Wallymack

Waiting

2012-02-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

My goal to catch up my blog and post once a week this year was sabotaged! A few weeks ago, our main computer (you know, the one with ALL the pictures and video I haven't gotten around to backing up yet) quit working. Mike tried to fix it and then had our neighbor come look at it and then finally took it to the computer store. Last I heard, they think they got it working, but said it's on it's last legs. Hopefully, I can at least get my stuff off it and continue the fabulous blog.

projects

2011-11-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

Don't women love projects? I think it all goes to our need to create. Here's the last dress I finished for the Prom Locker. Michelle picked it up at a garage sale for $8. She said I could play with it and it would be ok if I ruined it. Apparently, I forgot to take a before picture, it might be on the Prom Locker blog. Anyway, it was ugly. Baggy, plain, grandma looking, gathered sleeves. I tried to make it more fun and current. Here is the finished product.

I also repainted my front room and got some new furniture for it. I had an old wooden window frame from my mom that I wanted to put in there. I painted it and distressed it. Then I made this cool book page wreath. Mike doesn't like it but I do. I also found a sweet new light fixture at DI for $10. It was still in the packaging. I'll post a pict later. I love my new room.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-11-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

I am so far behind on my blog and there is so many other things I want to catch up on (like half of Sept and all of October) but I just have to share with all 5 of my readers what my sweet (I think) husband and my very good friend, Michelle did for my birthday. On Tuesdays, Connor and I leave for swim practice at 5:15. We pulled out of the garage to this:

It was dark and I really didn't get to appreciate it in all it's glory until I got home. After I drop Con off, I just stay to work out. I walked into the work-out room to see this on the front wall, with some balloons.

The picture is after I got home, cause I just didn't think to take my camera to spinning. Here's what the rest of my front yard looked like:

We live 1/2 a block from the elementary school. It was pretty funny to watch the kids that walk by our house. Also fun to watch the cars go by, slow down to read the signs. It's good to be loved.

Braces (Take 3)

2011-11-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's Chase's turn! He's so happy. This is the before picture.

I take these pictures only in effort to be a good mom and record as many memorable moments in my child's life as possible.

HA! I just think it's funny and I can't resist the joker mouth!

After. Stay tuned, in about 16 months I will have shots of the finished product.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

Our ward has a Halloween Carnival every year. The YW/YM put it on for the Primary. It's awesome, all the kids love it and many, many families come out for the fun. This is Kenna after she had her face painted.

This is the girls and I before school. I was lucky (ha ha) enough to get to sub in Kenna's class that day. I just recycled Mike's Musketeer costume, because it was easy.

Kenna was a genie (thanks to inheriting a costume box from my Grandma

Connor wore this outfit for Cowboy day during Homecoming and decided to recycle it for Halloween. He's a pretty good-lookin' cowboy. He took Kennadee out trick or treating on round 1.

Chase was a hospital patient. Warning: next material no suitable for children.

**************not his real bum**************

Kate just wanted to be a fat clown. This costume made me laugh every time she walked away from me. She had a pillow stuck over her bum. Her legs looked about a foot long and she would waddle. So funny.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Fall Break 2011

2011-10-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

For fall break this year, we got a condo in St. George. It was very nice, except for the nasty fish smell in the corridor, thanks to the neighbors. Our first day there, we spent on the red rocks above St. George. All the kids went through this little crack, called the narrows. I even got brave enough to try it.

These are just some other shots around there. It's so fun because you can just hike and run all over the rocks, plus you have a fabulous view of St. George.

Afterward, we headed over for a tour of Brigham Young's winter home and then back to the condo for some swimming. Later that day, we headed for this fun place call Anti-Gravity. It was full of bouncy toys and trampolines. The kids had so much fun and Con even split his pants jousting with Chase.

Our last day, we spent hiking and playing in the sand in Snow Canyon. It was actually really hot, but still enjoyable. Next time, we will take our bikes. We finished out with more swimming and some billiards at the condo. Mike kicked my trash.

Crazy Hair and Pumpkins

2011-10-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

The week before Halloween the girls school does a red ribbon week. The real purpose to help kids say no to drugs, but it seem to me an excuse to have a little Homecoming week for Elementary. It's fun. For crazy hair day, Katelyn wanted a Mohawk.

Honestly, I tried, but I just didn't know how to get her thick hair to do it. We went with this instead.

Kenna just wanted a little color. That weekend we also carved our pumpkins. Connor carved one, but didn't want a picture.

I just love it when we can carve our pumpkins outside.

Hummingbirds

2011-10-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

This summer, a lady Mike knew from Rotary invited us to her house to feed hummingbirds. She had trained the birds to eat out of her hand. She was moving, and wanted to share this experience with others before she left. We thought it could be fun, so we loaded up the girls and drove up Logan Canyon to her house. First, she taught them about hummingbirds. She really loves her birds. Then she gave them the food and let them give it a try. The girls had to stand very still,

which was hard because there were also many wasps around that day that wanted in on the sugar water. However, they both had at least one hummingbird come to visit.

Here are just a few random moments in the Wallace household. One night when we were reading scriputres, Kenna fell asleep. She was so still, no bobbing head, but she was completely out. She was also pretty mad at me when the flash woke her up and wanted to delete the picture, :)

Skyview had a cowboy and indians day for Homecoming week. I'm not sure how they snuck it in, because it can't be politically correct, but the kids had fun with it. This is Connor as a cowboy. We thought he it was a good look for him.

Double Digits

2011-10-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

On Sept. 6, 2011, Katelyn left behind single digits forever, sigh. She's ten. That really is a milestone, but we don't always mark it as one. We got to celebrate her birthday for 3 days over Labor Day weekend. On Sunday, "the cousins" came up for dinner. On Monday, we went minature golfing. It would have been nice to have pictures of both of these, but hey, that's the way this year has gone. Tuesday was the big day.

The first gift. opened before school.

The loot

The Cake

The candles

Monster cupcakes for the friend party

The friends. For her party, Kate just wanted to take some friends to play laser tag. They had a ball.

First Day of School

2011-10-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

Connor's first day of HIGH SCHOOL. Wow. He had to go a day earlier than every one else. Sept 23. It was Sophmore day. This was really nice. Just the Sophs went and got tours of the school, etc. to help them feel more comfortable. Mike got in all the first day of school pictures this year, but I only put this one on.

Chase is the first to leave the house at 6:45. Con goes at 7:30

Kate and Kenna leave at 8:30

First day of school treats.

Rexburg and Bear Lake

2011-09-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

Our other fun outings in Aug were to Rexburg and Bear Lake. Why would anyone go to Rexburg, you ask? To see our good friends the Rowe's of course. We did leave Connor home, though. In spite of missing Connor, we had to much fun. Mike and BJ had to spend the day golfing while Camille and I took the kids to try out Rexburg's new water park. It was a sacrifice, but they did it for us.

Kenna and Gracie were synchronized falling

Camille and Eliza

Hannah on the slide. The kids didn't spend to much time here, they thought the line was to long.

Kate

These two aren't hams at all

Dave and Chase

Kenna and Gracie in the Lazy River

Kate and Hannah, it was just a little busy

Dave and Chase

Also on our summer bucket list was a trip to Bear Lake. Some friends of ours went with us for the day. We stopped in Logan Canyon for a hike on the way up, then had lunch at the lake. We didn't have a boat, but they had fun playing in the sand and in the water. I just sat on my bum and talked with my friends.

Connor and Calvin caught a frog.

Milkshakes on the way home.

Smith Morehouse

2011-09-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

The beginning of Aug, we went on our annual campout with Jon and Tammie's family. It was one of the best ever. We went just above a reservoir called Smith Morehouse, I believe in Weber Canyon. I found out later that Amy Jo's parents cabin is up that same canyon. It's so beautiful. The girls spend hours playing in the water and climbing on the logs. We often went on obstacle courses with them.

The boys spent a lot of time chopping wood and shooting bb guns, which apparently I didn't get pictures of. Con also made a bracelet and of course, they were always eating.

All of the kids spent hours snake hunting, catching and holding. They really loved this, I certainly don't know why and Jadyn only got bit once. Luckily they were just garter snakes. Half of the campground was closed and the snakes were all over in there, They would even name them, but did let them all go after holding them for a long time.

We all had a super fun marshmellow gun fight. We only had four guns, so we teamed up to go 2 on 2 and did it tournament style. Whoever wasn't playing was a judge. It was pretty intense.

Last, the adults spend a lot of time doing whatever the kids were doing and also playing games. It was a fabulous trip.

Good bye July

2011-08-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Whew, summer is going so fast. To start this blog, let me just say someone at our house has been really bad at taking pictures this summer. Oh boy. These pictures are all out of order for the month, but I'm going with it, because it will take too long to move it. Last week we went to Lava with our neighbors the Mikesells and the Thompsons.

Connor, Chase, and Katelyn went down all of the slides.

Here's the big slide group.

Kenna and I went down the red slide. I had so much fun, I just got to hang with Kenna the whole day.

Chase went off the platform. Out of pressure to be a cool mom, I went off it with
him once also. There are no pictures of that, too bad. We love Lava. We make sure
to go at least once each summer.

We went to the 4th of July parade in Lewiston. Connor drove us out there.
Lewiston is a little tiny town, so we thought the parade wouldn't be too busy.
Wrong. Everyone from Cache Valley was there, I swear. We still had fun.

Apparently I have a smudge on my lens for some of these. Sorry. Kids are out getting candy.

In June, Chase took a class called forever Levers. This trebuchet was the result. It's pretty cool and has shot a baseball around 100 yds.

Filling water balloons.

Some random dressing up.

She looked so funny when she walked, I laughed out loud

Mike had a birthday. We spoiled him and he deserves every bit.

The kids took their friends the Mikesells rafting at First Dam. In all the
time we have lived here, this is the first time we have done this.

When Connor was at EFY and Chase was at scout camp, Katie and I got a painting bug. We
painted her bike and

we painted the "red room" The kids are a little mad at me, but I love it. It's Wisteria, my favorite bluey purple. In between all of this was girl's camp, Chase coming home from scout camp sick and many trips to Layton. Papa and Nanie took my kids for a weekend to hang out and go fishing. They had so much fun. We also got to go to the temple with my nephew as he got ready to go on his mission. He leaves for the Scotland/Ireland mission on Thursday. Good luck Tyler. We love you and appreciate your example.

Summer (maybe)!

2011-06-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

It's so warm today, we have our fingers crossed that summer might actually be making an appearance. It's good to see her!
Foot Update: After 6 fabulous weeks on crutches, my foot still hurt when the doc pressed on it. He felt something unusual and took an x-ray (a different angle than normal apparently) and found a lump of bone growing where it shouldn't on my big toe bone. He had never seen it before. Now, after an MRI and consulting with a podiatrist in Washington State with many more years experience, he is fairly certain this little bone wart is causing all my pain. The Washington doc has also never seen this, is kind-of excited about it and thinks my doc should "write it up" Not sure how I feel about this. Definately don't think it's "cool". Anyhow I will probably have surgery to remove this in the next month or so, when I have time.

More exciting and fun news, my neighbor and friend, Michelle and I are trying to start a prom dress rental business. I don't know if it will work, but we have been having lots of fun. Michelle explained it very well on our blog http://www.thepromlocker.blogspot.com/. Check it out

Kenna had her 7th birthday. The best present of all was having her best friend Gracie come from Rexburg for the weekend. These two just don't forget each other and when they get back together, it's like they were never apart. We are looking forward to a weekend with them in Aug.

Kenna also "graduated" from 1st grade.

Last Tuesday, we had a very fun day at Lagoon with our Wallace family. It was actually warm. The big kids took off on their own and tried to ride every ride in the park. They almost made it. Mike and I spent most of our time with Kenna.

Connor is taking drivers ed. He will be done today and we will get his learner's permit and start practicing. That's it for now.

Catching Up

2011-05-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

A lot can happen in 5 weeks, even if I feel like I have spent a lot of it parked on my couch reading. Good news-only one more week on crutches. I can make it. Thanks goodness for all the little trips and things to help this time go by faster. Kate, Kenna and I mad this house over spring break from a cardboard box, egg cartons, and scrapbook paper. Idea from Family Fun

Connor turned 15 in April. We were at Mike's parents. These pictures are before and after shower. He can get his learners permit to drive now and has applied for a summer job teaching swim lessons. We'll see if he gets it.

Kate, Chase and Kenna went with Papa to buy some new chickens. They had a great time holding them.

Papa always serves at least a 3 course breakfast to my kiddos. He brings it all in to them. They love it.

Chase's first backpacking trip with the scouts. In the rain.

Kate gets braces. Just on her front four teeth for now.

Easter in Mackay. My kids found 4 dozen eggs. Seriously. What do you do with that? Kenna ran so fast, Grandpa couldn't keep up for pictures.

Kate picked up this egg by the horse poop. Gross, but she thought it was totally worth it-it was a dollar egg.

Kenna found out Grandma and Grandpa's cherry tree was the perfect size for her to climb

Awesome trip to Boise for Emily's baptism. My kids fought over who would push me at the zoo. Chase was a bit upset he won for this hill.

Shosone Falls on the way home.

Kenna's Tavaci concert. They sing with actions. She loves it

Mother's Day with my favorite presents.

Kate and Chase sat on the Gators Swimming float for Smithfield's Health Days Parade. One of my favorite oxymorons as they throw enough candy to fill a grocery bag.

The crutch of the matter

2011-04-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Anytime life gets to easy we need a new challenge, right? About 8 months ago, my foot started to hurt. I thought no problem, time for new workout shoes. Got em, didn't work. So I thought, no problem, I'll stop doing the exercises that hurt it most. Didn't work. I thought, no problem, I'll live with it and it will heal eventually, you guessed it, didn't work. In Oct. I went to a foot doc. X-rays say no bone problems, but he thinks I have an inflamed seismoid. Ok. Takes a while to heal. Have a cortisone shot, wear these pads in your shoe and ice it. No problem, I ask is there anything I shouldn't do. He says don't do anything that makes it hurt. Oh, funny like walk. Anyway, I go back one month later, it's not much better. Doc says another cort shot. Doesn't listen when I tell him pain has changed. Says I told you it would take a long time to heal. Decide this doc is conceited jerk. Decide to live with it again. Then in March, I went to another foot doc, more highly recommended. He is baffled by my foot. Says I am describing 2 different things, both inflammation and a neuroma(some nerve problem) but neuromas don't happen in that area of the foot. He listened to me and was great, but I was just praying inwardly he would find something and be able to help me. He tried one more cort shot and gave me inserts from my shoes, plus a whole list of things I shouldn't do. Tried it faithfully one month, no better. When I went back he did an ultrasound on my poor foot. It looks as if a tiny little piece of this seismoid has broken off and is hanging out, no healing, but not breaking completely off. I have 2 choices 1. surgery to remove it. 2. Get some crutches and a boot, totally immobilize and keep all weight off the foot for 6 wks and see if it will heal.. Doc recommended #2, even though he isn't sure it will work. He doesn't love to do that surgery. So after that long story, the end is I'm on crutches for 6 wks. It's a bit harder than I imagined, but luckily my kids and Mike are super great to help. We're just praying that it will work. I don't make it to the computer much cause it's downstairs and I'm lazy.

Some Sewing

2011-03-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

I've been good friends with my sewing machine lately and it's soooo much fun. I've broken into the world of quilting a little bit. It's harder than I thought, all that precision cutting and perfection. I've just done some small projects and I'm still pretty frustrated when everything doesn't turn out square, but you have to start somewhere. so far, I've done this pillow and a table runner for my mom and Mike's mom. I didn't take pictures of the table runners, darn it. I am also working on a runner for me.

Last Saturday, however, I saw a skirt online that I had to try for Kenna. I thought is was so cute and it was made from a t-shirt. This is how it turned out.

I decided to add some flowers to a white t-shirt to go with it.

I think it turned out pretty well and Kennadee seems to like it too! It's a good thing I have her to sew for. If you want to see the original. it's here http://lukeandhailiegirl.blogspot.com/2010/06/jcrew-diy-skirt.html. Enjoy

A conversation with Katie

2011-03-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

Katie: Mom, someone at the ski resort asked me today if you were there. She said I looked just like you. I'm sick of hearing that.
Me: I'm sorry you're tired of hearing that. Lots of people see to think you look like me.
Katie: It's ok, Mom. I think you're beautiful. (Oh, how sweet)
Me: Thank you. I think you are more beautiful.

Katie: That's just because you are getting old, Mom. (Sigh, back to reality)

Hello again

2011-03-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

It's been forever, and we haven't been busy at all. I have wanted to get to this, kind-of, but today I think it's going to be a short list of many happenings. First of all, Mike has changed jobs. He is still with Zions, but not managing. His position is call Executive Banking. He works with a certain list of clients. So far, so good. I have been doing some substituting and was also called to the Stake YW Presidency, 1st counselor. Shocking, I know. Other that that it's been: family pictures, tell me which you like best

SWIMMING

SKIING

SLEDDING

LOOSING TEETH

one helped out by a big brothers foot. I LOVE the toothless smile. It's one of my favorite ages

And a 12th birthday

Whew, I need to keep up better. That's LIFE!

Cowboy Rockstar

2011-01-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, while we were in the car, Kenna told me she just couldn't decide what she wanted to be when she grew up: a cowboy or a rockstar.

She really liked them both, and she did say cowboy, not cowgirl. If she was a cowboy she could have a horse, but if she was a rockstar she could sing on a stage. I suggested she should be a cowboy rockstar.

She didn't really think that they went together and she would have to choose. This outfit she put together after Christmas just screams Cowboy Rockstar to me.

It's all about Connor

2011-01-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

Connor may have done his Eagle Scout Project back in Aug. but we just got around to having his court of honor on Dec. 29th. He actually had his border review and was approved as an Eagle on 10-10-10 which is nice because it's an easy date to remember. Chase actually received his first 2 merit badges at the beginning.

Three other boys also received their Eagle that night.

I had to speak a little about Connor, they presented each boy with his Eagle,

then each boy gave out a "mentor" pin. This is a new thing, allowing the boys to recognize someone instrumental in helping him get his Eagle. Connor chose one of his scout leaders, Everett Anderson. He is a major scouter and really helped Connor alot.

Then the stake gave them each a tie tack of a stripling warrior. It was a nice night. Kim and Mary drove up through an awful snowstorm to be there and brought most of Connor's cousins. We are sooooo proud of him. Here he is taking his Eagle Oath.

Kenna's singing debut

2010-12-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, here's a funny. When I first typed the title, I left out a g so it said Kenna's sinning debut. He he. I hope not. This fall we signed Kennadee up for a singing group called Tavaci.

Actually, a performing arts group, according to their sign. Since she is always singing, sometimes just her sentences, we thought she might like it. She has, but I"m not sure which she likes more, the singing or the piece of candy they give her each week. She had her first performance last night. I hadn't seen one before and I was impressed with what a good job the teachers did with these kiddos. The video is kind-of long. I put it on mostly for mom and dad. The last clip is just what happens when Kenna gets a hold of our video camera on her own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1JFRMCgxSw

Climbing the walls

2010-12-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

Last night we FINALLY! took our kids rock climbing. It's been something they have asked to do for a long time. First, Mike and I had to learn how to belay.

We had decided that this trip, we would just let the kids climb, since someone always had to belay. Once we passed off our knots, the kids were good to go. I couldn't believe how much they loved it.

Connor had an advantage due to height and swimming muscles, so it was easier for him. Kate wasn't far behind him. She was fast, maybe because she doesn't have much weight to pull up.

Chase loved it, but he had to work the hardest of all of them. He preserved and made it to the top. Kenna was pretty scared at first. She didn't believe the ropes would hold her.

She did quite well, but never went as high as the others. Ok by me. When Mike was on the belay for them, he did Farmer Brown, what will you give me if I let you Down? Silly.

First Snow

2010-12-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

So this actually happened about 3 weeks ago on Nov. 21st, but I'm still putting it on anyway. We got our first real snow that Sunday. It was about 4 inches and the perfect kind for snowmen, snowballs, all that. My girls were so excited, they were first out to play. Then Mike and I and Connor decided to join them.

Chase is missing from the first few photos cause he was mad about something. He cooled off and came out later. The girls and I made the snowman, while Con and Mike tried to see how big they could get the snowballs. Our snowman fell on his face that night. We got another foot of snow later that week. Now it's about gone because we've had rain. The good news is Beaver was able to open earlier than usual. I'm going skiing tomorrow and Mike and the kids (minus Connor) are going Saturday. Yahoo!!

Story of a Swimmer

2010-11-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

Connor made Sky View's swim team this fall. Go Connor! We need to thank Aunt Karen for starting us on this path. About two summers ago, while watching Connor swim across the beaver pond at Wildhorse, she commented on what a pretty stroke he had. Said he should be a swimmer. I had tried to get Con to try swimming a couple of years before, but he hadn't been interested. That comment got both he and I thinking about it again. That fall he took one more set of lessons, then starting swimming for an age-group team called the Gators. One year of hard work later, he made the high school team and he LOVES it. So THANK YOU Karen. Chase and Katie are both swimming for Gators now also. Things we love about swimming:
  1. It keeps you in awesome shape
  2. You can do it your whole life.
  3. You mostly compete against yourself. My kids don't do well with the pressure of a team sport like soccer,
   etc.
  4. You're still a part of a team.
  5. It's both boys and girls, so you can make lots of friends.
  6. It's competitive (you give it your best) but not too much.
  7. It's not about winning and losing, just getting your best time.

It's so fun as a parent to have my kids be excited about this. I don't have to make him go to practice. He wants to. It's a big commitment. He swims everyday after school and three days before. He is definitely learning to budget his time and to work hard.

Meet Billy

2010-11-10T09:10:00.001-08:00

The first of October, Mike and Chase came home with Billy. Chase had found him at a garage sale and bought it. He was giddy with excitement. He set it all up in the yard, found tent stakes to make sure "he" wouldn't fall over. That day saw an elaborate game with all the neighbor kids with one team protecting Billy and the other trying to "kill" him by turning off his power source. I personally really, really don't like yard blow-ups. However, I pretended to like Billy-the things you do for your kids. Chase made sure he was one every night all month. Sadly, Billy is now gone. Till next year, Billy.

Halloween

2010-11-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

Once again we had some interesting costume choices this year. My favorite thing about Halloween in seeing what my kids come up with and then figuring out how to make it happen. I didn't think Connor would dress up this year, he didn't trick or treat. But a couple of days before our ward carnival, he decided he would like to be Jack Skellington (think Nightmare before Christmas). He really likes Jack for some reason. He bought 2 jack shirts in Disney World. Anyway one trip to D.I. for a women's blazer that I added tails and pinstripes to and Poco Loco for a swim cap and he was done. Yahoo.

Next, Miss Katelyn wanted to be a black ghost. Ok. So one black sheet and I added white eyes to a baklava. She ended up looking a little scarier than I thought. The bad thing was she couldn't cover her face for the carnival. Instead she wore a black stocking hat and had me paint her face black. She looked like a cat burglar that night. She loved it though.

Chase opted for Shaggy for Scooby Doo. Super easy costume. The hardest part was finding a goatee. However, not many people knew who he was so he was a little bummed.

Last is my perennial princess. I made the dress for her in June. She uses it for dress-up also. Unfortunately,it was a bit long and took a pretty good spill while running from house to house. We had to pin it up and the Belle dress has a few holes now. Ah well. I guess I can't forget Zombie Mom.

My Saturday morning Zumba class had a costume contest. Marianne let me borrow this awesome costume she had made, so of course I won. It was fun.

Up to date?

2010-10-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Ah, my long neglected blog. Why have I been avoiding you? No good reason. I stink at writing in my journal, too. Someday, I'll probably regret both. Good news! Connor made Sky View's swim team. The best thing about this is that he set it as a goal a year ago and has been working really had at it ever since. I was so relieved he made the team, just so he could learn that hard work pays off. It's a big commitment. He practices every day after school, 3 mornings a week before school and often on Saturday mornings. He loves it. His first meet is this Thursday, just between his team, and the first real meet is in Nov. I hope it will be a good experience for him.
The pictures of my kids are some my Dad took when we went up for the Bar-be-que and also when he and mom came to visit us here. I think he gets some pretty great people pictures, too.
Chase is doing awesome at school. He is also swimming with the club and he has speech therapy twice a week. All of a sudden, we've become one of those families with something every day after school. I've tried really hard to avoid that, but speech is a must. Since he got his tonsils and adenoids out, his soft pallet doesn't close all the way. They are trying to help him train it to do so.

Kate also started swimming this fall. She LOVES it. She is also taking piano. We also like to do crafts and we made some jars with tissue paper and modge podge. We put lights in the and stuck them on the porch.

Kenna still thinks 1st grade is just too long. Hopefully, she'll learn to like it. She is participating in a singing group, called Tavaci. I thought she might like it, because she is always singing, even her sentences to me. She thinks the best part is that they give her candy each week. She also crafted with Kate and I. We made these eye balls for family night. They are on tea lights, so we can put them in the window at night.

I got to do this new project. A lady in our ward volunteered to teach some of us to quilt. She came up with this project and it was soooo much fun. I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. I have now started a couple of other projects. People ask me what I do with all my "Free time" now that Kenna is in school. Let me say, I still have to do all the same things. The only difference is now I'm alone, which makes it sometimes faster and easier, but sometimes just more lonely. I have substituted a few times and I have one last on-line class to finish my recertification for my teaching license. Yay.

Mike is alternating his time between work, golf, racquetball and taking care of us. He's great. He also made his first batch of rolls from scratch. What a guy!

Happy Birthday Katelyn!

2010-09-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

Katie turned 9 on Labor Day, Lucky for me she choose cheesecake instead of a decorated one. Yes, there was a rather large fault line, but it still tasted good. Kate didn't want to have a friend party this year or even invite a friend or two to do a family activity (which is what we usually do) but she did want to go horse back riding. About 2 years ago, she saw a brochure for a trail ride in Logan Canyon and has wanted to do it ever since. It's a little pricey, so we didn't take the whole family, just Katie and I.

She wasn't all that happy to wear a helmet, but she had too.

This is Kate on her house Ajax. Ajax is quite old and was very calm throughout the ride.

This is one of my many attempts to turn around while on my horse and get a good picture of Kate. It was harder than it sounds and the picts didn't turn out all the well. It was really pretty.

Here we are, at the end. Kate loved it. She is so serious, she didn't speak or even smile much during the whole hour ride. She did talk to me in the car on the way home, and of course now wished she could have her own horse. We love our Katelyn.

Odds and Ends

2010-08-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

I want to post, but don't really feel like typing. So here's to a lot a pictures. This is Kate and Connor and Chase going off the platforms at Lava on our last fun trip before school started. Love Kate's attitude.

Kenna is so proud of these sunflowers. She brought the starts home from Kindergarten last spring. They are so tall.

This is for Ally. I make this shirt after talking to your. Kate has one with peace signs on it. It was very fun, thanks for the idea. Also, I cut off a pair of Kenna's jeans and made this skirt to go with. She loves it.

Connor got his braces off the Monday before school started. Watch out girls! Really watch out Connor, because I think he's still to shy to go for the girls yet. Thank goodness.

First Day of School

First day of school snacks.

Connor's Eagle

2010-08-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Connor's Eagle project actually started about one year ago. He worked really hard for awhile to organize a project for our church that got scrapped about 6 months later due to funding problems. In April we were approached about this project, building a bridge for Smithfield City. I told his leaders that Mike and I WERE NOT Builders, and they said no worries-all three of them were contractors. We waited all summer for the city to put in the I-beams.

They did and the boys got started on Saturday. We had no idea what a big project this was. Thank goodness for a wonderfully kind contractor in our ward, who knew what he was doing. He directed the project and provided all the tools.

First they had to cut the planks and bolt them into the metal i beams.

Then they build a railing. It also had to be bolted in and the boys had to put on and tighten washers on the bottom. This is them on some scaffolding.

Or you could just lean over the side.

The finished project.

These boys and Dads and Leaders worked so hard. They were there from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. We were so glad they got it all done in one day. We actually didn't think they would. I fed them lunch. I think they are all so proud of themselves and every time they see this, they will know what a good job they did. Way to go 13th Ward and Connor!

Hiking

2010-07-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

This summer in an effort to 1. Keep our busy and active. 2. Get them our of the house and 3. Enjoy this beautiful place we live, some of my neighbors and I decided to take our kids on a weekly hike.

We've gone on two so far, and plan to do it the rest of the summer. It's been fun to explore a little. The first hike was just up Smithfield Canyon. It was a little longer than I thought, Katie came home and fell asleep. Last week was up the Logan Canyon Stokes Nature Trail. It was easier and a good length. My girls aren't quite up to going as far as the boys could. We stopped and checked out the Stokes Nature Center on the way back, as well as stopping all along the way to throw rocks.

I observed that all my children had a good time while hiking, but when we got home Katie told me she didn't like it and it was No Fun At All. I told her she might want to learn to like it as we would be going every week until school started. Her reply? I'll sure be happy when school starts. :) Next week: Tony Grove

Loose Tooth

2010-05-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, Kenna suddenly started crying in sacrament meeting, hard and loud. I had to take her out. I haven't had to take her out of sacrament for a couple of years. What caused all this drama, you ask? One of her brothers hit her, maybe? Oh no. The cause was she had just discovered she had her first loose tooth. Wow. All my other children had been really happy about their first loose tooth. I was taken by surprise. She didn't want to lose her teeth, they are so pretty, how would she eat, etc. I finally got her calmed down. By the end of church, she was excitedly telling everyone about it. Fast forward to this Sunday. Kenna hadn't wiggled that tooth much, so it stayed put. We had corn on the cob for dinner and I guess she forgot. She took a big bite and all of a sudden that tooth was much looser. This video pretty much sums up her response. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAIdFIvszC4 She finally settled down again, very worried that the tooth would fall out in her sleep and she would swallow it.

Monday morning. after she got up, her tooth fell out and she was all smiles. She won't leave it for the tooth fairy yet though, she still wants to keep it .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AutwhDrTSH4

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

For any of you who need a little Mother's Day laugh, here's the poem Chase wrote for me for Mother's Day.
   Mom
   The Wind Beneath My Wings
   by Chase
Whenever I hear the choir,
   I remember you complaining about not wanting to go to practice on Sunday.
Whenever I taste a gross veggie,
   I remember you making me eat one.
Whenever I smell hot pizza,
   I remember you making it every Friday.
Whenever I touch foam soap,
   I remember you always buying it.
Whenever I see a Dr. Pepper,
   I remember you trying to stop drinking it.
You are my Mom,
   My Hero
   The Wind Beneath My Wings

Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mothers.

Day in the life of....

2010-04-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Chase swam in his first meet. He had told me he would take swimming on the condition that he didn't have to swim in any meets. Ok with me. His coach, however talked him into trying this one. It was a meet for 12 and under, so it wasn't as big as some of the others. The other perk was that they all got a four-square ball. He swam a 50 back stroke, 50 breast, and 50 freestyle. His age group was the biggest, with about 11 kids in each event. He got two fourth places and one sixth. He was very happy with that, but says he isn't swimming in another meet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXOtfAKj6Dk to see him swimming.

This is Kenna in one of her diva modes. She loves boots. She has a pair she wore every day all winter. She only stopped wearing them when Grandpa bought her some even better ones. Kenna said to me this week, "Mom, everywhere we go, people just think I'm so cute" We've been talking to her a lot about being pretty on the inside. Today at church, when one of the ladies started to cry while bearing her testimony, Kenna said, Mom, she's only crying because she can feel Jesus.

Connor went on his 1st high school trip. He was invited to play with the 9th grade band. They drove to Provo to compete in a state band festival. He got home about 10 that night. He had a great time. I'm so excited for him to have all these fun high school experiences and scared to death all at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqBYXjxEDXA for some video of Connor with the band.

We had parent teacher conferences this week. Kate had a bad year last year and really struggled with her reading and her confidence. At the beginning of this year (2nd grade) she tested at a 1.6 (1st grade, 6th month) reading level. Last week she tested at 3.3 (3rd grade, 3rd month) I am so proud of her. She is already learning that she can do hard things. She is a tenacious little thing and won't give up. Hooray for Katie!
I took a part-time job with the census, starting this week. I thought it might be fun to get out a little and I like meeting people, so this could be a great opportunity. I'm already stressing out over if this will hurt my kids, will I be able to fit everything is. Silly huh. It will probably be good for my kids and besides, its only temporary.
Mike has been playing some racquetball with a guy from our ward. He has fun because it's a game, but grumbles because it's exercise. Work is good. Play is better.

Connor's 14!

2010-04-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Connor's birthday was right in the middle of spring break. Luckily that allowed some of his cousins to come up and stay with us for a couple of days. We usually let our kids choose one activity for their birthday, instead of a party. Connor wanted to go to the Fun Park with his cousins. They played a few of the games,

but the highlight was laser tag. They had a super time. They also had lots of fun at the house, playing on the tramp, playing soccer at the school and just hanging out.

Connor choose steak and baked potatoes for his birthday dinner. Expensive taste, huh? Luckily, thanks to my sister in laws Dad, we had some awesome steaks.

All he wanted for his big day, was a new ipod, so spoiled kid he is, he got it :)
If he wasn't such a good kid, it would be so much easier to say no!

Topped off the day with a mint cheesecake, yummy. We LOVE Connor.

Crafty Spring Break

2010-04-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break, we didn't have a big vacation. I swear everyone else in Cache Valley went to St. George or Disneyland, but we had fun anyway. Chase, Kate, Kenna, and I did travel to Rexburg for a couple of days to visit our friends, the Rowes. Rexburg has a great craft store, that not only has all your supplies, but lots of ideas too. Camille and I made curly ribbon barretts, which started my craft week. When I got home I decided to make a board for my bathroom to hang all Kenna's hair stuff on.

This led to my week of modge podge. First I finished my board.

At the craft store while buying the modge podge, I saw this mirror and got it for the bathroom.

We also had my niece and nephews over, so I got a craft for the girls.

They each did the first initial of their name. Chase did one also, but his picture didn't turn out. Last I made this sweet recipe holder. I did spell recipe wrong the first time. How embarrassing and had to peel a couple letter off and start over. I haven't been crafty for so long, it was super fun.

Easter

2010-04-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Most years for Easter, we head to Grandma's to visit and hit the Mackay Easter egg hunt. A great tradition. This year we stayed home to watch General Conference. When we woke up on Easter, here's what the Easter Bunny had done, string all over our house. Each child had a string with their name on it and had to follow it to find their baskets.

It was over under and through. Our teenager was a little grumpy and could be heard mumbling things like: why did I have to get up this early. I can't believe I have to go through all this dumb sting, etc.

Everyone else had a ball and thought it was pretty fun,

Miss Katelyn is careful and meticulous so she was the last to find her basket, but happy day all baskets were found and there was candy galore.

Kate and Kenna got hats and sunglasses.

Con and Chase got new goggles for swimming and a book. Chase was
pretty upset at the "dumb book" at first, but he ended up liking it.

Kennadee's World

2010-03-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Miss Kennadee loves to take pictures. She got a camera for Christmas and uses it all the time, but I haven't loaded anything on the computer yet. She often steals our cell phones and takes pictures with those also. This Sunday, when I loaded some pictures for an e-mail to Mike's parents, I found she had taken my camera this week also. This is just so I have a memory of what Kenna wanted to capture at age 5. My favorites are the self-portraits. I tried to make a slide-show, but I couldn't get it to work today. Go figure.

Why I love USU Basketball

2010-03-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of examples of why the games are so much funhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARpzavb7PQk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcJdG_LnRJU Ok For Wild Bill I have kind-of a horrified fasination. I don't know how anyone makes a free throw with him there. I do know he has to get his costumes approved before the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQywmNxCd8E We have a terrific student section.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ujFwlC7nu8&feature=channel

Go AGGIES!

2010-03-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

I love Utah State Basketball. It's so much fun to go to the games. We have a terrific coach, who believes in a team approach to playing and so much fun to watch. We also have an awesome student section. We try and go to a few a the games every year. Someday I'll have season tickets. Anyway, they made the NCAA. Go AGGIES!

It always amazes me how I feel busy and seem to be, but when I sit down here to write, I can't think of anything. Who wants to record another day of laundry and cleaning bathrooms? Anyway, here's some odds and ends from the Wallaces.

Katie will pretty much only wear skirts to church. In December, I started looking for some new ones, and couldn't find anything. Who knew it would be so hard. (Now there are skirts all over the place for spring So Kate and I took a trip to the fabric store. This skirt she has on is the first thing I have made without a purchased pattern. She had a brown skirt before that she loved but grew out of. I liked the style, but couldn't find a pattern, so I made my own by using her old skirt. It was a challenge for me, so that made it fun.

Chase's teacher does a reward system for exercise. They kids turn in a point for every twenty minutes of activity and that equals one mile. They are tracking their progress on a map of the US trying to get from East to West coast using Route 66. Everytime they cross a state, they get to have a party, themed with that state. Friday, I got to go do an Oklahoma party. We went with cowboy games and they loved this one, trying to lasso a "cow". Most kids had never used a lasso, but one girl was a pro. Did you know Beaver, Oklahoma is the cow chip throwing capital of the world? There is a contest there every April, if you want to give it a try.

Connor doesn't really let me take his picture often. This is just a picture of how he looked today. Love this kid.

Weekend in Mackay

2010-02-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

We headed up to Mackay this weekend because the kids wanted to go sledding. I think originally they were hoping Grandpa would pull them behind the snowmobiles, but there wasn't enough snow. Instead we borrowed some runner sleds and headed to the Mine Hill. It was super cold, but we had fun anyway. I do think we would have held out longer, if it hadn't been so cold. The boys really liked it, but Kate and Kenna wouldn't try the sleds. They did like riding on the four wheeler. Even Grandma got in on the action. See if you can guess who's who. Does anyone know why I can't drag and drop my photos like I used to? I can't move them down into my text. Help

Happy Birthday Chase!

2010-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

Chase turned 11 on Wednesday and did we ever celebrate him. He got to go to the movie, the Lightning Thief. Then we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. He got to sit on a saddle and everyone gave him a big Texas YEEHAW. I'll put up the video, but it's all red because it's so dark in there. Then we had cheesecake and presents. We didn't do it all the same day though. It's more fun to spread it out a bit. He's one happy kid. Side note, I learned how to do this collage in my Google Tools class. I'm pretty impressed with myself. JK Honestly, for any of you out there, who are like me and don't have photoshop, Picasa is a really great photo editing tool and it's FREE. It won't do as much as photoshop, but it does quite a bit. Super easy to use and makes you look good. .

Chase with a gift.

Kenna didn't think her chicken looked so good.

The boys waiting for some Steak.

Glasses

2010-02-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

My Kennadee got glasses today. She is extremely far-sighted. Of all the things she could have inherited from me, I wouldn't have chosen this one. Sigh. Oh well, I am grateful for we have glasses, to help her and the styles are much cuter and smaller than when I was little. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v8LTgNcuvk As you can see, she's pretty excited about it.

These are a few of our favorite things

2010-01-31T20:39:00.000-08:00

Inspired be a chat with Celiac, I decided to do a little bio on what each person in my family likes.

Connor likes swimming. The thought process on this got started from a comment by one of you at Wildhorse about how smooth his strokes were as he swam across that frigid beaver pond. He started swimming with a club here and is working hard toward his goal of making the high school team next year. He is a bit slower than the other boys his age, due to a later start (why do kids have to start sports when they are 5 anyway?) but he is getting faster every meet and I think he can do it. He also like Jazz band, he stays after school twice a week to play in it. He likes reading, pizza, steak, and movies. He doesn't like girls yet, that I know of. He likes hanging out with his friends occasionally and has become a really good skier this year. He is also so kind and sweet with his sisters. He doesn't like doing his laundry or homework, but does it anyway. He does like scouts and is getting close to getting his Eagle. Connor also like Ping Pong. These are some not great picts of Connors last swim meet.

Chase also likes swimming. He just started and we are hoping as a side benefit it will help his asthma as he increases his lung capacity. He also likes legos and video games. Oh, those video games. He doesn't like the time limit mom sets on those, but has a good attitude about it and is learning moderation. Chase loves to read. When he has really good book, I have to pry it out of his hands to get him to do something else. He doesn't like piano but does like playing with his friends, especially made-up games and sledding. Chase likes snowboarding and pizza. He especially likes fetticine alfredo and wishes I would make it everyday. He doesn't like math but is good at it. He really likes his new Primary teacher and is learning so much. He has been very aware of saying thankyou to me lately. I'm not sure what brought that on, but I like it. Chase likes nights, but not mornings.

Katie likes art. She loves to draw and color. She also likes tumbling. She likes soccer practice, but not the games, and says one of the best things about tumbling is not having any games (meets). Katie loves her teacher and likes to talk to grown-ups. She loves dumb jokes. She is at that age where they try to figure out what is funny and be funny but mostly fall flat. She likes animals of all kinds and wants to be a zoo worker when she grows up. She does not like pizza, ham, carrots, broccoli, certain kinds of potatoes, and the list goes on. She does like roast beef and mashed potatoes and grapefruit. Katie loves snowboarding and unfortunately tormenting Kenna. When those two play well together it's very, very, good, but when they aren't getting along it's very, very, bad. She loves to have mom read to her and we just finished all of the Ramona Quimby books.

Kenna likes to be right. She also likes to be first. See where this is going. She loves having a friend to play with and is probably the most outgoing of my kids. She loves things that are pretty and looking pretty. She likes skirts and shoes and always notices if I have a new shirt. Kenna likes school, especially making new friends. She loves music and often sings to herself. She loves sugar in all it's varieties and also Ritz crackers. She also loves Cafe Rio salad and going to lunch with mom. She likes animals too and loves to play with her littlest pet shop. She often talks about when she is a mom and always say, "Mom, can I tell you something?" She pretends to be shy, but likes to be the center of attention in our house. She loves to play with Katie and tease with Connor and Chase. She likes the Fancy Nancy books, super cute if you haven't seen them and she gives the very best hugs.

Mike likes time, just knowing the exact time, not being on time. He likes to hit all the stop lights just right. He loves ping pong. We got a table for Christmas and his is good. We can't beat him and he plays against us left-handed. It's a little frustrating for those who are a bit competitive. Connor is getting better all the time, though. Mike loves ice cream and has passed this on to all our children. He especially likes malts. He like to make breakfast on the weekends, he likes hashbrowns. He likes tennis and golf. He also likes skiing, computer games, reading, going out with Amy and teasing.

I like chocolate, volleyball, Zumba, USU basketball games and Lost. I also like when my kids are getting along and when they like what I made for dinner. I like hugs and vacations. I like to go out with Mike or my girlfriends. I like to volunteer in my kids schools and playing tennis with Mike. I don't like losing. I like watching how my kids interact with each other and I love watching their personalities grow and develop. I like seeing them stretch and gain new talents. I don't like teaching piano to my own kids, but do like hearing them play. I love my family.

2010-01-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

We've been so excited to go skiing this year, but so far the weather hasn't cooperated. Kate and Chase got snowboards for Christmas, so we signed them up for lessons, hoping for more snow. We are still hoping. Heard the Beaver might have to close if they don't get snow soon. We have been going up anyway. Luckily Mike and I have some old skis, since there are lots of rocks. The best thing about it is getting into the sunshine. We have had an inversion in the valley for about two weeks now. That means the air quality is bad, you don't see the sun, and it stays super cold. If you go up into the mountains, you get to see the sun and it is actually warmer. I think that's why skiing seems to help my winter blues. Mike and the kids even took my Dad over New Years. They had a great time.

Chase on his board

Kate showing her skills,

Kenna

Chase on the lift

The whole crew

The masked man is Connor

Mike and I on the lift

Quick Quote from Kenna

2009-12-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

Kenna loves to "go play" with my neighbor, Michelle. Last week they were reading Rudolph. Kenna asked why the other reindeer didn't like Rudolph. Michelle explained to her that they didn't like him because his nose was different. Kenna's response was, "If my nose was red, EVERYONE would want one." You go girl.

Odd and ends

2009-12-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

This is Katelyn's newest fashion trend. I'm not sure why and the bands don't have any special significance, she just likes the colors. She wears them all the time. I have to make her take them off for church. Of course, one Sunday I forgot and didn't notice until sacrament, so there they were, in all their glory.

This is a little outfit I did for a friend of mine. I went to a boutique earlier this fall where the girl had done something similar to this on a bunch of onesies and was selling a onesie for $20. It was cute and easy, so I wanted to try it. It actually took me a long time to find a baby girl shirt that was plain white. Drew up mine own little design and voila! It turned out pretty cute, I think.

Last, my kids got to see Santa yesterday. Every year the bank rents a theater, shows an older movie (at least one that's out on dvd) and has Santa come. The kids like it because they get a bag of candy before the show and a little bag of toys(that I hate) from Santa after. Kenna asked for a real camera that takes real pictures and Kate and Chase both asked for snowboards. Connor cried and said Santa was to scary :). 'm feeling a little retared because I don't know why the pictures went on this way. Gotta figure it out again. Happy day to you all. We also had a piano recital this week. Chase and Katie did really well, but I can't get my little videos of them to load. Maybe next time.

First Snow

2009-11-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

My kids are so funny. It was lightly snowing Saturday when we got up. By the time we were done with breakfast, there was maybe 1/2 inch on the grass. Chase and Kate and Kenna got all decked out in their snow gear and went out to play. First they made some snow angels, then they got out the sleds and attempted to go down the slope of our yard. When that didn't work, they decided to make a fort. They were hauling smow from all over the yard. They were probably out there for two hours and had a great time. Hooray for snow.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-11-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

Birthdays aren't all that great once you're a "grown up", because you are just getting older. But my family was so nice to me today, I just wanted to thank them. Yesterday, Mike and the girls made this cheesecake for me, complete with "leaves" thanks Kenna, on the top. Today, Mike made me a nice omelet with all of the vegetables in it that he doesn't like. Then at church, Katie kindly told everyone that yesterday my mom was 37, but today she is 38. After church, Katie asked what my favorite game was, so we could play as a family. Then all the kids helped Mike make me a great dinner. I didn't have to cook all day and I even got a nap! Thanks to all my friends and family who remembered me. The best thing was getting some new skis! Bring on the snow. For the last few years, I have used either Mike's old skis or Mike's mom's old skis, neither of which was quite the right length for me, so this will be great. Mike got some too, we got a pretty good deal at the ski swap. This is a picture of Katie's ankle. About 2-3 weeks ago, she got a bunch of these wrist bands and put them on her ankles. She only takes them off for baths. I have to make her take them off for church. Just one of those weird kid quirks, I guess. I wanted to put it on here just so I could remember. -Funny story for this week. I picked Chase up from school Thursday and as he got in the car, he said his backpack was dripping on him. I asked if he had a water bottle in there. He said no and so I thought it was probably just cold and that made it feel wet. We both forgot about it. Later that night, when he was taking out his homework, it was definately wet, so he started cleaning everything out of it. He put his hand in one of the smaller front pockets and pulled out part of a disinigrated milk carton and his hand was covered with curdled chocolate milk! Super bad smell coming out too. Turns out one week previously, this kid at his after school math club had given his milk to Chase. Chase then put it in his backpack to drink later at home and forgot about it. Milk in the backpack for a week = gross!!! We washed his backpack and cleaned up his papers as best we could. Stinky.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T10:42:00.001-08:00

The Mummy

The Mad Scientist

The Indian

The Fairy

A fun, safe time had by all.

Fall

2009-10-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

This fall we've had a few projects we've been working on. Mike took some days off and we got quite a bit done. We generally have a lot of neighborhood kids here (my neighbor says we are the kool-aid house) and one thing I hate is when 15 dirty kids come in the house for a drink. Since we needed to replace the hose bib in our garden anyway, my sweet husband also spent a day putting in this drinking fountain. I still need to paint it, but I hope it will be great. We also had this shed built and spent a day painting it, plus building some shelves and transferring a lot of stuff from the garage to the shed. I think we'll love this. Last week our ward had their annual Halloween carnival. Connor and the deacons were in charge of the spook alley. He was so excited. He got to be a mummy in a coffin that sat up to scare people. The kids all dressed up that night, but Chase is the only one I got a picture of. I'll get the rest on Halloween. I don't think Chase will wear this whole get-up again on Halloween, because it was hard for him to walk. It' s supposed to be Frank carrying the mad scientist. The girls had crazy hair day at school last Friday. This is what they chose. We also went on our annual trip to the Pumpkin Walk. It's always entertaining. The theme this year was something about commercials from the past. Here's each of the kids with one of their favorites. Chase liked this Band-aid one because of the bare bum. Katie liked the California raisins. This is Kenna with part of Where the Wild Things Are. Connor with the Fruit-of the Loom guys. Not really his favorite, but I needed a picture of him and we thought this was funny. This garden one was my favorite, because it was so creative.

Jeans

2009-10-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

I need new jeans. I love to wear jeans, I think they can be comfortable and I don't feel dressed if I hang out in sweats or pajama pants for the day. Since I stay home, I don't get into nicer slacks and whatever. Anyway, I HATE shopping for jeans. I don't think there is much that is worse for your sense of self than this. There are so many stinkin cuts and styles, ever brand sizes different. How to know which cut looks best on you, which size. Then who wants to spend $100 on a pair of pants. I don't. I just want to feel like I look cute. And how many real people look like this???
Seriously. Mike's been laughing at me because I've spent so much time trying on dumb jeans and bringing them home and taking them back. I'm sick of buying them, then a day later they stretch out to much, shrink to much in the wash, gap in the back, or slide under my belly when I sit down. AHHHH.

UEA

2009-10-04T17:36:00.001-07:00

The kids were out of school for UEA weekend and parent teacher conferences, so as a reward for good work (hee, hee) no, just for fun although they are all doing well, we took off to Hogle Zoo. It was all about babies down there. This year the zoo had baby giraffe, tigers, cats, monkey, snow leopard, and most famous a baby elephant, Zuri. There were so many people there, but we had lots of fun. We went with our neighbors, the Thompsons and thank goodness for Kori or I might have lost Kenna. She is little miss independent and speedy fast at looking at everything. The highlight for the boys was seeing the mama elephant go to the bathroom. Honestly, who knew how much water could leave an elephant?

Katelyn's Baptism Day

2009-09-27T16:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Katie got baptized. Her primary teachers had given her a book about baptism that said it was one of the four most important days of her life. I hope she had a memorable day. I thought it was great. Here she is before. She didn't like the jumpsuit, because she felt like it was to tight when she tried to bend over. Her Dad baptized her.

This picture is on Sunday, before church. Look, she actually let me do something with her hair. This is how she really felt about all these pictures.

We had so much family support. All of the Wallace side came up for Saturday and Katie's Uncle Jeff did a fabulous job giving a talk about the Holy Ghost. My mom and dad and Aaron's family stayed here for the weekend. The cousins had so much fun and it was a terrific visit. Thanks to all. Thanks to Dad for the pictures. You're great.

Happy Birthday Katie!

2009-09-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Katie!! Katie's 8th birthday was Sunday, Sept 6. She is so excited to be 8 years old. I can't believe that my first little baby girl is 8. I remember being so excited be expecting
a baby girl and filling the closet with little pink and lavender outfits in preparation for her. Little did I know that she would hate both pink and purple. This is my girl who does not like to have her hair fixed and would rather be a ninja for Halloween than a princess. Katie is so tough, she often doesn't cry at all when she is hurt. She is a great soccer player but will not let me cheer for her because "it's to embarrassing." Katie is so far having a terrific year in school, thank goodness. Loves her teacher and has lots of friends. She is super determined and tries hard at whatever she tries. She is also very 8, an age I find to be defined by really bad jokes and lots and lots of attempts to be annoying on purpose. She often talks non-stop, especially during sacrament meeting. We love her so much and it really is joy to have her in our family. She is into horses right now and luckily my talented neighbor Michelle wanted( yes, wanted) to make her this awesome cake. We went out on Saturday for some fun, riding go-carts and playing at a playground, then eating at Angie's, Katie's favorite restaurant. She always gets a scone. On Sunday, she requested roast and mashed potatoes. Great-Grandpa Wallace came and had dinner with us. Then Thompson's came for cake and ice cream. Katie's presents included lots of crafts, which she is still enjoying working on and her favorite gift her own set of scriptures. We are looking forward to her baptism next week.

One other note, today I was released from YW after five years. It's an interesting time. Although I really loved the girls, I was definitely ready for a change. However, after that long a calling kind-of becomes part of your identity and it takes awhile to readjust yourself. A bittersweet day. I have been called to be Enrichment Leader. I'm still not sure about this one. I haven't ever been in Relief Society for more than 2-3 weeks for about 15 years. It will be an adjustment and challenge for me. Enrichment leader is definitely one of those callings where you can't please everyone and someone will always be complaining about what I do. I guess that will toughen me up. Mike's mom said it's time for RS because I'm getting older, which I am, but I'm not that old yet.

And they're off!

2009-08-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well another busy summer is over. I have been rebelling against my blog, not sure why, but I have not felt like doing it for a long time. I love summer, but it sure will be nice to get back into a routine. Connor just started eighth grade. Doesn't he look like a teenager in these pictures? He is at a new school this year, it's junior high with 8th and 9th graders. He was a bit nervous the first day. He had to find his way around a new school and the student population doubled from last year. It's a huge school. He is doing super now though. Chase started 5th grade. He has great teacher and really likes it so far. He is spending alot of time reading and is taking some swimming lessons. Katie is in 2nd grade and looking forward to her 8th birthday coming up next week. She loves her teacher, has lots of friends, and is hopefully going to have a much better year than last year. And my baby started Kindergarten! Wow. She is absolutely not a baby though, more like the queen bee. She was so excited and I have to admit I am too. She came home the first day and said she had to spend a lot of time sitting down and almost fell asleep.
The second day was much better, because they got to make something and had recess.

Yesterday our nice neighbors took the kids and I boating (Mike stayed home to have a do whatever you want day.) It was really fun. Kenna and Kate tried the tubes, Chase loves knee-boarding, and Connor skied for the first time.

July

2009-07-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

This has been a crazy, bitter sweet week. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I helped my good friend Camille move to Rexburg. The whole time I was thinking how ironic it was that I was doing all I could to help her, while wishing she didn't have to go. I'm so grateful for the friendship I have had with Camille and her family. I feel a little like I just lost my right arm and half of my family. Kenna and her daughter Gracie, have been buddies pretty much since birth. They played together almost every day and are so alike it's almost scary. David and Chase were also good friends and I had her daughter Rachel in YW. They were just one of those families that are so kind everyone in the neighborhood was sad to see them go. However, BJ did get his dream job at BYU-Idaho and he is an awesome teacher so I'm glad for them too. We will miss them so much, but are determined to still see them. Friday was Mike's 40th birthday. I made 200 suckers that said 40 sucks and had various pictures of Mike from his childhood. The tellers at the bank handed them out all day. Here's a picture, but I don't know if you can see it very well. His CSM also totally decked out the bank with balloons and streamers. Mike was a good sport about it, even though he really doesn't like to be the center of attention. We went to dinner and a movie that night and yesterday had a bar-be-que with Jeff, Marianne, Jon, Tammie and their families plus some of our neighborhood friends. It was fun. Connor was at scout camp all week. He had a blast, but we were happy to have him come home. He did his horsemanship merit badge and got to go horseback riding every day. He really liked it and wasn't sore at all. Mike and I went to our first opera this week, Carmen. I'm not sure I love it, but I liked it and the music was incredible. There was so much talent involved. There has also been alot of swimming going on and Connor, Mike and I worked together to build this awesome go-cart from the Dangerous Book for Boys. And dangerous it is. Since we live on a hill, we need to figure out a way to rig a brake.

Rain, rain, blah blah

2009-06-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain go away. Come back when my kids are in school. Honestly, I am trying to be grateful. I know we need the moisture and all but sheesh. I don't know how much more my garden can take. A week or so ago, we had an amazing rain storm. Non-stop lightning, hard rain, hard hail, and more rain. Lots of people in our area had basement flooding, some severe. I'm grateful we didn't. Here are a couple of pictures of the hail. I wish I had got my video camera out. The water on our street looked like a river. It was flowing clear over our curb and gutter.

This week, we made a day trip to Idaho Falls to go to the zoo. It was per Chases' summer request. It was so good to get out of the house. It did rain, but we got to the zoo between storms and it was actually great weather for that. We met my mom and she took us to lunch and joined us at the zoo. I guess Kenna hasn't to the zoo in her memory, because she was scared many of the animals would come out to eat her. She did ask me to take this picture of her with the monkey. She said he was sitting there to see her. When we went into the petting zoo, some kids were taking a goat on a walk, She was scared to death of the goat. It was funny. She didn't want to go in and pet them. Whenever Chase stopped petting this goat, it would yell at him. It was fun to drive around and see our old favorite place and check out our house.

My friend Michelle and I (she's the awesome cake decorator) also finished up this craft on Friday. We did it all ourselves, cutting, painting, sanding, everything. I had a pattern, but we changed it up to suit us and I think they turned out even cuter. These two are mine, one for me, one for my good friend who is moving. I don't have a picture of Michelle's, but check it out on her blog. It is so cute. We had a lot of fun doing this, using some tools I don't normally use.

Connor went Friday on some scout thing called an Ordeal. He can home happy and in one piece, so I guess it wasn't to bad. He did sleep in the rain, and did six hours of service. He is now a member of the order of the arrow. I don't know what that is but he thinks it's pretty cool.

Kenna is 5!

2009-05-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! My baby is 5! She has been looking forward to this birthday for months. She is sooo grown up now. All day today she has been telling me all the things she can do because she is 5. She is looking forward to Kindergarten, telling me I will cry without her but it's ok because she will still give me hugs and kisses. She is awesome at hugs. Kenna is a girly-girl and I think it's fun to have one, Kate definitely is not and that's fun too. She doesn't wear her princess dresses as much as she used to, but still loves all things pretty. We took the training wheels off her bike last Monday and she took off. She can ride and stop by herself, but needs help starting. She has been taking her brothers scooters and riding them crazy fast, so we got her this one of her own for her birthday. Look at this cake! I finally figured out the secret having amazing cakes. It's awesome, isn't it. Here's the secret, having my neighbor make it. We have awesome neighbors. Kenna loves to call Michelle during the day and go to her house to play. She also likes to play with Michelle's 14 yr old daughter, Kori. They are so nice to let her hang out at their house. A couple of months ago, Michelle told me she had seen the perfect cake for Princess Kenna, a princess in the pea cake. Then she told me she would like to make it for her. Are you kidding me? She does this for fun. Anyway, of course I was ok with that, since I love making cakes so much, it was a gift to me too. It was so pretty, we didn't want to eat it. It did taste good too. She has some better pictures on her blog, check out her link it you like.

Catch up

2009-05-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

I haven't done this for so long, but there are a bunch of pictures I want to put on. I just did this slideshow. Most of them are from Mackay on Easter weekend. Katie sure loved those horses and I'm still hearing almost every day about how much she needs to have one. Since the last post Chase got his tonsils out and four teeth pulled. He came through both very well except his voice is higher and more nasil now. They keep telling me that this will pass with time. Connor has been finishing up testing. He went on a scout camp-out, had a band concert and danced with a girl at Mutual. Kate has had an awesome soccer season ( I have pictures of that on my other computer, maybe next time) and a field trip to a historical farm. Kenna has a dance rehersal and playing. We send Mike's parents off on their mission over Mother's Day weekend with a surprise open house. It was sad to say good-bye, but for a good cause. This feels like a pretty disjointed blog, but that's how life has been lately. We also had my parents down for a very fun weekend in there somewhere. It's all a blur at the moment. I had just better stop.

Happy Birthday Connor

2009-04-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

So I'm about a week late on this, but hopefully Connor will forgive me. I also really need to blog our awesome Easter trip to Mackay, but that will be next time. Connor is 13. I have a teenager.
How on earth did that happen? Anyway, so far Connor hasn't hit any of the teenage angst and attitude. I know it's probably coming, but I'm sure going to do my best to enjoy him now. Connor is an awsome big brother and example to us all. He is very easy going and works hard, at home and in school. He is almost always willing to help me when I need it. He also has a great sense of humor, much more subtle than Chase's but funny and fun to kid with. He loves hanging out with his friends, shooting some hoops, playing the trumpet, and babysitting(not really that one, but I sure love that he can and is willing to). Mike says blogs are just another form of the brag letter, but I told him I feel like what I put on here is for me and what I want to remember. So if I'm bragging, oh well. Connnor is super patient with his younger siblings (not perfect mind you there is definately yelling and fighting at times) He is my most even tempered child. He totally gets that from Mike, not me. We are so grateful he is part of our family.

8 things I love about me (ha ha)

2009-04-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

Here goes this crazy 8 things tag.
8 Favorite T.V. Shows
Like others of my family, I don't think I have eight. We also don't have cable and just don't watch that much. Here are the ones we do watch occasionally, I'm sorry to say they aren't educational, just entertaining.
1. Amazing Race (we do love this one, we watch in on Mondays on-line to avoid nasty
commercials.)
2. Dancing with the Stars-my little dancer loves this. We don't care who wins
3. So You Think You Can Dance-same as above
4. American Idol-somewhat boring this season because there is such a clear favorite-
I'm just mad my favorite (Megan) is gone.
5. Gilmore Girls-a guilty pleasure that isn't on anymore but I own it.
6. PBS-Clifford and Word World
7.?????
8.?????

8 Things I Did Yesterday-this should be stimulating
1. Checked Connor out of school and took him to lunch for his birthday.
2. Went to the park with my friend and their children for the FIRST NICE DAY SO FAR.
3. Got a sunburn on my arms (it's raining today, but at least it isn't snow....yet)
4. Made a chocolate swirl cheesecake for Connor's birthday.
5. Read a book
6. Went to Young Women's-stuffed Easter eggs for a Primary activity and watched
Johnny Lingo (a classic you ugly mahana!)
7. Went to aerobics
8. Ate way to much.

8 Things I am Looking Forward to
1. Going to Wicked
2. the sun!!!!!
3 Going to the pool
4. School being out--no HOMEWORK
5. Mini-vacations
6. Kenna going to Kindergarten
7. New books
8. Working in my gardens

8 favorite restaurants
1. Cafe Rio
2. Firehouse (local pasta and pizza place-yummy salads and foccia did I spell that right? bread)
3. Cafe Sabor
4. Angies (another local cafe and I don't really like it but my family does, we went
there a few time after skiing so I guess I do like it because I didn't
have to cook.)
5. Sizzler
6. Subway
7. Garcias
8. Costa Vida

8 things I wish for ( serious or frivolous how do I feel???)
1. To be a better writer
2. All my kids to feel confident I guess and have strong testimonies.
3. Missions and temple marriages for my kids
4. College for my kids
5. A vacation with Mike on a beach somewhere warm
6. Peace and balance in my life
7. Temple blessing for ALL of my family
8. No new pets

Who to Tag???
Farahlyn
Michelle
Dad (come on Dad, it would be cool to see you answers)
Linda
I guess that's it sorry.

Meet Dr. Lou

2009-03-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

Today Chase and I stopped at the Dollar Store, where he bought these glasses. As soon as we came home, he started setting up shop. He came and asked me "what are those doctors called that help people with problems? Thera something?" Therapists, I answered.
Next I knew he told me Dr. Lou was open for business and I needed an appointment. He made me come in the front door and Nurse Joy (Kenna) showed me to the waiting room. A few minutes later she came and told me the doctor was ready. He asked to me to get comfortable on his couch and tell him my problem.
He was so darn serious, no matter what crazy problem I threw at him, he didn't even crack a smile. I couldn't look at him for fear of cracking up.
Another of Dr. Lou's satisfied patients.

A day of Boarding

2009-03-14T19:10:00.001-07:00

>All season the kids and Mike have wanted to try boarding. Con went last Tuesday with his school and loved it, so we decided to bite the bullet and let everyone try. We rented boards and boots the night before. Katie was so excited, she told me she probably wouldn't be able to sleep. She kept her boots on all night and kept trying out her board. This morning, a very nice guy Mike knew from work met us and gave Mike, Chase, and Katie a lesson on the basics. Everyone had wet gloves and bums, but smiles. Connor continued practicing what he had already learned and was doing very well. There were many falls, but they all said it was very fun. Mike said it was painful. Everyone picked it up pretty well. We may even have a couple who convert next year. Kenna and I just skied. I didn't do the photography job I intended to because I forgot to charge my battery and of course it was almost dead. I tried really hard to get a picture of everyone before it died. Check out what I did get.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy Birthday Chase!

2009-02-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

Chase has reached his first decade! On my birthday he told me I was "decades old." That didn't sound so good to me, but it's great for him. We love having Chase in our family. He keeps us on our toes. His ski instructor told me he has a "dry" sense of humor and she is so right. He is so good that sometimes I don't know he is teasing. He is also quite a deep thinker and asks me questions that surprise me (which if I had a better memory or kept a journal, I would be able to share, oh well.) Chase loves to play with friends, mostly they make up characters and fight or jump on the tramp. He is playing the cello this year and does not like it. Chase is in fourth grade and has become a great skier. He is tall for his age and sometimes I think he body grows a bit faster than his reflexes can keep up with. He has a contagious smile although his Principal gave him the nickname "Smiley" because every time he sees her, he frowns. He loves to play on the computer or video games and loves loves the four wheelers. WE LOVE CHASE.

Just another week

2009-02-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

Last week I installed a new faucet all by myself and I'm pretty darn proud of it. I'm not the most handy person and frankly projects that I don't really know what I'm doing scare me a little. Before

At the same time, meeting a new challenge or doing something you've never done before is also pretty invigorating, so I just did it. I bought the faucet and got some instruction from the Home Depot guy. The hardest part was getting the old one out. The new one looks great and no drips! Yay!

After

You would think I would know how to do more home improvement things, growing up with my Dad, but I didn't take advantage of his knowledge while I was there I guess. Kenna and I were the only ones home, so I didn't get a picture of me with my head under the sink. Sad day.

These are some pictures of my kidos on the tramp. They sure love that, warm or cold. They tell the story well, one minute they get along great, the next there is a bunch of wrestling going on. This last one, I don't know---time out????This is part of a city of blocks and animals Kate, Kenna, and Chase built last Sunday. It took up the whole floor of Kate and Kenna's room. There was a hotel with a pool, stores to buy whatever at and a mansion. They wouldn't clean it up until I took pictures so they could "build it exactly the same next time."

This is what Chase spent his afternoon today building. I'm not sure why--that's just Chase.

One last sad (or not so much) note, Smokey went to heaven yesterday. We aren't sure why. He did seem to have a cold, but who knows. I wish now I would have taken a picture of him with his saber teeth. His teeth were deformed and didn't rub against each other right to ground down, so the would grow huge, once starting to go up his nose. Mike learned how to trim them after one trip to the vet cost more than the silly rabbit. Kate doesn't really seem to sad about it, which is good. The biggest problem is now they are all talking about what pet they want to get next.

This and that

2009-02-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

My daughter was walking around the house singing, "kiss me, kiss me.........marry me" What a kid. I have to say though when you need a pick-me-up, she's the one to go to. She always telling me that I look beautiful or she will stop playing and run up and give me a hug and say "I love you so much" and then she is off again. I definitely enjoy that while it lasts. I am a wee bit concerned about her getting older and what she will be like with boys. Here's a couple pics from skiing last Saturday. We didn't realize the camera was set to black and white. Here we are eating the lunch. The lodge up there is small and on nice days, it's easier to just eat at the car. Kim brought up "the cousins" for the day. My kids loved skiing with them. I didn't see Connor or Chase the whole afternoon. And last, the hot ski Mama. I had Mike take this to show off, but it ended up in the black and white. Oh well, my stuff is black and white anyway.

2009-01-29T20:55:00.001-08:00

What Color Crayon Are You?-->
You Are a Yellow Crayon
Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors. You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius. Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way.While you seem spontaneous and free wheeling, you are calculating to the extreme. Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth. (Mike was purple, how funny is that.)

What Movie Is Your Love Life Like?
What Movie Is Your Love Life Like?-->
Your Love Life is Like Pretty Woman
"I want the fairy tale" You believe that love is truly blind, unpredictable, and surprising. Two very different people can easily find true love. At least, that is how it will happen when you marry a gorgeous billionaire someday ;-)
Your love style: Sensual and flirty (I'm not so sure about this.)
Your Hollywood Ending Will Be: Surprisingly happy

I couldn't get the pictures to upload. These quizzes were fun.

Box Child

2009-01-29T20:38:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas, we received quite a few packages in the mail. Amazon was Santa's friend. Anyway, one day Kenna was so excited about this box. She took it in her room and played in it, put her dolls in it, etc. Later in the afternoon, she came and told me to come look at it. She had it all set up on her bed with her pillow and blanket inside. She has slept in it ever since. The sides only held up a day or two before collapsing (it was a shallow box.) I keep asking her if she's done with it. Absolutely not. The other night, she woke up crying. When I went in to see what was wrong, she started yelling at me for throwing her box away. I hadn't, but she had slid down off of it while sleeping and couldn't feel it anymore. Are there long term effects to this? Will it go to college with her? Does it bod well for her life's ambitions? I'm just not sure. Speaking of her life's ambitions, I'm pretty sure one of them is to be a diva princess. She put this show on for us the other day. She couldn't figure out how to hold her guitar and microphone at the same time.

We Love to Ski!

2009-01-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

At least I do. When we moved here about 5 years ago, Mike's Dad started taking us skiing. Connor learned when he was 8 and Chase was 5. Since then, our family has gone 3-4 times a year, except me. I was usually home taking care of a little one, although I did go a couple times a year, thanks to my terrific family. This is the year I have been waiting for! We can all go. In the past, we have gone south to ski with Kim at Snow Basin, Brighton, or Alta. This year we decided to try buying season passes to our local resort, Beaver Mountain. While Snow Basin it is not, it has a few things going for it. It's definitely small, but much less expensive and close. Terrific actually because we have already gone 6 times. And we are all skiing, YAY. We started Kenna this year. She went twice with us and then all of the kids started group lessons on Jan. 10. Kenna took to it really well. We thought she might be wimpy, honestly, but she hasn't. Last time when it was so cold, she wanted to go longer than the older one. They go every Saturday morning for four weeks. This is awesome for two reasons. Mike and I have two hours to ski by ourselves and the kids are learning so much. I can't believe how much my boys have improved in two weeks. Then we ski as a family in the afternoon. So I know I need to do a Smilebox or something, but didn't feel like it, so there are just lots of pictures on this post. Mike has my poles so I could take pictures. That's also the reason there aren't any pictures of me. Sad to because I look pretty hot in my ski clothes. :)

Dancing and Quilting

2008-12-17T09:46:00.001-08:00

The first of this month brought Kenna's first dance recital. Now, I know there are many other little girls out there who are like Kenna, but we get such a kick out of all her "girliness" because she is sooooo different from Katie. We were told to leave her hair curly and down, so we did. Also she got to wear make-up, which she ate up. She told me she was "the most beautiful girl there". She even did her dance, which we weren't sure about, since last year in her singing group she just stood there and gave everyone the grouchiest face possible. As mom, I totally messed up the video. In the spring, I guess I'll get another chance.

And (drum roll) after only one year, we finished Chase's quilt. TA DA. Chase came home last December and told me he had been learning about quilts at school. "And the ladies said anyone could make one, just use your fabric scraps. Can I make one, mom, please." I really, really wanted to say no. I don't make quilts, felt totally inadequate, didn't want to take the time, and I usually don't make anything without a pattern or some sort of direction. However, the Spirit was telling me this would be great for Chase, so I did it. He picked the fabric and we figured out the pattern. I sewed the strips together. Then it sat for a long time until I finally borrowed a frame and Chase tied it. I learned alot about not putting stretchy fabrics with non-stretchy fabrics. I also learned to let go a bit, because it really drives me crazy when things don't match up perfectly. Anyway, it looks ok and best of all Chase loves it and I guess we spent some "quality time" together making up. I still don't think I'll become a quilter anytime in the near future. Kudos to all of you who have that talent.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

A little late, I know. Where did November go, anyway. We went to St. George for Thanksgiving. Just because we wanted to and we love St. George. It was our mini-vacation for the year. We had a hotel with a swimming pool. What else could you want? (softer beds came to mind) Mike's extended family came along also. We drove down Wednesday. On Thursday, it was pouring rain, so we hit the 12:00 movie (Bolt) and then looked for a place to eat. Of course, there isn't much open. We had planned on eating at ChuckaRama, but the line was forever long, so we ended up at Denny's. Yup, Thanksgiving dinner at Denny's and it wasn't to bad. Chase had alien pancakes, Connor and Mike hamburgers, the girls chicken and me, the turkey of course. Worth every bit of not having to cook and clean up. On Friday, we headed into Zion National Park. On the way there, we stopped at this old pioneer town called Grafton. There are some building and a cemetery. It's pretty cool. We also stopped at the Rockville cemetery. It is an old cemetery also, with some pioneers, but my sister-in-law's niece and nephew are buried there. There was a grave dug and all the kids got in it. They thought it was pretty funny.Then Zion. This is one of my favorite places, it is so beautiful and there are lots of hikes that are nice for kids. It was pretty muddy in a few spots, but beautiful. Here's the whole crew, minus Mike's dad who took the picture.

We went back into St. George and played on the "red rocks" that night and Saturday. This is by far the kids favorite place. It's up where the Dixie is, above St. George. The kids can run all over and there is this crevice called "the Narrows" they like to go through. Here's Chase in it. And Kate. It really is narrow, Mike and I can't fit. Connor took this shot of Mike and I. Check out my awesome squinty eyes. I should have kept my sunglasses on. Here's my kiddos. In between all this hiking there was lots and lots of swimming and games. A first rate trip.

Tagged

2008-11-14T10:44:00.001-08:00

I've spent the week thinking about my quirks. Instead of being quirky, which sounds fun and cute, I've come to the sad realization that I'm more quirkless, which is pretty boring. I even asked Mike and the kids, who can be my most honest, worst, critics and they didn't come up with much. Anyway, I came up with six things, although I'm not sure they all classify as "quirks". Here ya go.
1. I can't stand feeling other people's breath on my face. I have a weird phobia about breathing in their carbon monoxide waste. I can't sleep facing Mike and move if he or my kids sit to close when we are talking or whatever. Mike thinks this is pretty funny and tries to do it at night when we are talking on purpose.
2. I hate turtle necks, scarves, and even regular t-shirt necks. It makes me feel claustrophobic. I try to buy v-neck or rounded neck shirts. If I have a t-shirt with the regular neck, I cut a vee into it. All my workout shirts are like that.
3. I don't like watermelon. Every summer it looks so good and refreshing. Everyone else likes it. I usually try it once a year and still don't like it.
4. I am super sensitive to strong smells, both good and bad. I think this might run in the family, as I've heard a couple stories about Aaron too. Many times, Mike and the kids can't even smell what is bothering me. It causes problems sometimes. The ladies I visit teach have indoor dogs and I fight not to gag every time I go over there. Last Sunday at church I was sick to my stomach from this ladies perfume. Mike also gets a lot of laughs out of this one and I can't help it.
5. I can't leave the house w/o running back to check that my curling iron is off, even when I know it did turn it off.
6. Mike said I can't relax. I hate to admit it, but I think he's right. I have a hard time sitting and watching a movie, because there is always something to be done. I rush to much to do the "next thing". I think that's why I like camping. I feel like I can relax, because I'm away from all that "needs to be done."
Now that you know I"m crazy, I tag Ally, Farah, and Crazy Lady

Brace Yourself

2008-11-12T13:39:00.000-08:00

Here's Connor this morning. Pretty nice smile, right. I thought so too. However, the orthodontist disagreed with me. He showed me through lots of x-rays, molds, and pictures that Connor's smile wasn't living up to it's potential. On a bit of a separate note, are there any kids out there that don't need braces? And do they really all need them or is it just a conspiracy to make money. It's definitely expensive. I figured if my parents could do it for me, I better do it for my children, but sometimes I wonder. Braces have changed a bit since I had a metal mouth. It was interesting to watch the process. First they put bands on his back teeth. Connor said the glue tasted really bad. To set the glue on both the bands and the brackets, they used this cool laser.

Apparently, that sets the glue faster and easier than any other way by making the molecules in the glue vibrate. Yeah, I asked lots of questions. Then they cleaned Connor's teeth so the brackets would stick better. They put this awesome plastic thing in his mouth to keep him open for the next part. I thought he looked kind-of like the Joker.They put on this green stuff (technical terms from Amy) to open the pores in his teeth. I didn't know you had pores in your teeth. Apparently having them open also makes the glue stick better. The brackets went on next.

And here is the finished product. This is the after picture. I told Connor that today was the beginning of the end, when his teeth would be pretty, so this picture could also be a before. Connor was most excited about choosing what color of rubber bands would be on the brackets. His type of braces didn't even need these bands, but it is such a deal to the kids, they put them on for them anyway. He went with red and blue, although it probably isn't visible. Ah, those terrific pre-teen and early teen years. At least 75% of the other kids at his school are braced right along with him (conspiracy?)

Halloween

2008-11-06T15:02:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween! This is Kenna sporting a Halloween snack we had. Nice teeth. We spent Halloween in Layton with our cousins. This was kind-of a boring costume year for me. Easy, but not so fun. Katie decided a long time ago she wanted to be a "person dressed all in black with a sword." I asked her if she was a ninja. No, just a person dressed all in black with a sword. She found the hood in our dress up box and the rest was just clothes of hers. Connor was just this scary guy. He added the mask to last year's costume. He wasn't going to go at all until we decided to spend it with the cousins. Chase found his on the internet. It was called "scary jack". We thought he looked like the headless horsemen with his head on. Kenna wanted to be a princess, of course. This was the only one I got to make. I had found the fabric on clearance awhile ago and saved it. Here's a picture of the other Wallace family. We carved our pumpkins on the Wednesday before Halloween, because it was warm and we could do it outside. I guess we got some bum pumpkins because on Thursday when I took the pictures they were already going bad. Chase was pretty upset that his pumpkin was caving in already. We spent the weekend in Layton, celebrating Halloween and November birthdays. We had a great time playing games, football and Rock Band. I just may have to upgrade from Guitar Hero to Rock Band. It was fun. We even made the kids mad by having "adult time" on the game.

Pumpkin Walk

2008-10-27T20:13:00.001-07:00

Some of you who have lived here in Logan may fondly remember the North Logan Pumpkin Walk. It's a weird tradition for many of us living in Cache Valley. A bunch of groups get together and create scenes using pumpkins and other gourds and props to go along with the theme for the year. Other people donate time to carve the hundreds of pumpkins that line the walkway. Since I don't claim that artistic gene, it always amazes me what people can come up with to do with pumpkins. When we were here in college, we would go at night. It's fun to see all the carved pumpkins lit. However, now it is to crowded and cold, so we go in the afternoon. I like it better since you can see more. This Noah's ark was my favorite. We also thought the pumpkin fountain you can see in the background here was cool. Connor is posing here with our favorite carved pumpkin. We liked the teeth, so Con is trying to imitate the smile. He doesn't usually like letting me take his picture, so I was pleasantly surprised he did this one. I have to say, even though having your kids get older is so bittersweet, I have been enjoying Connor so much. His sense of humor is great, more adult. He is fun to talk to and tells me alot. It's been fun to see him trying on the self he is learning to be comfortable with. I know this might change and I could be in for some teenage angst and anger, but I'm enjoying this new maturity while it lasts. The end are just some silly pictures we took at the end.

Here's Kenna with her best buddy, Gracie. These two are so alike it's scary and have loved to play together since they were tiny. I firmly believe they were friends in Heaven. They will get up and dance together during Sharing time. We had our Primary Program yesterday and had to laugh when I saw they were on opposite ends of the chapel. Where's Chase? so of you may ask. He didn't feel the Pumpkin Walk was worth his time, so he stayed with a friend. He missed out.

Crazy Hair Days

2008-10-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

Our elementary schools do silly days during Red Ribbon Week (say NO to drugs!) like at a high school homecoming week. One of the days was crazy hair day. It's funny because during all of Connor's many years of school (he's in seventh grade), he has never participated in crazy hair day. It's just not his thing and he isn't really comfortable with it. Katie's crazy day was first and she really wasn't sure what to do, but didn't want to do much. This is Katie and her friend Gracie, Katie's little pony is orange if you can't tell.

Then there's Chase. He is much more willing to put himself out there. We had fun doing his hair. It was just what he wanted. Kenna also had to get in on the action a little bit. Fun days.

Week of the Kitten

2008-10-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, these people in our ward called ( I honestly haven't even met them) and told us they had found a kitten and would we like it? I would really like to know why they called us, because it set Katie and I up for a heck of a week. Mike said no, we already have a cat. After he hung up all the kids went crazy. "Can we please have it", "Meisha would love a friend", "I'm sure it is so cute" and on and on. Kate was especially tenacious. She went and got on shoes and jacket to go get it herself, then came in a cried for an hour once she realized we were not going to get it. The next day, she went on a date with her dad. They went to a game place and the pet store where Katie saw "the cutest little orange and white kitten". All we have heard about all week is that kitten. Can I please have it? Dad, did you bring home my kitten today? I'm not eating until we go buy that kitten. It could just live outside. Meisha told me she wanted a kitten. and on and on and on. Saturday she left this picture of she and Mike going to buy the kitten on his pillow and today she wrote in her journal, "I wanted a kitten, but my dad said no." For the record, Mike is a softy and wants to get it for her. I told him he didn't have to say no, I will, just don't say yes.

Quick notes, this is my Dancing Queen. Kenna started dance this fall and I can't believe how happy she is when she comes out of there. All the little girls are so cute. At this age, they pretty much let them wear whatever pretty dance outfits they have. She is in her element.

A couple weeks ago, my parents came to visit. We had a nice time. However, we were hoping to have Dad get some new pictures of my kids, since they turned out so well last time. Not to be. On Saturday, it rained all day. We went out for a minute Sunday afternoon before they had to leave. It was overcast but the light was still bad and boy, the kids were not very cooperative. I may need to learn Photo Shop since I'm pretty backward with that still, but I don't know it that will even help much. This is my favorite, when everyone did "Kenna Pose"

Peaches, Chicken, and Guitar Hero

2008-09-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's been bottling week at my house. We bought some peaches last weekend and I spent any free time I had making jam and putting up the peaches. It's totally worth it later, but during the time I am doing it, I wonder. We did spend time as a family, working together. The boys blanched and peeled, Mike cut, I filled the bottles. If I was better, I would have a picture of it. Kate was at basketball and Kenna just played. It is better to work together. I also had a friend come over on Wednesday who had never bottled peaches and I taught her how. We spent the afternoon getting hers done. How did those women who bottled everything for their families to live on all winter do it? I was exhausted by the end of the week and my house was a wreck because I didn't have time to clean it. I felt like such a wimp. I generally like to be busy and I don't think I to lazy, but holy cow.

On Tuesday, I spent the day in Preston with one of my girlfriends, canning chicken. That was an experience. I had bought eighty lbs of chicken, because you take up your own. It was this crazy place, very old. You just put your meat or whatever in a can. People were canning pears, potatoes, carrots or even chili and soup. Anyway, after we put the chicken in the can, they put it in this steam cooker thing and cooked it. When it was done, you put the lid on, then they put it in a huge pressure cooker for more time. It looks like this when it's done. I put 3-4 chicken breasts in a can. It was totally worth it. I have a ton of chicken in my storage and it's super easy to use as it's already cooked.

Now for my guilty pleasure. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I love Guitar Hero. I'm pretty good to. I don't care much for video games and my kids will be the first to tell you I'm mean about limiting their screen time. Connor bought Guitar Hero. I have to admit when I first heard about this game, I didn't understand why so many people liked it, but I am hooked. I do limit my time and I didn't play at all last week with all that crazy canning, but I played yesterday. Maybe it's my unfulfilled secret desire to be a star. It bugs my boys that I am better at this game than they are.

Here are some random pictures from the week. This is where Kenna is sleeping tonight. Chase with Mike's new fish tank. He got this at a garage sale for $25 dollars. It had rocks, filter, everything with it except fish. It even had some unopend filters in it that were the wrong size. Mike took them back to Petsmart for a $20 credit. Sweet deal if you like fish tanks. Summer is officially over when the pool goes down.

Happy Birthday to Katie

2008-09-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Katelyn's seventh birthday. She isn't the oldest in her class, but almost. The kids started school a few days ago. Mike's parents took us to dinner at a local restaurant and this is what they brought Katie for her birthday. It was huge.Katie couldn't wait to open her presents so we did it right after breakfast. She was really excited about her sticker machine and her Indiana Jones legos. She invited two friends over for cake, play, and miniature golf in the afternoon. They didn't like the golf course so much because it didn't have castles and Ferris wheels and those types of holes, so they ended up playing in the water. She chose a football cake, (another masterpiece for me). All in all a terrific day.

These pictures are from our last trip of the summer. At the beginning of the summer, we asked each of the kids to tell us one thing they would really like to do during the summer and we tried to get that in. Connor had said Wildhorse and the Unitahs ( he couldn't keep it to one), Chase said Lava Hot Springs, Kenna didn't really care and Katie's choice was a camp out with just our family. We did it the weekend before school started. We drove up on Sunday after church and came home Tuesday. We really had a great time. Katie just bounced with happiness the whole time and we got in everyone's request. We camped in St. Charles Canyon, by Bear Lake. There was a stream behind our campground and the kids kept saying, "Oh, Grandpa would love to take pictures of this." So they took me everywhere Grandpa would like to take a picture and I took them. A few are on the side. On Monday, we hiked to Bloomington Lake. This was everyone's favorite. The hike was like the hike to Fall Creek, about 1/2 a mile and easy, but it got you to this beautiful mountain lake. The boys loved the rope swing off a tree. Kate swang out also, but didn't drop into the water. We spent the whole afternoon there. I just took pictures and watched. It was relaxing. You could fish there too. The next day, we saw a moose by the water, just behind our camp. I didn't get a picture, too many trees. Then we went to Minnetonka cave. That's also fun. We spent the afternoon at Bear Lake and came home. I think it might have been my favorite trip of the summer.

Unitahs

2008-08-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we went camping in the Unitahs. I guess there is a lot of back country up there, but we just camp in one of the million campgrounds on the highway. We you drive over the
pass, there are mountain lakes all over, right off the highway. It's beautiful. These first pictures are my feeble attempt at some scenic shots for Aunty C. Wish you could have
come. This is the creek right behind our campsite. Someone had built a little rock dam to make this pool.

The kids spent a long time, playing in the water, walking up the "waterfalls", and of course, strengthening the dam. We played some mean Canasta (I am happy to report, I was the ultimate winner) watched the kiddos and relaxed.

I wanted a nice group shot of my kids. You know how some people's kids cooperate with pictures and always smile and look good (Alison's). Ya, mine, not so much. This was honestly the best I could do. I guess it's just their little unique personalities shining through. I wouldn't mind if they would all smile for me once in awhile. They thought they were pretty funny.

On Friday we hiked into Scout Lake (named due to a Boy Scout camp on it's shores. Pretty darn original.) to fish. The master plan was to eat the trout for dinner. When we got there, Kenna saw this bridge and stream and said,"Look a little bridge and water just for me. Take my picture." So I did because she's the queen.

This is what the adults did while the kids fished, and fished and fished and fished, but didn't
catch anything all day. It was still fun and we had spaghetti for dinner. One stand out experience for us was the bathroom (lack thereof) at the lake. So we had all the kids use the

bathroom at the campsite before we left. After a twenty minute drive and maybe a half hour hike, many had to go to the bathroom. What is it about not having a potty, we didn't even have toilet paper. We told the kids to go up in the trees and use leaves. City kids, they had never done this before. My nephew Jadyn said no way and hiked back to the scout camp and used theirs. Kenna had her first experience pooping in the woods and wiping with leaves. She thought it was cool. I didn't. I had to do the dirty work. Maybe this is a new skill she can use later in life. Kate held out as long as possible, then we had to hike her down to the trail head to us the bathroom there. It did get me out of the rain, fishing with no fish and back to camp to read earlier than the rest of the die hard fishermen, so I guess that's alright.

sleeping out

2008-07-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last night the kids talked me into sleeping out on the trampoline with them. It's fun for the first little while, because they really talk to me. But the sleeping part is a joke. I don't know if it's me or the tramp, but last year I slept out with them a couple of times and it was ok. This year, everyone is on top of me, of course, and it really hurts my back. I don't think I'll do it anymore. Famous last words, right. Anyway, one thing I didn't think of was putting on bug spray. The mosquitoes usually aren't to bad around here. In the night I heard a couple buzzing around, so I kept my head in the bag.

When I saw Kenna this morning, I knew I'd made a mistake. The boys were both ok, I guess they kept their head in or Kenna just tasted better. It was a bad mother moment.

Swimming and Swords

2008-07-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

This week we finished up swimming lessons for Katie and Chase. How is it that summer is so busy and fast for moms, but kids still manage to be "bored." I haven't heard it a lot, but a few times. Kenna's version is "Mom, I'm boring." I think it's good for them to be bored. Then they have to get creative, especially since I'm an extremely mean Mom (ask Connor and Chase) and I (sighs of horror) severely limit their screen time (t.v. and video game.) Poor picked on kids had to go camping at Lava Hot Springs this week. This is actually one of our favorite family get aways. We spend one day at the pool. I love this pool because the water is not to hot or cold, but just right. The indoor pool had diving boards and a rock climbing wall which if you fell was into the water of course. Then a great shallow area, outside slides, and of course the platforms to jump off of. We went with Mike's sister and her family, which was great. Chase spent almost all his time jumping off the platforms, brave child. Connor and Mike did also, just not as much. They all went off the second and first platform. I say they are crazy. We spend the second day tubing on the Portnef river. It runs right through town. It's fairly tame and really fun. Kenna totally hated it though. She started crying the minute Mike pushed us off from shore and continued the whole ride down. She spent the rest of the day in the car with our designated driver. We took turns driving tubers up and back. Chase also told me the first time he was so nervous, he thought he would throw-up, but after that he loved it.Today, on our day of rest, the kids created these fabulous weapons out of pvc pipe, an old foam sleeping pad, and duct tape. Connor has a sword, Chase a hammer or battle ax, Kate a magical staff and Kenna a magic wand. I tried to keep this kind of thing to a minimum, violence and all, but my boys love this kind of pretend play. As long as they don't hurt each other. Hey, at least they are being creative. Me, I'm glad to rest after the packing and unpacking of another camping trip. I like camping, but it is not a vacation for mom. I did love floating the river.

Summer

2008-07-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

I love summer!! It's so busy, I feel like we try to squeeze in as much fun and family as possible, but without the strict schedules of school. Since last blog, I've been to girl's camp (tons of fun plus one rattlesnake) Connor went to his first scout camp and came home alive, we had our annual 4th of July neighborhood party (no one was burnt to badly) and been to Wildhorse. Wildhorse was the highlight so far. There was good company, beautiful scenery, excellant food and conversation, plus a million mosquitos and a smelly toilet. Camping at its finest. Did I mention four-wheelers. These kids could never get enought. Day one we hiked up to a waterfall I hadn't seen before. It was very pretty. Grandma even made this hike, which was excellant. We also spent some time at the swimming hole. The water was deeper and colder this year, so Connor was unable to break his record of thirty -something jumps from last year. He only had ten or so over two days worth. Due to cold water, there was more time spent in the sand/mud. Despite the cold water, Mike joined the boys jumping in this year. I think that he wanted to get clean. That night I had a chance to begin my dutch oven cooking career with lessons from the master (Roberta). She made an excellant dinner and I made a chocolate cherry cobbler. The next night I made lasagna for my family, which turned out ok, but I need more practice. It's fun to try something new. On day two, Gordon brought up a horse and let the kids have turns riding. This has been a dream of Katie's since she saw a brochure on horseback rides up Logan Canyon last year. She was so excited. Thanks Gordon and Roberta, for letting the kids ride. I almost forgot my little model. She would say, "Rese, take my picture." Or "Grandpa, I'm ready to have my picture." We've been working on saying Thank you. I say," Kenna, when someone says you look pretty, what do you say?" "I know." she says. I love the confidence. Wish we could all have/keep it. The trip finished with some time at Grandma and Grandpas with dinner at the Mackay drive-in, another highlight for my children. Many thanks to Grandma, Cerese, and Grandpa for all the hard work they do putting this reunion together. I finally got the girl's curtains hung, so here is a look at their room.

here comes the sun!!

2008-06-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Yay! After two weeks of no school and rain, we did a happy dance when the sun came out. At least I did. We did have some fun during the rain though. One day between storms Mike got out to take the kids golfing. They all had a great time, although I heard that Chase was a scary driver.He had orginally taken the day off so we could go swimming, but the weather didn't cooperate. We ran errands that morning. I have been looking for some bookcase headboards for my boys. I thought it would be nice for them, but the furniture stores were pretty much over what I wanted to spend. I had looked at some at Shopko, which were less expensive, but so cheaply made I didn't think it would be worth it. That Thursday with Mike, we stopped at D.I. to look for a bed frame, which we also needed. Celiac calls this the Wonder D.I. because she has had some terrific finds there, but I hadn't been so lucky. Anyway the bedframes were $20 bucks with missing wheels. You can buy new for $25 so that was a no way. However I got this awesome headboard for $8. It's even all wood, not cheapo board like the Shopko ones. Now, I need to find one more. We invited all the "cousins" up to visit last weekend. With my there were ten kids. They have a great time and play really well together, but I have a new appreciation for people who have that many kids. I don't know how they feed them. I felt like all I did was get food and try to think of things I could make that would stretch. Grandma, if you are reading this, once again I think you are incredible. By the way, how did you feed them?? This week during the rain, Chase built this great catapult (Mike just got called as a Webelos leader and we stole all the supplies from his stuff.) and Connor is working on a cross bow.

Boys Room

2008-06-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

This is the boys room. They picked red and gray for the paint colors. I'm all done except for putting up some stuff on the walls.

2008-06-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week. On Memorial Day, it rained and rained, so we spent the day moving Connor and Chase into their new bedroom downstairs. It has of course caused a ripple effect that I am still not caught up on. All the stuff that was in that downstairs bedroom is either in a huge D.I. pile or stacked in the spare bedroom. The boys seem to like it, but Mike is still having withdrawals that they aren't just across the hall. I don't know what he will do when they actually move out. We moved the girls' into their new bedroom upstairs and I spent all day yesterday painting furniture for them. When it's done and when the boys room is clean, I'll get some pictures. I got to spend sometime doing end of school activities. I washed chairs with the Kindergarteners and spent and afternoon at Chase's school running a booth at a carnival. I think I should take my act on the road. I don't think a real carnival would hire me, I'd lose them to much money. It's fun to see those kids win. The biggest event of the week was Kenna's birthday. Just ask her, she'll tell you. She told everyone we saw that day and did she love being the center of attention. We made her a "Barbie Cake" I wanted to be able to give her the doll we put in the cake. It's had to find one the right size, real Barbies are to big. This one was a bit small,

so we have Princess in giant slanted skirt cake, another testament to why I shouldn't make these crazy cakes. Her big present from us (a bike) hadn't come by her birthday, but she was pretty happy with the rest. We gave her the bike today and my mom sent her the helmet. Check out swimming suit number two. Nice knew and elbow pads, huh? She loves to wear these and trust me, she dresses herself. I can't believe my baby is four. She is such a loving kid, all about hugs and kisses. She is great a saying thank you. Lately, she is getting a bit bossy and acquiring an attitude to. She's the queen and she likes it. We'll work on that.