AZ in the News

Although only mildly politically involved and usually way behind on current events (unless covered on SNL's weekend update), I decided to read a couple articles on the new immigration law in Arizona. Arizona is Utah's neighbor, my home state, and the residence of my eight siblings, parents, and various other family members. If you're interested, I liked this article:

A carefully crafted immigration law in Arizona | Washington Examiner

And yes, I am welcoming your comments, both controversial and in agreement:) I always welcome additional information and points of view.

A Couple Weeks Ago

Sunday afternoon walk with the family and Jonah's first bike ride. He has only ridden inside and in our cul de sac before this.

Viva Las Vegas!

Wednesday night Brandon had a meeting after work with a marketing guy about finally doing some advertising for his practice.  It meant that I didn't get on the road for Vegas until 6:45pm.  It had snowed all day in Heber but not in Salt Lake and the forecast for Beaver in southern Utah was fair.  Brandon had taken off the snow tires on his car on Tuesday, so of course I hit a major blizzard in central Utah in mid-April.  In the dark the visibility was really bad and I was driving 40 mph a lot of the time.  When I got close to Cedar City I was somehow still alive and I called my girlfriend Sara Jane who lives there and asked if I could sleep on her couch that night.  Fortunately she was still up and even had a guest bedroom.  Thank you SJ!
Thursday morning I got up at 7:00 and was on the road.  I didn't know until then that NV is like AZ and has no daylight savings so they are an hour earlier than us.  So even after stopping at Walmart for deodorant and Payless for black flats, it was still pretty early when I got to our hotel on the strip.  Seeing Lisa for the first time in two years it was still as if no time had passed.  Our hotel, our room, and our view were fantastic.
I showered and got ready quickly and we headed out into the cool day for a stroll thru the spectacle that is Las Vegas.  We ate lunch in the Venetian listening to the singing gondoliers.  We wondered around and shopped.  We went to see the big cats and dolphins at Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage.

It was windy and chilly that evening so we ate dinner at one of our hotel's many restaurants.  Our table overlooked a main thoroughfare and there was, of course, some great people-watching.  The later it gets in Vegas, the better the outfits get.  We got gelato and went to bed at a decent hour since we are over 29.
The next morning we slept in.  I usually forgo buffets of all kinds, but "when in Rome."  Meaning we gorged ourselves for brunch at the Wynn's buffet.  We then got 75 min. massages.  Thank you, Lisa!
Vanessa arrived from L.A. just as we finished showering.  We talked and got ready and then headed out to the strip for more shopping, talking, and people-watching.  We went over to the MGM to check out Emeril's restaurant for dinner.  The place was very ghetto inside and there were just tons of trashy people doing nothing there.  I didn't like the atmosphere.  Nessa said it may have had something to do with the fact that there was going to be a fight (boxing match) there the following night.  We decided not to eat at Emeril's after seeing the menu because it was mostly fish and seafood which did not appeal to my companions.  We ended up having a fantastic meal back at Stratta at our hotel after dragging the strip.

Vanessa came to Vegas with a surprise.  She scored two ($150 each) tickets to La Reve.  So we split the cost of the third one and saw a Vegas show.  It was dancing and acrobatics and swimming and costumes and hot guys with no shirts.  Good stuff.

Vanessa and I weren't quite ready to end the night at that so we went and watched the fountain show at the Bellagio and saw a bit of the strip at night.

Saturday morning we got to check out the atrium, the world's tallest chocolate fountain, and the confections and pastries of Jean-Phillipe Patisserie.

After that we all headed out.  I stopped in St. George, UT to grab food and gas and ended up being there during the Ironman triathlon so I walked around in the crowds and watched for awhile.  St. George is pretty cool.  I invited Lisa and Vanessa to come out and visit me in January and come to the Sundance Film Festival, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that.  I sure wish I could see Lisa twice a year instead of every two years!

Colored Baths

If you haven't tried Crayola's Colored Bath Drops, you probably should.

The Happiness Project

I'd been excited to read this book for May's bookclub until I actually got it into my hands (Wasatch County library actually purchased it for their collection upon my request!).  Ugh, another "change your life in a year" story.  I already watched Julie & Julia and read The Year of Living Biblically.  And even though I loved both of those, I just wasn't in the mood.  Plus, I was hoping for fiction.  And to top it off, it is about three hundred pages long with small print.  Well, small in comparison to New Moon, the young adult novel I finished a week or two ago.  But still, I felt like reading something new on Friday, so I began.  I am an hundred pages into it now and am really enjoying it!  Also, I think nearly all women will like it and I think it is beneficial reading for anyone.  The author also has a blog at: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/
The book begins:

"I'd always vaguely expected to outgrow my limitations.
One day, I'd stop twisting my hair, and wearing running shoes all the time, and eating exactly the same food every day. I'd remember my friends' birthdays, I'd learn Photoshop, I wouldn't let my daughter watch TV during breakfast. I'd read Shakespeare. I'd spend more time laughing and having fun I'd be more polite, I'd visit museums more often, I wouldn't be so scared to drive."

Don't you love it already? I can think of several of you who I think will:)

Funnies

Two quick stories about my kids from today.

Elora had been in bed for about 15 minutes or so this evening and I could hear her talking softly.  I listened at the door and she could hear me walk up so she walked over to the door and tried to shove a book underneath and said, "Read a me."  I went in to tuck her back in bed only to find her buck naked.  Brandon didn't take her potty before putting her down and she will not wear a wet diaper while conscious.

I was about to take the kids on a walk in the stroller this afternoon.  Jonah was playing in the front yard and Elora was playing in the front room.  I said, "You guys need to go potty and put your shoes back on before we can go on our walk."  I went potty and put on my shoes and came back to find them both still shoeless.  I asked Jonah if he needed to go potty before we left and he said, "No, I went in the street."  I bet the two sets of new neighbors just loved that!

The Amazing Jonah-Man

Jonah has always built the most amazing houses, towers, and cities out of his "softy" blocks.  They always have an incredible sense of balance, if not symmetry, both in design and color.  He is awesome and so are the blocks, every child should have some.

On Monday Brandon said the kids could hold the chickens as soon as they were dressed.  Jonah actually listened and obeyed for once.  Moments later he came upstairs wearing his new rash guard, his "softy" pants, and his dressy argyle socks.  He then put on his nice, brown shoes.  I had him pull his pants up and pose for this picture so you all could get the full effect.

P.S. - As of yesterday the chicks are starting to loose their fluff to make room for their mature feathers.  They are entering what my friend Leah calls, "the dinosaur stage".  Pictures to come.

Miss Contrary

Little Miss can be quite sassy and disagreeable at times;)  Here is a picture of her when she didn't feel like kissing me.  I asked her for a kiss and she sucked in her lips and shook her head.

After that I told her not to suck her three fingers.  In response she shoved the fingers of both hands in her mouth.  My oh my!

For Robin

Robin says she can't remember me ever having had bangs or a bob.  I've had a bob about three times as an adult I think.  The most recent was this one in early 2006.  

Remember?  Maybe not.  What about the summer of 2002 when I lived in Arizona and chopped my hair at the end of the summer?  I can't find pictures but it was super blond, and then I dyed it red right before heading back to Hawaii.
Oh, and I haven't had bangs since 8th grade so that's why you don't remember those.

Jonah-isms, Hair, etc.

A few minutes ago, Jonah was getting down from the breakfast table and said, "I love you, Honey!" to me.

Yesterday when I asked him what he liked to have on his pizza he told me broccoli, hamburger, lettuce, and tortillas.

The past three nights all of our dinners have been vegetarian.  It is not something I planned consciously but I just don't seem that into meat lately.  However, the lamb that my friend Dan prepared for us for dinner on Sunday was scrumptious!

About four weeks ago I cut four inches off my hair and added layers.  Nobody really seemed to notice.  And I'm not loving the cut unless I curl my hair.  I've been loving Siobhan Magnes' hair on American Idol this season.

The other haircut I've been loving is an angeled bob like this:

Oddly enough, also on an American Idol.

Chicks

After several weeks of blog drought, this week I am a blogaholic.

My kids like to rub their chicks soft fluff against their cheeks.

Brandon spent most of today building this chicken "kook".  The kids are standing in the nesting boxes in this photo.  It doesn't matter how many times I correct Jonah and say, "coop", he still always comes back around to "kook" and it's just too cute to correct anymore.

Happiness Is...

Family

Personally, I Like This One Even More

Which Would You Frame In Your Living Room?

Happy Easter!

I had a discussion about Sundays on Easter Sunday. I was asked exactly what my guidelines were. My friend knew that I didn't want to work or make other people work or spend money on Sundays, but what else. Why didn't I like going boating? It is a family activity that doesn't put anyone else out and didn't require me to spend any money. I couldn't give an adequate answer. Did we just sit around all day on Sundays growing up? Kind of. Sunday is my sabbath, the Lord has asked that we keep it holy. Our prophets have asked that we actively keep it holy in addition to having it be our day of rest. We are to worship, read, uplift, etc. This is one of the best article's I've found about observing the Sabbath.

President Kimball said, "There is no criticism of legitimate recreation—sports, picnics, plays, and motion pictures. All have potential for revitalizing life, and the Church as an organization actively sponsors such activities. But there is a proper time and place for all worthwhile things—a time for work, a time for play, a time for worship.

Sometimes Sabbath observance is characterized as a matter of sacrifice and self-denial, but it is not so. It is merely a matter of scheduling and choosing seasons. There is time enough, particularly in our era of the world’s history, during the six days of the week in which to do our work and play. Much can be done to organize and encourage weekday activities, avoiding the Sabbath.

...The one hour of devotion did not make of that day a holy day.

...The Sabbath is not a day for indolent lounging about the house or puttering around in the garden, but is a day for consistent attendance at meetings for the worship of the Lord, learning and instruction, enjoying the family, and finding uplift in music and song.

The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected.

One good but mistaken man I know claimed he could get more out of a good book on Sunday than he could get in attending church services, saying that the sermons were hardly up to his standards. But we do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility, and regardless of what is said from the pulpit, if one wishes to worship the Lord in spirit and truth, he may do so by attending his meetings, partaking of the sacrament, and contemplating the beauties of the gospel. If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you; you must do your own worshiping of the Lord."

Busy, Busy Weekend

The weekend began on Friday with Elora bonking her eyebrow on the coffee table. She fell down some stairs on Saturday and scraped her face up a bit. She bonked her head at least two more times over the weekend requiring ice and tripped multiple times and acquired a couple more scratches in various other ways...


Hot cross buns for Good Friday.


Friday night was M'Lindsay's (Brandon's 2nd cousin) wedding reception. Best decorated LDS Cultural Hall I've ever seen:)
Friday night (actually 2:30 am on Saturday morning) my brother Mark (age 21) showed up at our house with three of his friends after a long roadtrip here from Mesa, AZ.

Fun in the snow with Uncle Mark on Saturday morning!


Breakfast with Uncle Mark and his friends. Followed by watching some General Conference.

Dying eggs with Aunt Andy.


Alan got the kids six chicks for Easter! Brandon and I have been wanting to raise chickens for eggs but hadn't decided which coop to build or what kind of chickens to get yet. Alan got two chicks each of three different kinds:)


Easter egg hunt in Papa Alan & Grammy Linda's house with our kids and both of their "adopted" grandkids.


Stopped in at the end of Deidre's (Brandon's cousin) 40th birthday party on Saturday evening with Andy and Linda.

Stayed the night at Alan & Linda's house on Saturday night. Took the kids and the dog on a walk in the morning after watching a little conference. Went to the park and wiped enough snow off the swings and slide to play there while the boys went and saw Clash of the Titans.
Sunday evening had dinner over at the Harvath's. Delicious!!


Wrapping things up with a tea party this morning with the kids' new Easter tea set.