Rochelle and Brian's Corner

Beignets and Cream Cheese Brownies

2011-09-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of the "All-New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook", I'd love to share these fabulous recipes with you.

1. Beignets - The word "beignet" is French for "fritter". They remind me of New Orleans. Light, fluffy, and delicious. Kids especially enjoy helping "dust" these tasty treats. The easiet method is to pour the sugar in a paper bag, place the hot, drained, beignets inside, and shake. Be prepared for lots of giggles, clouds of powdered sugar, and a wonderful tast of a special part of the South.

Prep: 30 minutes. Cook: 2 minutes per batch. Other: 1 hour, 30 minutes

1 (1/4 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
3 tablespoons warm water
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 cups flour
2 1/2 to 3 quarts canola oil
Powdered sugar

1. Combine yeast and 3 tablespoons warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. I always cover the bowl to hold the heat in...it seems to help the yeast rise better.
2. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat (do not boil). Stir in sugar, shortening, and salt. Cook to lukewarm (100-110 degrees).u
3. Add milk mixture, egg, and 2 cups flour to yeast mixture, stirring well. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead 8 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk.
5. Punch dough down, and turnout onto a floured surface. Roll dough into a 12- X 10- inch rectangle; cut into 2-inch squares. Place on a floured surface; cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
6. Pour oil to a depth of 2 to 3 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 375. Gently lower (don't drop) beignets into oil using a spatula.Fry beignets, in batches, 1 minute on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with powdered sugar while still hot. Yield: 2 1/2 dozen.

2. Cream Cheese Brownies. YUM.
prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 45 minutes.

4 (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate baking squares
4 (1-ounce) semi-sweet chocolate baking squares
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 (3-ounc) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cu butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar, divided
6 large eggs, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1. Microwave first 3 ingredients in a 1-quart glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring to blend together. Cool and set aside.
2. Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter at medium peed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating well. Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Fold in 2 tablespoons flour and 1/2 cup chocolate morsels;set aside.
3. Beat remaining 4 egs in a large bowl at medium speed. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating well. Add melted chocolate mixture and 2 teaspoons vanilla; beat mixture util well blended.
4. Combine 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt; fold in chocolate batter until blended, and stir in remaining 1 cup chocolate morsels.
5. Reserve 3 cups chocolate batter; spread remaining batter evenly in a greased 13- x 9-inch pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over batter. Top with reserved 3 cups chocolate batter; swirl mixture with a knife.
6. Bake at 325 for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool and cut brownies into squares. Yield: 1 1/2 dozen.

To make these brownies EVEN MORE rich, drizzle with caramel sauce and hot fudge, and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy.

Flag Football!

2010-10-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

I just want to shout from the rooftops that Alex and Jacob had a really AMAZING football game today. The Blue Dragons were really into their game. Alex was able to score, and Jacob SACKED the opposing team's quarterback. These two are amazing "flag-stripping machines"!

I LOVE football, and it's cool to know that the boys are learning how to play the great sport. They have come so far in the last couple of weeks. They've had their share of good games and bad games...but today would have to take the cake for the best game so far. Way to go, boys!

Station 109

2010-08-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

For Alex's final requirement to earn his Wolf badge in Cub Scouts, we visited the fire station!

Jacob happened to be in the first shot of the day:

Station #9 is closest to our home. This station is the one that frequently responds when we have emergencies at work.

Check out all the different ports for hoses on the engine! We learned that one of the requirements is to attend hydraulics school, and that you have to be really great at math to be a fireman.

Jared was our tour guide. He showed us around the fire home, and explained that the firemen live there two days a week. They have chores to complete just like they do at home: dishes, vacuuming, keeping their rooms tidy, and yardwork are some of the things they have to complete each day.

Alex was first to sit in the seat. We learned that each seat has different priorities. The Engineer drives, the Jump Man is the first to jump out and get the hoses, and the third seat (above) is the one that communicates on the radio.

All of their clothing items are ready to pull on. They are completely suited up in about 90 seconds!

The boys took turns trying on Jared's coat and hat. By the time they are dressed, each fireman has an extra 60 pounds of equipment!

As we were finishing our tour, our station got an emergency call to which they had to respond. We watched them turn on the lights and sirens and head out the door.

The boys thought it was cool that the firemen were gardening tomatoes!

We loved our visit to the station. I was very impressed at how well the boys answered each question Jared posed. They are now officially prepared for an emergency, and came home and started playing "fireman" right away. I love that the boys have such enthusiasm for these incredible heroes that respond to the toughest situations day after day.

Ragnar Recap

2010-06-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

So at the beginning of the year, I set a goal to run a 5k, a 10k, and Ragnar. At this point, I have run the Valentine's Day 5k, Lake to Lake Relay, Ragar Wasatch Back Relay, and also two triathlons. This has been such a fun year. I would never have believed I'd accomplish so much in such a short amount of time!

Ragnar Relay is a race with 12-man teams. Each leg of the race ranges anywhere from 3 to 8 miles, and can vary in difficulty. This particular relay series has races all over the country. The one in Utah is called the Wasatch Back because it runs from Logan to Park City, along the BACK side of the Wasatch Mountains.

Our race in particular typically sells out in a few short months. This year, there were 1,050 teams competing along the trail! Each time provides their own food, water, and a couple of volunteers to help out at different exchange points throughout the course. The race begins on Friday, and as the course is 188.2 miles long, it goes overnight and through Saturday. There are two vans for each team; one stays "active" and follows the 6 runners along the course. The other is the "inactive" van...they wait at the next exchange point and rest until their next series of legs.

I joined Eli's X-Men in December. My team consisted of many members of a family, plus friends, and co-workers. Our captain, Teena, was the mother of the group. She was great. Very organized and motivating. My three legs were: a 7-mile up- and downhill, 8-mile climb, and 3-mile flat run.

We found as we trained that we had an average of an 11-minute mile time between all of us. We found out that our start time was 1:30, and right away asked for an earlier start time. We knew that we wouldn't be able to run the course in the allotted amount of time. We actually tried on two other occasions to get that earlier time, but were denied.

The day was absolutely gorgeous! The weather was sunny and 75 degrees. We had a great time people-watching. Ragnar runners come up with some pretty fun names, and will dress up in costume. The Park City Fire Department guys dressed up as hot nurses, complete with wigs. There was a team called The Devil Made Us Do It that decorated their van like a devil, complete with horns, a pitchfork, and a tail. One team was called Toenails Are For Sallies, and another was Jason and the 12 Olympians (we were parked next to them-they were dressed in togas and had laurel leaf crowns). I have friends that were on Team Chasing Chocolate, and The Sweet Spirits, the Hairy Breeks, and We ARRRRGH Pirates. People are so much fun! One sporting goods store team had to carry something on each leg. They started off with a little tent, and when we caught up to them, they were carrying a boogie board.

The heat made it pretty hard for our first couple of runners to keep a good pace. By the time it came to MY leg (I was runner number 6), it was 9:00pm. We found out that the teams passing us were ones that had a 4:30 start time. The paramedics were beginning to break down their station, just waiting for us to complete our exchange. My leg began 33 miles into the race on Avon Pass, went a mile uphill, then downhill for three miles, and flattened out for the last three coming into the town of Liberty. I made VERY good time on the way down...I couldn't help it, it was pretty steep! I ended up running my 7 miles in 70 minutes. At this point, we were ready to hand the baton (or slap the slapband) to the other van and send them running. We were ready to REST!!! Our first "rest stop" was at Snow Basin, with an alternate rest area at Morgan High School (about 20 minutes further down the road). The nice thing about Morgan High is that for $2, we could take a shower, and there were spots to roll out the sleeping bag and close our eyes. We arrived in Morgan at 12:30am.

At 2am, Captain Teena got the phone call from the active van saying that they were coming close to the exchange point. She gathered the first three runners from our team and headed up to get ready. The nighttime runs were great. It was nice and cool, and VERY dark. One of our runners turned off his headlamp long enough to see how dark it was, and couldn't see a single thing. Isaac could see the reflection of his lamp on deer eyes (or were they mountain lions???)watching him as he ran past. He finished, then Teena speedwalked, Sam loved her time out in the darkness. She said it was very spiritual to be out there alone with her thoughts. Jill ran like the wind. As we drove to Sara's exchange point, we waved at the volunteer on Morgan Valley Drive coming back from Morgan High School. We found out at this point that there was ONE team in front of us, which was an ultra team: each runner ran 2 legs in a row, and there were only 6 on their team. They passed through the exchange point and headed back out toward Morgan Valley Drive to continue the race, about 5 minutes ahead of us.

After a quick trip to the beloved Honey Buckets (port-a-potties), we headed back out to Morgan Valley Drive to follow Sara. We actually went 4 miles out looking for her. We realized that the volunteer we had waved at earlier was no longer there when we drove back to ask if she had seen our runner. We started driving back into Morgan to try to find Sara, combing the side streets, but had no luck. After a quick prayer, we sent a text to the Ragnar staff stating that we had a lost runner, and that there were NO volunteers out on the trail to help find her. We finally found her 20 minutes later on a road that was NOT on her course. At this point, we realized that she had run 6 miles instead of the 5 she was supposed to run. She said that she followed the ultra girl in front of her, and didn't see any volunteers who were supposed to tell her which way to go. We were so glad we found her!

Our habit in the van was to follow the runner til halfway through their run, then drive ahead and drop off the waiting runner so they could stretch and warm up. This was sadly not the case for me. When we found Sara, and realized that she was ahead on her mileage, the volunteers said that I needed to jump out and begin MY run (leg 18). This was at 6:20am. I had a long, hard 8 miles up the road to East Canyon Reservoir. My body was stiff and starting a run COLD like that was difficult. One thing I was grateful for was the mile markers on my road that weren't on much of the course. At least I could keep track of how far I had gone as I ran. I stopped several times to stretch...my IT band on my right leg was giving me grief. However, I kept plodding along. At 4 miles in, my captain pulled up in the van and told me to get in. I told her that I didn't want to cheat and that I'd keep going, but she told me that the rest of the team was waiting for me at the top (the next exchange point), and that the race director was going to be joining us for a meeting).

When we met, he told us that we were TWENTY FIVE miles behind the rest of the group. We explained that we had repeatedly asked for an earlier start time, but had been denied. Our team was tired, frustrated, and some were even sick from lack of sleep, and pushing their bodies as hard as they had. We were also frustrated that there were no volunteers out there to guide us along, and mentioned how easy it was to get lost, which was also time-consuming. We weren't having the "exprience" of the relay, with other runners on the trail, people cheering each other on, etc. He asked us what we wanted to do. We asked if there was a way we could skip ahead and join the rest of the runners. He approved this, saying that as long as we had multiple runners out on the course to make up the miles we missed, he would approve that.

We drove from East Canyon to Heber City and resumed our run at leg 31. I decided that since I had missed the last 4 miles of my run, I'd run with Brandy. She had a nice, flat 4 miles through Heber. The rest of the race experience was great! We actually were able to talk with other runners, and saw volunteers, and other vans. I only had 3 miles to go. :) Sadly, aside from one other girl in MY van, no one else was feeling up to finishing their miles. We hit the final exchange point, and Jill and I decided to complete the last 5 miles of the course and cross the finish line. So, the two of us completed our whole mileage, PLUS 2 more. We felt pretty good about that. We took the last 5 miles at a good speedwalk. We got to know each other pretty well, and enjoyed each other's company. We crossed the finish line at 4:17, and could smell the WONDERFUL aroma of hamburgers barbequing on the grill. YUM! We called our captain (had to borrow a cell phone since ours were both in the van) to find out where everyone was, but found that they were stuck in line trying to get into The Canyons to see us finish. We decided to go back and wait for our final runner, Ali, so we could cross the finish with her as well. That happened at 4:43pm.

As we were among all the runners with their happy teams getting group shots, the three of us picked up our team medals, then grabbed a couple of free smoothie shots, and headed down to where our vans were parked. Luckily, the tram was taking people down to the parking lot. We were so exhausted that taking another step was not what we really wanted to do! We met up with our team and started dividing the medals. Teena went to find our Ragnar stickers to put on our van when she realized she couldn't find them. The stickers are really the only reason to run Ragnar, right? Ha ha ha!

We drove home in a very quiet van, found the stickers (HOORAY!), and went to our own respective houses. Falling asleep that night was quite possibly one of the easiest things I've ever done. Luckily, I have a sweet husband who understood and was patient about getting his Father's Day breakfast later in the morning. I'm not sure I would have been ABLE to get out of bed early to make him breakfast.

I totally want to do this again next year, with a little more training, and have already been invited onto a team. I can't wait! Even though we had our trials, I loved every minute of it. Can't wait for next year.

Julie and Julia, the Movie

2010-03-15T21:43:00.001-07:00

Last night, I watched the movie Julie and Julia. What a delightful movie! One of my favorite lines went something like this: "No matter what kind of day you have, even if it's crazy, when you come home and add a couple of egg yolks and a little heat to chocolate, it will set up. And you can count on that."

I wish I knew the exact quote. That's the way that I feel about cooking. I love being able to whip ingredients together and make a beautiful masterpiece. It's therapeutic for me to spend time in the kitchen and go through the process. Whenever we have a party to attend, I like to take the time to make something from scratch. Brian always says, "You know, you'll save so much time and energy if you just go buy this at the store." It's not the same to me at all.

"Never apologize. No excuses. No explanations", is another tip Julia gave when she was making a dish. Even if what you're creating doesn't turn out perfectly, the fact that you spent the time CREATING is worth it. It doesn't always have to look pretty for the flavor to be wonderful.

Meryl Streep did a wonderful job portraying Julia Child. She was so funny to watch with her mannerisms, way of talking, and the passion for eating food. I loved the relationship between Julia and Paul, too. They were so in love! I love that they celebrated Valentine's Day (my favorite holiday) each year by sending out a picture of the two of them to their friends and family, and wore giant red hearts at their Valentine's dinner party. They were so devoted to each other! There's also a hilarious scene where Julia is learning how to chop onions.

Amy Adams was adorable, too, with her determination and adoration for her mentor. One of my favorite scenes was when Julie was learning how to prepare lobster...oh, and when she was learning how to poach an egg.

This was such a fun movie. I loved the fun tips like the fact that meat doesn't brown as well in the pan if you don't take the time to pat it dry. Mushrooms won't brown well if you crowd them...they need room to brown. And if you cook everything with butter (ah, butter), you'll get fat. :)

Go check the movie out if you haven't seen it yet. I loved it!

I Would LOVE One of These!

2010-01-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

This rolling pin is so COOL!

Whenever I make a pie crust, I struggle with the size and thickness of the crust. At times, I will have rolled the crust too thin and others, too thick. Also, I can never eyeball how big the crust needs to be rolled out in order to fit the pie dish correctly.

The rolling pin has discs that you attach to the sides, so if you need a 1/4 inch crust, you attach the 1/4 inch discs. The crust will roll to the correct thickness! Then, you can use the measuring stick on the rolling pin to measure your crust.

How awesome is this?

You can check out the actual rolling pin here .

New package came today...

2009-12-03T00:15:00.000-08:00

Brian decided to order a treadmill. The nice things about this is that I can start pushing my running to new levels, especially now that it's getting cold outside. We're taking it out of the box tomorrow when we're both home and can get it moved inside. I can't wait! I've set a goal to run:
1. a 5K
2. a 10K AND
3. the Wasatch Back Relay

My new weight is 131.4. I didn't get into the 120's like I wanted, but at least the scale was headed to the left instead of to the right this time (yay). I can't wait to see how many calories I can burn with the treadmill now, especially with what a fun month December can be.

Pics will have to come tomorrow. My computer is not letting me upload them.

Great Primary Training

2009-11-19T22:46:00.000-08:00

I am so blessed to have been able to attend our Stake Primary Presidency training tonight. I love all the work the presidency put into their presentation. They talked about the new outline for next year, and touched on how much better kids will learn if they are "doing" something to learn instead of sitting quietly, which they've already done for an hour BEFORE they come to Primary.

Another topic they touched on was teaching by the spirit. If we spend more time focusing on OUR spiritual preparation, we will be more open and ready for the Spirit to impress us. We will be able to meet the needs of our classes because we have invited the Spirit to be there and teach US as well as the children.

The new outline for next year is put together so well. We will be teaching "I Know My Savior Lives", and have a new song that is so BEAUTIFUL. It's called "I Know That My Savior Loves Me". Check out the lyrics:

A long time ago in a beautiful place,
Children were gathered 'round Jesus.
He blessed and taught as they felt of His love.
Each saw the tears on His face.
The love that He felt for His little ones
I know He feels for me.
I did not touch Him or sit on His knee,
Yet, Jesus is real to me.

I know He lives!
I will follow faithfully.
My heart I give to Him.
I know that my Savior loves me.

Now I am here in a beautiful place,
Learning the teachings of Jesus.
Parents and teachers will help guide the way,
Lighting the path ev'ry day.
Wrapped in the arms of my Savior's love,
I feel His gentle touch.
Living each day, I will follow his way,
Home to my Father above.

I know he lives!
I will follow faithfully.
My heart I give to Him.
I know that my Savior loves me.

Isn't that absolutely beautiful? Tears come to my eyes every time I read the words, because I can actually picture me or my children really sitting at his knee and feeling the love that He has for us. It is such a blessing to have a knowledge of Him and His capacity to love. I want to be more like Him!

We listened to a story about a primary teacher that had a child that wouldn't sit still, and had some issues. As frustrating as it can be to teach a class where NO ONE has issues, it's even harder when you have ONE child that takes away from the spirit, whether it be due to physical, behavioral, or mental challenges. This teacher, instead of getting upset, prayed sincerely to prepare herself so that she could be open to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and love that child and all the children in the class with the love of the Savior. She basically had a "mighty change of heart", and could see this child through Christ's eyes. She held this little girl while she taught the lesson. The little girl started to get very antsy at the end, and acting up again, but the teacher had the impression that it was because the girl knew they were coming to an end. She quietly whispered that she promised they would be together again the next week and that there would be lessons and games and songs. This little girl could FEEL that love, and responded. Sure, there were still tough weeks, but at least the teacher was in the right frame of mind for this sweet little child.

I learned more about "team teaching" and what it is actually SUPPOSED to be like. Instead of having one teacher teach while the other "babysits", both would take part in different parts of the lesson EVERY week. They also showed how communication between the teachers and advance planning throughout the week is beneficial to the class.

My husband and Jacob were not feeling well today, and I could easily have talked myself out of going to this training, but I am SO GRATEFUL that I was able to go. It felt as though everything were being shared just for my purpose, and I'm sure that others beneifited as well. I am grateful for the love our presidency has for us and for the youth of our stake. I am grateful for the spirit that was present as we learned together tonight, and am looking forward to implementing these wonderful ideas put together by the Primary General Board.

Ta ta for now!

Al the Pal is turning eight!

2009-10-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

My dear, sweet, first-born will be celebrating his eighth birthday today. I completely adore him.

Alex was our second pregnancy. We had miscarried a few months before he was conceived. No sound ever will compare to being able to hear his heart beat for the first time. It was music to our ears! Every experience I had with him touched me in so many ways: I loved playing "Poke" with him while he was in the womb. He would kick, then I'd poke another side of my tummy to see if he'd follow. He got pretty close quite a few times during our games. :)

On Friday, October 5th, I woke up at 6am with contractions. They lasted throughout the day and gradually got closer together. By the time Brian made it home from work, I'd walked around our park twice. By this time, the contractions were five minutes apart, so we put everything in the car to drive to LDS Hospital. Brian was so adorable. He called the hospital, gave our names, and informed the staff that we were on our way, to which they kindly replied, "It's okay, sir. We're here all the time...you REALLY don't need to call and let us know that you're coming." We arrived at the hospital with great excitement, but our hopes were soon dashed when I fell asleep and the contractions stopped. We met our extended family up at Snowbird for a sleepover (eleven of us at the time) and visited Octoberfest the next day. Sadly, no more contractions came.

Oddly enough, on Friday the 12th, at 6am, I woke up again with contractions. This time, my lower back, legs, and stomach were all aching. The contractions were so sporadic that I couldn't keep the time straight. I wanted to clean like crazy. The house was never so ready for a baby as it was after that day. I labored all day and we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse with my parents and sister, Melissa. She was attending UCMT at the time, and offered to massage my back and feet (heaven!) after dinner. By the time we were headed to my mom's, I could no longer sit through the contractions. At this point, they were about fifteen minutes apart. Upon arrival at our house later that night, Brian and I went to bed...Well, I TRIED to go to bed, but couldn't sleep. I shaved my legs, straightened my hair, painted my nails, played on the computer; anything to pass the time and try to prepare for the big day.

I finally hit five minutes apart at 5:30 in the morning. I woke Brian to let him know it was time to go. I'm pretty sure we hit EVERY pothole between our house and the hospital. I don't think we missed a single one! We parked, and I insisted on walking through the doors to the delivery floor. Well, I made it all the way to the steps, but as I was doubled over in pain, I couldn't continue up the stairs. The sweetest lady came up and asked if we needed a wheelchair. The stubborn girl I am said no, but Brian emphatically said, "YES! That is just what we need." This lovely nurse wheeled us up to the fourth floor and informed us that she would be our nurse. We instantly fell in love with Tina. She was amazing! After all those contractions, she told me that I was dilated to...a ONE. UGH! I was so mad! I was certain that I should have been a four or five, but she said otherwise.

I labored in the bathtub, and on the birthing ball. Tina said that she could tell I was about to have a contraction because I'd get super quiet and close my eyes. Grant and DeAne, and my mom and dad (George and Patsy) were there to keep us company. After thirty hours of labor, and about fifteen minutes of pushing, Alexander George Bartschi entered the world, weighing in at 6 pounds, 4 ounces. Brian said that his tiny little head looked like a golf ball as he was being born. As soon as he was out, it expanded to its tiny little size. He was so amazingly perfect. I loved the feeling of holding him in my arms and being able to gaze in wonder at this beautiful little man before me. I knew I loved him from the moment I saw him. How blessed I was to have this little person, who, just moments before, was in the presence of God.

Alex had such a good attitude for a little guy. He was always happy, and loved to cuddle. My dear friend Emily observed that he never spit up. "He just knows that it's not cool to do, so he doesn't do it", she said. He found joy in everything that he did. He crawled at eight months and walked at ten. He spoke very well as a young boy. He had a love for dinosaurs like you wouldn't believe. He knew the names of several of them at 18 months. He loved puzzles and building with blocks.

Alex is destined for something great. He has had way too many close calls to feel otherwise. When he was just over a year old, the two of us rolled my explorer after skidding on a patch of black ice. He didn't have a single scratch on him. A few months later, he was narrowly missed as a giant truck went barrelling through a red light, ramming our car AND the car in front of us. The indentation from the truck was about three feet away from where Alex was sitting. He could have been killed upon impact, but was safe. When he was three years old, we almost lost him in a drowning incident. We were at a pool at Bear Lake with the Bartschi family when he asked to have his water wings off because he was done in the pool. Apparently, he wasn't finished, jumped in, and was found on the BOTTOM of the pool, face down in the fetal position. When he was pulled out of the water by Andrea and Paul, we could see that he was blue from the chest up. He had no pulse, no breathing, and wasn't responsive. Just as I went to tilt his head to give CPR, he spit a ton of water out of his lungs and started coughing (the second best sound I have EVER heard in my life). We got him to the hospital 40 miles up the canyon to Logan, where he was kept for observation. He turned out to be just fine, with only a touch of water in his lungs. He was released the next day, and he even asked to go swimming again. I know that he is being kept here on earth for some amazing reason, and I am so grateful to be a part of his life.

He loves sports: basketball, swimming, soccer, and baseball are his favorites. He has an amazing amount of energy and enthusiasm for anything he does.

He loves the gospel. He will be baptized on November 7th, and has already shown what a powerful testimony he has at eight years old.

He loves his family: he shows so much love and enthusiasm for his brothers. He is such a great example to them. I love watching him interact with his brothers! He is such a sweetheart.

He is into Bakugon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokemon.

He loves to read, and actually has already finished the first Harry Potter book, and regularly reads from the scriptures. His favorite hero of all time is Captain Moroni. He wants to be just like him.

I love to listen to him talk. He uses great words...the big ones! I am so proud every time I listen to him use the words he does.

He is a great friend and example. I am so grateful to be his parent while he is here on the earth. Never was a mother so lucky as to have a wonderful boy like this. He is absolutely amazing.

Happy Birthday, Alex. I sure love you. You've brought more joy to my life than you could ever possibly know. I hope you have kids just like you when you grow up.

Love,
Mom.

The Result of Idle Parenting

2009-09-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

So, as Brian and I were in our living room putting together our new tables, the boys were all out in the backyard playing. I went out to discover that Jacob had attached a small plastic slide backward to the bottom of our tall slide. He put three buckets behind the small slide, then he made up a game where you roll the ball from the top of the slide and it was supposed to roll down, over the small slide and into one of the buckets at the end. If it landed in the first one, the prize was fifty cents. The second slide was worth a dollar, and the third slide was worth two dollars. I love that he was using his imagination on his day off from school! I wonder if he would have thought of this had I been outside monitoring everything he was doing!

1. the wonder and imagination of a kid's mind
2. new coffee, end, and sofa tables
3. the beautiful sunshine outside today
4. chance to wear my new skirt (SIZE MEDIUM, thank you!) to a little party tonight
5. spending the day with my adorable family

Brian turned 40 (on August 26th)!

2009-09-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to describe the joy of saying that Brian is 40. He is so old! Ha ha!

We began the day with the boys "helping" make breakfast. By helping, I really mean that they came up and talked to me while I did all the work. :) Jacob made scrambled eggs and Alex made the toast. I stayed up late into the night making a birthday sign for Brian, which we hung up in the kitchen. The boys each gave him his presents:
*golf tees
*a package of golf balls, and
*a nice new shirt to wear to work.
He clued in immediately to the day's festivities, which were obviously not too hard to figure out.

We celebrated with a round of golf at The Sponge, aka: Lakeview Golf Course in West Bountiful, Utah. What a great surprise when we found out that you golf for free on your birthday, so that was an added bonus! We had so much fun laughing at how awful we both are. It's really nice that even after almost eleven years, that Brian and I are still so close, and so attracted to each other. He is definitely my true love. We ended up finishing the game with him beating my by ONLY five strokes. Pretty sweet! Either I'm getting better, or we're both equally bad. :)

We had a great lunch at El Matador, spent some time chatting with Katherine and DJ (amazing bro and sis-in-law...thanks for watching Cameron so we could go play!) then headed home for his surprise birthday celebration.

He had no idea anything was going on until he came upstairs from hanging out with the boys after school. When he saw me making a 5 gallon jug of lemonade, he knew something was up. The giant full sheet cake on the table gave it away, too. My parents rang the doorbell shortly after he saw all the cake, and was surprised to have some great friends show up to wish him well on his happy day.

The question that he got asked the most was, "Where are all the black balloons?" Well, I do not believe that 40 is OFFICIALLY old. Now, 50, on the other hand, that's another story.

Happy Birthday, Brian (on August 26th). I love you so much!

p.s., pictures are on the way. I still can't find my usb cable. grrr.

Glacier National Park

2009-07-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

We found this great cabin resort in Whitefish called the North Forty. It was so peaceful! I love that the boys had somewhere to run and explore after being in the van for the five and a half hour trip. We promptly found a path next to the cabin and walked for a good hour to get the kinks out. Dinner at Sizzler and the Transformers movie followed later on, but Cameron was in no mood to sit still, so he and I ended up leaving the movie five minutes in so that the REST of the theater goers could actually enjoy their experience. The boys LOVED it. They were so cute when they came out, throwing punches and saying how cool Optimus and Bumblebee were.
Tuesday we drove through Glacier. Look at how green everything is. I stopped counting the waterfalls after I hit twenty just on the 50 mile road through the park. There is constant runoff and the ground is pretty saturated. Even Cameron got excited whenever he saw a waterfall and shouted out, "OH! I see ANOTHER waterfall!" Alex and Jacob were great to find them as well. When we told people we were coming here, the different comments we heard were,

"There is so much wildlife there!"
"You'll probably see a bear...they're everywhere!"
"I'm pretty sure you'll see a wolf or maybe even a moose."
"Make sure you watch for mountain goats. They're all over the hills."

Wait until you see our wildlife count at the end.

We had lunch in Apgar Village (KFC at a picnic table is perfect) and skipped rocks on the shores of Lake MacDonald before the drive through the park. This was our first hiking stop. It basically was our ONLY stop for hiking. See Cameron? That's the position he constantly wanted to be in whenever we tried to hike, so we gave up on that idea. This trail was about a mile, and was really pretty. One of the signs explained how the roots are very shallow due to the fact that there is so much water in the ground. We saw a ton of trees that had just fallen over from the wind because they really had nothing to anchor themselves to the ground. Beautiful hike.

Isn't this fun?

We stopped at another lake to skip more rocks and came within five feet of this deer. Alex and Jacob WANTED to walk all the way up and touch it, but decided to obey instead. The deer was just hanging out by the restrooms, laying in the grass. It later got up and walked away.

Another stop to skip rocks. The water was pretty fast, and so pretty.

It took us about seven hours to drive the 50 miles through the park. When we got to the other end, it was 8:00pm! We made it back to the other side in an hour.

Final count of wildlife going through the park:

three deer
two squirrels
one chipmunk

We came home on Wednesday. After getting lost getting out of Whitefish (not really lost, but making the wrong turn TWICE...my fault) we hit the road at noon. We made it to Idaho Falls for dinner (mmm...Olive Garden) and the boys actually voted against spending the night and we pushed through the rest of the trip. We made it safely to our house at 12:30 in the morning. I was so glad we didn't have to get up and drive the next day. We were happy to be home and see our dog Chey.

1. beautiful scenery

2. skipping a rock seven bounces (my personal best)

3. listening to great music on the way home

4. seeing the Idaho Falls temple

5. loving my family

4th of July Fun

2009-07-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great vacation driving up to Colville, Washington. We thought our biggest frustration would be Cameron not wanting to be in his carseat for the 12 hour trip, but he actually did pretty well. I'm sure the new DVD player that we got in the van was a pretty big reason it worked out so well. It ended up taking us two days to get up to Colville, but we enjoyed ourselves on the way up.

We started Saturday out at the Arden Community Center. My mom's best friend growing up had lost her father in December. He was very sick. He told the family that he didn't want a funeral. Instead, they should throw a big party. And they did. They had a giant potluck and grilled up a bunch of tasty hamburgers and hot dogs. There was so much food. It was great. Shelley and my mom have been close for so long, and I've always felt important to her. I appreciate the way she treats me.

I had trouble moving the pictures on Blogger, so this is out of order. We capped off the day with fireworks outside at Grandma's house.

At Grandma's park, there are these great tires that I used to play on as a kid. The boys remember them and look forward to playing on them each time we visit. I couldn't resist putting each one of these shots on here. They had so much fun!

And we spent the middle part of the day out at the Game Reserve with my mom's family for their reunion.

My uncle JR on the left and some guy he brought. :) We all joked that nobody knew his name. He was just some random drunk guy. Hm.

The Sanders

Pat, Alpha, and ?? (I can't remember, but I know she's Karen and Kay's mom).

The boys were so excited to see their cute Grandma Gen. She's been the one grandma that I've been the closest to. I totally adore her!

I love you, Grandma.

We stayed in Colville for three days, then packed up and headed to Glacier National Park in Montana. That story will be continued on the next post.

Our Weekend Project

2009-07-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

When we looked at our new house, this big dirt mound had a beautiful flag pole. I was so excited to be able to fly our colors for each holiday and special occasion. Sadly, this dream was not realized. The sellers decided to take the pole with them, leaving this giant circle of dirt sitting in the front yard.

As we focused on moving in, the dirt mound slowly became covered with weeds. Well, no longer!

We set to work:

We dug a hole,

filled it with cement and a sweet street lamp,

added some great bushes and color,

and...VOILA! Finished product:

Our wonderful neighbors helped hardwire the lantern, which is set on a timer. I love it. It feels so warm and inviting. I can't wait for the plants to get bigger. They're each supposed to grow anywhere from 2 to 5 feet. I think it will look great!

1. neighbors that take care of their yards

2. creating a little bit of coziness

3. family home evening with the Bartschis

4. sweet moment of testimony during primary

5. home

How Yummy Are These?

2009-07-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

So, today I got to visit with my wonderful friend Emily. We haven't seen each other for so long! Since she was coming to my house, I wanted to make something extra special for her. She is quite the cupcake afficionado, so I found this yummy recipe to celebrate her arrival. They were pretty easy, too. They're called Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow. Give them a try! They disappeared quickly.

It has been way too long since Emily and I have seen each other. I was so grateful that she took time to come and visit. I've looked up to her for so long! We became great friends back in my Mac Grill days. She brought her cutie-patooty son, Noah, with her. He is getting so big! He was adorable, jumping up and down. I loved listening to him figure out words and watching him do his little dancey-step when the music was on.

What a blessing to have this wonderful woman in my life! She is such an inspiration. So creative, caring, and definitely full of passion. I have enjoyed watching her grow into who she is. She journals like crazy (at MY last count, I think she had completed her seventh), loves to read, and is hysterically funny. We used to sit late at night and talk forever while I had to close up the restaurant, count the money, and make sure the staff made it out the door safely. We became very close. She was there to capture sweet memories of my Alex's birth. Check out her blog to see her amazing photography skills. I will always treasure my friendship with Emily. Her Joe is one lucky man!

My Dear, Sweet 6 Year Old!

2009-04-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

Jacob turned six today, so I would like to pay tribute to my wonderful boy.

Jacob's pregnancy was planned down to the month from the beginning. We wanted to have him and Alex be somewhat close in age so they could be great friends growing up. I found out that we were pregnant when Alex was 10 months old. I actually knew that night that he was conceived. Over the previous three months, I had developed quite an allergy to latex, but didn't know WHAT was going on with my skin, so I made an appointment with my doctor to check it out. While I was there, I asked if I could take a pregnancy test to see if my theory was correct. I knew I was about a week along, so I wasn't positive if the test would come back with a yes or a no answer, but it was good to check anyway. Dr. Wade came in not three minutes after testing me and said that this was the quickest test he had seen confirm a pregnancy. Right off the bat, Jacob was showing his strength of spirit.

I told Brian that day (it was August 28th, two days after his birthday) by having Alex give him a belated birthday card with the news that he was going to be a big brother as his gift to his daddy. Brian was so excited! However, I would not suggest telling people THIS early that you are pregnant. This pregnancy lasted FOREVER!

I did have some spotting early on that worried me, so we ended up changing to an OB instead of using my family doctor, which had us delivering at Lakeview Hospital up in Bountiful, instead of LDS Hospital in Salt Lake, but we were okay with the change. We loved having more frequent ultrasounds, and didn't mind the drive to Bountiful each month.

When the time came for delivery, we had a much different experience than our first time with Alex. Alex's labor was 30 hours from start to finish. Jacob came the day after Easter. We spent the day at Brian's brother's house, where Alex wanted me to jump on the trampoline with him. I was holding him and doing soft bounces (my feet didn't leave the trampoline), and he loved every minute of it. I had my 37 week checkup on Monday morning at 10:30. My doctor informed me that I was dilated to a 4 and was 90% effaced and asked if I would like him to strip my membranes and move things along. I declined, saying that we had tickets to see Miss Saigon on Friday, and that I really would be okay waiting another week before our little guy came into the world. After leaving the office, I called Brian to tell him how the appointment went, and what Dr. Farley said about moving things along. He said, "Are you crazy? Get back to the office! Let's have this baby today!" I laughed and said, "No, I'm really okay to wait." Well, at 1:15 that afternoon, I started having some pain in my abdomen. At first, I thought that this was just because he had been down there checking things out and I was a little sore. But when I kept having the pain every 15 minutes, I knew that he was ready to come into the world.

The thing that bugged me, though, was the fact that we had these tickets to see Miss Saigon on Friday that we had paid a lot of money for that we would miss. So I called the box office to see if we could switch the tickets. I explained that I was in labor and it didn't seem feasible to be able to make it to the show if I was having a baby that day. They agreed to switch the tickets, but only if I was the one to pick them up. I agreed, then called Brian to tell him I needed him to come home.

By the time he got home, I could no longer stand or sit. I had used a giant exercise ball to alleviate the pain with Alex's contractions, and it had worked quite well, so I used it again with Jacob's contractions. By the time Brian got home (15 minutes later), the ball was not doing a bit of good. I told Brian it was time to go. He didn't believe me. "We have plenty of time, why don't we go walk around the mall, or go out for dinner first?" He was remembering how it took me 24 hours to get dilated to a 1 with Alex, so I couldn't possibly be ready to go at this point! Funny man, I dragged him to the car and we were on our way to Bountiful...but not without stopping downtown in Salt Lake to pick up our tickets! I was worried that we wouldn't get our tickets in time if we didn't stop then. We were probably at the office for 20 minutes waiting for them to process all the paperwork! When all was said and done, they finally asked me if I was sure that I wouldn't be able to make it to the show on Friday. I explained that I was in labor RIGHT NOW and was headed to the hospital. They finally believed me!

We showed up at the hospital at 5:30, and found that I was dilated to a 7. I had failed the strep test, so they hooked me up to the anti-biotics, but I only got through one bag before Jacob decided to come into the world. This experience was so much better than my first birth! I only pushed for a few minutes, didn't tear, and my placenta delivered itself without any help this time (thank heaven!). Jacob was born on Monday, April 21, 2003 at 7:48pm. He was 7 pounds, 3 ounces (almost a full pound bigger than Alex) and had slight traces of blond hair. He was so beautiful! Brian finally believed me when I told him that hurrying this time around was a good idea. The fact that we had two hours to spare when we got there floored him.

The next morning, the doctor informed me that Jacob was showing a LOT of jaundice. Typically, this doesn't show up in babies until 2-3 days later, so they put him on a bili bed to help flush things out. The good news for me was that I got to stay at the hospital for 2 extra days just for Jake. It was so peaceful! I certainly felt rested upon leaving that place.

I have to explain how we came up with Jacob's name. I was rooting for Jacob, but Brian wanted: Jaden, Brayden, Caden, and any other possible derivative of said names, but I didn't like them at all. Working in a child care, I had more than my share of kids with those names and didn't want him to join the "aden" craze. We were down to Jacob or Jaden at the hospital. We knew for sure that we wanted his middle name to be Taylor, after our first child who miscarried. We named that one Taylor because it could fit a boy or a girl. Plus, Jacob has a cousin named Jordan Taylor, so we thought that J.T. was a great fit. That is what we called him that whole first day. J.T. We were still debating the next morning, and were both quite stubborn about our name choices, so Brian bought a deck of cards to help determine who our winner would be. We played Go Fish, and decided that whoever won 2 out of 3 hands would get to name him. Well, Brian won the first hand. Then he won the second hand, too. UGH! I consigned myself to calling him Jaden that whole day. I hated it, but had to give in, because Brian won our deal. He brought Alex to visit later that day. When Alex came in, he said, "Who's that?" Brian said, "That's your brother, Jacob." WHAT? Wait a minute. He didn't say Jaden! So I asked him if he realized what he had just said. He said that he did, and as long as it was BRIAN that got to choose Jacob's name, then he would be happy to call him Jacob. Of course, I was ecstatic! Even now that he's six, I can't picture him being named Jaden at all. He is certainly a Jacob for sure!

Jacob had to stay on the bili bed with a bili blanket for the first three weeks of his life. It was so hard to not be able to hug him and hold him all the time while he went through his treatment! He soon recovered, and with spring in full swing, we went outside a lot. This helped his body break down the bilirubins a lot more quickly.

Jacob followed his big brother everywhere growing up. Alex loved to make him laugh! Jacob had adoration written all over his face whenever he saw Alex. He cried a lot, too. Alex picked on him a lot, but Jacob has always been such a forgiving kid.

We used to call him the Giant Baby when he and Alex would build with their blocks. Alex would build, then Jacob would come along and annihilate it.

Jacob loved to spin. At the child care, he would sit in the exersaucer and spin and spin until his eyes were rolling around in the sockets. He would laugh, wait for it to stop, then do it all over again. He loved his bouncer, too. He could jump all afternoon if I would give in and let him stay in the bouncer swing.

He has always loved making faces. He could sit and entertain himself forever just by making faces...he doesn't even need a mirror!

When he was 10 months old, he was standing at our entertainment center. At that stage, he liked to rear his head back and slam it forward. Well, one of those times, he caught his front tooth on one of the drawer pulls. His teeth were PERPENDICULAR to each other! It was so gross and scary! Luckily, the dentist was able to realign it, but the tooth never grew in. This was the first tooth that Jacob lost just a couple of months ago. His whole life, people have asked him, "Wow! Did you lose a tooth?", even when he was two years old.

Jacob has so much love for life. He is one of the sweetest people I know. He is a born leader and makes friends quite easily. He is a positive kid. And so kind. He loves to be active, and loves to please people. I don't know how I am so blessed to have the opportunity to raise him on the earth. Heavenly Father must certainly love me to send such a sweet spirit to my home. I don't think that I deserve him, but if Heavenly Father thinks I do, then I will not fight him on this matter. He is such a great and loyal brother to Alex and Cameron. He completes our family. I love this kid.

Happy sixth birthday, Jacob. I love you so much.

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:

2009-04-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

This was forwarded to me and I loved it so much I thought I'd update my blog with it. Read on for some fun!

Men Are Just Happier People-- What do you expect from such simple
creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans
take care of themselves Chocolate is just another snack. You can be
President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a
water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you
the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas
station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop
and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never
stare at your chest when you're talking to them. New shoes don't cut,
blister, or mangle your feet..
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about
tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all
your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of
thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be
your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more
than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public.. You are
unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.. Everything on your face stays its
original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.. You
only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes --
one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs
look. You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of
choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25
minutes.
No wonder men are happier.

The Holy Ghost

2009-03-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

Today has been so touching. Our lesson in my primary class was about receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost after being baptized. We started out with a treasure hunt to help us find clues about this gift that is most precious above all others. We talked of the Holy Ghost and how the apostles received the Holy Ghost to be a comforter for them after Jesus Christ was resurrected. We practiced memorizing the 4th Article of Faith (which the kids loved...they could have spent the whole class doing this, but we had to move on), and talked about the feeling we have when we are prompted by the Holy Ghost.

Tonight, during scripture study, we read about Helaman's sons Lehi and Nephi. Nephi gave up the judgment seat because he could see how much iniquity was in the land and he thought he could do more good crying repentance to the people, so he and his brother Lehi served a mission. They were able to bring back many dissenters who no longer wanted to be part of the Nephites, then they began to preach to the Lamanites. What a blessing for two people to be able to aid in the conversion of 8,000 Lamanites! Next, they were put into prison. We read the story of how they were about to be slain by the Lamanites when they were encircled about by a pillar of fire and were conversing with angels. The Lamanites were afraid. Then a still, small voice came into their hearts and taught peace and forgiveness. Soon, ALL the people in the prison: prisoners, soldiers, and all, were also encircled about by this same pillar of fire and administered to by angels.

What a powerful experience! I am so blessed to be able to have the gospel in my life. The Holy Ghost HAS been a source of comfort for me, has given me the necessary promptings that I have needed in preparing for lessons and talks, has been a voice of warning. I am so grateful that I have the scriptures; that they have been preserved and translated for us in our day so that we can read of these marvelous things. My heart was so full as I read this story to my boys. I'm looking forward to the day when they will be baptized and receive this most precious gift above all others, and they can share their experiences with me.

1. Having a companion teacher (finally) for my CTR 7 class
2. Opportunity to spend time with family
3. Working with Alex this weekend to ride his bike without training wheels (we are so close!)
4. Reading President Hinckley's Standing for Something
5. The beautiful day on Saturday, and all the outdoor activities that went along with it

Almost There

2009-03-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

We have had this bug in our house for about a month, now. It's time for the bug to be banished. OUT, OUT, DAMN BUG!!! (To quote Lady MacBeth) Your presence here is no longer tolerated! Go away and never come back!

This morning, I deep cleaned the bathroom. Tomorrow, I will mop the floors in the kitchen and upstairs. We will clean the windows. And every door handle and light switch will be scrubbed to a shine.

Sorry, bug. We no longer want your company.

Look what I did tonight!

2009-03-04T21:30:00.001-08:00

Spring is not necessarily acting like it is upon us with the weather tonight, but before the storm officially hit, I went down to Heartland Paper Company and made these:

They were so much fun to make. I have not officially glued on their feet (we didn't have glue strong enough to hold at the class), so they haven't started hopping around in my living room...yet. I LOVE the paper. It's so beautiful with the reds and pinks and will go very nicely in my living room. When they're officially up, I'll have to post another pic.

I have to say that I know that I am not creative, but I'm sure grateful that there are people out there that are and that I am able to share in their gift. My next project will include a sign that says "Liberty" and something else patriotic to go with it. I can't wait.

1. Time to go be "crafty"
2. Spending time with the boys while they're off track
3. Listening to Cameron "reading" from his little books that he has memorized
4. My best friend for letting me get out and be girly
5. The sunshine on my face this morning...aaah.

Up in the Middle of the Night

2009-02-20T00:53:00.000-08:00

We've had several nights like this lately. For some reason, Cameron thinks he has turned into an owl. He's nocturnal! Hence, the lack of new posts. Last week, he had a bunch of congestion and tonight, I think his tummy is upset. When will it end?

On a positive note, Brian got me a bread machine last weekend! We have had a fresh loaf of bread every day at our house, and it has been wonderful!

I'm hopeful that the next time I post, it won't be at two in the morning.

TTFN

1. watching Alex and Cameron bond while he's been off track

2. all the lovely birthday wishes and surprises I got this week

3. wonderful friends

4. the beautiful sunshine we had today

5. all the Ensign articles talking about self-sufficiency and preparedness. We're ready to get the ball rolling at our house!

2009-02-11T22:13:00.000-08:00

THIS WAS REALLY WORTH SHARING!!!!! Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold unt il the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that h e discovered his fa ther sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, al l we have to do is reach out to Him. If you liked this story, pass it on. If not, you took off your blindfold before dawn. Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean He is not there.
'For we walk by faith, not by sight.'

1. Cameron's ever-growing vocabulary list

2. scrapbooking friends

3. new rug and pictures in our almost-completed bathroom

4. day off from work

5. homemade bread currently baking in my oven :)

I broke 150!

2009-02-09T22:09:00.000-08:00

So, I've been doing a lot of TurboJam and eating a lot healthier. Today, I reaped some of the benefits of said actions: I have officially broken 150 pounds. I am on the lighter side (149.8) of that number, and am so EXCITED! Granted, I haven't been perfect. I still have a soft spot for sweets, but I've been getting all of my veggies, fruits, and dairy, not to mention a LOT of protein. I have a pair of pants that I bought on New Year's (size 12) that fit perfectly at the time. Well, they no longer stay UP! My old pants that were size 12's are fitting a lot better now. This feels so good, I think I'll push it up a notch and see where February takes me!

1. healthier outlook

2. better fitting jeans

3. walking to school with the boys in the snow this morning

4. reading Alma's words to his son Helaman

5. TurboJam with Alex (my seven year old). Good times!

Sweet Surprises

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

This morning, I was woken up by my sweet five year old, Jacob, with this comment: "Mommy, wake up, I made you breakfast!"

He was carrying a bowl of raisin bran with milk full to the top and it was balanced on a cutting board like a tray.

How sweet is this? I asked what made him decide to do this, and he said, "I just want you to be happy today. I love you."

Could you ever ask for anything better than this?

What a sweetheart.

On top of this, when I got home from work tonight, there was a fun little package on my table.

It was filled with this:

My dear, sweet friend Emily sent it as a Happy Winter package!

Thank you, Em. You made this happy day even happier!

1. wonderful friends
2. the fact that Jacob thought this up on HIS OWN!
3. ten loads of laundry in 2 1/2 hours...DONE!
4. we get to go buy a new dryer on Saturday
5. the beautiful sunshine and clear skies we had today

Hot Date Tomorrow

2009-01-28T23:31:00.001-08:00

So, tomorrow I have a hot date. I know you are all jealous. *giggle* Cameron and I get to spend the day at...

Yep. That's right! Our dryer decided that it is on strike. After trying to dry the same load of clothes THREE times while the rest of the laundry piled up, I've given up the fun at home. Cameron and I are going to bust out ALL of the laundry in TWO HOURS!!! I know you're jealous, but think of all the fun I'll have!

1. first aid training

2.great job that can be flexible

3. getting kids to school on time

Paint.

2009-01-24T23:30:00.000-08:00

So, we started a project on our bathroom in June LAST YEAR. We hired a couple of guys to come in and basically gut the room so we could build from scratch. What led us into this project, you ask? We got a FREE low-flow toilet from our water district. When we pulled the old one out, the linoleum came up with it. We knew we would have to replace the flooring and got some really great tile. When Brian was pulling up the baseboards, he found mildew everywhere. We ended up having to pull out the walls and figured we may as well scrap the bathtub that was old and getting rusty as well. The guys that came to do the work for us were very unreliable, created huge messes and then left for the day without straightening up, and took all kinds of long breaks throughout the day when they were there. When they did the mudding around the pipes and electrical outlets, they left giant globs poking out of the walls. We finally got upset and fired them. So we did the tile work and installed the new cabinets from Ikea, had a cool surround installed by Whitewater, and things were rolling along. We even had the guys install a window in our bathroom, which we didn't have before! YAY! When it was time to paint (before we installed cabinets), Brian wanted to just do white. We had quite the disagreement over this, and he ended up buying a gallon, so I went with it. The finish work (baseboards and trim around the doors) never got finished. So we have this cool new bathroom that hasn't really looked "finished" for 6 months. I finally decided to change all that.

Our tub surround is a beautiful walnut color, and the tile is a dark beige. Lately, I have been infatuated with the chocolate/light blue combination, so we decided to try light blue. Well, now that I've got two coats on, it's a lot DARKER than I thought it would be! We are planning to install bead board and put some shelves and pictures up, but I'm not sure that I love my bathroom yet. At least it will just be halfway up. I don't have any pictures from "before" or "after" the first phase since I didn't have a camera. I WILL post our "finished" pictures as soon as we accomplish our mission. I can't wait to be officially DONE! I guess we'll see how this turns out!

1. having kids old enough to entertain each other while we paint

2. the rain that cleaned the air a little more today (can't wait for the inversion to take a hike)

3. my wonderful husband that puts up with my wish list

4. boys that were able to keep the house from getting torn apart today! (this is a big accomplishment, folks!)

5. reading time with Cameron. he told me what the pictures meant before I read the page to him. This was awesome!

Has it really been TWO YEARS?

2009-01-19T21:13:00.000-08:00

Today, we celebrated Cameron's birthday. I can't believe how much this little guy has changed. This is him at one month. Like the hair?

Both of Cameron's brothers came early. I figured that would be the same with him, but he had other plans. My water broke at noon on January 18th. Not the gush, but the constant trickle. I called Brian home from work, he picked up the boys from school, and we headed to the hospital. I had had ZERO contractions in the three hour process this took. As a matter of fact, I had ZERO contractions up through 8:30pm, when my doctor had Brian and I try some "alternative" stimulation to try to get them started. I had no medication with Alex and Jacob, so I wasn't about to have any for Cameron. I actually enjoy the process of labor. To me, the other two really weren't that bad, pain-wise.

By 11pm, when really, the teeny-tiny contractions that I was having weren't doing a darn thing, we started me on Pitocin. We found that Cameron was facing the wrong way, so I had a LOT of back labor.

By three AM, I decided it was time to give in. WOW! So THAT's why everyone else LOVES getting an epidurral! The rest of the birth was blissful, and I even had a little nap while the contractions did their magic. Cameron was finally brought into this world at 4:45AM. ON HIS DUE DATE. He really likes to be prompt. The entire process wasn't finished until about 7 AM, as we had major complications with my placenta not delivering on its own. Boy, was I glad for that epidurral. I had this same problem with Alex, and not having the drugs for this part was the worst part of the whole birthing process. I was finally able to rest after the long night all through the next day.

When he was first born, people would come up and say, "Wow! What a cute baby. LOOK AT ALL THAT HAIR! Did his brothers have that much hair?" He had a TON of dark brown, curly hair that looked like it had been highlighted at the very tips with blonde. We got more comments from people about his hair than anything else. And to answer the question. Alex and Jacob? Bald when they were babies.

Cameron has been such a fun boy. He COMPLETELY adores his two brothers, and wants so badly to do everything they do. He has determined that it is no longer okay to ride in the shopping cart at the grocery store, since they don't. Our little shopping trips now take three times the amount of time than they used to, as he has to explore EVERYTHING he can get his hands on!

This is one of my favorite things that he does: anytime he is in his highchair, or on his changing station with his feet dangling down, they go:

See how he hooks his toes together? He does it all the time! So cute! He loves to count to ten. "One, two, three, seben, eight, nine, TEN!" He LOVES puzzles, he is crazy about animals, and can tell you all the sounds they make. He's got a sense of humor, and loves to tease. He is eager to say the prayer, and drops to his knees the second we say it's time for prayer, no matter the location. He loves his baths. He has just learned how to blow bubbles in the water. He is such a great talker. He says "Thank you" without being prompted. He loves trains, tractors, airplanes, and helicopters. He also likes dinosaurs.

Every Sunday, when we are getting dressed, we have the same conversation: "Mommy? Nursery pants? Nursery shoes?" "Yes, Cameron, we're putting on your nursery pants. You get to go to nursery today!" "Mommy? Nursery shirt? Nursery tie?" "Yes, Cameron. Are you excited for nursery?" "YAY! Nursery!" He LOVES going. The second the closing prayer ends, he is yanking at my sleeve to take him to nusery. He cannot wait! And thankfully, they wear him out. He is always almost asleep by the time we get home from church.

I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for sending me this little prince. He has brought so much joy to our family. I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father would trust me with this angel. And, I'm looking forward to all the memories we will make together.

Eccentricities

2009-01-17T09:35:00.001-08:00

So, I've been thinking a lot about some of my quirks.

1. When I put a blanket on the bed, it ALWAYS has to be with the top of the picture at the head of the bed. Even if it has a flower pattern, the pictures have to be facing the right way.
2. Those odd times that I have a tic-tac (or something small like that), I have to have one for each side of my mouth.
3. I can't be in a messy room. I don't know how my sweet, patient husband does it, but if I walk into say, my living room, and the slipcover on the couch isn't right, I can't leave the room until it IS right. Needless to say, I fix that darn thing maybe two or three times a day.
4. I can't be IN a car unless my seatbelt is on (that's not quirky, that's just GOOD SENSE).
5. When I'm in a workout class, things always have to line up. The step has to be straight even with the lines of the wood floor, and in yoga, if my hands are not completely even (like in down dog), it's "weird".
6. The toilet paper has to go "over". If I'm in your house and it's under, I just might even change it. :)
7. The towels in the bathroom have to be folded in thirds (the narrow way) and hung up. Unless you've just dried yourself off with it. By all means, then, hang it up all stretched out and let it air dry. No moldy towels for me!
8. I don't like to go to bed with dishes in the sink. Actually, I don't like having ANY dishes in the sink. When the sink is so full that you can't even get your hands UNDER the faucet to wash them, something is WRONG!
9. I have to be able to open a door ALL the way. If something is behind it, it feels weird to me. Whatever is back there needs to MOVE.
10. The chairs need to be pushed all the way up against the table if they are not being used. This goes for anywhere. The library, my kitchen, classrooms, etc.
11. I love to HUG my kids. That's not a quirk either. That's just being a good mom.
12. In high school, I always got excited on Tuesdays and Fridays because it was CHOCOLATE MILK DAY!
13. I get excited over little things like Brian taking out the trash.
14. I love it when Cameron is so excited to see me that he starts yelling my name when he hears our gate being opened.
15. I love just being held by Brian. He is such an amazing and loving man.
16. I love it when my kids listen the first time.
17. I love the new series "90210" and "Privileged"...and watching high school movies in general.
18. I can't have the TV and the stereo on at the same time.
19. I don't like it when my garment top comes untucked in the back. It makes me all "twisty" until I get it fixed!
20. I can and will sleep in any place or position at any time of the day if I'm tired enough.

Well, I guess that's all for now. Do you have a funny quirk that you would like to share?

Ramblings

2009-01-13T22:01:00.000-08:00

So, today I got a little bit frustrated. How HARD is it to remove snow from a sidewalk? Honestly. We got ready for school, and were on track to getting there on time when I went to find my keys. I think Brian had both keys, so we ended up having to hoof it. Normally, I really enjoying walking the kiddos to school...the weather was beautiful this morning, the birds were singing, the sun was peeking over the mountains, it would have been great on an average morning as long as we didn't have to hurry our little selves. At this point, we left ten minutes later than we should have if we were walking, and finding out at the last minute meant sending the boys back inside to get bundled, which takes even MORE time. Plus, the snowbanks on the sides of the sidewalk are so inviting to my boys. They are so drawn to walking the entire way through the snow (the longer, harder way) instead of on the sidewalk (quicker and easier). We were able to unearth the stroller from beneath the snow a couple days ago (we don't have a garage and the snow buried the stroller last week), so I put Cameron in and covered him with a blanket. The way was smooth sailing until we got halfway up the street. Then we hit the row of about eight houses that hadn't had their walks shoveled. We ended up getting stuck hitting the ice and snow every which way. I think poor Cameron was getting whiplash from his mother trying to break our way through until we could get to a driveway and exit the sidewalk, which of course puts us halfway out onto the street, as not everybody knows HOW to park their cars in their driveways! GRRRR! So we're halfway out into the street DODGING traffic coming down the hill at top speed from the school trying not to get hit. I can understand if you are a shut-in. But when you have plenty of able-bodied people in a house, and NOBODY will go out and shovel, it's just plain rude. I'm trying really hard not to pass judgement on people; I don't know their whole situations, but clearly, it can be very frustrating when MY perception is that they just don't care. I DO want to thank the people that are really good about making sure their walk is clear right away. I am MORE grateful to those people, especially after getting stuck so many times before. Sadly, the boys were late for school. That's okay. Tomorrow, we'll be more prepared!

Onto a more positive topic: did anyone happen to see The Bachelor this week? This show is so much fun to watch. I really like Jason, and I'm looking forward to seeing how his quest goes. I totally can't wait for next week and his date with Stephanie. I LOVE that her daughter gets to come see her! What a sweet guy to think of something like that. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you watch the show. Do you have someone you are rooting for? Anyone you don't like? Any favorite parts of the show?

Well, I'm headed upstairs to do some TurboJam before I hit the hay. Can't wait! This workout is so much fun!

TTFN

Sunday Post

2009-01-11T22:12:00.001-08:00

This was my second week teaching the six year olds in primary. Two things struck me at first: one, I have a particularly rambunctious student in my class. Luckily, I have a wonderful friend who he is very familiar with, so she comes in to help out. And two, we had a new kid. This boy had been to church 1-2 times before in his entire short little life. He's not used to sitting still for three solid hours, so his little hands and feet and GUM were going everywhere. It would have been very easy to say, "This is too much. I can't handle these guys, and I'm really not in the mood!" I feel very blessed to know that Heavenly Father was with me today. I am so grateful for His companionship! I was able to see both boys (and my two "always reverent", that wait patiently until I'm able to get the "non-reverent" boys in control) through His eyes. I felt so much love for them, and was blessed with the patience and love that I needed to make our class successful today. We were able to have a great lesson, in which all four were great about participating, and really enjoy each others' company. I have found that by distracting their hands, I can keep them pretty focused. Last week, we colored during the lesson and this week, we made little bead necklaces. They LOVE it! And I love it, too.

We talked today about trust, and how Heavenly Father knows that we have been taught to do what is right, now we are just here on earth, and able to trust that he will be there for us while he trusts us to do what we need to in order to return to him. I'm grateful for the knowledge that I have of this. I really need to start trusting my kids more and see how they do.

1. inspiration and comfort during primary

2. seeing how reverent and able to answer questions my OWN boys were today

3. having my parents, neices, and nephew over for dinner tonight

4. reading the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies to the boys. I hope my boys will be great missionaries like Alma, Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni. Man did those guys ROCK!

This is so YUMMY!

2009-01-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

On Christmas morning, we had a little "gourmet breakfast". My contribution was Stuffed French Toast. You've got to try it!

French bread baguettes, sliced 2 inches wide(or you can use Texas toast, if you like)
Pineapple cream cheese, softened
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup whipping cream (or half and half, or even milk)
dash of salt
1/8 cup honey
1 tsp sugar cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, melted
3 cups mixed berries, mixed with a little sugar

First, spread some cream cheese on one slice of bread, then top it with another. Place in 9x13 baking dish. Continue until the dish is full. Mix the eggs, cream, salt, honey and sugar-cinnamon mixture and pour over the top. Turn each "sandwich" over. Pour the melted butter over the top of the bread, then bake at 350 until golden brown (about 40 minutes). Top with the berry mixture and enjoy!

*disclaimer: I got this recipe in the mail one day (an ad for a cookbook), and can't really remember the actual measurements of the items. I'm just guesstimating. If you need to fiddle around the measurements, go for it.

It's also really easy to make the night before you need it. Just cover with plastic wrap and chill. The next morning, pull it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature (about 30 minutes), then bake and enjoy.

Let me know what you think after you've tried it!

*disclaimer #2: We ate this BEFORE I joined the Biggest Loser group. :)

Biggest Loser Blog

2009-01-05T23:24:00.000-08:00

To my Biggest Loser Friends, I decided it would be easier to update a separate blog. You can view this here. I am so excited about the new journey I am about to embark upon.
Can't wait to see updates along the way!

Congratulations to the Utes

2009-01-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

This is a big shout out to the Utes for their awesome win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl!
Alabama has always been a powerhouse team, so the fact that the Utes came in and fought their way to victory is HUGE.

I have been a BYU Football fan since junior high.
I love their program, especially now that Bronco Mendenhall is at the helm. I love all that they stand for. I will always cheer for them, especially when they play the Utes.

Today, however, is a day that I can happily say that I am so proud of the way the U played their game last night. They really took the game and ran with it. They certainly proved that they could take down a powerhouse like Alabama, and I think it's awesome.

So, from this BYU fan, way to go Utes. You should have been the national champions this year.
Enjoy the bliss!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

I just want to say that I'm grateful for where I was in my life during 2008, and I'm looking forward to all the wonderful things that will happen this new year!

1. fresh beginnings

2. great day at the sled hill (pictures to come)

3. when alex shows how kind and loving he can be

4. jacob's enthusiasm and zest for life

5. when cameron gets to sleep in his own bed, and at his NORMAL schedule

6. amazing employees i get to talk to every day

7. my amazing husband, my best friend

ABC Tag

2008-12-31T00:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a picture about my lunch with the girls today, but couldn't find my USB cable for my camera. That post will have to come later! Also, Jacob lost his first tooth Saturday night! The tooth fairy made a mistake, though. She thought she had four dollar bills in her purse, and put them under his pillow. It wasn't until the next morning that Jacob showed us that she had left him thirteen dollars!!! There is no way to fix that. Lucky kid. I wish MY teeth were worth that much!

ABC Tag
A is for age: 33 (and 10/12ths).
B is for burger of choice: I LOVE a great burger off the grill topped with mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickles, fresh tomatoes out of the garden, leaf lettuce, and a couple slices of bacon. This is best eaten accompanied by french fries sprinkled with seasoned salt. YUMMM!
C is for the car I drive: White 2003 Ford Windstar Minivan. It's great, except that the key fob won't unlock the passenger side door. Often times, I forget this and try to get in the passenger side before Brian comes out to the van. I end up having to walk around to the driver's side to either unlock the door, or just get in. AHH, life.
D is for your dog's name: Chey. Short for Cheyenne, but we never call her that. She also goes by: Chey-Roo, the Lady Loo, and Little Black Dog. She also talks to us in this great high-pitched voice, but only people in our family are privileged to hear it. :)
E is for an essential item you use every day: Honestly, Facebook. I don't know if I would call it "essential", but it is such a great way to keep in touch with a lot of incredible friends. Were it not for Facebook, I would still be living in my little family circle. Now, I get to talk to people I haven't seen for 20 years! I LOVE it. If you are not on Facebook, you oughtta give it a shot!
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: I have a couple...it's just too hard to narrow the choices down! I keep up with Privileged and 90210 weekly. The Bachelor is starting again next week, and any CSI is fascinating to me. BUT, it's also fun to watch Word Girl, Super Why, and Fetch on PBS!
G is for favorite game: The good old fashioned camp game: the Elephant Game is probably my favorite. I love how much it makes me laugh! I also enjoy Cranium, Apples to Apples, Hand and Foot, and Bunda.
H is for home state: Utah. I have had the lucky pleasure of living in these places: Arizona, Georgia, Washington, Korea, Alaska, Idaho, Texas, and Arkansas, but my favorite place hands down is the great state of Utah. I think living away from the place really made me appreciate it. I is for instruments you play: I love to play my voice (?) all the time, and if you count OWNING a guitar, I guess I play two. I haven't actually picked up the guitar except to move it from point a to point b in quite a while. Maybe that ought to be my new year's resolution!
J is for favorite juice: Definitely Tropicana orange juice and also Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry Juice. If I'm in charge of buying juice, those are the kinds I would get. If Brian's in charge, it would be the gross orange juice in the frozen can. *yuck!*.
K is for who's bum you'd like to kick: People who think they are above the rules, or that I should change the rules just for them (i.e., the rules we have in place for safety at the pool/gym. Obviously the rules were made for a reason. Just follow them!), and also the dumb car thieves that have been preying on the seniors at the fitness center. GO AWAY!
L is for last restaurant at which you ate: McDonald's. We had to let the boys run and play...this weather has kept them cooped up for too long! Also, I ate at Sego Lily Cafe with some dear, dear friends today. We had a great time!
M is for your favorite Muppet: hmmm. I like the whole dynamic between Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog. Oh, the pain of un-requited love!
N is for number of piercings: One in each lobe. Got to follow President Hinckley's counsel. Also, I don't think any more than that is very attractive...but that's just me.
O is for overnight hospital stays: When I was fourteen, I had viral meningitis. I spent the entire week at the hospital instead of girl's camp, which is where I much preferred to be. Once at twenty-one for a sinus infection/dehydration situation, I had my appendix removed when I was twenty-two, and then when I had my adorable boys.
P is for people you were with today: Brian, Alex, Jacob, and Cameron. Also, at lunch: Savannah, Wendi, Meredith, Sue, and Melissa. So much fun!
Q is for what you do in your quiet time: I LOVE to read. I also enjoy blogging, WASTING time on Facebook, and enjoying a movie (if I can make it through without falling asleep)
R is for biggest regret: I wish I would have taken more exciting classes in high school and gone to college. College WILL happen, though. Probably when the boys are all in school.
S is for status: I've been happily married to the love of my life for 10 years now and am loving every minute of it!
T is for time you woke up today: When the alarm FIRST went off? 6:30. When I actually got out of bed? Closer to 7:10.
U is for what you consider unique about yourself:
V is for a vegetable you love: I really enjoy broccoli. It's not fun to eat with braces, though.
W is for worst habit: Procrastination!
X is for X-rays you've had: Dental x-rays...if you count CAT scans, I've had a few of those.
Y is for yummy food you ate today: Whatever the special was called at Sego Lily: penne pasta with gorgonzola cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and roasted garlic. mmmm.
Z is for Zodiac: Aquarius

Simple Things

2008-12-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

Today, I had the opportunity to substitute in the nursery at church. Can I tell you that I had so much fun? I loved taking next week's new Sunbeams in to "practice going to primary". Of course, they didn't always stay ON the bench, but they did pay attention to the talks, and were quite fascinated during the songs. They walked to the primary room so reverently. I was pretty proud. It's interesting how much the dynamic changes in the nursery on that first week without the big kids. Our lesson today was Being Reverent, and it was so cool to see how many of them actually knew what it meant to do it. I felt very blessed to be a part of helping them grow the very early stages of their own testimonies.

Next week, I'll start a new adventure as a primary teacher. I'll be teaching the class that is right between Alex and Jacob, so I'll get to sit right there with them each week. I feel that this is quite a blessing, since I don't get to see them all the time while they're in school all day and I work at night. Heavenly Father must be pretty sensitive to my needs. Next week, I'll update with pictures of my class and let you know how it goes. For now, I'll remember the joy of singing with the nursery kids.

1. walking through the snow

2. spending time in the nursery with Brian and Cameron

3. testimonies. even from little mouths.

Bartschi Bunch Christmas Party, Part 1

2008-12-23T23:54:00.001-08:00

We have such a good time together that we had to have two phases of our party. We met at mom and dad's for our traditional fondue dinner (Bartschis ARE Swiss, after all!). The cheese was DIVINE! After our scrumptious dinner, we headed on to the game portion of the evening.

The Animal Game is ALWAYS a big hit. The kiddos couldn't wait to do the gift exchange, then we gave mom and dad their present...a new flatscreen TV! They were so surprised!

The best part was getting our presents from Dad: he made all of the older girls scarves and hats! He designed and did all the work on his own.

To cap off the evening, we had a couples' foosball tournament. Mom and Dad, Kent and Elaine, then Paul and Carma were eliminated pretty quickly, and we followed suit. Here we are playing for second place, but ended up in third instead. That's okay. It's only a game, right? :)

DJ and Katherine played Christy and Cary for the first place position. DJ and Katherine ended up taking the tournament!

We had a great time tonight, and can't wait until tomorrow night when we can finish our party. It is so nice to be around family, and have EVERYONE get along with each other. I consider it an amazing blessing to be part of this wonderful family.

Until tomorrow...

1. association with family

2. alex and jacob followed MOST of the rules

3. this season of sharing and love

Merry Christmas.

A Special Visitor

2008-12-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we had a special visitor at our house! After the boys finished their baths, and were getting into their pj's, we heard some bells jingling outside our door. We scrambled to finish getting them dressed and RAN up the stairs to answer the door. When what to our wondering eyes did appear...but Santa was standing there (without his reindeer)!

We invited him into our home. The boys were SO excited! He had them sit next to him on the couch and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Alex asked for Yugi-oh (?) cards, and Jacob asked for a T-Rex. Cameron just stared at him. I'm not sure he was quite up to seeing him in real life! Santa made sure to tell the boys that he ONLY gave presents to boys who cleaned their rooms! He also reminded him that he was very good at checking UNDER their beds as well, so they needed to make sure not to shove everything underneath to hide it all. He said that he noticed that Brian did that a lot when he was a boy, and he didn't want Brian passing his traditions along to the boys. He was so adorable! The most important thing he did was this: He asked why we celebrate Christmas, to which the boys promptly replied, "Because Baby Jesus was born!" He pulled little pictures of Jesus out of his stocking for Alex and Jacob and had them read what was on the back. It read: "Please remember why we really celebrate Christmas! Love, Santa

I was so touched by this. It's wonderful that he didn't put the focus on himself, as he could have done at this time of year, but to take the time to make sure the kids really understand why we are celebrating. This is such a loving example that we can all learn from. We decided to hang our pictures on the tree so we can have them every year to remind us.

Here is the best part: Right after he left, the boys RAN back down to their bedroom and set to work. Jacob got under the bed to push everything out, while Alex put things away. Alex asked if he could be the one to vacuum his room. It took quite a lot of effort to actually get them into bed, as they wanted to stay up cleaning all night long! Hopefully, we can keep this spirit up for the next week and a half!

We are very much looking forward to our Christmas celebration. The manger is getting more pieces of straw every day, and we have been singing Christmas songs each time we get into the van. I love this season, and all the opportunities we get to focus on the birth of Christ. I'm grateful to be on the earth at this time, and to be able to teach my children of him and the amazing love he has for all of us. I'm grateful for the time we get to spend with family and friends. And I'm grateful for the snow we've gotten, and all the snow we will be getting this week! I am especially grateful for my Savior. May the world remember him in all that they do, especially during these next two weeks.

Building Our Manger

2008-12-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight, for Family Home Evening, we put together our manger and drew names to see who we can do secret little deeds for in order to put straw in for baby Jesus. I love how Alex and Jacob didn't want to go to bed tonight because they were so busy doing their good deeds! And they were so cute about it, too. They each had drawn the parents' names, so after they accomplished their task (which is supposed to be secret), they would say, "Mom! I just did something nice for you!" I think the part about it being secret was completely lost on them! The pitter patter of their little feet running throughout the house doing good was music to my ears. I am looking forward to the opportunity for them to enhance their love for each other by way of service. I'll keep you posted on any situations that stand out. For now, I'm just thankful.

1. The Christmas season of love and service

2. Boys who are learning the joy of it

3. The twinkle in their eyes and pitter patter of their feet

Families

2008-12-07T22:24:00.000-08:00

*The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are bligated to help one another as equal partners. * - excerpt from The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

How I love this part of the proclamation! I love that it tells us how sacred our families are, and should be, to each other. I love the promise that if we follow the commandments, and live as Jesus Christ would have us live, that our family will be strengthened. This is the time of year that people focus a little more on their families. My prayer for you is that you take these things into account and work hard to make your family all that it can be, as I will be doing in my home. I love my family so much, and I love Heavenly Father even more. May we all honor him and treat our families as sacred angels from our Father in Heaven!

1. My wonderful, loving husband

2. My three angels

3. The gospel in our lives

4. Our temple marriage, that allows us to be sealed to each other forever.

5. The Proclamation, so that the world understands how important this is to us as Latter-Day Saints.

Right Here? No.

2008-12-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

Here is Cameron, studiously working on his fish puzzle. He picks up a piece and says, "Jellyfish? Right here? No." He tries the jellyfish in each place until he finds just the right spot where it belongs. When he finds the right spot he says, "Right here? YAY!"

I LOVE watching him learn! Right now, he is learning his colors. "White van? Brown truck?" It's just amazing to me how much our little ones comprehend at this age. What a wonderful blessing to have him in my life. I have really enjoyed the time he and I spend together.

Thanksgiving Fun

2008-11-27T21:55:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving day began with our 3rd annual Bartschi Bunch breakfast at Little America.

We ate so much! Our highlights of the meal included the best orange juice in the whole world (of course), banana-blueberry pancakes, eggs benedict, cowboy omelette, and getting to spend this time with our wonderful family. We're glad that Paul and Carma got to join us this year. They had to miss all the previous trips, as they lived in Alaska. It is so nice having them here this year. We are grateful for the time we now get to spend with them. Kent and his family set a new record by arriving FIRST! YAY!
As promised, here is the layout of the spread the boys and I prepared for dinner at the Storers. The food was delicious, and eaten in copious amounts. We had everyone in the Storer family in attendance this year. How wonderful to be able to spend a holiday with so many people that we love so much! Alex, Jacob, and Cameron ran themselves ragged playing with all their cousins! When they were finished running, we sat down and made Christmas wreaths to hang on our door.

Here is our finished product. We are so excited to get ready for Christmas. Mom found all of these items at Zim's downtown. They are closing their store, so she got lots of great deals. Jacob decided to be creative and make a snake, too.

After a LONG and blissful day, the boys fell asleep in the car. AHHH. THIS is living.

1. the chance to rest (and naps!)

2. great food...we are blessed to KNOW we are going to eat the next meal.

3. family, family, family

Getting Ready!

2008-11-27T01:51:00.000-08:00

Our nephew Andy came over tonight for a little sleepover. You will see him in a couple of the shots. Alex was first to make his casserole. He will show you step-by-step how it is done:

First, you have to make sure you have your ingredients.

Then, you pour all the ingredients into a large bowl.

Make sure you stir them together really well...

And Ta-Dah! Green Bean Casserole that is ready to go in the oven. We'll have to do that part at Grandmom Patsy's and Papa George's house tomorrow.

Next, it was Jacob's turn to make the pie!

We decided to go easy and buy the crust already made. The first thing you do is poke holes in the crust.

You have to use a butter knife to cut the bananas so you don't get hurt (where's his cutting glove?).
STIR, STIR, STIR!!!!

Coming up, the finished products will be showcased in tomorrow's post.

Happy Thanksgiving to you from the Bartschi Bunch!

1. boys that are willing to learn how to cook

2. the opportunity to spend the day with them

3. scripture reading time (Alma 1), and the fact that they all asked so many insightful questions.

1 more day!

2008-11-24T22:54:00.000-08:00

I am so excited...one more work day this week, then I'm free to spend the rest of the time with my family. What a blessing to have Alex and Jacob off track on the same week (they are on different tracks at school)! We are planning to get our Thanksgiving menu items ready for our family party on Thursday. Alex is making his famous Green Bean Casserole, Jacob is making his famous Banana Cream Pie, and I am preparing Cranberry Sauce and Sweet Potato Rolls. The other great part about the rest of the week? Sleeping in! :)

1. the opportunity to prepare a talk for sacrament this week
2. only one more day
3. watching Chey (our dog) go crazy looking for the kittens meowing (it was coming out of the computer speakers)...she was hilarious!

Hope

2008-11-23T22:58:00.000-08:00

My visiting teacher came over today with a message of hope from President Uchtdorf. Here are a couple of the highlights from her lesson:

1. "The things we hope for lead us to faith, while the things we hope in lead us to charity. The three qualities - faith, hope, and charity - working together, grounded on the truth and light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, lead us to abound in good works."

2. "The Lord has given us a reassuring message of hope: 'Fear not, little flock.' God will wait with 'open arms to receive' those who give away their sins and continue in faith, hope, and charity.
"And to all who suffer - to all who feel discouraged, worried, or lonely - I say with love and deep concern for you, never give in. Never surrender. Never allow despair to overcome your spirit.
"Embrace and rely upon the Hope of Israel, for the love of the Son of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart."

What a touching message, especially during this time of year, when people may be going through a hard time. I have a couple of friends that are without their husbands while they are fighting for freedom. How easy it would be for them to be sad and without hope. I know of people that are hurting for other reasons. Please let these words be of comfort to you. We are so blessed to have a knowledge of our Savior, and the hope that he gives to all mankind. I feel so grateful that I have someone I can rely upon when I am feeling down. He is the comfort and peace that I feel in my life. I love Him with all my heart.

1. my mother, and her willingness to help me frantically make a denim quilt before my evaluation at work next week (one of my goals).

2. visiting teachers

3. my new ward sisters

4. wonderful song we performed as a choir

5. watching Jacob idolize Alex today

6. listening to the new words Cameron learns and says each day

Today

2008-11-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today, this dear, sweet ANGEL of mine was getting his diaper changed. He was fighting against it, and finally, out of desperation, I said, "All right, Cameron. You listen!" He looked right up at me and said, in his cutest 22 month old voice, "Listen. Mommy." It was so adorable! He has been saying this all day now, as I giggle each and every time I hear his cute little voice. I love him SO MUCH!

Just thought I'd share.

Puddles and Christmas Decor

2008-11-10T17:27:00.000-08:00

Today, Jacob and I counted eight worms and he jumped into six puddles on the way home from school. Isn't this what life is all about? I sure enjoy this one-on-one time with my kids every day. They are such a blessing to me and Brian. It's hard to imagine what our lives would be like without these three precious boys.

Earlier in the day, Alex and Cameron and I went to Pier One to check out their Christmas decorations. I carefully explained before we went in that we would not be spending any money today, and that touching was out of the question. Alex was so excited about everything that of course the question I kept getting was, "Mom! Can we get this?" I loved his enthusiasm! He has his heart set on a nutcracker holding a sword and a shield. Of course, it's $30. I told him that if he wanted to buy it, he could save his money. As soon as we got home, he said, "What chores can I do so I can save my money?" We'll have to see how this plays out... Cameron was just so excited to see the bright colors. We found a train that was perfect for him to hang on the tree. We are getting excited for the holiday and probably ought to start working on our decorations. Wait. It's still November! Maybe in a week or two...

Our Vernal Trip

2008-11-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of driving to Vernal to visit my sister Melissa. The boys and I spent the night so that we could get up early and make the drive. Well, we got up early (6:30?!? - thanks, boys!), but didn't actually get on the road until 10. The boys were so excited...until about thirty minutes into the drive. Then, we had the usual:
are we there yet?
how much longer?
why does this take so long?
we're hungry!
but, I don't want to stop to go potty!
when are we EVER gonna get there?
You know the drill. We rolled into town right at 2:00, thinking that we were gonna be on time for the Pampered Chef party she was having, but found out that the presenter thought the party was at 6:00, not 2:00. Poor Melissa. We had quite a few mishaps along the way, but it turned out to be really fun. We had the best brownies ever, and the boys got to play with Jordan. They sure adore him, and since he lives four hours away, they don't get to play together very often. They had a great time!
We got to enjoy seeing Melissa and Ben's new house. Vernal is definitely in demand for housing, and they were lucky to find a home that fit just right.

The kids played at a playground close by,

and we got the chance to hang out and visit. We had a really great time! I particularly enjoyed spending the time driving with my mom. She is so sweet and caring. I am darn lucky to have her.

Isn't family great?

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

So, it's a little late, but I'm gonna do it anyway. I've got highlights from our extended Halloween activities and decided to show them off.

Our festivities began at the Bartschi house. The kiddos all dressed up, then we headed off for a photo scavenger hunt. They had their lists and they were OFF! It was pretty much a dead tie. We only had to visit two houses to get everything on our lists.

DeAne had potato sack races and tug o'war in the backyard.

After a YUMMY dinner of lasagna, pulled pork sandwiches, salad, and cupcakes, we...

made paper-mache pumpkins! This was Paul and Carma's idea. So cute! They even had prizes for the most creative, scariest mouth, etc.

We had a little pin the nose on the pumpkin (Kent and Elaine's idea), then headed home for some much-needed rest.

Our ward trunk-or-treat was held on Halloween Friday.

This year, Alex dressed up as a Skull Ninja. Jacob was Commander Rex from The Clone Wars, and Cameron was Thomas the Train. I was my normal standby...a witch. For some reason, the boys always tell me that this is how I am supposed to dress up every year. Maybe next year, we'll come up with something else!

After trunk or treat, we headed to my mom's house to do some trick-or-treating, then spend the night so we could drive to Vernal to see my sister Melissa and her family...TBC in the next post!

Election Day!

2008-11-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

So, the day we have been waiting for is finally here. The day I have long anticipated...the last day all the political people will call my house to tell me who they think I should vote for!
Luckily, caller ID helps us all weed out the amount of times we need to get up and answer the phone, and so far, they have not been allowed to call our cell phones. YAY!

Who did you vote for?

John McCain?

Barak Obama?

Today, Alex, Cameron, and I went to Beehive Elementary to cast our vote. When Alex first learned about the elections, he kept coming home and talking about how cool Obama is. We had the opportunity to talk about the two candidates running for office, and about how in America people get to vote for whom they want. We truly are blessed to live in a country where we are given this privilege. I can't imagine living without freedom, the opportunity to declare our voice, and be able to decide for ourselves who we think the best candidate is.

Brian and I both were Romney fans. We sure wish that he was still running today; but if he is not running, we still have the opportunity to vote for the next best person. Although I don't think that McCain will win, at least I was able to declare my vote today.

While voting, Alex stood right beside me to see who I was voting for. We talked about the different candidates and the different offices people were running for. He made sure that I voted for McCain. He was even given a sticker for helping me vote! That was the most exciting part for him.

Jacob also got to vote in his classroom. His class was the "voting place" for the kindergarteners. Their election was a little bit more scaled down: they voted for the President, and also for whether we should give more money to the zoo. He told me he voted for McCain, and that he wanted to give money to the zoo because "their cages are too small and they need more money". It was so cute!

Well, I guess that no matter who wins tonight, the biggest thing to remember is this: we should be grateful for where we live, that we are Americans, and that we have been given this beautiful country in which to live. For that I am grateful.

A little about me..

2008-10-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is a quick picture questionnaire I've seen on other blogs. It's kind of fun. If you haven't already done it, give it a shot!

My first name:

My middle name:

(this would be a picture of Mae West)

My last name:

(this would be the Bartschi haus...probably somewhere in Switzerland) :)

My age:

My favorite place:

A place I'd like to travel:

Enough said.

My favorite object:

I LOVE how I feel after a great yoga workout!

My favorite food:

Mmmmmm...

My favorite color:

My favorite animal:

Chey-roo the Lady-Loo!!!

A past pet:

Cocoa Kitty

My first job:

I was a clerk for a constable in West Bountiful, Utah.

My Worst Habit:

My best friend's nickname:

Google didn't have anything for "Sexy Preence", so I figured this was the next best thing!

Past love:

So, all of these things put together make me who I am today. I would love to see what you come up with on your blog!

Visiting Mount Vernon

2008-10-29T21:53:00.001-07:00

In mid-October, I went with some co-workers to a National Parks and Recreation Conference that was held in Baltimore. We could not resist the opportunity to fly in early so we could check out some of the history of our great country.

Apparently, I'm going to walk you through some of my favorite parts of Mt. Vernon backwards! :)

We started Saturday morning off early so that we could drive down to see George Washington's home. I was fascinated by their massive trail system that borders the Potomac all the way into Mt. Vernon. There were so many people out running, walking, and cycling that I wanted to jump out of the car and join them!

George Washington's favorite pastime was farming. He actually started off farming tobacco, but when the tarrifs were imposed on that, he switched to wheat. I love that he wanted the United States to be a country that would have the ability to feed all the other countries of the world...not so far off, was he? The shed pictured below was built with 16 sides and two floors to revolutionize the threshing of the wheat. The wheat and horses went in through this door. The horses would walk on the wheat and send the grain through the slats in the floor to the lower level. The slaves would then gather up the grain. Pretty smart guy!

This is a farmer that presently works on the farm. He was there to tell us all about how things worked, and how George would rotate the crops to put nutrients back into the soil. He had some pattypan squash, flax, and cotton on display that he had just harvested that morning. He was adorable, too, by the way.

The vault where George's and Martha's bodies are laid to rest.

This is the original tomb where he was buried. The vault didn't come until years later.

This is the view of the back of George's home. His estate overlooked the Potomac. The chairs along the porch are there for George and his guests to watch the sunset after a meal. It was beautiful to see the island across the water, and just imagine that I was looking at the same things George saw centuries ago. I was so impressed with the trees on his estate. They were so tall, and there were so many of them! The pecan tree pictured to the left of the house (which, of course, you can't see very well) was giant. The branches began above the roof, and it still towered way overhead!

One of my favorite stories that I learned while I was there was how he wanted to free his slaves. He knew the plantation wouldn't run well without them, and yet he felt guilty that he had them in the first place. He stated in his will that after his wife Martha died, that his slaves would be set free. He wanted to be sure that she was cared for. Well, Martha was so worried that the slaves would kill her so they could get their freedom that she locked herself in one of the wings of their house. After so long, she finally just freed them so that she could have some peace of mind.

Also, did you know that George never actually cut down the cherry tree? I guess that was a myth! They did say, though, that he still never told a lie!

After reading Prelude to Glory, and his biography, George Washington became one of my heroes. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to pay some respect to him while I was back east.

One last thing: see the lady all dressed up with the dog on the right? I had to laugh, because we kept running into her that whole day (we were there for 6 hours). My friends and I thought that she worked there and were about to ask her some questions, but didn't see a name tag. She was just there as a visitor. All dressed up. Carrying this dog around the whole day. I finally had to take her picture for nostalgia. It was a little bit weird to me...is that bad?

I will continue to post snippets of our trip throughout the week. This was such a fun opportunity for me!

The Top 100 Books of All Time

2008-10-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily had this on her blog, and I loved it! Books are one of my favorite things about living in this beautiful world. There were many nights growing up that my mom would come down to my bedroom at 3 or 4 in the morning and remind me that I needed to put my book down because I had to get up for school in a couple of hours. Reading transports me completely out of where I am at the present time. I would often get distracted as I was cleaning my room because I found a book to read. I am so grateful to my mother for teaching me to read when I was getting potty trained. Since that time, I have had quite a love affair with the written word.

The following is the list of the top 100 books of all time. How many of them have you read? I copied the list, then highlighted the ones that I have read in purple.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (♥) 5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6. The Bible (parts of it?!) 7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 8. 1984 - George Orwell 9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott 12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy 13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller 14. Complete Works of Shakespeare 15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier 16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien 17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks 18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger 19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger 20. Middlemarch - George Eliot 21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchel 22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald 23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens 24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy 25. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh 27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck 29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll 30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame 31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy 32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens 33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis 34. Emma - Jane Austen 35. Persuasion - Jane Austen 36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini 38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden 40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne 41. Animal Farm - George Orwell 42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown 43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving 45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins 46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery 47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy 48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood 49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding 50. Atonement - Ian McEwan 51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel 52. Dune - Frank Herbert 53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons 54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen 55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth 56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens 58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck 62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov 63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt 64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas 66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac 67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy 68. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding 69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie 70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens 72. Dracula - Bram Stoker 73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (LOVE that it is a broadway musical, too!) 74.Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson 75. Ulysses - James Joyce 76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath 77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome 78. Germinal - Emile Zola 79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray 80. Possession - AS Byatt 81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell 83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker 84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert 86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry 87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White 88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom 89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad 92.The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks 94. Watership Down - Richard Adams (♥) 95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole 96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute 97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas 98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare 99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl 100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (this one made me cry).

So, 22 out of 100 isn't bad, right? How many of these books were read only because they made us in English class? I guess that we are all better for having read the books on the list that we have. I can't even tell you how many of these books I've never heard of...How did you fare?

Last Day of TBall

2008-10-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

So, today was the last game of our tball season. Alex and Jacob did such a great job! They were hitting the ball without the tee, fielding the ball, sending it to first, and running the bases like the champs they are.

Cameron decided that this game was for him, too. I love how much
he picks up on what needs to happen: when the first game was over, he decided that it was his turn to hit the ball. As you can see, he grabbed his helmet and a bat, and headed out to the tee. He put the ball on the tee, took a swing, and actually hit the ball! It was great.

We had a great season, and are looking forward to having more time on our hands. Thanks, Coach Scott. And way to go, boys. Ya did great!

2008-10-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today the family is headed to Midway for a little bit o' fun. We will spend the next couple of days swimming, riding our bikes, and the most important thing: sleeping in...I mean, spending quality time together! I will update when we get back.

Meanwhile, enjoy this picture of Cameron. He LOVES the slides at the park by our house. Look how happy he is after completing this slide, and how eager he is to do it again!

2008-10-05T22:53:00.001-07:00

i like to ride my bicycle

2008-10-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

So, today I went up to the park at work (which is right next door to my house) to make sure everything was going okay. When I got up there, I found Brian and the boys. Brian was teaching Alex how to ride his bike! Alex was doing such a great job, too. He was fine as long as we were there to push him on his way...and as long as there was grass to fall onto. I love how excited he was to get out there and do it! We are definitely proud parents today. Cameron was so cute. He kept following behind Alex saying, "Bike, bike." He wants to do everything his brothers do. He also kept finding a helmet to wear so we would let him ride. Jacob followed along on his scooter.

Sundays at the park have to be the best time of the week! After work, we went back to the park and kept practicing. Kudos to Brian for being a great teacher today.

day 1 - journey into the unknown!

2008-10-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that I have officially become a "blogger". That's right! No more "lurking" for me. I am still trying to figure this thing out and am asking for your help: how do I make my pictures stand up straight instead of lying on their side? Our first example is the picture of Brian and the boys planting our 10th anniversary tree. I would love to tell you all about why we're planting a tree, and will, as soon as I can figure out how to make the pictures work. Help! :)