), so I made up the others at his request. I am not sure why he cares. He doesn't send them to his friends anyway.

I do have to admit that these tell a lot more about our family than do the others, but the others are a bit more formal and there are pros and cons to each style. Personally, I like both.

So, if you normally get a card from us, it will be a gamble to see which ones turn up in your mail box... Wait for it...!

THE TREE HUNT

2011-11-27T18:32:00.002-07:00

I LOVE this tradition! We always have such a great time going up the canyon to find a Christmas tree, especially when the weather is sunny and fairly warm like it was yesterday.

The kids went sledding down the road. It was really packed down and icy; perfect for flying down the road, but not great for dodging all the vehicles coming up and going down. I swear, half of Utah was up there with us.

We grilled hot dogs, drank hot chocolate, and visited with family and friends. Here are Princess P, S, Me and Little C enjoying the day.

On our hike out into the forest, we found a leak in the culinary water pipe. It had been spraying for a while and left this cool ice formation. It was taller than Princess P!

And here it is, probably the UGLIEST tree we have ever had. The lights didn't even help it. Oh well. It is serving it's purpose and we had a great time going to get it, so we'll put up with it.

BLACK FRIDAY FUN

2011-11-25T08:05:00.002-07:00

I believe you need to be a woman and a true shopper at heart to love Black Friday. I don't know that there is that much money saved, but the excitement and the fun of going shopping is what it is all about. I really do love it! I went with my sister-in-law this year and we just had a VERY good time!

We shopped all day with a little break for lunch at Cafe Rio. I got lots done and had a blast! I'm not finished with all my Christmas gift buying, but I am lots closer now and had a great time doing it- which is the true Black Friday spirit!

THANKSGIVING AT THE BARN

2011-11-24T08:59:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Gordon Thanksgiving this year. We went up to 'The BARN', of course, and had turkey, a TON of mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and lots of desserts. We were in food heaven (which is the purpose of Thanksgiving, right?)

Then, the day was so beautiful, we all went outside. The guys and the brave girls had a trap shoot. (BTW, I am NOT a brave girl- I hate shotguns). Here're D, Big C and Grandpa taking their turn.

This is Little C, Medium C, Uncle C and Mid C shooting those poor, defenseless clay pigeons.

Here is Little Miss C enjoying the sunny day. What a CUTIE!!

A had a great time! Food is one of his true loves, so he gives a big THUMBS UP to Thanksgiving.

Big C's cousin came with his family and brought us gifts. He markets these vinyl nail wraps called Tat Toes (you may have seen them in the mall) and he let us all choose some. Here are S (right) and N showing off the latest in nail fashion. I have some too and they are awesome! I wore mine over the summer for 6 weeks and they still looked perfect. We are fans!

FAMILY NIGHT OF GRATITUDE

2011-11-22T07:24:00.006-07:00

We had a fun Family Home Evening last night, so I thought I'd share. D gave the lesson on gratitude/thanksgiving and wanted an idea for an activity. Pinterest came to the rescue again. (I know I said I wouldn't post about Pinterest again for a while, but I can't help it. There are just so many great ideas, I keep finding fun stuff).

This is our Thankful Tree we made. D cut branches off our aspen tree and put them in a jar. I punched out circles from scraps of paper I had, then punched small holes in them. We listed things we are thankful for and hung them on our 'tree.' It turned out cute and the kids had a blast.

Earlier in the day, Princess P and I went over to my sister's to make these pilgrim hat cookies (also inspired off of Pinterest). So this was our family night treat. It was a nice evening for all with minimal fighting (which is always a bonus ;).

TIME WILL TELL

2011-11-20T19:03:00.003-07:00

Yesterday my oldest daughter and I went north to the big metropolis for some Christmas shopping. And what is Christmas shopping without going out to lunch?

We went to Mimi's and had some very yummy food (I love quiche and never get it because my family hates it, so going to Mimi's is always wonderful for me). Our waiter was also very impressive. He wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, but was pretty darn cute with a very charming personality. His left hand was also free of a wedding band, so... I left S's phone number for him!

We laughed and laughed and decided that he'd never call, but it was funny and reminded us of the movie The RM. We were very entertained.

Well, he ended up texting her about 4 hours later while were shopping at Target! We just about died! We were as giggly as little girls. He seems like a nice guy, but later I really started to worry. What if he's a loon? What if he's psycho? I guess only time will tell, but I think I need to restrain my impulsiveness next time and let her pick up on her own guys. Then I don't have to feel responsible.

MONOTYPE FLOWERS

2011-11-17T12:35:00.002-07:00

Here's more art from my class. This is a demo I did for monotypes last week. Everyone enjoyed them quite a bit. I LOVE doing monotypes. I'm thinking about doing a large one for the faculty show in February...

SNOWMAN FAMILY

2011-11-14T07:31:00.002-07:00

Okay, this is the last Pinterest post for a while, I promise. But these snowmen turned out so cute I just had to share.

I got together with a couple of friends on Saturday and we made this cute snowman family. I got the info from Pinterest, but we changed them to fit what we wanted. Here's the link if you're interested...

CRAFTINESS

2011-11-11T08:28:00.007-07:00

Pinterest strikes again! I pinned these covered light switches on Pinterest and thought about doing them. Then, I saw that my sister had some in her home and they looked SO cute. She bought them at a local store and my decision was set in stone.

Last night I got busy and did almost my whole upstairs. Here are some of my favorites. I am SO thrilled with them. My kids were even impressed and they aren't easily impressed by crafts.

The key is to find cute scrapbook paper. I have TONS in my stash, so that part was easy.

(Sorry about this crappy photo- I'm too lazy to take another one). The other key is to use spray glue. The website I looked at said to use mod podge or paste, but spray adhesive was SO much easier. I tried them both ways.

At the end, you Mod Podge over the top to keep them from getting too dirty too fast and VIOLA! You've covered over 18 years of cracked, stained switch covers and added a fun decorative element to your room. I even used a recipe card one for my kitchen. Will the cuteness ever end?

BANANA SCUM

2011-11-07T08:16:00.002-07:00

D got a new outfit the other day and is in love with it so I thought I would share it will all.

His new Nomis jacket and Burton 'scum' hat came in the mail (online order) and the glasses were purchased on a trip to the metropolis last weekend. Big C calls it his banana hat.

What a stylin' dude! Everyone's been trying them on, especially the glasses. They are so 80's its not even funny!!

Here's S in them as well. Lookin' good! (She always does).

Me? Not so much. I'd better leave the scum hat style to those that think its awesome.

I AM A CANON FAN

2011-11-03T14:19:00.003-06:00

I think I am a Canon fan for life. As most of you readers know, I have broken the screen on my G11 twice now. Yes, I truly am talented. I sent my camera in for repairs both times because I honestly love this camera. The first time, they repaired it and sent it back within 10 days. It was amazing and fairly cost effective (for a $500 camera). I was very happy with their service.

This time, however, was a little different. I sent my camera in and didn't hear from them for almost 4 weeks. I finally called and the lady said she would expedite everything and 3 days later my camera was home. Only, it wasn't my camera. They said it was more cost effective to upgrade me to a refurbished G12! So now I have a nicer version for the same money! Needless to say I am very happy!! I <3 Canon! It will be so good to have my nice camera back...

TRICK OR TREAT

2011-11-02T18:51:00.007-06:00

Our Halloween 2011 was a very fun one and quite laid back compared to some years.

Here are my oldest boys. D has been making that Deadmau5 (techno band) head for weeks. He did such a good job. A is the lead singer from Avenged Sevenfold (M Shadows).

Of course we started out with the costume parade at the elementary school. It was fun to see all the costumes. Here is Princess P as a pirate princess running past.

Here is Little C as a zombie (with half the school). He was a pretty darn good one. The weather was so nice the kids didn't even need jackets til the sun went down. It was perfect (especially compared to last year's blizzard/lightning storm).

I've probably blogged about him before, but this photo (taken by my awesome sister-in-law) is too good not to post. This is our neighbor at the costume parade. He always dresses up as a ringwraith from Lord of the Rings and rides around town on his horse. He is VERY scary (even though we know who it is), especially when it gets dark. He is a very fun tradition in our small town.

Here I am (right) as a hippie with my sister (aka. Morticia Addams) and my niece (aka. Wednesday Addams). They looked awesome!

For some reason, after school Princess P wanted to be a zombie, so we painted her face for trick or treating.

Here is the neighborhood group that went trick or treating together. They had a great time. I'm so glad we live in a safe place with lots of fun kids.

2011-10-29T10:09:00.009-06:00

Yes, it is true. I have let Pinterest into my life. (If you don't know what that is, here's a link). It has actually been a great help for me too. I do love finding photos and putting them into categories (helps me feel like at least one part of my life is organized :), but I have also found it is a great place to discover new recipes and craft ideas. Here are some of the things I have made:

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos. I made these little masterpieces for dinner last night and they were a hit! Major, super yum! Here is the link for the recipe. They were pretty easy to make too because I just used canned chicken from my food storage!

Pumpkin Pie Crescents. I actually made these last night too for a little get-together with friends. Not as yummy or as easy as I had hoped, but I just had to try... Here is the link if you'd like to make them though.

Macaroni and Cheese. I don't usually make homemade macaroni and cheese because Big C isn't a fan, but it sounded very yummy so I did it anyway. It was VERY good! If you don't have an amazing recipe for it, use this one.

Pumpkin Blondies. These are A-MAZ-ING! Very easy and very yummy! Here's the link.

Corner bookmarks. I made these for book club a few weeks ago and they turned out so cute.

I didn't make the monster ones, mine turned out more like this (with a flower and button), but they were easy and cute, especially if you're using double-sided scrapbook paper. Here's the link for instructions.

Happy Pinning!

CRAZY HAIR DAY, AGAIN!

2011-10-28T18:42:00.003-06:00

Here are the kiddos for crazy hair day this year. I am not sure why my camera took such a horrible photo, but you can kind of see their fun hair.

It was a great way to get ready for Halloween!

PUMPKIN CARVING AT THE BARN

2011-10-25T18:35:00.004-06:00

The tradition of carving pumpkins at the barn with all the cousins took place again this year. It is a messy place when we are done, but it is very fun so it's worth it.

Here are D and Princess P getting the guts out. Oooo, yeck! Look at Princess P's face. She's not loving it. She liked the carving alright tho and did half of it by herself.

Here is Little C. He did his whole pumpkin all by himself this year and did a great job too!

A's didn't turn out like he hoped, but still ended up cool.

Here are all the crazy cousins and all the scary pumpkins. Very fun!

REAL FANS

2011-10-23T18:33:00.006-06:00

Little C wanted to go to a Real Salt Lake game and I was happy to comply because I do love soccer. Those of us that played soccer this season got vouchers for free tickets, so we only had to pay for 3 extras.

This is one amazing stadium! (I'm the only one who'd been to it before- for the Journey concert). We didn't have 'great' seats, but they were still very good. We got to see all the action and the goal they scored was right there in front of us!

Here we are before the game started. We all got a bobble head doll of the goalie, Nick Rimando because we were some of the first thousand inside the stadium.

Here's Big C and Princess P. She didn't want to go, but had a blast when we got there.

RSL was playing Portland and there was one VERY rowdy group of them! They started flares and ended up being escorted out by security. It was all very entertaining and we had a great time! If we lived closer, I'd have season tickets!!

FALL HIKE

2011-10-21T18:25:00.002-06:00

I wanted to go on a hike to see all the fall leaves, but we went a little too high and most of them had fallen already. But it was still a beautiful autumn day (my favorite kind).

It was UEA break so the kids were home to go with me. It was a fun way to start the morning.

Some of my children just don't take me seriously as a photographer. They have no respect and will not pose nicely. It was still a fun jaunt, however.

I THINK, THEREFORE I BLOG

2011-10-19T18:53:00.002-06:00

After much deliberation, I have decided to continue with my blog. I couldn't think of a new name for a new blog and hated to just give up. I am going to gradually restore my photos back to the last time I printed my blog into a book and just go from there. I am still very disappointed, but I guess I learned a lesson... of some sort...?

I HATE GOOGLE +

2011-10-16T18:33:00.001-06:00

Just found out that deleting photo albums from Google Plus deletes them from your blog. When I signed up for Google Plus I saw the photo albums and thought, "I don't need those, they are on my blog" and proceeded to delete the albums. Without warning, Google complied. WHY couldn't they have said, "Deleting these photos will delete them from your blog" ? I am NOT going to add all the photos back to all the posts, so I think I am done with the blog. Google+ is the stupidest thing ever! Why did I even sign up for it??? I am so ticked I can't even tell you!!

THE SAN RAFAEL IS SWELL

2011-10-15T19:06:00.003-06:00

The lovely fall weather was calling to us and we decided to go on one last camping trip in the San Rafael Swell. We even convinced some friends to come with us (well, it wasn't very hard, they were excited) which always makes my kids happy. They'd much rather go if we're going with other people.

Big C climbed up a big tree and took a photo of our campsite that evening. Cool vantage point huh?

Our friend J, took this AMAZING photo of the full moon about to peek out from behind the mountain. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place!

That night we gathered around the campfire, ate birthday cake, and listened to A make up songs on his guitar. I love nights like that...

The next morning the kids got up to deface a little public property. They had fun adding their names to the many already there on a bridge.

We also ate a yummy breakfast of pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs. I was rather happy about it, wasn't I.

Princesses P and K had a blast pushing each other on the swing. I am so glad the S family had their cameras because we had 3 between us and they were all out of battery power. So most of these photos are mooched.

Big C challenged himself by going hand over hand across the river.

Then we went biking out to the trailhead. I just love the San Rafael!

Here are the kids resting before they rappel off the cliff. Our trip had a little something for everyone. What a wonderful way to wrap up the camping season. I am sad it is over.

THE SCUM HAT

2011-10-14T13:31:00.004-06:00

Known as the 'slouchy beanie' by most, at our house it has been dubbed the 'scum hat' by Big C. I am horrified by it's popularity, especially among young, otherwise good looking men (or even women).

Here is Orlando Bloom wearing one. (I have to admit, it is difficult to find an unattractive photo of him, but I did my best to get my point across and I feel that I have succeeded). A very hot guy wearing this hat like it is some kind of fashion statement.

This one is Ashton Kutcher. Now, I am not a fan of his at anytime (okay, he was good in Cheaper By the Dozen, but that's because he was playing himself), but COME ON! HOW does he think this is a good look?? He even wears his with a suit. *insert eye roll*

This last one brings me much sadness. Even Zac Efron (one of my favs of the favs!). He must know he's better than that!

Which brings me to my own family being caught up in this new fashion trend started by the homeless. Here is D who started the whole nickname by trying to wear his to Disneyland. Needless to say, Big C told him he was not wearing that 'scum hat' at Disneyland. The name has stuck and we tease him about it all the time.

Even S has started wearing one. I guess I am just too old to truly appreciate this form of self-expression. I can guarantee a hat such as this will never grace my head.

A PLETHORA OF PUMPKINS & PICUTRES

2011-10-10T21:22:00.005-06:00

Our annual visit to Beck Family Farms pumpkin patch took place this evening. It was an overcast, chilly autumn day and just perfect for choosing pumpkins out of a huge field.

My children could not pose nicely for me this evening, so bear with me. The photos are a bit obnoxious. D, S and A had a wonderful time choosing their idea of a perfect pumpkin.

Princess P and Little C with their choices in orange goodness. Princess P is still in her soccer clothes (they lost their tournament game- needless to say, she is not one bit sad).

We were all in awe of Uncle D's "butt pumpkin." It was pretty awesome! Just had to take a photo.

Uncle C, Big C and I in the patch.

My children posing for a nice little portrait afterwards. What a bunch of cheesers!!

We ended up being there at the same time as a bunch of other Ephraim-ites. The little girls had a great time on the tire swing and all the kids enjoyed the hay bale maze. It is a cute place!

UPROAR

2011-10-08T16:29:00.008-06:00

My kids just went to a concert called 'Uproar' on a school night! Hell must have frozen over. I have no idea how it happened. I usually don't even let my kids go hang out with friends on a school night. I must have gone mad. *NOTE: Their grades were in good standing (A's) or they would NOT have gone.

The main band they went to hear is called Avenged Sevenfold. NOT my favorite group, but then, I'm sure my parents weren't impressed with my choice of music either and they let me go to multiple concerts growing up. I do have to admit I have one Avenged song on my iPod. It is called Fiction (click to listen). A can play it on the piano, so I've actually learned to like it.Here are S, J & C (sister-in-law & husband), A and D. They had SUCH a good time.

Here is their favorite band on stage. The skull with the bat wings is their symbol. Yuck. Maybe their taste in music will improve as they get older? ;)

WAXING CLASS

2011-10-07T08:08:00.005-06:00

While I had a crowd of Book Club girls over last night, Big C took the kids out to the garage and made them wax their skis and boards. It was quite the party.

Everyone did their own...

...even Princess P...

... and Little C.

My kids could all work in a ski shop now (if only we had one in our little town- a ski resort would be nice too).

They all have some serious waxing skills now. I am so proud and so is Big C. It even snowed yesterday, so the time is not to far away that they'll be using their newly waxed boards to boogie down the slopes!! Some of them can't wait, but I can. I want a nice long fall, think I'll get it?

TEAM PHOTO SHOOT

2011-10-04T13:31:00.007-06:00

Here are some photos of Princess P's soccer team that I coached. We were the Purple Pirates! They are all very fun kids and I have had a great time even though it has been hard to fit it all in.

Can you find Princess P? She's the only girl on the team (hint- she's in the middle).

They have only lost one game, but we start the championships tomorrow and play one of the hardest teams we haven't played yet, so we'll see how that game goes...

Tough guys!

*Special thanks to T for for taking the photos!*

CONFERENCE WITH KIDS

2011-10-03T07:30:00.005-06:00

Staying home from church to watch General Conference always sounds so nice. There is always a lovely picture in my head of us sitting down together and reverently enjoying listening to the leaders in our church give us guidance and counsel. Unfortunately the reality is always much different...

This is what the afternoon session looked like yesterday. Little girls dog pile on Little C. I'm just not sure how much they got out of it. Too much fun with the cousins.

My brother and his family invited us up there for lunch and to watch the last session with them. The food was very yummy and we had such a great time together.

Here they are at the half way mark, letting off a little steam as the choir sings. They had a VERY good time with their cousins, but I don't know how much Conference they listened to...

OFFICIALLY JEALOUS

2011-10-01T19:07:00.010-06:00

As most of you know, my oldest daughter has been a river guide up on the Payette rivers this summer. She has had some adventures of which some of us in the family are jealous.

She ran rivers everyday for most of the summer (here she is on one of the trips- isn't she the cutest river guide ever? Love that grin!) and never got sick of it. In their spare time, all the guides would go run the river again. She even learned to kayak, of which Big C is VERY proud.

For the last month, the river levels have been low and the river business has been slow, but did she come home? No. She went to have more adventures.

Like going for a 2,500 mile road trip in her 1992 Honda Civic (aka. the Hot Tamale) with two European guys. Here she is in the Sawtooths. Wow! Beautiful!

Here they are reading Banks Mag (local Payette Magazine). She said they treated her like a little sister and wouldn't even let her cook. One was from the Czech Republic and the other was from Slovakia. By the end of the trip she says they were fighting like brothers and sisters too.

She made it all the way to the Pacific ocean (here's where MY jealousy comes in). This is a gorgeous beach at La Push (Twilight readers will know of the significance- she even had a romantic occurrence happen- ask her about it). And even if you aren't a Twilight fan, you can't deny the beauty of this place. I have always wanted to go to the Pacific Northwest. I'm sure I'll get there some day and S says she'll go back with me. I am so in awe of the life she led this summer. She had amazing opportunities and she took them.

I love hearing all of her stories. (This one involved a bear). I have no doubt she will lead an exciting life. She's off to a great start...

HOME WORK

2011-09-29T16:53:00.007-06:00

I am teaching a new class this semester and need examples of the assignments, so I have been doing the assignments along with my class.

I've actually had a good time. Give me a design problem and it is just like a puzzle. I just want to get started figuring out the solution. This one (above) had to do with pattern continuation and line direction within a composition. It was done with Sharpie.

This is an embossment (excuse the photo, my nice camera is still being repaired). They had to pick an emotion or concept and express it visually. Mine was fear- can you see the spider? The shot needle? The blood? The number 13? Not necessarily my fears, but dealing with fears common to many.

This is one I just did today using mixed media. They had to choose a color scheme and use collage and paint. I'm diggin' this one. Doesn't necessarily have a message, just fun.

SOCCER & RED ROVER

2011-09-27T20:29:00.006-06:00

We went to Little C's game tonight and were very entertained. The teams were both local and there were quite a few of his friends on the opposing side.

Here is Little C (in gray) up in the air.

Here he is about to score a goal. The final score was 3 to 3. They were very evenly matched. I guess they can all remain friends.

On the side lines another match was being held. All the little sisters got together and played a spontaneous game Red Rover. They were SO cute!

Here is Princess P in pink. She had a ball! (ha ha, soccer pun).

SUNDAY EVENING

2011-09-26T18:14:00.001-06:00

We went up in the mountains last night to cook dinner with friends. I was going to make steaks anyway, so when they called and invited us we just took everything up there to cook.

Here's Big C cooking steak and potatoes. It was perfect weather. We had a fire and it was just chilly enough that the fire felt good, but not too hot.

4 families= 8 adults, 20 kids and 1 dog. The leaves are changing up there and I don't know how many more days like this there will be. It is very beautiful!

We ended up with lots of food! Desserts were especially plentiful. We had watermelon, roasted marshmallows, 3 kinds of cobbler, chocolate cake, divinity, and fire-popped popcorn. We were all very full and tired when we got home. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday evening.

P.S. All these photos were taken with my new waterproof, freezeproof, shockproof camera. I got a Fuji. We like it so far...

P.P.S. Can I just say how much I dislike the new Blogger editing space. VERY confusing! And then there's some contest that attached itself to my post. I need to go through these new settings. I am not happy!

I LOVE THE THEATER (say with English accent)

2011-09-25T10:23:00.001-06:00

I got to go see the matinee of The Drowsy Chaperone at the Hale Center Theater in Orem with my sister yesterday. Her step son was in it. It was SO good! It was hilarious, fun, had great music, lots of talented singing and dancing and acting.

I highly recommend it if you can get there. It is a pretty small theater, but it was completely sold out and I can see why. I can't understand why people always go down to Tuacan when we have such a fabulous theater so close. I guess the outdoors theater is pretty cool, but...

Not to pick favorites (okay, yes I do), but the Latin Lover was, in my humble opinion, the best part of the show. Orange sweater guy was pretty awesome too.

PHOTOSHOPPED KEN

2011-09-22T15:19:00.005-06:00

For a quick intro to Photoshop we had a choose an image and alter it in four different ways- a sort-of Andy Warhol piece. I chose Ken and I have no idea why except that the possibilities for alteration were endless.

I ended up using POSTERIZED KEN, ZOMBIE KEN, MIDLIFE CRISIS KEN, and HIPPIE KEN.

I think they turned out fun. My next assignment is a photoshopped self-portrait. I have never taken a self-portrait without photoshopping it, so it shouldn't be too hard. :)

MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK

2011-09-20T13:06:00.008-06:00

Those of you who've read my blog before know that I am not a fan of canning. Probably because I was raised by a mother that canned EVERYTHING. I grew up helping to can beans, tomatoes, pears, peaches, grape juice, etc... I think it might have burned me out because I refuse to go out and buy fruit so that I can can it (besides the fact that my family won't eat it).

When we have grown our own, however, I make an exception. This year we got quite a good load of apples, so last night for family night we canned apple pie filling. What usually would have taken me 4-5 hours alone, took about 1 1/2 hours with all the family helping. Now we have 12 quarts and I am thrilled!

PROBLEM SOLVED?

2011-09-17T10:01:00.003-06:00

I broke my camera again. I am so mad at myself I can hardly stand it. I bought it less than two years ago and this is the second time I've had to send it in for a new LCD screen. I sat on it when we went to Green River. Applause, applause, applause. I know.

I love this camera! It's my favorite! And if I'd just keep the screen shut, it would be okay, but I don't. Hopefully I've found a solution to the problem...

... this Pentax waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof camera. All the things my family and I need from a camera! I'll save my Canon for the less treacherous trips, whenever those might be...

MY MONSTERS

2011-09-12T11:11:00.005-06:00

Assignment #1 DONE! I am happy. My skills on Illustrator have improved and it is no longer quite so daunting to me.

Here are my set of 3 black and white monsters...

... and my set of 3 colored. Bring on the next assignment!

10 YEARS AGO

2011-09-11T20:38:00.005-06:00

I don't think I've ever written about 9/11. Since this is one of my journals, I would like to record what I do remember from that time on its 10th anniversary.

That morning I was busy. I didn't have the TV on until later after both the towers had fallen, but I didn't miss the footage. They showed it over and over again. I called my mom to confirm that what I was watching was really happening. We talked for a while in disbelief and then I sat for 2 hours, stunned by the images and the messages they carried. It brought me to tears over and over and, like the rest of the US, I still couldn't believe it was happening. I finally had to turn off the news. I just couldn't take it anymore. I realized at the time, how fortunate I was that I COULD turn it off. For so many people it was a nightmare they would have to live with for the rest of their lives because of the loss of loved ones.

When my husband and my children (then 9, 7, and 5) came home that evening, we talked a lot about it. Our school had the kids watch some of the reports (I wasn't sure how I felt about that at the time) and they just could not understand. Why would people want to kill themselves and lots of other people like that? I am so glad they couldn't understand. I would worry about anyone who can.

I am grateful for the freedom that I have continued to be able to have these past 10 years. Many have lost their lives on and since that day. I know some of the men personally that have gone to live in foreign countries and live through unspeakable events so that our families are safe. I will always be thankful for them and their sacrifice for the life I am able live.

SOCCER STARS

2011-09-09T07:39:00.003-06:00

I am coaching Princess P's soccer team this year (as I've mentioned before) and it has actually been fun. She is much more aggressive and pays way more attention to the game than I thought she would.

I am proud of her. We are purple and she likes that part too.

Little C is an awesome player again this year too. He played against one of his best friends last night and won. They are still friends, don't worry.

He actually scored two goals, but neither counted because the refs had called some sort of penalty right before. Poor guy. I keep telling him he'll get one eventually. He sure loves this game!

BUSY BIRTHDAY

2011-09-07T20:55:00.007-06:00

Amongst school, piano lessons, soccer games, baptisms for the dead, and a powder puff game, somewhere in there it was Little C's 11th birthday. He is very casual, so although we didn't even have time to sit down to dinner, he remained happy and cheerful to just go with the flow of the busy day.

We finally got around to having family and friends over for cake and ice cream and presents and he was even happier. He is such a sweetheart and a joy to have around. I am so grateful he is part of our family!

11 THINGS ABOUT LITTLE C ON THE 11TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH:

He is such a good friend to everyone.
He wears green converse.
He can dance like nobody's business! He's working on learning all the moves to Party Rock Anthem (check it out here)right now and has almost got it!
He is a great hugger.
His favorite sports are soccer and snowboarding.
He is always so happy.
He is an amazing gymnast/athlete
His favorite color is green (and so is mine!)
He's a pretty good worker for someone his age.
He is a mover. Always running around, never sitting being bored.
His favorite candy is plain M&M's.

LABOR DAY?

2011-09-06T21:04:00.012-06:00

We didn't 'labor' much on Labor Day- most people don't. We went down to Green River to run the river. And we had a fabulously fun time!

We met and camped with friends and played, played, played. The photo above is of the place my kids rode on the drive up to the put-in. I was sick about them all being up there, but they had a blast. I guess they were pretending to row as we drove along and entertained the people we passed on the way.

Here I am (right) with two of my good friends.

We stopped at this sand bar and had fun collapsing it. The kids did some 'cliff' jumping too.

S is still home for a few days and she was thrilled to kayak another river with Big C. More father/daughter bonding on the water. She's really got a good roll down. We're so proud.

This is A flipping off the front of the boat. It was hot, the water was nice and there is A LOT of flat water this time of year on this run, so we did lots of throwing each other out of the boats, flips off the raft and water fights.

FAVORITE MEMORIES OF THE TRIP:

Steaks for dinner.
L's famous chocolate chip pancakes.
Big C pulling me off the raft into the water, me flipping him over in his kayak and losing our friends' car keys in the process.
Calling a friend at home to bring an extra set of keys to us 2 1/2 hours away and then finding the keys in the boat when he was only half an hour away. fail!
Swimming the rapids in our life jackets. (It was the only way they were even fun).
Watching the kids flip the raft on purpose.
Getting our last sunburns of the summer.
Eating a huge, deliciously amazing burger at Ray's.

BAPTISM

2011-09-03T16:01:00.007-06:00

Princess P was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. Her big brother, D, baptized her and it was a special experience for them both. They were both nervous, but everything went great.

Here we are! My forever family! I am so blessed!Here they are in their matching white jumpsuits. S gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and Big C confirmed her afterwards. She has repeatedly told me how happy she feels and how she wishes she could do it again. I am so proud of her!

Here are the invitations we sent out inviting family to this special day.

MY DAUGHTER IS HOME

2011-09-02T15:51:00.005-06:00

S came home on Thursday night. It was SO fun to see her again. I always forget what a beautiful girl she is. We have had a great time being a whole family again. (Even if its only for a week).

She has been sleeping in a tent all summer, so she couldn't bring herself to sleep inside the first night. She looks like a homeless person, but I promise we didn't banish her to the back porch.

Big C talked her into running Cottonwood with him after work tonight. (He didn't have to talk too hard). After running rivers all summer, she is STILL loving it. This is a crazy river too- solid Class IV (the outlet of Joe's Valley Reservoir).

I don't know if a father and daughter could have more in common. These two are die hard outdoors lovers!

NEW SKILLS

2011-08-31T13:48:00.012-06:00

I am finally taking the computer art class I have wanted to take forever. I have gone from being VERY frustrated to very EXCITED just today!

Our assignment is to create a set of 3 images that relate to each other in subject matter as well as style. After a few different ideas I decided on monster dolls. I have NO idea why, but they were fun to draw and I liked them, so I kept going. Those are my sketches up above.

Yesterday I started working on a computer version (above) and HATED it!

U-G-L-Y!! It just didn't look like my drawings. I wanted them to look like little stuffed toys and it DID NOT even come close. I was very discouraged and thought about giving up. But somehow this morning I just got up and went to class. Gosh, am I glad I did!

I made quite a bit of progress and got some monsters that I really like (above). I only have one more to do and I am so proud of my first computer illustrations! Pretty awesome considering the fact that I just learned today!! Bring it on Illustrator! I'm ready!!

BRACELESS

2011-08-29T19:28:00.001-06:00

My boys are thrilled- THEY GOT THEIR BRACES OFF TODAY! Let's all cheer for them!

Here is D. What a handsome smile!

A looks great too! They have to wear retainers, but it is much better than the braces were! Ah, the things we do for straight teeth! Is it worth it? Not according to them, but to me- Yes! I was raised by an orthodontist, what do you expect?

PINK TEA PARTY GOODNESS

2011-08-27T19:56:00.002-06:00

Princess P wanted a Pinkalicous Tea Party for her 8th birthday, so I tried to accommodate.

We had lots of pink and lots of treats. The girls were on a sugar high! The dishes are some my mom gave to me my Junior year in high school for Christmas. I have only ever used them for tea parties. They are perfect! The girls thought it was so fancy to have real glass tea cups.

Here is Princess P (middle), Little Miss B (left), and a neighbor girl. Some of the manners left a bit to be desired, but in this case I thought having fun was much more important.

I took photos of them in their pretty dresses. We also unwrapped presents, jumped on the tramp and made cute little tea pot boxes (link) from Oriental Trading. I am glad it's over. I was tired.

I'M A COACH

2011-08-25T20:12:00.004-06:00

It's official, I am the soccer coach to 8 boys and 1 girl (Princess P) ages 5-8. It is actually going to be fun. I coached D when he was about 9 or 10, so I thought I'd do it again. Little C is sad I didn't coach for him, so maybe I'll have to next year. We had our first practice tonight and the kids are very fun. I think they had a good time and, after all, that is what sports are all about.

PALISADE FAMILY NIGHT

2011-08-23T10:12:00.001-06:00

Picture slideshow customized with Smilebox

We had a fun family night at Palisade Lake last night. I couldn't decide what photos to use because there were so many fun ones, so I made a slide show. It was a great way to blow off steam after the first day of school.

1st DAY OF SCHOOL

2011-08-22T08:34:00.005-06:00

I am SO sad that school is starting and our carefree days of summer are over. I cannot begin to express my sadness.... but, it is going to happen whether I am ready or not, so I guess I'd better put my best foot forward and---- good grief! Sorry about the pep talk, we'll move on...

My big high schoolers, D and A. They aren't real excited about the school thing either, but getting new clothes always helps.

My elementary kiddos, Little C and Princess P. They had a little bit more enthusiasm, but it was mostly centered around the clothes too.

Princess P and her new 2nd grade teacher.

Here is Princess P at her desk. She has quite a few friends in her class.

Little C did not want his photo taken with his new 5th grade teacher (he didn't even know her- what was I thinking?). He is not as excited, but things went well. I even had meetings today and I start Thursday. *sigh* Back to reality!

IT'S GREAT TO BE EIGHT

2011-08-21T14:43:00.006-06:00

Today is my sweet Princess P's 8th birthday. I just wanted to express my love and appreciation for her and make a list of just some of the things I love about her.

She loves to help me around the house. Cooking, cleaning (except her room), you name it, she wants to do it.
She gives good hugs!
She is a very good reader and loves it.
She is such a great little cat babysitter. They love her and she loves them.
She is a girly-girl (which is every mother's dream). Pink is her favorite color.
She loves to dance and is good at it. I am a little sad she is doing soccer this year...
She is a momma's girl AND a daddy's girl. Depends on the day.
She may be a girly-girl but she is always ready for an adventure too.
She is a great little artist and very creative.
She has a wonderfully, giggly laugh that I LOVE!

Here's the birthday girl with all her birthday gifts! She got a Nintendo DS and other stuff too. She had a ball!

BOOK GROUPIES

2011-08-20T07:08:00.004-06:00

I belong to the coolest book club ever. I know you think you do, but I beg to differ. We have so much fun together and it isn't even always about the book. Yes, we all love to read, but that is only ONE of the things we have in common with each other. We are all just very good friends.

Here we are at Macaroni Grill. We went up to 'the big city' to have dinner and watch The Help (since it didn't come to our little town). What a night a laughter, fun, and, yes, tears. (I bawled like a baby at the movie). They did a good job making that book into a movie. I haven't had so much fun on a Girls Night Out since I don't know when.

We have a new blog (link) to help us all stay in sync with what is going on. You can follow us there. And if you move to Ephraim, you are welcome to join us, we are open to everyone.

DAY 15- SILHOUETTE

2011-08-08T14:55:00.006-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

Our campsite on the South Fork of the Payette River.

3RD ANNUAL PAYETTE RIVER TRIP

2011-08-07T09:52:00.000-06:00

Make a picture slideshow

Here are some photos from our amazing yearly trip to Idaho. This year we took two families with us and we also got to see my daughter, S, who is a raft guide up there. We had a lot of fun, but I wish we'd gotten to see more of S. She had to work lots. She guides the Main Payette and the Cabarton section of the North Fork Payette. We ran the Main every day, Cabarton, Old Swirly, and Big C and I even got to do the Canyon section of the South Fork on a Cascade guided trip. (Click this for a video so you can appreciate what I did- I'm so proud of myself. Most of it is class 4 and you have to portage around a class 6). We also ate lots of good food, sat in hot springs, jumped off bridges, and had a great time with friends! We were SO sad to come home. I'm so glad S only has one more month up there. Can't come too soon for me (but I know it will for her- she's having a great time).

COOLEST WARD PARTY EVER

2011-08-02T09:28:00.001-06:00

Tonight was a very fun ward party! We did Sanpete BBQ turkey (click for link if you don't know what that is- it is VERY yummy!) at the park.

Here is Big C helping to cook all that luscious turkey.

But instead of just leaving it at that, we included live music. There are quite a few musicians in our ward and some of the young men get together and play in a band.

They did a great job and had a fun time. Lots of Jack Johnson and Weezer tunes.

My son, A, sang lead since their regular singer lost his voice.

Here is D on his drums. They ROCKED!

We also brought a piece of plastic for the kids to have a slide. It was VERY hot, so it was a popular attraction.

Here is Little C flying down the slide. It was a very fun summer party!

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE... LITERALLY

2011-07-31T09:18:00.009-06:00

(Could also be entitled: "CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN... LITERALLY.") I went to the play up at Sundance again. It is quite a hike to get there. My brother-in-law was in the musical again this year. If you couldn't guess by the titles of my post, it was The Sound of Music which was (is) a HUGE favorite in my family growing up. Both my parents loved musicals (and performed in musicals) and passed that love onto us.

Here I am with my sisters. I love them so much! We had a blast together!

My aunt and uncle came too. We were glad, they are fun people to be with.

Here is M as Franz, the butler. He was awesome! So dignified. He looks GREAT in a tux, huh!

Here is the family Von Trapp. Notice how the stage is wet? It rained off and on throughout the whole thing and they just kept right on going. An amazing cast, especially those kids.

M changed into lederhosen for the 'singing contest' at the end of the play . He looked so great! We are so glad he's part of our family (and not just because he looks good in lederhosen ;).

DAY 14- EYES

2011-07-29T16:40:00.003-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

I love Princess P's eyes. They are a bluish green with a brown spot in the right one that keeps getting bigger. Very unique.

PIONEER DAY ON THE RIVER

2011-07-26T09:36:00.004-06:00

We haven't been on the river much this year as a family and that is very strange for us. I guess a combination of lots of work, scout camp, youth conference, etc... has really thrown off our river groove. I decided we needed to change that and got Big C to take us to the Sevier yesterday.

This photo cracks me up. Little C and A look very serious with their squirt guns (there's plenty of 'ammo' on the river). We met friends there and had a couple of good runs. D and I swam (came out of our boats), but still had a good time!

On the second run it started to get cloudy and pretty soon it was thundering and lightning and pouring on us. The rain didn't matter so much, but the lighting gave us a scare once or twice. It was just FUN though. We REALLY had a good time! We sure miss S when do family things though.

TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

2011-07-25T09:27:00.003-06:00

We were invited by some friends to go up on the mountain and star gaze Sunday night. On the way up we saw a snow bank that had cracked and broken up into chunks just like a glacier. We couldn't resist checking it out.

Here they are looking at the crevasse- such as it is. It was solid ice and very slick. We were surprised at how deep they were.

Here are the chunks of ice. It was very interesting to see. Made us feel like we were in Alaska instead of Sanpete.

We made it up to hang with our fun friends around the campfire and watched the sunset and the stars come out. My cheapo cell phone doesn't do it justice, but it was VERY beautiful! We had a good time!

REUNION TIME

2011-07-24T14:49:00.007-06:00

It was my family reunion yesterday. We went up the canyon and had a yummy breakfast, took photos, took turns in the Rhino, played in the mud, caught bugs, etc...

Here is my cute family (without S, who is still in Idaho). I had to photoshop the mud off some of those shirts.

Some of my extended family (my older sister's family and one of my brothers' family). The other siblings joined us later in the day.

D on the slack line. He's getting pretty good.

Princess P and Big C in the hammock. I LOVE this photo!

Later in the afternoon we came down and ate lunch at my house. Then the kids played water games and got into a massive water fight. D was the only casualty. He ripped off two of his toenails. It was nasty!

That night we went to Roy's Pizza for dinner. YUM! It was a fun, quick reunion. Just how we like it! Maybe next year we'll get everyone there...., but I'm not holding my breath.

GOTTA KEEP ROCKIN' & DAY 13

2011-07-22T08:04:00.007-06:00

I got to go relive my 80's teenage years last night. My sister and her husband had tickets to see Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger and her husband couldn't go, SO I GOT TO!

We had so much fun! I am sure I was entertainment for those around me, but I was cheering and clapping and fist pumping with the best of 'em!

Night Ranger was even good. I hadn't realized how many of their songs I knew. BTW, I am counting this photo as my DAY 13- YOURSELF WITH 13 THINGS photo. Definitely 13 things in there.

These last 3 photos were taken by a friend sitting up above us. She took this photo of my sister and I. She got some awesome pictures!!

Foreigner was to die for! I LOVE this band! They have been a favorite since I was 12. They ROCKED!!

But there is no one like Journey. Their lead singer is amazing!! I was blown away again and again! Talk about memories... *sigh* We had SUCH a great time! I want to go to another concert!!

DAY 12- SUNSET

2011-07-20T15:37:00.004-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

I like my 'clouds' (Day 3) photo better for a sunset, but since I already used it, this is going to have to do. I took it out at the lake on Monday night.

FAMILY NIGHT AT THE LAKE

2011-07-19T10:43:00.005-06:00

We went to Palisade State Park for Family Home Evening last night with friends. It was very fun! It sprinkled on us, but it was still warm and the kids swam and boated. We took picnic dinners and ate there too.

Little C (left) and his buddy, B, in the trees. The lake is high!

D paddling the stand up board.

Princess P in her kayak. She goes with Big C all the time out to the pond to practice and you can tell. She is a fabulous paddler!

Here is J pushing all the kids into the water. He's so tough!

We had lots of boats and lots of fun!

'Da plane, da plane!' A and his buddies, K and B.

IT'S OVER

2011-07-17T19:14:00.006-06:00

I went to see the last Harry Potter movie last night. *sniff* I'm sad it is all over and it was SO good! I loved them all though. I'm not picky. I will always be a Harry Potter fan. The crowd was GREAT! They cheered and booed and applauded through the whole thing. I loved it! It was VERY fun! I went with my two older boys. They are so nice to let me tag along. Is it just me or does his scar look like an N in that photo?

SKYLINE ALLSTARS

2011-07-16T18:53:00.004-06:00

My boys are home from their scout camp. It was strange to have only two kids at home. Way too quiet without them!

I went to pick them up this morning. They arrived from a hike (where they signaled each other with mirrors from different peaks) and did a flag ceremony.

They both had a great time. This is D (on the right) holding up the youth leaders' flag he helped draw (he did the words) with his friend, S.

These are the Youth Leaders. D is 3rd from the left. He's been to this camp 4 years now. It has been a great leadership experience for him.

Here is A (right) with his group's flag. He drew the antelope skull. They both made lots of new friends that they want to hang out with from lots of other places. It was a GREAT experience for them! May I just say again that I highly recommend it. They rode mountain bikes, rappelled, rock climbed, hiked, built their own shelters, earned most of their wilderness survival merit badge, and learned leadership skills.

BOREDOM BUSTER BACKFIRE

2011-07-15T16:45:00.007-06:00

I am hearing, 'What can I do?' way too much this summer. So I saw this cute idea to make garden markers out of rocks and thought it would be a perfect way to fix the boredom blues.

Princess P helped me paint the base coat of 3, but then she got bored of painting and left me to it. I had all the stuff out, so I thought I'd just finish.

They turned out cute, but I ended up doing them all but one and that wasn't the purpose of the activity. Princess P did come back out to do the green beans. I need to clear coat them and then they'll go in the garden. So much for my bright idea of keeping kids busy
.

DAY 11- SOMETHING BLUE

2011-07-14T20:42:00.005-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

Love those popsicle tongues! Little C (left) with the neighbor boys.

DAY 10- CHILDHOOD MEMORY

2011-07-11T16:35:00.003-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

I loved Barbies growing up. I used to play for hours with them clear into my Junior High years. Now I have passed on the passion to my daughter. She doesn't have the level of interest I did, but she has a good time with them.

SCOUTS

2011-07-10T16:28:00.001-06:00

We have turned into a Scouting family. It has taken a little while, but my husband is fan. I am too. I have watched my sons have wonderful opportunities for leadership and learning. It is a wonderful program. D and A are off this week on a Varsity All Stars camp. D is a youth leader and A is a participant. I highly recommend this experience. Big C is an adult leader as well. You can check it out for yourselves (click). My boys are on the Skyline one. It is well worth the time and money.

FLOOD

2011-07-08T16:19:00.001-06:00

We were supposed to flood this year. The snowpack in the mountains broke all sorts of records and we had sandbagged many areas in town. Alas, Mother Nature took care of us and gave us very mild weather so that the snow melted very slowly and we have been just fine.

Today, however, we had a little flash flood going on in front of our house. The rain came down in buckets for about 15 or 20 minutes.

As you can see, our ditches overflowed and Princess P and Little C had a great time splashing through all all the water.

DAY 9- SOMEONE YOU LOVE

2011-07-06T16:00:00.006-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

Princess P. What a cutie! La quiero mucho!

FAMILY ON THE FOURTH

2011-07-05T10:04:00.003-06:00

Free photo slideshow customized with Smilebox

DAY 8- A BAD HABIT

2011-07-02T21:51:00.005-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

Blowing bubbles and popping my gum has been a bad habit for me for years. I do it subconsciously. I used to get into trouble in school and now even Big C gets mad at me. We'll be sitting there in church and I'll be popping away without even realizing it. He'll elbow me and whisper fiercely at me to stop. Oops!

DAY 7- FRUIT

2011-07-01T20:16:00.007-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

My fruit bowl. Fruit is a little boring... thus my fun with Photoshop again. Couldn't decided which, so I used both.

DAY 6- FROM A LOW ANGLE

2011-06-30T17:58:00.004-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

Homemade pizza. My kids' favorite meal I make. I have struggled with this one. Every photo I've taken I haven't liked. This will have to suffice so that I can move on.

LUNCH & LIGHTNING

2011-06-29T21:42:00.007-06:00

We drove up to the 'big metropolis' today to have a summer adventure. The kids were meeting the Gordon cousins at a water park and I went to meet some high school friends for lunch.

We ate at Zupas. I had never been there and it was YUMMY! I had an oriental chicken salad and tasted my friends Wisconsin Cauliflower soup. It was SO GOOD! I am definitely going back!

We talked for 2 hours and had a great time together. It might be a while before we can all get back together again because some of them are moving out of state. I am sad.

They are amazing women!

Meanwhile, the kids got rain/wind/thunder/lightning at the water park. They were bummed so we went to the mall for a while before we went home.

The extreme weather followed us home and when we went out to watch it on our porch, a dragonfly came and landed on Little C's face. I'm sure he was taking shelter from the storm. It was a pretty intense day. I'm tired.

APPLE BLOSSOMS

2011-06-28T14:36:00.009-06:00

This is a new watercolor I did this morning while painting with a friend. From a photo of flowers on one of my trees last year. I have yet to finish my painting I started Saturday...

DAY 5- FROM A HIGH ANGLE

2011-06-27T13:26:00.002-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

Couch Potato

REUNION- MOUNTAIN DAY

2011-06-26T20:32:00.003-06:00

For the final day of the reunion, yesterday, we went up the canyon to get out of the heat. It was a beautiful day to be up there. There is still LOTS of snow melting, so there were little waterfalls everywhere and we couldn't get to the other side of the mountain where we usually go. We ended up on Lower Bluebell.

I helped cook a huge, yummy breakfast. I ate way too much!

After that, I went off to paint (when I get the painting done, I'll post it), but most of them went up to go snowbank sledding.

Here is A showing us how it's done.

D decided to snowboard one last time. How many people can say they went snowboarding the 26th of June? (Well, this year, probably a lot of people, but still...). We had a great day and are VERY tired and sunburned, but also sad the reunion is over.

REUNION-SUPER SLIDE DAY

2011-06-25T20:02:00.002-06:00

The SUPER SLIDE has become a tradition. My in-laws' yard was made for a slide and we always put it to good use. Yesterday was no different.

We had to take off an hour and a half to run Little C over to the Lion's Tournament for a game. He hit a homerun! Here he is crossing home plate.

Even Grandma and Grandpa (white shirt at the top) went down the slide this year (first time for me too). It is very fun! My father-in-law was the only casualty this year. He popped the nail off of his big toe and it was nasty! I took a photo, but I will spare you the bloody visual. He's okay, but it still makes me sick to think of it.

That night we reserved the Manti pool just for us. We didn't get it until 8 pm and the water was a little chilly, but we had lots of fun. The showers were warm, so we all ran in there when we had to get out.

REUNION, GORDON STYLE

2011-06-24T08:49:00.007-06:00

First day of the annual Gordon Family Reunion was last night. We had a great time getting reacquainted with everyone and being together again.

We had family come from Idaho and New Mexico. For some reason when the Gordons leave town, they move far away.

Here are Princesses P and G enjoying their time together.

Grandpa and Grandma, the master BBQers. We had yummy burgers!

We went to the Pageant that night. The mosquitoes were bad, but luckily we brought our bug spray!

We didn't last through the whole thing. I looked around about half way through and everyone of my family was asleep but me, so we went home early.

DAY 4- SOMETHING GREEN

2011-06-23T15:29:00.009-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE:

My peas are very tall and are getting pods! Yay! They aren't quite ready, but close...

DAY 3-CLOUDS

2011-06-22T21:06:00.002-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE

Okay, we're back on track. I messed up the days and forgot clouds. Here they are. I can't decide if the light pole is artsy or just obnoxious. Probably obnoxious..., but the clouds behind are beautiful and the place I was taking the photo from limited my options. I know, excuses, excuses...

DAY 2- WHAT I WORE TODAY

2011-06-21T13:18:00.001-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE:

My gray t-shirt, silver flip flops and the denim skirt I remodeled out of an old pair of jeans. Wow. That was exciting (not). I did try to take a photo of me in the clothes, but of course I hated all of them.

DAY 1- SELF PORTRAIT

2011-06-20T18:12:00.000-06:00

PHOTO CHALLENGE:

It's been almost a week ago that I said I was going to do this, but I've been procrastinating this first one. I am not fond of photographing myself at this point in my life. I finally broke down and did it while my dinner was in the oven. It was the only one I could stand out of 12 photos (and even then I still photoshopped the crap out of it). Now, on to more interesting things...

FATHER'S DAY

2011-06-19T08:41:00.001-06:00

TOP 10 WAYS MY HUSBAND IS A WONDERFUL FATHER:

Teaches my kids to work, work, then work some more.
Takes my kids on adventures.
Teaches them to love the outdoors.
Is a great example of magnifying his church callings.
Honors his priesthood.
Stays in good physical condition.
Plays hard.
Gives good hugs.
Has a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Lives the Gospel everyday.

I am so thankful I married such a great man. I love you, Big C! Thanks for all you do in our family's behalf.

SUNBURNT

2011-06-17T10:04:00.005-06:00

I took my kids and some of their friends to the pool on Wednesday and we blocked the sun with our sunblock. I just forgot one little area- MY back. OUCH! It still hurts and I have felt yucky ever since. My kids didn't have one red spot on them. Am I a dedicated mother or what?

Wish I'd forgone the rights to my burn. I know it's gonna peel...

AM I UP TO THE CHALLENGE?

2011-06-15T09:30:00.004-06:00

I know that I am obsessed enough with blogging that I can say, 'You bet I am!'

I am not necessarily going to do them on consecutive days, I DO have a life to live. However, I will take all new photos- it IS a photo challenge after all...

GOING GORDON

LET THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME

TALENT SHOWS & CORNEAL ABRASIONS

I HAVE NO CLASS

A NEW YEAR

WHERE'S THE WHITE STUFF?

DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS IS HERE!

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

'TIS THE SEASON FOR BAD ART

HECTIC HOLIDAYS

BIOGRAPHY FAIR & SANTA

LAST MINUTE MAUI

CHRISTMAS LISTS

WHITE WEATHER

DARE & ARROW OF LIGHT

CARDS FOR CHRISTMAS

THE TREE HUNT

BLACK FRIDAY FUN

THANKSGIVING AT THE BARN

FAMILY NIGHT OF GRATITUDE

TIME WILL TELL

MONOTYPE FLOWERS

SNOWMAN FAMILY

CRAFTINESS

BANANA SCUM

I AM A CANON FAN

TRICK OR TREAT

PINTEREST

CRAZY HAIR DAY, AGAIN!

PUMPKIN CARVING AT THE BARN

REAL FANS

FALL HIKE

I THINK, THEREFORE I BLOG

I HATE GOOGLE +

THE SAN RAFAEL IS SWELL

THE SCUM HAT

A PLETHORA OF PUMPKINS & PICUTRES

UPROAR

WAXING CLASS

TEAM PHOTO SHOOT

CONFERENCE WITH KIDS

OFFICIALLY JEALOUS

HOME WORK

SOCCER & RED ROVER

SUNDAY EVENING

I LOVE THE THEATER (say with English accent)

PHOTOSHOPPED KEN

MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK

PROBLEM SOLVED?

MY MONSTERS

10 YEARS AGO

SOCCER STARS

BUSY BIRTHDAY

LABOR DAY?

BAPTISM

MY DAUGHTER IS HOME

NEW SKILLS

BRACELESS

PINK TEA PARTY GOODNESS

I'M A COACH

PALISADE FAMILY NIGHT

1st DAY OF SCHOOL

IT'S GREAT TO BE EIGHT

BOOK GROUPIES

DAY 15- SILHOUETTE

3RD ANNUAL PAYETTE RIVER TRIP

COOLEST WARD PARTY EVER

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE... LITERALLY

DAY 14- EYES

PIONEER DAY ON THE RIVER

TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

REUNION TIME

GOTTA KEEP ROCKIN' & DAY 13

DAY 12- SUNSET

FAMILY NIGHT AT THE LAKE

IT'S OVER

SKYLINE ALLSTARS

BOREDOM BUSTER BACKFIRE

DAY 11- SOMETHING BLUE