It Feels like Christmastime

It's the Christmas season - what a great time of year! Today was the first significant snowstorm of the year and I am helping kids put on their snowpants and boots and find matching gloves and mittens. However, I wanted to post a few pictures before it got too long inbetween posts!

We have had a lot going on as most of you have. Here are a few pictures of some of the things we have been doing this last week:

We went to Salt Lake for dinner at the Spaghetti Factory at Trolly Square where Erin and Austin saw Santa,

then we went to Temple Square to see the lights,




and last Monday we decorated a Gingerbread house. This is a picture of it before the kids ate half of the candy.
Well, these were our festive activities during the last week in a nutshell. I apologize for keeping the commentary to a minimum but I have a million things to do as I sit here. I figure people really only like pictures anyway. Hope you all are having a great holiday season!

Back at It

I have turned into a deadbeat blogger. It has been three weeks since I have posted and I am forcing myself to post something. Anything. I will be better.

I haven't downloaded the Thanksgiving pictures yet but I can assure you we had a great Thanksgiving weekend. However, I am in detox mode from all the naughty food I ate and as of this moment I haven't had any sugar for about 20 hours. We will see how long that lasts. You'd be amazed at how many sugary foods I mindlessly reach for throughout the day!

On another note, Austin really wanted me to post a picture of his book report poster he did for school a while ago. He worked really hard on his poster and was excited for me and the other moms to come see the finished products at school.
(It also happened to be silly sock day that day.)

Austin is pretty creative. A couple weeks ago I was sitting at the computer when a jumbo teddy bear on a rope drops outside the window. I have to say it is quite startling to have a stuffed animal the size of a small child drop outside the window:

Next a note drops down:

Now, unfortunately I had to end the fun because any good mom knows it's dangerous for kids to play at an open second story window but it's little things like this that make me smile and enjoy being a mom.

A Song for a Long Run

Today I ran long to start getting my body used to longer distances again. It was an amazingly beautiful fall morning, the perfect temperature and smelling of fallen leaves. The kind of morning that you're sure to get that runner's high.

One thing I find when I run long, I need to start real easy so when I get close to the end of my run I have the energy to pick up the pace. I find that sometimes fast paced songs are not always the best to listen to at the beginning of these runs. Songs that are somewhat relaxing help to calm me and even relax me while running. Today one song I really enjoyed was "Where are You Going" by Dave Matthews Band. His voice is soothing (even sexy) and I love the style of music, it's real original. Another song I loved this morning was "When You Come Back Down" by Nickel Creek. It's a perfect song for a cool crisp autumn morning run. Listen to it, you'll see what I mean. You'll find this song after "Where are You Going" on my playlist. Happy running!

Friday's Song of the Day

Today's song is "A-Punk" by Vampire Weekend. This is a short fun little diddy that has a good running beat.

Our Last Week of October

Can it already be November? The last week of October was pretty busy. Monday was a big day for Erin. She finally turned 5. She had anticipated her birthday for so long and so when the big

day finally came, I don't think she was disappointed. It started with a special breakfast and the opening of presents before everyone left for work and school.

She had been asking for an American Girl Doll for a long time. Then the week before her birthday she decided she didn't want one, much to my surprise. However, because I had already ordered the doll, there wasn't any going back. Needless to say I was a little nervous to see her reaction to her gifts. Luckily, she loved her doll and new outfits. The doll is a "like me" doll and so her hair color and eyes match Erins. She really is a beautiful doll. Erin carries her around every where she goes.

Then it was off to McDonalds for lunch with some of her best friends. They all had a great time eating and playing on the toys.

She was able to play with her best friend, Lyndi, for the afternoon and then Grandpa and Grandma Bailey took her to Toys-R-Us for a little Birthday shopping. After a dinner of her favorite homemade pizza, we all sang Happy Birthday and had cake and ice-cream. Happy Birthday, Erin, we love you!

On Thursday, I went to help in Austin's class for his Halloween party. It's always fun to go into the class and see the kids your child hangs out with day in and day out. We did crafts, games, and had treats. Thanks Shelly, Janae, and Amy who came and helped me run the party. I am really happy with Austin's teacher, Mrs. Carmony. She is so good and patient with the kids and the most important thing is that Austin loves her!

Then for the big day - Halloween. The kids didn't have school that day and so they kicked back all morning and watched the Goosebumps marathon on TV. Bill took the older boys to the Layton High football game while Erin and Austin went to their friends house for a Halloween party (thanks Nikki!).

Then the big moment arrived and Bill took the kids trick-or-treating while Jack and I stayed home and passed out candy. The weather was so warm that the kids lasted over an hour and a half, allowing them to come home with huge, overflowing sacks of candy. When they came home Bill asked, "What's with the pumpkin outside?" I had no idea what he was talking about and so I went outside to see the Ute jack-o-lantern glowing brightly on our porch. For those who don't know, this is blasphemy to have any sort of University of Utah item anywhere near our home. Of course I knew exactly who the culprit was and the next morning I returned the unholy gourd to it's home. (Thanks, Trevor!)

So, now it's on to November....

Running song of the day: Today's running song is Hysteria, by Muse. This song comes recommended from my sister Amy. I downloaded it a couple weeks ago and I love it. Today I think I played it over at least three times. It fits my running cadence perfect. Thanks, Ame! If you want to hear it, just go down to my player at the bottom of the page and it is the next song after Lollipop. Love it!

Get Jazzed

Hey Jazz fans! The 2008-2009 season is here and we are ready. The weather is colder and the days are shorter and that means a Jazz game is on at our house almost every night of the week.

Bill and Alex went to the last pre-season game against the Trailblazers last week. They went with Alex's good friend Nathan and his dad, Calvin. They had seats on the eighth row, which is always spectacular. There's nothing like being close to NBA action! Alex caught a ball that was thrown into the crowd, he and Nathan made it onto the JumboTron, and then the Jazz pulled out a come -from-behind win, so it couldn't have been a better night. Here's to another great season!

Nathan and Alex

That crazy Jazz Bear! The great Jerry Sloan.

Erin's favorite, Boozer.

The Jazz Bench

Mehmet

More Jazz Bear Antics!

A Perfect Fall Day

Today was a busy, busy day but couldn't have been more perfect. It started with Austin's first Junior Jazz game of the season (or ever, for that matter). Bill is once again coaching. He has coached Alex and Ben's team the last few years and now this year Austin is old enough to play. It is really entertaining watching 2nd and 3rd graders learn the sport of basketball. The rims are lowered to accommodate their small size and allowances are made at times for double dribbling and traveling while the boys master the new skills. It will be a fun season.

Next, we made a mad dash to Erin's preschool Halloween concert. It was at an old historic farm around the corner that apparently was the shooting location for many tv shows and movies, including Halloween. Yes, THE Halloween movie. I think my source was fairly reliable, as she has lived here for over 80 years. The program was very fun and the kids loved exploring the somewhat spooky premises. We then went home to watch the BYU/UNLV football game. It was an uncomfortably close game that made me question the strength and effectiveness of our defense. Luckily we squeaked by with the win.

Then we were off to Alex's flag football game. Now that he is twelve he can participate in the YM flag football games. Today they played in the region semifinal and final game. They ended up taking second but played awesome. He is definately smaller than the older boys who are as old as 17 and 18, but he had some great plays that included sacking the quarterback for a huge loss. The young men in our ward are really great

guys. The have done a nice job including the younger boys like Alex.

At the same time and place as the football game, we had a ward harvest/Halloween party. It was the best party in years, I think. It was outdoors with games, food, and dancing. The weather couldn't have been any better. About 72 degrees well into the evening. The kids wore their costumes as well as a few adults. That's Austin in the werewolf costume sitting next to Erin in the top picture, in case you were wondering.

The dominant theme for this year's costumes was Star Wars. It's amazing how that movie has lasted the test of time (or really good marketing, I guess).

It's days like this that makes me realize how much I love living here. Good friends and neighbors, football, and beautiful Utah seasons makes me feel pretty lucky.

Austin and Ben, Two Great Kids

Soccer season is over for the fall. Austin had a great season but what really made it great was playing with friends and having a great coach. He had his good friends Jackson and Taylor on the team and that made it a blast for him. Taylor's dad, Trevor, coached the boys and did a fantastic job. Not only did he pick Austin up for practice every week, he taught them the type of songs every boy likes, like songs about burning down the school and the ice cream man running over children. You know, that kind of stuff. Thanks for a great season, Trevor!
Last night Ben was awarded his Bear award at Cub Scout Pack meeting. He's such a great kid. However, he really isn't that into cub scouting. He doesn't like to wear the uniform and I really have to drag him out the door for den meeting so I am glad he got his award. All the credit goes to his former den leader, Janae. She was so on the ball and really cared for the boys(she has since been released).
Oh, the running song of the day is "Dancing with Myself" by Billy Idol. It has a great cadence for running.

Monday's Running Song of the Day

Today I was kind to myself. After all, it is Monday! I decided today I was running because I love to run. No speed workouts or tempo runs. Just a fun easy run to remind myself why I love to run.

Today's song: "Hung Up" by Madonna.
*Make sure you listen for the line, "Those who run seem to have all the fun!". I smile everytime I hear it.

Running Song of the Day

"She Sells Sanctuary" by The Cult. This helped me stay on pace the last mile today!

Running Song of the Day

I am going to start a new element to my blog by posting my favorite running song of the day from my daily runs/workouts. There are songs I like to run to and then there are songs that really get me moving when my energy is running low. These songs vary from day to day so I thought I would post my favorite song of the day and play it for you on my blog's playlist. We could kind of have an exchange - please comment on some of your daily favorites as well - I'm always looking for new music.

Today's selection is "Human" by The Killers.

Austin's Big Drinking Contest

Thursday I took the kids to the school's party at Classic Fun Center. It's a local skating rink that my kids love to go to but never do because I'm not a big fan of the place. However, when the school's party rolls around they get to go, and I have to admit, it is kind of fun. My kids don't do a lot of skating - they just ride their scooters, jump on the inflatables, and play the arcade games.

Just as it was time to go (I was in a hurry: Ben had a basketball practice and I had a cub committee meeting) Austin informs me he entered a "drinking" contest that was about to start. Although I was frustrated, it was worth the wait. It was pretty close. Here he is, it makes me laugh every time:


*Bummer - the video isn't super clear on the blog so you can't see his facial expressions very well. Oh well, you can kind of get the idea.

Our Love Boat Cruise

After a week of luxury on the high seas we have returned home. Bill and I went with good friends Paul and Jill, Shana and Mike, Boyd and Shelly, and Ryan and Sara on the Princess ship "Sapphire Princess" for a seven day Mexican Riviera Cruise. We left LA on Saturday and docked in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. The weather was amazing - always very warm and sometimes very muggy. We had a wonderful time.

During the two days at sea we golfed, sunbathed, swam, participated in the ship's activities like Pool Olympics, water volleyball, and cha cha lessons. At night we ate (a lot - but isn't that what you do on a cruise?), danced, and enjoyed the music of D'Version, a band that played all week in the Explorer Lounge. They were awesome!

While we were in port, our excusions consisted of a jungle canopy zipline in Puerto Vallarta, a day at a beautiful private beach in Mazatlan, and snorkling in Cabo. It was so fun that Bill and I are hooked! This will definately become a tradition. Bill was afraid he would be bored or feel trapped on a ship but he didn't all. The ship was so massive that at times you would feel like the only one onboard. The food was incredible and I have a little work to do to remove the excess pounds I picked up while cruising! But I don't mind - it was all worth it! Oh, and going with friends made it a real blast. I don't think it would have been as fun without them - thanks for a great time guys!

Best Friends

Erin and Lyndi are great friends. They are exactly one week apart and they want to be together about 95% of the time. I love to listen to them as they play - they say the funniest things. I think they are so lucky to have each other!