Sardines

One night for family night we were playing games and one of the games we played was sardines. For any not familiar with the rules you can refer to "Family Party Game" website, or this book:

Well GM was it first and he went and hid while the rest of us (the kids and I) counted. Then we split up to go look for him and for a while none of us were having any luck and we kept passing each other and exclaiming about what a mystery his hiding place was. Well pretty soon I stopped seeing BR, but figured he must be hunting in another part of the house. I figured for sure I would be the first to find GM! ;) Well then pretty soon MC wasn't passing me either and it was very quiet throughout the house. So then I decided they must have found him and realized that I'm the last one!! :) I finally found them ALL THREE hiding in a little built in bench that we have in our laundry room!! GM had asked his mom to put the laundry basket back on top so it wouldn't be obvious. It was such a funny and surprising sight to me that I had to take a picture! I must note that as soon as I had taken the picture GM said, "Okay, let me out! Let me out! Let me out!" (Tight spaces and claustrophobia don't really mix well. I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did!!)



BR got to be next because he was the first to find his dad. We had set boundaries on the possible hiding places, which excluded anywhere outside or in the basement. We hunted and hunted for BR!! We couldn't find him anywhere!! GM even tried taunting him to get him to giggle or make some kind of noise, but he wouldn't give. We were so perplexed that we started searching out of bounds thinking either he didn't understand what the rules were or he decided to go outside them to fool us. Well, he wasn't anywhere outside, in the garage, in the loft of the garage, or in the basement! So we went back to looking in the designate area. Finally GM got him to giggle and found that he was under our bed in our room, along the wall at the head of the bed and it was completely pitch black so we'd have never seen him (without a flashlight) and it was impossible for GM or I to fit under there so we'd have never found him! It was some hiding spot! He felt very clever for having stumped us all so profoundly!! :)

Memorial Day Weekend

This was a big fun weekend thanks to GM's family! Diana and Ashley (sister and sister-in-law) threw a fantabulous birthday party for my marvelous MIL. It was a really great party and many people who love her came to be there for that fun and special night. Her son Wayne made a slide show of her life that was really fun to watch, and really sweet.

On Sunday we did family pictures...or tried. :) It's pretty tough with groups as big as our family is!! But it was an adventure nonetheless. We also worked on a big ol' lego Eifel Tower (I think it was about 3 feet tall in the end). Lots of people had fun with it! It was a huge project!







Then on Memorial Day we continued with our tradition: do a project for MIL's birthday present. She usually wants her yard kind of renovated so that's what we did. Everybody pitched in and helped in their own way:

Thanks to Peggy for posting this priceless pic. (I had to steal it because I never got one of MC outside in the yard).

And also, we just did a bunch of hanging out, which is always very eventful and entertaining!

Our main source of entertianment was my darling little niece...she single-handedly provided us with hours and hours of diversion!!

Starting Off Our Summer With A *Bang*

Wow! Our first official week of summer vacation was action packed!!

Monday: Wii, Swimming and parks with cousins
Tuesday: Wii, Swimming, Water-guns and Slip-n-slide with cousins
Wednesday: Wii, Swimming, Water-guns and Slip-n-slide with cousins
Thursday: Picnic in the mountains, playing at the park, watching the Manti pageant and camping (all with cousins)
Friday: Hiking to a waterfall, picnicing and playing at/in the waterfall, Wii, decorating bikes and riding/walking in the Bluffdale City Parade (my sister's city), park,
movie and sleep-over with cousins
Saturday: Wii, playing at park, building big sand projects, dinner and a movie at cousins while watching their city *fireworks* from their backyard!! And the moment we've all been looking forward to all week....Daddy came home!!!
Sunday: Church/primary with cousins and watching their family speak in sacrament meeting, playing games as a family, mom and dad taking a long needed nap (actually early bedtime...7 pm!!) while BR and MC play until they finally just put themselves to bed because their parents slept right through bedtime!! :O Ooops!

Unfortunately GM took my camera to NY with him and I didn't think of using my camera on my phone until SATURDAY! :(

So here was their sand project on Saturday. It was at the Bluffdale City Fair and the kids got this idea to build viaducts and rivers down the "mountain" of sand with a dam at the bottom. They were yelling at each other with important voices like "more water" or "build up the walls, they're caving in". Lots of kids were attracted to the project and came to ask if they could help. To which my kids/neices/nephew would respond in important voices "yes! go get water!" :) It was quite entertaining to sit in the middle of it all watching, taking pictures, and getting sunburned (as usual). :P

The Haves and The Have nots

I got: 99/200

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty (got there but wasn't allowed to go up (1993)) :(
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort (Well...I helped)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (What about sailed under?) :P
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing (pretty close...I fell asleep while we were taxiing on the runway…after packing all night)
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someones mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes (in Louisiana, of course) :)
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids (not quite...got there but no time to go in...are we noticing a pattern here?) :(
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away (I could never handle really staying away for more than an hour or so though.) ;P
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks (I'm too scared to sit down when I do that!) :P
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten cooked whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Let The Vacations Begin

There seems to be lots of things to do in the summer time, and lots of fun to be had.

My kids and I have gone to the park the past few days. (We have so many amazing parks within walking distance of our house. One we went to tonight has built in skate boards attached to a curved rail and you hold onto some handrails to swing back and forth on the skate boards. Another one we went to tonight has some spinners that you stand in and they spin just by the physics of leaning slightly forward or backward...they go a bit too fast for me to like them, but BR loves them!!) :P MC and BR also played in a kiddie pool at my sister's house with her kids for a few hours today. They are just so excited about summer vacation....sleeping in, more wii, more fun activities (we're planning on doing "Fun Fridays" with cousins every week), more free time, and more vacations!! (Plus no homework! I think I'm about as excited about that as they are!!) :)

So the first vacation this summer was to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Denver for Memorial Day Weekend. Then the first week of June we went on my family's annual trip to East Canyon. (It's just a short 30/45 minute drive from SLC). We all wish we could be in NY with "Daddy" this week...but no such luck. :P The ones we are still looking forward to are the Family Reunion in Nauvoo and hopefully a camping trip to Moab. I plan to post vacation reports and pictures of all...now to catch up on blogging the ones that have already occurred....

Summer at last...

Ahhh. Summer vacation. My kids just finished school this past Friday (due to some unusual scheduling issues this year with the school) which is a blessing...but then all of us (GM, I and the kids) are always ready for school to begin again in the fall.

This past week was fun/spirit week for the kids: they had pajama day, accesory day, sport/field day, and wear your favorite color day (which is a novelty when you have to wear white and navy blue every day).

For me it was run like crazy week. I shopped and did laundry on Monday and Tuesday, and Tuesday through Friday I cleaned for various clients. I was so excited for Friday night to come because it meant the end of the work week, and date night. My sister had my kids for Friday and they slept over so GM and I were free and easy. :P We went to Cheesecake Factory and then we were going to go to a: the drive-in or b: a park with some blankets and a portable DVD player and watch a movie and cuddle. Well by the time we finished eating and left the resaraunt we were both so tired that we just wanted to go home to bed...we're turning into such old fogies!!

Then yesterday we thought we were going to be all productive around the house...nope. We went to pick up our kids from my sister and ended up chatting for a while then the kids remind us that they both had parties to go to (unfortunately not at the same time). So I left GM to hang out with our bro-in-law and I took MC to her swimming party. Then went back and staid longer at my sister's. Then we ran a few errands, took BR to his swimming party, picked MC up from hers and proceeded to try and kill 3 hours (we went to Cabella's looking for a Father's Day present and borrowed a scale from my parents so we could weigh GM's luggage) while we waited for BR's party to finish since we didn't want to waste gas by going all the way home and back. Finally at 6 we picked up BR and headed home to pack for GM's business trip to NY.

I dropped him off at the airport around 6:45 this morning. He'll be gone until Saturday :/

Mother's Day

My kids are so sweet. For a few weeks prior to Mother's Day MC started making me secret little projects/cards/pictures in the art corner and whenever I was over there she would tell me that I couldn't look because it was for Mother's Day. So on Mother's Day she gave me a gift bag full of them and I wish I had a scanner to show them all, they're very sweet. I'll have to settle for a transcription of a letter she wrote:

"(Heart) Dear Mommy,
I love you mommy (heart)!
I love you because you make binner fore use. You alse col me cutepie and she give me kissis and hug. I love you so much!
Love, molly Woellhaf. Mommy!"

BR came home from church and gave me a big hug and kiss with a wish for a happy Mother's Day and a cute letter:
My Mother is the greatest Mom because: "My mom gives me the best kisses and hugs. My mom is the cook and special trip planner. I love you so with your smiling face. I love you with your help with homework."
I love you! Happy Mother's Day!
"Ben"
(And then there was an illustration of he and I sitting together at church on Mother's Day with my corsage on that the kids and GM got me.)

My kids are amazing! I'm so blessed to be a part of their lives and I can't imagine life without them!!!

This Blog is Temporarily Out of Commission...

As if that was a surprise to anybody. :P

I guess it really does work!!

I realized tonight, when GM's dad cussed him out for not telling his mom that he's been offered a new job at work, that we haven't really told anybody. He's VERY excited though because it's what we've been hoping for and asking Heavenly Father for. (I must admit that I didn't think it would just fall in his lap like "The Secret" and Carol Tuttle seem to suggest. I thought we'd have to go out and look for the job that he wanted.)

The things that GM really didn't like about his current job:

• BORING
• The general feeling (inside and outside the department) that their department contributed nothing of value (identifying the mistakes made by loan officers in the loans given by the credit union)
• Whiny employees with petty complaints about each other
• Other employee issues that aren't fun to deal with
• Not investigating or in any way dealing with fraud (which he very much enjoyed about his last position)

Well his SVP decided to change the purpose of his department (which confirmed every body's feelings) to be Risk Analysis. In the midst of their discussions they decided to also create a Fraud Analysis Manager. This position would be independent (no pesky employees), a lateral position to his current one, and involved with fraud prevention. They asked him to write a proposal for the new jobs/departments and submit them. Then they told him that before they posted any of the jobs they'd let him pick which one he wanted. He really did weigh the pros and cons and study it out, but in the end he picked the one I thought he would. I'm so happy for him because he really hasn't liked his job ever since he's had the "Loan Review" position. So we've been praying for him to find something new, and he was on the verge of telling them that he's had it when they offered him a job that he's excited to accept!!

Then to top it all off he wasn't supposed to get any kind of a raise with his new position (since it's lateral) but he talked them into one after all!! Serendipity!! :)

What a sweet tribute to such a wonderful man and prophet!!