Noise

Some company has been working on building homes behind our house since we bought our home. Well, today we have been picked to have a house built right behind our house. So, we have the pleasure of the always constant noise of dump trucks, diggers, and I'm sure many others to come. At least the kids think they're fun to watch!

Oh, the dilemma

Should I eat (mind you 1/3 of what I used to) and not be hungry and get heartburn and indigestion? As much fun as it is retasting my food for hours on end while I have this incredibly bloated feeling...

Or, should I just concede I have no space left for my stomach and be comfortable because I'm not burping up food flavors of 6 hours ago (that no longer taste very good) and not feeling bloated but in the meantime being hungry?

Happy Pioneer Day!

We went to the local parade this morning. We got there about an hour early to have a good place to sit. Some family joined us once they were able to get there. Richard and Audrey were great and just colored and ate snacks while we waited.Once the parade started, Audrey was content to sit on my sister's lap and eat candy. Richard enjoyed collecting candy.

We then went up the canyon and had lunch. The kids threw rocks in the stream and played in the dirt. Both kids, but especially Audrey, got quite dirty. Isn't that what kids are supposed to do in the mountains? We had a good time!

More boating

We went out on the nearby lake for about an hour a couple of days ago. I had the pleasure of watching from the boat and then swimming once to cool off.

Richard and Audrey had a great time riding the Super Mabel and eating candy.

The fates are against us

It seems every time Scott tries to make progress on his thesis, something major goes wrong. Perhaps I'm a pessimist, and so that's how I see it. I know it wasn't this complicated for everyone, because Scott KNOWS people that actually finished in two years or less. Why can't something just run smoothly?
Scott received an e-mail from his last committee member last night. He's out of town until August 26! The only way he could do a defense to meet the deadline so we don't have to pay fall tuition is to do it over the phone...on the one day that another member of Scott's committee is out of town!
Scott hasn't contacted anyone yet to find out if he has any options to avoid fall tuition, but I fear all we can do is choke up yet again another semester of tuition. I want to cry because we've already paid tuition 3 more times than I ever wanted to. It's like this will never end...

The light!!!!!!!

Scott's advisor finally gave him the go-ahead to schedule his defense today! All Scott needs to do is hear from his last committee member so he can finalize the scheduling! We're so excited he's almost done! YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a party pooper...I guess

We apparently are experiencing a fabulous weekend with a blockbuster movie just released. Is it good? Probably. I've heard from my siblings that they enjoyed it. Is it worth $100/ticket? Not a chance! I read on-line that some people are spending that much to see it opening day! It's not a concert or sports game that is only occurring one night! It's a movie for crying out loud! It will be in the theaters for many days! Then, if you're really cheap, you can see it in the dollar theater! Then, if you're even cheaper (like me) you'll rent it for free with a code from Redbox. Or, you can be all gung ho and BUY it once it comes out and watch it as many times as you want. $100 to see a movie? Come on people! Do you realize what gas costs these days? Do you realize the cost of food is going up? Am I the only one who can think if better things to spend $100 on? Or maybe I'm just a party pooper.

Mini Golf!

We met my family today for a rousing game of miniature golf! Audrey mostly wandered around and would occasionally swing my club and pick up people's balls.

Richard didn't quite understand the golf stance and mostly pushed his ball around using his club like a cattle prod. If the ball wasn't quite cooperating, he'd pick it up and move it next to the hole! He seemed to have a lot of fun.

Cabin

So, we just got back from my parent's cabin. Well, the kids and I did. Scott had to work. My sister is in town for the month between finishing residency and starting work. So, we're spending time with her as we fit into the plans.

I thought we had a good time playing cards, shooting the bow and arrow, going for walks, and riding bikes.Richard "made" his own bow and arrow.

Audrey decided the table was too high for the chair she was sitting in and moved her breakfast to the window sill. Already a problem solver!

Maybe this time...

Scott e-mailed his advisor another copy of his thesis. He still needs to fine tune some formatting and gramatical things. However, we're hoping the results look good enough that he'll be able to schedule his defense soon.

Makes Sense...

I just came across this picture and liked it so much I wanted to share.

Amazing weight loss!

So, my dear husband has been trying to lose weight. He's not done anything dramatic. He still eats some junk food. He still doesn't really exercise. He has just done portion control. As he says, "I just eat one serving and then I'm done. I don't eat until I'm so full I can barely move." So, it's taken probably at least 8 months to a year or so. I'm not totally sure, because I'm not sure he told me when he started. However, yesterday he weighed about 23 pounds lighter than his max weight! Go Scott! Now we have to get him new clothes because the new ones we bought last year are now falling off him. 

My kind of baby book

So, if you've read this on a semi-relative basis, you'll know that I'm not crafty. I try. I usually end up with a product that people smile at and then put away, never to be viewed again. Unless, it ends up in my house and then the smile is pretty limited :).
Well, my kind of baby book is to take entries from my journal and make a special journal for my kids. Yes, I'm one of THOSE people who actually writes in their journal for EVERY day. Scott's journal barely knows he's home from his mission. Mine knows more than anyone else would ever care to know about me and the going's on of my life. I take parts that talk about my kids and put them in a document (doesn't that sound so CUTE!) for them to one day hopefully read at least once.
So, the other night, I was going through what I have to copy and paste for Richard and Audrey. I laughed and laughed! It was so fun to remember all the things Richard has done! I'm working on last summer, so Audrey was still working on letting her personality shine. Richard, on the other hand, had oodles of personality to share! It's for that reason that I write all the stuff I write.
How else would I have remembered that after being told he needed to finish his dinner before he could have more soda (juice) multiple times, Richard's slamming his cup down on the table and exclaiming with all the force of a 2 1/2 year-old , "I need juice people!" Even now, I can't help but smile...

Memories

I was just thinking I needed to post something but couldn't think of what to post. So, thanks to my cousin's wife (I'm assuming it was her and not my cousin!) for giving me an idea.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Family Vacation!

We've just returned from a wonderful vacation with my family. It started out with a big picture of all the family on my side. Scott has never been in one of those pictures (unless you count the one the day we got married) and so was excited to finally be included. The weather kind of cooperated in that it wasn't hot, but it was slightly windy. The photographer can photoshop to make the best faces put together in the same picture. I'm excited to see how it turned out!

We then all drove down to "the big lake," as Richard called it, for a few days of sun and water. The kids seemed to have a great time playing with their cousins.

They loved what sand there was to play in. With the rapidly rising waters to levels that have been dry for years, the plant life is right at the shore line. We had to battle thorns and crappy beach. Alas. We did manage to find an area that appeared to be mostly rock but had a sandbar right next to it. So, there was a small amount of sand for the kids to have fun in.

I worked hard to keep me and the kids from being burned. Audrey wore this sunsuit thing to keep her well protected so I only had to put sunscreen on her feet and face. I admit it wasn't her favorite thing in the world, but she tolerated it pretty well. Scott didn't come off quite so well and got some massive burns on his shoulders.

My parents also brought a huge inflatable disc thing we called the island. The kids both had a lot of fun in that. It had a small area with mesh and so you could be in the water right there. Audrey really liked that because she could have some freedom to play in the water but not have the waves to fight.

We brought noodles to play on, because Richard really liked those at his swimming lessons. He also was a lot more confident because of those lessons and would swim around the houseboat in his lifejacket. It was so cool to see him!

We tried having the kids sleep in one of the bedrooms on the houseboat the first night. It was HORRIBLE! It was so HOT! I "slept" with them so they weren't alone, but it was miserable and I was awake most of the night. So, the next night, when Richard woke up crying, drenched in sweat, we decided it just wouldn't do to be inside. We woke up Audrey and moved the kids and set up everything out on the back deck of the houseboat. We slept so much better! Audrey woke up in the morning and stood up and said, "Wa wa!" because I guess she didn't realize where we'd moved her. You can see Audrey's foot poking out from under her blanket on the far right of the playpen. That's how she covered herself.

Scott was able to go out and water ski, wake board, and go on the Super Mable. I was able to get a picture of him while I stayed with the kids on the shore.

Richard had a blast on the Super Mable. We had little kid runs and he just had a grin on his face the whole time!

Thanks Mom and Dad for a fabulous trip! We all had a great time!