My next question was the obvious one: “How, exactly, did you figure out that you could do that?” His response? “I don’t know…I just did.” Again, I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s the same answer I give when people ask me how, exactly, I figured out that I can hold a pen with my top lip and a pencil with my bottom lip at the same time.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Bizarre Talents
Those of you that have known me for a while know that I have a few amusing talents that I only share during boring parties, those “two truths and a lie” games, or work talent shows where half of the audience has had a couple of drinks and thinks everything is hysterical. So it should have come as no surprise a couple of days ago when Ryan said, “Mom, do you know that I can put my whole fist in my mouth?” Sure enough…My next question was the obvious one: “How, exactly, did you figure out that you could do that?” His response? “I don’t know…I just did.” Again, I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s the same answer I give when people ask me how, exactly, I figured out that I can hold a pen with my top lip and a pencil with my bottom lip at the same time.
My next question was the obvious one: “How, exactly, did you figure out that you could do that?” His response? “I don’t know…I just did.” Again, I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s the same answer I give when people ask me how, exactly, I figured out that I can hold a pen with my top lip and a pencil with my bottom lip at the same time.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Our Own March Madness
Since our team lost in their first-round game last week, we haven’t watched another basketball game on TV. Instead, we have created our own version of March Madness, with many different versions of the game of basketball. The specific game depends on the weather and the time of day.
First thing in the morning (while still in our pajamas and usually before breakfast), Ryan and I play “pajama ball.” We have an enclosed porch on the back of our house which holds bikes, scooters, various sporting equipment, and our 72-hour backpacks. It is also where we keep Ryan’s indoor basketball standard. His favorite thing upon waking in the morning is an energetic get-the-heart-pumping game of basketball on the porch. He likes it when I watch him, but he loves it when I play with him. There have been many Saturday mornings when I am looking forward to sleeping in, when (as I am lying in bed at 7:30 a.m.) I hear bounce-bounce-bounce…kerthunk… “Yea!” Bounce-bounce-bounce…kerthunk… “Yea!” Bounce-bounce-bounce…kerthunk… “Yea! Mom! Come and watch this awesome shot!” So much for sleeping in.
A slightly different version can be played at any time of day (not in pajamas) when it is raining, snowing, or otherwise not pleasant enough to play outside. The porch is not heated, and is extremely chilly in the early morning hours or winter weather, but it’s better than playing outside (or not playing at all).
We have a double driveway. One side has a basketball standard. There is a flat parcel of concrete big enough for a car or two. Then our driveway slopes sharply down a hill; a hill which continues all the way down the street in front of our house (we are at the top of a “T” intersection). This week was Ryan’s Spring Break. Since we finally had some warm weather, we spent a lot of time playing basketball outside. We had a great time playing; cheered for each other when we made awesome shots, and teased each other about a few air balls. And, just in case a normal game of basketball didn’t provide enough exercise, if one of us missed a pass, or if the ball hit the backboard too hard, our basketball game became more of a get-the-ball-before-it’s-a-mile-down-the-hill game.
So, if your team is no longer in the big dance and you’re going through basketball withdrawal, you’re welcome to come and shoot hoops with us.
First thing in the morning (while still in our pajamas and usually before breakfast), Ryan and I play “pajama ball.” We have an enclosed porch on the back of our house which holds bikes, scooters, various sporting equipment, and our 72-hour backpacks. It is also where we keep Ryan’s indoor basketball standard. His favorite thing upon waking in the morning is an energetic get-the-heart-pumping game of basketball on the porch. He likes it when I watch him, but he loves it when I play with him. There have been many Saturday mornings when I am looking forward to sleeping in, when (as I am lying in bed at 7:30 a.m.) I hear bounce-bounce-bounce…kerthunk… “Yea!” Bounce-bounce-bounce…kerthunk… “Yea!” Bounce-bounce-bounce…kerthunk… “Yea! Mom! Come and watch this awesome shot!” So much for sleeping in.
A slightly different version can be played at any time of day (not in pajamas) when it is raining, snowing, or otherwise not pleasant enough to play outside. The porch is not heated, and is extremely chilly in the early morning hours or winter weather, but it’s better than playing outside (or not playing at all).
We have a double driveway. One side has a basketball standard. There is a flat parcel of concrete big enough for a car or two. Then our driveway slopes sharply down a hill; a hill which continues all the way down the street in front of our house (we are at the top of a “T” intersection). This week was Ryan’s Spring Break. Since we finally had some warm weather, we spent a lot of time playing basketball outside. We had a great time playing; cheered for each other when we made awesome shots, and teased each other about a few air balls. And, just in case a normal game of basketball didn’t provide enough exercise, if one of us missed a pass, or if the ball hit the backboard too hard, our basketball game became more of a get-the-ball-before-it’s-a-mile-down-the-hill game.
So, if your team is no longer in the big dance and you’re going through basketball withdrawal, you’re welcome to come and shoot hoops with us.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter Weekend
We had a wonderful Easter weekend with family and friends. Saturday morning, we started with a pajama party at church (sorry, no pictures). There was a yummy breakfast and a lot of great activities for the kids, including marking their scriptures and making their own journals.
Saturday afternoon, we were invited to a party at the home of our friends, the Paxtons. We had a yummy lunch with different soups and breads and crackers, then the kids had an Easter egg hunt. There were nine boys and one girl, so it was a little crazy. The kids enjoyed finding Nerf toys, puzzles, games, model kits, pencils, and eggs filled with little toys and money! Not much candy – a big yea for moms (and dentists)!
Sunday, Ryan and I attended church, and also enjoyed reading some of our books and scriptures about what Easter really celebrates. I always try to keep that as our focus as much as possible on Easter Sunday.
Sunday after church, we had our family Easter dinner. My dad is the bishop of a young adult singles ward (church congregation), and there was a guy from his ward that didn’t have a place to go for Easter dinner, so he joined us. Ryan, being the only grandkid at the moment (more about this in a minute), enjoyed his less-chaotic Easter egg hunt at Rara & Papa’s. Quite a difference from Saturday’s! (And even though we won’t readily admit it, Marc & Frances & I still really like the egg hunt, too. The green eggs containing money help.) We especially enjoyed sitting around the dining room table planning our itinerary for Hawaii. I know none of you are keeping track of the countdown like I am…we go one month from today! But the greatest Easter present was Marc & Frances’ present to Rara & Papa – an ultrasound picture labeled “Baby 1” and “Baby 2.” Yep, Marc & Frances are expecting TWINS!
Oh, yes…the Easter Bunny also made a visit to our house, and we also did the traditional egg dyeing. We don’t do a lot, since only one of us eats eggs.
Even though Easter was early this year, we enjoyed mostly warmish, sunny weather for all of our activities. It was a great weekend.
Saturday afternoon, we were invited to a party at the home of our friends, the Paxtons. We had a yummy lunch with different soups and breads and crackers, then the kids had an Easter egg hunt. There were nine boys and one girl, so it was a little crazy. The kids enjoyed finding Nerf toys, puzzles, games, model kits, pencils, and eggs filled with little toys and money! Not much candy – a big yea for moms (and dentists)!
Sunday, Ryan and I attended church, and also enjoyed reading some of our books and scriptures about what Easter really celebrates. I always try to keep that as our focus as much as possible on Easter Sunday. Sunday after church, we had our family Easter dinner. My dad is the bishop of a young adult singles ward (church congregation), and there was a guy from his ward that didn’t have a place to go for Easter dinner, so he joined us. Ryan, being the only grandkid at the moment (more about this in a minute), enjoyed his less-chaotic Easter egg hunt at Rara & Papa’s. Quite a difference from Saturday’s! (And even though we won’t readily admit it, Marc & Frances & I still really like the egg hunt, too. The green eggs containing money help.) We especially enjoyed sitting around the dining room table planning our itinerary for Hawaii. I know none of you are keeping track of the countdown like I am…we go one month from today! But the greatest Easter present was Marc & Frances’ present to Rara & Papa – an ultrasound picture labeled “Baby 1” and “Baby 2.” Yep, Marc & Frances are expecting TWINS!Oh, yes…the Easter Bunny also made a visit to our house, and we also did the traditional egg dyeing. We don’t do a lot, since only one of us eats eggs.
Even though Easter was early this year, we enjoyed mostly warmish, sunny weather for all of our activities. It was a great weekend.Saturday, March 22, 2008
Good Friday – Tabernacle Choir Easter Concert
Our family had the opportunity to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s Easter concert – the production “The Redeemer” by Robert Cundick. All tickets were general admission seating, so we made sure we were at Temple Square a while before they opened the doors. We saw several people we knew in the line, and enjoyed visiting with them until we were able to go into the Tabernacle. Ryan took his new cub scout Wolf book to read while we waited.
The program was amazing. Many of you recognize Robert Cundick’s name. He was the Tabernacle organist for 27 years. He composed “The Redeemer” in a 10 WEEK period in 1977. It was fun to watch Ryan as his appreciation of music is growing. He recognized the patterns throughout the production; for example, every time the man portraying Jesus Christ sang, it started with the same melody and first few words. It was also fun to watch Ryan feel the different emotions portrayed within the program. It was obvious that he was experiencing all of the emotions that the program was designed to instill in the audience.
It was a beautiful program, and we were very lucky to be able to attend. It started our Easter weekend off perfectly.
The program was amazing. Many of you recognize Robert Cundick’s name. He was the Tabernacle organist for 27 years. He composed “The Redeemer” in a 10 WEEK period in 1977. It was fun to watch Ryan as his appreciation of music is growing. He recognized the patterns throughout the production; for example, every time the man portraying Jesus Christ sang, it started with the same melody and first few words. It was also fun to watch Ryan feel the different emotions portrayed within the program. It was obvious that he was experiencing all of the emotions that the program was designed to instill in the audience.It was a beautiful program, and we were very lucky to be able to attend. It started our Easter weekend off perfectly.
Friday, March 21, 2008
My Favorite “Ryanism” of the Week
Ryan’s best friend, Ben, was out of school sick all week. One day in the middle of the week, Ryan told me why he hoped Ben would be back at school the next day…
“Because when Ben isn’t at school, the girls only chase me.”
I chuckled AFTER he left the room.
“Because when Ben isn’t at school, the girls only chase me.”
I chuckled AFTER he left the room.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Cool News from Hawaii
So, really, this is my friend Kevin’s cool news. But since: 1 – so many of you know Kevin, and 2 – he is so humble that he only sent this to FOUR people, I’m taking it upon myself to spread the word. Feel free to congratulate him when you talk with him next. :)
Kevin sent me this e-mail tonight:
Aloha!
Well, I finished my big race Saturday. It was called the Run to the Sun, on Maui, and it started at sea level (the Maui Mall in Kahului) and finished 36.4 miles later at the top of Haleakala crater, 10,023 feet above sea level.
This was my first "ultra marathon," so I was a bit nervous as to how I'd do. I'd also never been to Maui before, and hadn't seen 10,000 feet since I'd lived in Colorado many years ago. My goal was to finish in 8 hours or so, and have fun.
To make a long story short, I did much better than that, and actually won the race! I finished in 5 hours 28 minutes and 38 seconds, which is the best finishing time in 13 years, they tell me. I beat the second-place finisher by 40 minutes.
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/501531.html?nav=11
http://kaleo.info/2008/03/19/laie-man-wins-run-to-sun-ultra-marathon/
It was a wonderful experience, and I don't think I'll ever do it again. :)
Take care!
Kevin
Yea, I’m planning to go from the Maui Mall to the Haleakala Crater when we’re there next month…IN A CAR!
Good job, Kevin! That’s awesome!
Kevin sent me this e-mail tonight:
Aloha!
Well, I finished my big race Saturday. It was called the Run to the Sun, on Maui, and it started at sea level (the Maui Mall in Kahului) and finished 36.4 miles later at the top of Haleakala crater, 10,023 feet above sea level.
This was my first "ultra marathon," so I was a bit nervous as to how I'd do. I'd also never been to Maui before, and hadn't seen 10,000 feet since I'd lived in Colorado many years ago. My goal was to finish in 8 hours or so, and have fun.
To make a long story short, I did much better than that, and actually won the race! I finished in 5 hours 28 minutes and 38 seconds, which is the best finishing time in 13 years, they tell me. I beat the second-place finisher by 40 minutes.
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/501531.html?nav=11
http://kaleo.info/2008/03/19/laie-man-wins-run-to-sun-ultra-marathon/
It was a wonderful experience, and I don't think I'll ever do it again. :)
Take care!
Kevin
Yea, I’m planning to go from the Maui Mall to the Haleakala Crater when we’re there next month…IN A CAR!
Good job, Kevin! That’s awesome!
Already?!
I had two “Already?” moments today.
First, Ryan’s soccer season started today. I know! Already?! It’s still only in the 40s for daytime highs, and we got a skiff of snow last night! Luckily, we had the “early” game from 5:00 to 6:00. So with the sun still up, at least we hadn’t yet dipped into the sub-zero temperatures. And it didn’t snow, which is always good. (Yes, it has before. Yes, they keep playing.)
Ryan is a great little soccer player. He was only inches away from scoring a goal…twice! Everyone kept saying that the score was 3 to 0, but ALMOST 5 to 0! He had a third attempt that was only a couple of feet away. He came so close so many times! (He is #1 and has the red cleats in the pictures.)
As soon as Ry’s soccer game ended at 6:00, we ate a quick, not-very-healthy dinner in the car, and headed for our church (on the opposite side of town). One of us changed clothes in the car, the other changed in the church bathroom. I’ll let you guess which was which.
Pack meeting was at 6:30. You all know that I am the Wolf den leader in cub scouts. For two years now, we have often rushed from Ryan’s soccer games to pack meeting. But before now, Ryan was able to just stay in his soccer uniform and hide in the back of the room during pack meeting. Not today. This was my second “Already?” moment of the day. My little bub was officially welcomed into cub scouts, and I was the one that got to do it! Since he has been attending den meetings and pack meetings with me for over two years, it was probably more of a “Finally!” moment for him. He FINALLY gets to actually receive the awards for the things he is doing. But for me, it’s hard to believe that my baby is already a cub scout. I guess that’s a fairly common mom sentiment as kids grow up.
I also realized today that maybe I don’t dislike winter as much as I thought. Wintertime for our family means quiet, relaxing weeknights at home (for the most part), dinner at home, homework done, and the little person in our house in bed on time. As much as I love it when Spring finally arrives, it also means a return to our considerably more hectic lifestyle.
First, Ryan’s soccer season started today. I know! Already?! It’s still only in the 40s for daytime highs, and we got a skiff of snow last night! Luckily, we had the “early” game from 5:00 to 6:00. So with the sun still up, at least we hadn’t yet dipped into the sub-zero temperatures. And it didn’t snow, which is always good. (Yes, it has before. Yes, they keep playing.)
Ryan is a great little soccer player. He was only inches away from scoring a goal…twice! Everyone kept saying that the score was 3 to 0, but ALMOST 5 to 0! He had a third attempt that was only a couple of feet away. He came so close so many times! (He is #1 and has the red cleats in the pictures.)
As soon as Ry’s soccer game ended at 6:00, we ate a quick, not-very-healthy dinner in the car, and headed for our church (on the opposite side of town). One of us changed clothes in the car, the other changed in the church bathroom. I’ll let you guess which was which.Pack meeting was at 6:30. You all know that I am the Wolf den leader in cub scouts. For two years now, we have often rushed from Ryan’s soccer games to pack meeting. But before now, Ryan was able to just stay in his soccer uniform and hide in the back of the room during pack meeting. Not today. This was my second “Already?” moment of the day. My little bub was officially welcomed into cub scouts, and I was the one that got to do it! Since he has been attending den meetings and pack meetings with me for over two years, it was probably more of a “Finally!” moment for him. He FINALLY gets to actually receive the awards for the things he is doing. But for me, it’s hard to believe that my baby is already a cub scout. I guess that’s a fairly common mom sentiment as kids grow up.
I also realized today that maybe I don’t dislike winter as much as I thought. Wintertime for our family means quiet, relaxing weeknights at home (for the most part), dinner at home, homework done, and the little person in our house in bed on time. As much as I love it when Spring finally arrives, it also means a return to our considerably more hectic lifestyle.On that note, I’ve got to end. MY homework calls.
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