ray-ray says

forcing it down

2012-01-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

When I was a young gal, and I happened to get sick with the sickness of sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, aching, stuffyhead, fever, my parents would have to chase me around and hogtie me down just to give me that crappy concoction that suspends all those symptoms and allows a nighttime of sleep without waking up.

I hate liquid Nyquil and any of its generic counterparts. When they came out with liquid gel-caps, all was well in the world of medicine again. The last time I sent my husband out to by drugs from the grocery store, he made the mistake of getting the liquid stuff. By the time he got home with it, I didn't care, I just wanted some relief.

Since Friday evening, I have again been battling the sickness of sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, aching, stuffyhead, fever. It's manageable during the day, but when eventide creeps up, so do the symptoms. Saturday, I had no choice but to give into my foe of pharmaceuticals and drink that stuff. Yes, I could have bought the gel-caps, but when the $100 bottle of medicine is sitting in my cupboard, my cheap self is forced to use it up.

Just the thought of taking it makes my stomach turn and I can feel the dry heaves fighting their way out. I have to work myself up, just to throw back the two tablespoons worth of meds. I also have to have at the ready, a chaser to follow it down. Sunday night, it was a glass of water, followed by a few tortilla chips and fun size Snickers bars, followed by another glass of water. All the while, my fingers are tightly clamped on my nostrils to further prevent even the faint taste of it on my tongue. After it's securely in my stomach, I spend the next half hour with the feeling of it involuntarily coming back up. But then the magic of chemistry happens in my body and the drugs do their stuff and I'm able to sleep without the sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, aching, stuffyhead, fever...

...so I can rest medicine.

peaked my interest

2012-01-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

Pinterest.

It's there taunting me with all its pretty pictures of things I could bake, paint, craft, cook, refurbish, eat, laugh at, inspiring quotes, the list goes on and on.

But twice, those inspiring pins have gotten me off my lazy butt and outside on a run.

This was what I thought of on Saturday, when 4:30 in the afternoon rolled around and I was tired, it was too late in the day, I didn't really feel like going on a run:

And yesterday when it was snowing and freezing cold outside, I thought of this guy and how awesome he is:

I love Pinterest.

the plow man cometh

2012-01-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

Mr. Smith gets to stay home from work today.

Our kids still had to go. Around here they don't ever shut down school for anything.

But where Mr. Smith works, they're getting freezing rain.

And now I have someone to fold laundry.

batten down the hatches

2012-01-17T09:25:00.000-08:00

It's about time Old Man Winter showed up.

hair whisperer

2012-01-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

From the time I can remember, my Aunt Denise would always tell me two things anytime I saw her. 1) never, under any circumstance should I get bangs or she'll kill me. And 2) whoever I marry will be in love with my curly hair almost as much as he loves me.

She was right about the second one, and I know she'd make good on the first one, so I've never had bangs.

But this shout out goes to Jake Thompson.

Edward Scissorhands wishes he was as good as this guy.

He is the co-owner of Lunatic Fringe in Sugarhouse, south of Salt Lake and when I was down visiting my sister, I had the profound opportunity to have him cut my hair.

As you can tell by my stupid, little smile, I was pretty excited about gettin' my hair did by him.

He had a lot of hair to work with. The longest layer was only a mere 5 or 6 inches from my waist.

Jake is so good at what he does, took him less than 30 minutes from the first cut of the scissor to make the frizz on my head a thing of beauty again.

We bonded over the fact that we both have been blessed/cursed with naturally curly hair. And how during our formidable years of teenage scrutiny, we had no idea how to tame the wild beast on top of our heads. I actually wore my hair up in a bun from about the middle of 7th grade until I was going into 10th grade. All because two boys in my English class thought it was soooooo funny to throw mini paper airplanes into the bucket of fuzz that was my hair. True story.

He called me "love", the entire time.

"Alright, Love, what would you like to see done?"

"Come back with me, Love, and we'll condition your hair."

I loved that.

If you are within a thousand mile radius of this guy, go to him for all your hair needs.

He's classy, quietly funny, and knows hair like Columbus knew the world was round. And he'll go to the ends of the earth to make sure you're happy with your hair.

so this was christmas

2012-01-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas was like, last year already, but I am now going to make you sit there and look at our pictures.

And just so you know, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to not procrastinate.

I'll start working on that tomorrow.

That wasn't that bad. But I did leave out about a hundred other photos.

Spoiler alert:

That's not the real Santa in that picture. It's Aaron.

There's a family where his parent's live, who every year, have someone dress-up like the jolly, old man and deliver the gifts, while they hide off in a corner somewhere, watching.

This year they benevolently chose Aaron to fill the black boots.

We, of course took full advantage of him being dressed up like Old St. Nick around 11p.m. on Christmas Eve; which included him running down the sidewalk of a busy street at a full sprint, for about a quarter mile. I don't think I could have laughed any harder. We are now wanting to invest in our own Santa suit to continue with some sort of tradition.

two years later

2012-01-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

I got nothin' but love for this guy.

Forever and ever.

the big 0-3

2012-01-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

If they had Last Comic Standing for Toddlers, he would win.
No joke.

Happy Birthday, boy.

saturday morning run(s)

2012-01-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

This run was on Christmas Eve.

The soggy ground, moss and overcast, grey skies, is a dead giveaway that we were over on the west siiiiiiide.

This was New Year's Eve.

It was cold and windy.

My run was maybe 20 minutes.

And I fly home from the Beehive State today.

the end.

a list

2011-12-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

-i'm in Utah.

-flew in Monday morning.

-i'm here to spend some time helping out my sister and her new baby.

-i hate flying.

-lincoln is such a cute baby.

-aaron has all the kids with him.

-i love that man.

-i really hate flying.

-i woke up Tuesday morning violently ill.

-both ends.

-i told you it was violent.

-i'll tell you again, i hate flying.

-i'd rather drive.

-when i wasn't Tebowing in front of the toilet, i was wishing a swift death to come upon me.

-i was getting so dehydrated my kidneys started to ache.

-i told krissy it was nice of her to let me come to her house and have her take care of me.

-she's nice like that.

-i'm getting my haircut today by a dude who won a NAHA award this past year in Vegas. it's like the Academy Awards for hair. kinda a big deal.

-no pictures 'cause i forgot the camera cord.

-be prepared for an on-slot of photos after i get back home.

-the baby is cuter than cute.

-i hate flying.

news

2011-12-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

Great news!

We made over to the west siiiiiiiide for Christmas Break.

More great news!

Dentists appointments all around. Two and a half hours spent getting the family's teeth checked out.

Sad news.

Baby boy had four shots yesterday and is feeling like a furnace on fire with hot coals thrown on top.

But he's oh, so cuddly.

saturday morning run

2011-12-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

This is what it was like on Saturday morning:

{google photo}

Okay, not really, but the roads were super icy, so I left the phone at home. Didn't want to risk falling and breaking it. I was already worried I'd fall and break other things. Like my neck, or butt bone.

And the trick to running on ice is to do so gingerly.

Got that?

Gingerly.

oh, and by the way

2011-12-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

This guy's had the best week ever!

He has mastered the art of using the porcelain pony during the day.

Giddy-up.

a little help here

2011-12-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

Oh, hey cute baby....whatcha doin' there with your face on the carpet?

Got it. Your older brother is trying to help you crawl.

Brother's are awesome like that.

blotter patrol

2011-12-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

We live in what some people call a "small town".

The nearest Target or Walmart is just over 30 mins away.

The nearest airport is 2 hours, either direction.

About the same for the closest temple.

Sometimes it's easy to forget how we live a nice, comfy bubble, seemingly untouched by the demons of bigger metropolis towns.

And then we read the police blotter in the newspaper, and we're reminded that we still do live in a one-horse town.

The following are actual incidences people dialed 9-1-1 to report.

Laugh-on, friends.

-A man reported that he was having trouble getting the title to a vehicle he recently purchased and the last owner sent him a text message advising that she was going to report the vehicle stolen.

-A neighbor reportedly was trying to push the door of a house on River Avenue.

-A cow reportedly was loose on No. 6 Road.

-A dog reportedly tried to kill a chicken on Manastash Road.

-A man on Chestnut Street wearing a leather jacket and gloves reportedly was acting strangely, being belligerent and boasting that he had done time.

-Four dogs reportedly were covered in porcupine quills on Burbank Creek Road.

-A woman on Colockum Road reported receiving a suspicious call from a woman who said she would send a national health card and needed the some information.

-A person reportedly attempted to flag down a driver on Bullfrog Road near Roslyn.

-A person on Cowboy Lane reportedly needed a pilot light relit.

-A red US Cellular flip phone reportedly was lost on North Ruby Street.

-Loud voices were reported on First Street.

-A German shepherd reportedly was barking for five hours on South Poplar Stree

-A man with long hair and a beard reportedly was yelling at people inside a business on University Way and talking about the end of the world and telling them they all were going to die.

....and the most frightening of all....

-A puppy reportedly was seen running up a path at Central Washington University.

saturday afternoon run and the fog

2011-12-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of freezing fog?

I'm not making it up, it's a real thing.

And this is what it does to us:

It's been like this for a couple days.

On Friday, we drove to The Palm Springs of Washington {it's a real thing, too. google it.}, to do some shopping, and this is what it looks like coming back into our valley, the pit of freezing fog:

the end

2011-12-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

It was awesome.

Live music is so good.

So good.

Our seats were in the section where we got to keep our arm and legs but it made our noses bleed.

Before the first group started at 4, we walked around the Key Arena and reminisced about the Super Sonics. We walked into one section and watched the behind the scene stuff going on, you know, behind the scene. As it was starting, the very nice usher said we could watch it all from there if we wanted. It pays to be nice. So we watched the show from there and was able to see all the bands before they headed out on stage. Which was way cool 'cause when Foster the People were down below us we got their attention and Aaron said something smooth like, "You guys rock!". I, of course turned into a teenager and professed my undying love for all of them. Aaron wasn't embarrassed at all.

After they played two songs, we headed up to our official seats to get the full sound effect from the gigantic speakers. The bass was felt in our souls, it was so loud and so good.

Finished off with our favorite usher, tucked in the corner of the side stage for Mumford and Sons.

They have moved way up on my list of favorite bands.

And what would a late night in Seattle be without a run to Dick's?

We got back home around 3 in the morning.

Totally worth the sleep deprivation.

for real

2011-12-07T00:09:00.000-08:00

My husband loves me.

Want to know why? Besides of course, for the obvious reasons like birthing his five kids, feeding him, supporting him, laughing at his awesome jokes?

He is taking me to see my favorite band today. He and I. Me and him. The two of us. Together. Deck the Hall Ball in Seattle. Experiencing Foster the People side-by-side.

It's going to be epic. {that's one word that isn't used enough...epic}

Here you go, pretend you're going to be there with us.

These lesser known bands will also be playing: Death Cab for Cutie, Mumford and Sons, Young the Giant, Cage the Elephant, Two Door Cinema Club, and Grouplove.

Like I said, epic.

saturday evening run

2011-12-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

i love him

2011-12-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

My baby sister had her baby!

Lincoln Harlan Sickle was born via c-section on Wednesday.

T-minus 24 days until I get to hold him and all his baby softness.

living it up

2011-11-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

I had a lot to be thankful for this year.

Family, faith, friends, food. I'm always thankful for food.

Besides those boring things, the one thing this year that I am most thankful for, is that for the first time in my life, I weigh less than my little sister. For those of you who know her, know that this is something to savor and to shout from the blog-tops.

I found out this fantastic news last week and have been living on cloud 9 ever since. It is a truly wonderful feeling knowing that she outweighs me. It's great. I love it. Nay, I heart it with all my heart.

Oh, don't worry about her, she's actually happy for me. She herself has told me to enjoy it! That's just the kind of sister she is, always thinking of how she can help make others happy.

She has told told me to enjoy it because she knows my house on cloud 9 will come crashing down. You see, she is very much pregnant and two days past her due date. As soon as my new little nephew has left her body, reality will be thrown back into my face. But I am throwing the fact that she is pregnant out the window. That piece of evidence is inadmissible in my courtroom! The truth is the number shown on the scale, everything else is hearsay.

So thank-you, dear little sister of mine, I will forever be thankful to you for allowing me to weigh less than you. I knew you loved me.

Now, have that baby already!! Sheesh.

saturday morning run

2011-11-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

We were on the west siiiiiiiiiiide, where they grow gargantuan leaves on their trees.

Many a cross country meets were run at this park.

other weekend happenings

2011-11-22T08:28:00.000-08:00

This one sat in the snow.

This one went wild in the snow.

This one ate the snow.

And on Sunday, within minutes of coming home from church, this one split his head open. He was trying to show his sister a football move and the arm of the couch got in the way.

It was as if Moses had parted his eyebrow in two and they walked across his skull to reach the other side. Nice thought, huh? The pre-stitched photos are pretty gnarly so I'm not going to post them here, but you can just imagine what he looked like with three eyebrows.

saturday morning run

2011-11-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

It snowed the entire time. By the end of the run, my eyebrows looked like Andy Rooney's.

happy friday

2011-11-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

Lily couldn't find one of her gloves this morning so I made her wear Blake's to school instead.

She was ticked.

2011-11-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

We had some more snow fall on us. Happened while the kids were at school.

They came home and played outside until dark.

The back of our place is on a dead end, landing strip of road that people {read: college kids} love to see how ~~stupid~~ awesome they can be. Especially when it snows.

I saw this one happen. I will admit that it was a girl who was driving. And that it's the only time anyone has ever hit a light pole. Naturally, I walked over a took a quick picture with the cell phone to show Aaron when he got home from work. Don't worry, she didn't see me do it.

demonstration

2011-11-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

saturday morning run

2011-11-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Oops...

11-11-11

2011-11-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

Thank-you Veteran's.

{Lily at the elementary schools annual Veteran's Day Parade}

satiated

2011-11-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

My friend had a baby a few days ago.

I went to visit her in the hospital.

I got to hold the teeny, tiny babe.

My uterus was not hungry for one of its own.

Guess that means we're officially done.

saturday morning run

2011-11-07T06:33:00.000-08:00

Can you see the top of Mt. Rainier??

2011-11-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

Somebody's been sportin' a little curl in his hair lately.

Just a little whoop-dee-doo.

He seems to be okay with it.

a conversation

2011-11-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

Corgan- Mom?

Me- Yeah, bud?

C- Did you do any sports when you were young?

M- No....not when I was your age. I did when I was older.

C- What sports did you do?

M- Well, I did track in junior high and high school, cross country in high school, and I was a cheerleader one year.

Loooooooooooooong pause.

C- Mom?

M- Yeah, bud?

C- I don't think cheerleading is a sport. I mean, if there was a vote to see if people should think of cheerleading as a sport, I would vote no.

halloween was yesterday

2011-11-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

The kids decided to sleep-in today. Which meant I slept-in too, since they are my alarm clock. They were a half hour late for school. My day's a little off schedule. Not that I ever really have a schedule except for procrastinating the things I need to do. It's just made my procrastination speed up. That may not make sense to you. But since I feel like I ate an entire 5lb bag of C&H sugar yesterday, it makes perfect sense to me.

On to a few spooooky photos.

Corgan was the scary skeleton in the spook alley at our church Halloween Party.

He cheated and used his hands. And I've got the picture to prove it.

The only way Cade wouldn't run away screaming is if Corgan wore a cowboy hat. Go figure.

The Official Photo of Halloween 2011.

This was us.

Corpse Bride and Groom.

Corgan took the picture with the camera phone.

Aaron forgot to wear his hat.

Now I'm going to think about doing some laundry.

saturday morning run

2011-10-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

I love fences.

tony horton is the knee whisperer

2011-10-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Not sure if I've shared this with you, but I had to cut back on my running the past two months. About the middle of August, the inside of my left knee started acting up and making it so that running was the last thing it wanted me to do. I'm one to listen to what my body tells me, so I didn't run for two whole weeks, thinking that would be enough to fix the problem. It wasn't. I still had the pain during and after my runs. I knew I needed to do something else to supplement my lack of running, so I got myself a personal trainer.

Enter Tony Horton.

We bought the dvd's a bunch of years ago and would sporadically use them every couple months, never consecutively enough to see any results. I figured it was high time to put Tony to the test. And you know what? {i'm going to sound like an infomercial for just a second here, but bare with me.} P90X totally works. My upper arms have begun to have definition. I have triceps, people! I'm one size away from being back to pre-baby Oneil. And you may not be able to bounce a quarter off of it yet, butt{pun!}, all of those lunges and squats have started to turn my "buh-thigh" area into two separate body parts.

There is a science behind Tony Hortons' madness, and the best part of the whole muscle confusion workouts is that the weight training has helped fix my knee situation. Last Saturday, I was able to run six miles again...without pain. The combination of cutting back on running and the strengthening workouts with my personal trainer, Tony, was just what my knee needed.

"Do your best and forget the rest."
-awesome tag-line used by Mr. Horton.

rub-a-dub-dub

2011-10-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Three boys in a tub.

saturday morning run

2011-10-24T06:25:00.000-07:00

the blue car

2011-10-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

She? He? It never was given a proper name. We always just referred to it as The Blue Car.

Here's its life story:

Right before we were to be wed, Aaron was driving in downtown Auburn ((A-Town represent!)) and saw it on a side street. It sat upon a dolly looking like it was ready for transport....and looking for a new owner.

Aaron went and knocked on the door of the house it was parked in front of. He quickly found out that it belonged to a guy named Johnny, who would be willing to part with it. That got Aaron and his Volvo addiction excited. He had me call and talk to Johnny later that evening, "'cause you're a girl and can get a better deal."

I can't remember much about the phone call, but I do remember we agreed to meet the next evening around 9, and giving him a mere $200 for the beautiful piece of metal.

I will now attempt to paint you a worded picture of what Johnny was like.

-we were waiting for him to show.
-he pulls up in a 1980-something, Trans-am t-top.
-he steps out and we could hear 1980's metal rock flowing out of the speakers.
-Johnny himself was wearing skinny jeans that he probably bought off the shelves in 1986. he was also sporting a sweet jean jacket.
-oh, and he had an amazing permed mullet.
-amazing.

We get out of our vehicle and meet him and make small talk about the Volvo. He shared with us stories about road trips he'd taken in it, concerts he followed around, and other stories that will remain locked in my forgotten memory because of how slimy they are.

We hand over the cash that probably went towards Johnny's next hair appointment, and the rest is Volvo history.

That was 2001. It sat for a few years while Aaron slowly began to acquire the parts needed to get it in running condition. And to look pretty. He did a nice job of restoring it, he even sewed the interior. He is a man of many hidden talents.

We've driven it on and off for the past few years, it was even Aaron's daily driver to and from work for awhile before he got a sacred spot on the Van Pool.

The Blue Car's been a good car.

This summer we took it to Moclip's where we had a little getaway for our 10 year wedding anniversary.

It was our last hurrah in the beautiful piece of blue metal.

We knew the time had come for us to sell it off to the next Volvo lover. Why? Well, because we had three vehicles. And the other Volvo we own will be the one Aaron is buried in, so the Blue Car didn't really stand a chance of survival.

We posted it on craigslist and got a nibble that didn't hold, but then we got two huge bites on the same day, just 15 minutes apart.

This is a photo from the last day we owned that beautiful piece of blue metal. I was at my mom's house and Aaron had called to let me know that we had sold it. The dad and son were going to get the cash and meet up later. It was bittersweet and a tear or two slid down my cheek. Stupid, crazy Volvo love.

I was a little worried that the kid who was buying it would be a punk and not take care of our Blue Car. But after Aaron showed me the picture he took of the happy, new owner, all my fears vanished. That kid has the gleam of the same stupid, crazy Volvo love.

it's a process

2011-10-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

He refuses to wear diapers anymore.

Yay!

He also refuses to go on the potty.

Serenity now.

favorite band forever in the history of ever.

2011-10-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

That pretty much sums up my feelings for Foster the People.

Buckle up. This is my account from my trip down to see one of the coolest bands around.

I had never wished for a sleeping passenger more than when I saw this:

You know, 'cause I could have done the prank where you get reeeeeeally close and then scream reeeeeeeally loud. Oh, man, that could have been hilarious.

The view coming down the hill into Oregon. Oregon has lame speed limits, I've mentioned that before. They love pulling over the speedsters and slapping them with tickets. In the less than 24 hours I was in that state, I saw 5 people pulled over by their state troopers. They don't mess around.

I dropped the kids off at their cousins house to play and be cared for and then continued on my way solo.

And because I have a friend {technically my sisters' friend, but i claim her as one as well} who works for this company:

I was granted access to their employee store, with their employee discount. It's all about who you know, people.

Another friend of mine, she's 74 years old and I love her like my own Grandma, told me rather firmly that if I was going to Beaverton, I must, MUST go to the Beaverton Bakery. They make everything from scratch and they've been around forever. She didn't have to tell me twice. Baked goods. Made from scratch. Right up my alley.

I got this apple caramel tart thingy. It's the best apple thingy I've ever tasted. That's my bite mark that happened before I even got half a mile down the road. And I ate half before I forced myself to stop remembering my husband would probably also enjoy this baked goodness.

I also bought this lovely piece of what they call Chocolate Decadence. I ate about half of this driving down the freeway. I didn't use a fork and I didn't care. Utensils be damned; I had died and gone to chocolate heaven.

And then it was time for the main event. It was just after 5:30 when I arrived and there was already a healthy line of about 50 people. There I stood and waited for my sister, Lael to show up. At 7, the doors opened. She asked if I wanted to sit upstairs. After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing, I told her I didn't drive four hours to sit upstairs. We were able to squeeze our way right up front to be in the second row of crowded human bodies.

I learned my lesson the last time, and left my camera safe in the van, so all my concert photos are with the cell phone. But who cares! Look how awesome it was!!!!!

This band puts on such a good live show. And that sentence is the understatement of the year. The energy and awesomeness of effort they put into each song is amazing.

Mark Fosters' Pumped up Kicks.

So good. So good. So good. So good.

Let me say that again.

So good. So good. So good. So good.

There were of course, idiots under the influence who tried to start their own personal mosh pit. I'll leave the sorted details out, but Lael will forever take me to any concert with her. I don't care if you're over the age of forty and well past tipsy, you mess with my family {or friends i love like family} and I'll mess with you. Oh, the fun memories will last forever.

And to end the night, we stopped off at VooDoo Doughnuts where I finally had the infamous maple bar with bacon strips on top. It's so simple, it's pure genius.

And now that Aaron has gained his own testimony of just how great Foster the People are, the next time they come around he said he'll be my date. I am already Pumped Up for that.

happy birthday aaron.

2011-10-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

He's the coolest.

boo-yah

2011-10-11T07:15:00.001-07:00

It had just turned dusk-ish.

I was on a run and approaching a four-way stop. When I reached the intersection, two other runners passed at the exact same time.

One was a dude. He came from the left and continued on to the right. He wore no headphones or watch. One of those runners who ran without care to any sort of measurement.

The other was a chick. She came from the right and continued on to the left. She wore headphones, but no watch. She was dressed in knee length running tights and sports bra on top, no shirt. Maybe she saw someone who had greater need of such a useless piece of fabric.

I crossed the intersection and then turned left.

The chick and I were running in the same direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her sizing me up. I was wearing running shorts and a t-shirt, headphones and a watch. Maybe she thought that since her stomach was as flat as the earth was once thought, that her running ability would be better than someone who chose to cover up what having five children left her with. But I quickly put her and her bare midriff in its place when I sailed on ahead of her.

Moral of the story:

Just because your "ship" may look all fit and fancy doesn't mean it performs as fast as you think. The old jalopy will always kick your trash as you're looking in the mirror making sure your shorts are tight enough.

army crawl

2011-10-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

He must be planning another mission, 'cause this is what he did almost the entire time we were at the grocery store.

like a thief in the night

2011-10-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

In the early, early hours of the morning, so early in the morning, the sun was still sleeping, the toddler boy woke-up.

He realized something was wrong. Something was missing. And he knew exactly where he had to go to get exactly what he wanted. So he swung his chubby legs out of his bed and made his way out of his room, walking softly so not to wake his sleeping sister.

Once in the hallway he paused, listening to the sounds of the resting house for just a brief moment before continuing on his covert mission.

He reached the bedroom at the far end of the hall, finding the door open, he knew this was going to be the most dangerous part of all. Using the lightest, featherweight steps, he made his way past the foot of the bed. He was almost there. As he crept alongside the bed, there was stirring from beneath the blankets; he had to move quickly if he was to be successful.

His equally chubby hands reached over the body of his sleeping baby brother, searching for what he yearned the most. Just as his mother was groggily realizing what was happening, he found it. He snatched it from the mouth of his brother, turned and faster than his mom could say, "What the heck are you doing?!", he was already down the hall and safely back in his bed.

Binky in his mouth.

i told you so

2011-10-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Next Wednesday, a week from today, seven days away, 168 hours until my sister, Lael and I will be at a concert.

Which concert?

Foster the flippin' People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, "flippin'" isn't really in their name, but I think it adds flair. Plus, it shows how flippin' excited I am about seeing them again. That and the bajillion exclamation points. Let me add one more, !!!!!!. Okay, that was more than one, but I'm so excited, I just can't hide it.

The venue is all the way down in Portland, so it's going to be a fun little getaway. The kids will be hanging out with their two cousins who live down there, so they're flippin' excited for that. {thank-you, christy for watching them!}

Lael bought my ticket for my birthday and I bought her ticket for her birthday. I guess that means we technically bought ourselves our own birthday presents, but whatever. We purchased them back in early August, a few days after we made that purchase, it sold out, as are the rest of their stateside concerts.

Foster the People really have become the "it" band of the summer and this Saturday they are the musical guests on Saturday Night Live! So make sure you have your VCR set to record that show.

When I first became addicted to these guys, this little video had 2 million hits. It now is up to 26 million.

Another flippin' awesome song of theirs:

And two acoustic versions of some songs:

It's taken me almost an hour to write this post because I got caught up in listening/watching their music.

I told you they were flippin' awesome. Can't wait to see what they come up with next.

tasty

2011-10-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's happened again folks.

I'm a guest blogger on A Taste of T.

Her and her husband and most adorable baby girl have made the big move from Texas, all the way back to the Pacific Northwest. Where they belong.

Click on over to read about what I have to say about road running. Some of you may have read it before, but I thought it was worth a repost. Just a little something to help all you non-runners know what us runners are thinking when you drive by.

Run on, ya'll.

millions of peaches

2011-09-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Their peaches are so nice, we picked 'em twice.

There's no denying that these are the best peaches in the whole wide world.

goooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllll!!!

2011-09-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Fine.

I'll update my blog.

But just so you know, I've been busy.

Doing this:

Not nearly making it look that good, but you get the point.

Soccer takes up three days a week. Saturdays have never felt so long. Have I told you I'm Lily's coach? After this season I can cross that off my bucket list and never have to do that again. I love being able to be there for her and help her learn new things but I'd rather just sit there and watch someone else do it and me shout things from the sidelines acting as if I'm her coach.

Corgan informed me that he's going to go the World Cup. I told him he has the hair for it. He looked at me, confused.

And we may live in a small town but we have plenty of famous people here. Like Prospector Pete over Corgan's right shoulder in the above photo. And that boy in the orange jersey is this guys' son:

And we also have Jeff Bridges.

Soccer season is awesome.

mouth full

2011-09-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

I don't know. You tell me.

Should we start saving for Corgan's orthodontist bill now?

bonk

2011-09-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

This was the beginning of our day on Friday.

It wasn't even 7:30 in the morning yet.

And just so you don't call CPS, he was ticked at his sister and was charging toward her at full speed like a rampaging bull, when he slipped on a toy and crashed headfirst into the corner of the couch.

The Hulk helped things feel better.

mr. smith

2011-09-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

mamma said....

2011-09-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

...there'd be days like this.

There'd be days like this,

mamma said.

{i'm pretty sure camera phones were invented for capturing just such instances}

officially begun

2011-09-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

The three oldest started school this week. Corgan on Wednesday, Blake on Thursday, and Lily today.

Yes, her hair is still wet from the shower. We're still working on the morning schedule to get them out of the door and to the bus stop on time. This is the first year for them riding on the big, yellow, magic school bus. And as of today, they still think it's the coolest. I think it's the coolest 'cause I'm no longer a taxi driver.

And since Corgan is a big 3rd grader this year, his classroom is now upstairs. He's movin' on up.

Blake wanted the light saber for his pictures. And it's a good thing he had it, 'cause a very large and in charge wiener dog came ripping around the corner, but Blake was ready to go ballistic on it if it got any closer, as seen by his facial expression. I love this kid.

And he loves his pumped up kicks.

Now I just have the two youngest at home in the mornings, four days a week. But it's almost like only having one kid since the baby can't crawl or walk yet and stays in one place. It's great.

I love back-to-school.

this dude's 6 months

2011-09-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

much better

2011-09-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Can you tell what we did Saturday morning?

You'll have to tip your head to the right for the first one....I don't know how to rotate photos from my phone.

Last year's attempt at picking blackberries was futile. This year we procured enough to make some jam. I tell you what....there's nothing like opening up and eating some homemade blackberry jam in the dead of winter.

Quote of the day:

"Why does something so good have to grow on something so evil?"

Growing up, during blackberry season, we were forced! to get up before noon! to go and pick blackberries! before we could do anything else! But while Aaron and I were out picking thorns, I mean berries, Saturday morning, I came to realize that there was some sanity behind my Dad's madness. Besides getting our lazy butts out of bed, morning time is the best time to pick blackberries. It's still cool enough that the creepy, crawly critters aren't aroused and moving around, the spiders are still hiding from the morning dew and the sun isn't beating down on your back.

And of course, he was doing what all parents do and violated child labor laws and used his children as slaves.

The longer he's gone, the smarter he's getting.

mosiah 18:9

2011-09-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night I was making cookies. I hadn't had a bite of chocolate since my birthday, and enough was enough was enough, I didn't care if it was after 9:30, I was making myself some cookies.

I mixed up the butter and sugar, added the eggs. I reached into the cupboard and pulled out what I thought was the vanilla. I measured out the first teaspoon and added into the mixture. I thought it looked a little dark. Then I added the second teaspoon and as I was pouring that in I realized it most definitely was not vanilla extract, it was maple.

I let out a cry of frustration over my rookie mistake which my husband heard from the other room. He asked what had happened and I told him. He laughed it off. I on the other hand started to cry. Really cry. Tears were running down my cheeks.

He heard that too, and came into the kitchen to find out why the heck in the world was I shedding tears over ruined cookies.

As I was dumping the mixture down the drain and proceeding to start the task of making the cookies from scratch again, I told him of the boy from the news I had seen the day before. The one from Auburn where I had grown up. He was traveling home on Sunday and a tire on the van he was in had blown out causing an accident. Tucker Johnson died because he wasn't wearing his seat belt. Next week he would have started his senior year of high school.

Earlier that day, I had called my mom to see if she had heard about the accident. She hadn't, but immediately remembered that Tucker had been in one of my dad's Seminary classes before my dad had passed away and that Tucker's note was one of the ones written by a student that really stood out.
As she looked for it, she told me that Tucker's own mom had died in a car accident about 6 years ago while visiting family in Utah. She found the note and read it to me over the phone:

"Dear Sister May, I'm sorry about Brother May. He was a great teacher and we all love him dearly. I know how it feels. I lost my Mom five years ago. Over time things have gotten much better. One Scripture I look to for comfort when I need it is, Enos 1:27 which says, 'And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in Him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.' By this scripture I know my mom has returned with our Savior and I know Brother May is also with Him this day. Sincerely, Tucker Johnson"

Me ruining the batch of cookies was just a trigger release of the emotions I had been building up about the car accident, hearing kind words about my dad, knowing what that family is going through from losing a loved one. At the time he wrote that, Tucker was maybe 15 years old.  The calm faith that that boy had at that age is astounding.  And then for him to use the testimony he obviously had of the Plan of Happiness to help lend comfort to another grieving family shows what kind of person he was.  I've never met him.  But I can add my testimony to his, and that of Enos', that Tucker has found his place of rest with his Redeemer and is rejoicing once again with his mom in heaven.

such is life

2011-09-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I saw a mouse in our kitchen.

Stopped me dead in my tracks and I let some words fly and the kids proceeded to freak out.

I calmed us all down and told the kids they could keep playing their game of Life.

A friend who was on her way over said she would stop and pick up some traps for me.

In the meantime, I cleaned out underneath the sink, cleaned the oven swept and mopped the floor. Nothing like having a mouse in the house to motivate you to clean.

While I was elbow deep in oven grease Corgan called from the other room, "Hey Mom! I just won $50,000 for building a better mousetrap! Too bad it's only a game, huh?"

Oh, he's a funny one.

it wasn't me

2011-08-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

I swear I didn't put him in that tutu. And I didn't put the necklace on him either.

Really. It wasn't me.

But I think it goes well with his Seahawk's shirt, don't you think?

And he's sitting on the table 'cause he was watching music videos on youtube. That kid knows how to shake his moneymaker.

reasoning

2011-08-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

There's a reason why I've had a lack of postings the past two weeks.

Three of them have had something called pneumonia.

Started with this one.

Next was this guy.

And the one I reeeeeeally didn't want to get it, the baby. It is so sad to have a sick a baby.

But as you can tell from the pictures, the antibiotics have done their job and only a lingering cough or two is all that remains.

thirty

2011-08-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

I officially turned old on Saturday.

Those cute little candles were the kind that relight themselves after you blow them out.

Five minutes later we were finally able to eat the cake.

sighting!

2011-08-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

This is what I emailed my mom.  She's been overseas vacationing:



>Hood Canal was great. We should rent the house for a family thing...it was a really nice place to be.

 

Glad you're having a good time in Jesusland....I mean Jeruselum. Tell Glenn Beck "hi" if you see him. I hear he's over there.

 

Love you.

 

Travel safe.<

And this is what she wrote back:

>He was at church, yesterday. Sitting up in the back. Came right at the beginning, left before the end of sacrament meeting. I'll let you know when we get home...about 10:30am Monday.



Love you

Mom<

And I was only kidding.

randomness of the rest

2011-08-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

Back to documenting our summer travels...

After Yellowstone, I continued on to Utah with the kids. Four days of hanging out with my sisters wasn't enough. I extended that by another week. I love my sisters. We did a whole lotta not much, it was perfect. The kids played in pools and now have nice, brown tans with white bums. It really is so cute.

The first night there I went for a run on a trail by my sisters place. I was smelling the sweet mountain air mixed with the sweet smell of a late summer rain and could have sworn I was in Zion. Tongue in cheek, there. I really could live there though. Aaron says over his dead body. I guess my yearly visits will have to do for now.

Back to the running part....I almost died. The altitude difference is a killer. I told my sisters that instead of running with a Camelbak filled with water, I needed an oxygen tank supplying me with a steady stream of the life sustaining stuff. I sounded like an asthmatic, gasping for each lungful of air. By the fifth run, I think I was able to breathe like a native.

"Cheese-its! Cheese-its! Cheese-its! Cheese-its!" Who knows that reference?

I swear this big, little guy has gills behind his ears. The no fear in this kid, equals plenty of fear for his mother who was watching him.

Would you believe this weather was on the same day? But even the stormy weather couldn't dampen my spirits, for I was able to partake of Lone Star Taqueria. I'll say it over and over and over, that is the best Mexican food money can buy. Period.

And then, fast-forward to driving home. This is a snapshot of where I received, I believe, my last speeding ticket before I was kicked off my parents' insurance back when I was a single gal. Just one of the many reasons my parents loved me then. It will come as no surprise that it happened in Oregon. Any one of you who has traveled that road from Washington to Utah knows just how much it sucks to go from cruising right along at about 80 mph, only to be forced to slow all the way to 65 mph. The cost of not adhering to their speed limit law was almost a cool $350. I was going way, way over 65.

meet the newest member

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

His sister has already said, "You've been baptized, Corgan! You need to be nice to me now!"

And to go along with the joyous occasion, here's a little ditty some missionaries serving in our mission had some fun with. Listen to it a few times and you'll be spittin' the rhymes right along with them.

Lil' Wayne wishes he was this good.

yellowstone

2011-08-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Get ready for the biggest photo dump of your life. I thought about breaking it up and spreading it out over a few posts, but nah, we're going to get it all done right now.

So grab some popcorn and get ready for some phun phamily photos.

First fuel stop, somewhere in Montana. They thought we were almost there. Hahaha! No. We weren't. We weren't even half-way yet. Poor kids and their smiley faces.

Montana really is Big Sky Country. The sky seriously seemed taller there.

Are you still smiling? 'Cause we're not even half-way through these photos yet.

This is in Yellowstone. Can't tell you exactly where. We are by a ranger station, kinda sorta by Old Faithful, but not really. Pretty though, huh?

Oh, hey, it's my kids.

Yellowstone is pretty amazing. All of these places to stop and look at filled with geysers and pools and springs.

This one reeked like eggs.

Funniest random picture from the trip. I laugh every time I see it. Are you laughing, too?

He was basking in the sulfur smell. The steam would hit your face and you would feel as if you were taking a steam bath with eggs. Yummy.

Here he is waiting for Old Faithful to explode, enjoying an ice cream cone.

You got little there on your chin.

Yep, right there. Don't worry, you rock that look,

And here's little, Lily. She had already enjoyed her ice cream but saw her cousin's and wanted hers. Look how cute her puppy dog eyes can get.

Baby Oneil was snug in his Peanut Shell as we walked for thousands of miles.

Look! Beautiful scenery!

Boy, does this boy get heavy.

The different colors don't ever get old.

Dude! A motel!

All of the May Tribe grandkids and their Grandma. 19 o' them. 17 years old all the way down to 4 months. And number 20 will be here in November.

Look! More beautiful scenery!

Day two in the Park. Touristy shot of the family in front of the sign at 'Ellowstone.

Better shot of all of our happy kids.

Did you know I was born in Wyoming? True story.

Finally! Some wild beasts to stop and take pictures of in their natural habitat.

I got out of the van to get a closer look. A ranger pulled up and told us to be careful and keep our distance.

It was at this point the ranger used his strong, authoritative, loud voice to command us all back in our vehicles.

And it was here he said, "Sir, I hope you don't mind if I use your vehicle as a barricade, this one's a little hormonal. Yesterday he charged two folks and rammed a car."

The bison seemed quite pleased with himself.

Found this one a little further down the road. This beast was as gentle and docile as a sleeping babe.

Oh, look! Beautiful scenery!

These, kids, are the Mammoth Falls.

And look! More beautiful scenery.

And another cute kid.

That's it. Our trip to the big, beautiful Yellowstone. Wasn't it fun to sit through our phun phamily photo's?

the traveling is finished...

2011-08-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

...well, almost.

Aaron's family has plans to convene together. And throw in a baptism and baby blessing, and then Summer of 2011 can finally come to an end.

Mr. Smith was actually brought to the harsh reality of summer really being over when he uttered earlier, "School starts in about 3 weeks."

Ouch, that's gotta hurt.

But we've had fun. And pictures and stories will be posted soon.

I have loads of laundry to do first. Or put off.

It's still summer.

Somewhere between here and Yellowstone.

more catch-up, please

2011-07-21T01:24:00.000-07:00

We leave today for Yellowstone.

Another long road trip with the kids. It's gonna be great.

And since my catching up is slow, I'm going to photo dump a few photos here before I leave. You may or may not see me until August 1st.

Girls Camp prank....they took our chairs, we saw them, waited for them to fall asleep...

...then we put ours back and took theirs. It was awesome.

Next day, we did this:

I laugh every time I see that picture. I can't help it.

Warrior Dash!!! 3.55 miles with obstacles throughout. This is me with my jazz hands.

And that is real blood, not ketchup. I am a true warrior....who loves jazz hands.

That's my husband on the left and our best friend on the right. I finished ten minutes ahead of them. It's because I'm more of a warrior than them. Did you see the blood on my legs?

They'll tell you they "let" me beat them. I'll tell you that's a lie.

I'll also tell you the dude is charge of that water hose was purposely spraying me in my face. Cooooooooold water.

They are already planning a costume for next years race. It may or may not include white shirts and ties and black name tags. They think they're funny.

And they pretty much are. No lie.

ketchup, get it?

2011-07-18T00:44:00.000-07:00

Remember that joke....

What'd the mamma tomato say to the baby tomato?

Ketchup.

That really has nothing to do with this post. Except the catching up part.

I'm sharing some pictures of my family with you today. The first bunch is of my mom with her two sisters and their mom. Grandma is getting up there in years and will soon be on her way to living with her son, my Uncle, the one with the curly hair I inherited. But shhhhh....she doesn't know yet. So don't tell her.

My mom and her sisters are a lively bunch of gals.

Rarely a quiet moment between them as you can see from the photos. This next one, you can tell Grandma is really not amused with her grown daughters bunny ear tactics.

In fact, she's quite peeved and says something about it.

Which was really more hysterical than she thought she was being.

She even got the granddaughters laughing.

But they ended with a nice photo.

And then it was our turn. See? A nice, lovely photo of the three little girls in the family.

Then the other two get in photo. Aaron asks my brother to look sharp, and he promptly untucks his shirt and throws his tie over my shoulder. We were raised to be proper in public. This sure ain't public.

Then, we really start to let loose and get crazy in the pictures.

Krissy shows us how many months pregnant she is and I do some "bunny ears." My mom yelled at me like I was 17 again.

But we ended with a nice photo, too. The two missing siblings will be with us this weekend while we journey to the Yellowstone area of the United States for a reunion. Ever heard of the place?

And because I can, here's another shot of my little sisters, cute, baby bump. This is her at five months, which is what I look when I even just think about being pregnant.

oooooooh a swiss girl went yodeling....

2011-07-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

I know I've been absent again. We just got home from being gone 10 days. But moving on to waaaay better news:

I am going to Girl's Camp, people!!

Since I have yet to be called into the Young Women's organization, I sort of invite myself when I can.

Seriously? What's the hold up?

Oh. I get it. You can't just forget the time a couple of us went swimming and forgot our swimsuits, and that it was dark, and not safe at all, can you?

Whatever. That was so over a decade ago and I am totally way more mature than I was back then.

Not really. But the next time, I'd wear a life jacket. Promise.

I'll be back here on Monday with stories to share. Can you all please pray for the safety of my children? They will be under the care and supervision of their Dad while I'm gone and I'd prefer if they were all here when I return.

Squirrel, squirrel! Shake your bushy tail!!

'twas the 4th of july...

2011-07-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

And it all begins with a ritualistic drawing of the chalk circle. The men gather together and decide on the the theme while the young ones look on in anticipation.

See how the flames of chalk glow with the burning of patriotism?

I think maybe the chalk drawing started to keep the kids occupied for a long, long time. That and maybe their safety, but really to keep them away for a long time.

Even the big kids still enjoy being traced with chalk. It keeps 'em young.

This needs to be put in vinyl.

The downside to sidewalk chalk....it gets on your bum.

And then we go and get some fun things from the reservation. It's tradition!

Meandering their way through the hundred's of firework stands to find just the right one.

"What kind of deal can I get?" It's a phrase that's repeated frequently throughout the time spent there.

Friends for life.

Corgan and Cousin Ike....they got some good deals.

This guy will be more excited next year. Promise.

Behold! Just a very teensy-weensy sampling of what fun could be bought.

See, I told you, friends for life. You don't climb trees with just anybody.

The best part of the 4th of July....homemade ice cream. Pair that with Aunt Dorie's blackberry pie and you have just died and gone to heaven.

The money shot of everyone there.

Guess which sign I wrote?

He didn't wear shoes allllllll day. But he's cute, so I didn't mind.

And so begins the lighting off of the fireworks with the ceremonial smoke bomb salute.

And snakes aren't so dumb when you light $20 worth at the same time!

Whilst the pyro's have their day, lots of wandering back and forth from the fireworks to the dessert table is done. Possibly on purpose, so you feel like all the walking you're doing is counteracting all the food you've eaten.

The ever-entertaining tank war.

Why is fire so much fun??

When carefully used under adult supervision, of course.
Okay, this was my favorite of the year. Its name is Blue Balls. And, yes, plenty of jokes were said.

And then to top off the night, the show at the lake.

See you next year!

thus far

2011-07-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'm still here, alive and well. But you know, it's summer and the days all run lazily together when school's out.

We are at the Smith House for the grand ol' kilt o' sac of FIRE!!!! It is as exciting as it sounds. This family tradition dates back to prehistoric times when dinosaurs roamed the earth. In fact, it was a Smith who invented fire. Just a little f.y.i. there.

Thus far on our trip we have laid in the grass and taken pictures when people aren't looking. Like these two love birds who have been married two years and are expecting their first little baby in December. This will be the last time we see them for a loooooong time because she's Australian and she is stealing him away to her motherland. But he's fine with it because he served his mission there. And he loves her as you can see.

This guy likes to throw things at me while I try and take pictures of him.

I just pretend he's not there when he takes pictures of me.

The kids have played and played and played until they crash at the end of the day.

Kinda like this:

We decided to sell part of our soul and we are selling the Blue Car. We never did come up with a proper name for it. So if you know of anyone who is dying to own a '67 Volvo, let me know.

We've met the newest member of the family. He is just as soft and lovable in real life.

And thus far, the best thing that has happened is this:

My mind is blown. This is the only way I will ever eat double stuffed oreos. Ever. Seriously? How have I never known about this genius way to stuff cookies in my mouth? Oh, and how do you like the allergy meds in the background? I suffer through being pregnant, he gets to suffer through seasonal allergies. At least I produce cute babies. He just produces snot.

had a ball

2011-06-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

....okay it was actually two.

We were at a pig roast on Friday evening. The dude in charge of it all also provided a few other, er, meats to try out. Commonly referred to as Rocky Mountain Oyster's.

If I told you they taste like chicken, I'd be lying.

They have more of a pork chop tasting quality to them. And I think they might be akin to tofu, they're going to taste like whatever you season them to taste like. See? Now you can eat them, too.

This is the, uh, other part of the bovine beast.

I won't be trying that again. Ever.

three things

2011-06-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

1- I'm sorry. It's all my fault. By using the-word-that-must-not-be-used, I brought it upon us and I hope you can forgive me.

Wind Advisory
Hazardous Weather Outlook

Today: Sunny, with a high near 69. Windy, with a northwest wind between 33 and 37 mph, with gusts as high as 47 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. Windy, with a northwest wind 29 to 32 mph decreasing to between 10 and 13 mph. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Breezy, with a northwest wind 9 to 12 mph increasing to between 25 and 28 mph. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph.

2- Did you know if you have Google Chrome, and use Google as your search engine, you can push the little microphone icon and speak and it'll look up whatever you say? It's like Back to the Future stuff, people. Except we're the future!

3- Today is the NBA draft. Where do you think Jimmer will end up? Utah? Arizona? New York?

all quiet on the western front

2011-06-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

I know I'm totally jinxing all who live in the valley with me, but today is day two of no "W".

I capitalized that "W" because what it stands for deserves all the respect in the world. You know, "air in motion, blowing with whatever degree of gentleness or violence." And that air has been blowing with great violence for over a week. Where we live it's expected just as the rain on the west side of the state, earthquakes in California, Mormon's in Utah, it just comes with the territory.

I am looking out my window and am all giddy inside because I don't see the tree branches being bent to the point of breaking. There are no babies rolling down the middle of the street like tumbleweeds, I may even be able to go running without fear of my feet being tripped up by sudden gusts of that violent air.

It's always an eerie feeling that follows after it has been blowing for so long. I keep looking outside expecting something to be happening like the Second Coming or something cool like that. But for now I'll be holding my breath in hopes that the wind doesn't start back up again. Crap! I just used the-word-that-must-not-be-used!! We're all doomed! Doomed!! Doomed!!!

just sayin'...

2011-06-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

he's the cutest baby in the universe. Ever.

I'll let you claim cutest baby in the world for yours.

randomness

2011-06-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, geez, I forgot to tell you.

Mr. Smith has been done with school since last week.

And today is the kids' last day of school.

The Mr. took the two older boys on the Father/Son camp out yesterday and they will hopefully return home in one piece sometime tomorrow afternoon. With less mosquito bites than last year. I don't think I could count that high again.

I was looking at the calendar and our summer weekends are already totally booked. All of them. How does that even happen? Lots of driving with multiple trips over to the west side of the state, Yellowstone and possibly Utah. Oh, be still my grumbling tummy! But the thought of enjoying Lone Star Taqueria makes my mouth water. And I can never forget the pure lovejoy I feel when stuffing my face at Moochies. Sigh. A girl can only hope.

That's it. It's been decided. I am going to Utah. With an empty stomach.

That's all, ya'll.

not for the faint of heart

2011-06-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

My favorite thing in the whole, wide world is dead.

I don't want to talk about it.

And while I was enjoying my favorite band in the whole, wide world, some guy next to me, who was under the influence of more than one substance, spilled his soda pop mixture all over my camera. It has started acting worse than a two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. It's only a matter of time before it follows the mixer's example and leaves this earthly life.

I reeeeeeeally don't want to talk about that one.

So if any of you have an extra, oh, $1,500 laying around, you know where to find me.

My entire happiness and reasons for living depend on it.

And, no, I'm not overreacting.

don't judge...

2011-06-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

...it hurt like all git out.

And it was my idea. But my husband was a very willing participant.

The sweatshirt was to help provide "padding". The welt on my back proves otherwise.

do you see what i see?

2011-06-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

This kid is finally growing his two front teeth. It has been a long time coming.

And what I mean by "long time coming", is he knocked them out when he was a wee lad of 3 1/2 years. That was 4 1/2 years ago. He'll finally be able to enjoy corn on the cob this summer without looking like he's mauling the poor vegetable.

This is the last known photo of him with his two front toofers.

And someone, *cough*cade*cough*, thought he would add to the milk.

Thank-you, son.

messy marvin

2011-06-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

What? There's something on my face?

The only way to eat sugar cookies involves using both hands and shoving it into your mouth like Cookie Monster.

One also needs to use the frosting to do some finger painting on the table.

And then getting mad when your mom tells you you can't have another one.

Bleach and I have become best friends.

Trying to keep five white shirts white for church on Sunday is a lot of work.

Especially when he wasn't supposed to be outside playing in his church clothes. I blame his negligent mother.

baby tracker

2011-06-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

3 months today, ya'll.

6-0

2011-06-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday would have been the old man's 60th birthday.

We celebrated with his favorite cake, yellow with chocolate frosting, and his favorite ice cream, rocky road. We sang "Happy Birthday", and the kids blew out the candles.

And here's the email I sent out:

brothers and sisters of mine,

Um....if any of you talk to Dad today, will you please have him call me. I've been trying to call and wish him a happy birthday, but he's not picking up.

Do you think that joke is ever going to get old? 'Cause Dad's not. ba-dum-da!

love you more than a good joke,

-rachel

happy birthday, dad!

sasquatch sighting

2011-06-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

My sister, Lael drove to my place on Sunday. And then Monday, together we drove even further east to a little place called The Gorge at George. We went there for the last day of the four-day Sasquatch Music Festival. The order of photos might make no sense at all. Just go with it.

There were a few other people besides us.

Entering the belly of the beast. This particular music festival attracts a lot of hippies and hipsters. My sister and I fell somewhere in between those two extremes.

Here's a snapshot of all the bands who performed on Monday:

And this is who we saw: Young the Giant, The Young Evils, Noah and the Whale, Axis of Awesome, ((watch the swears on that video :45-:49ish & 4:57-5:01ish )) Chromeo, White Arrows, White Denim, and Foster the People.

Hi, Lael.

Amazing views to match the amazing music. Plus, the amazing guy brushing his teeth in the bottom left corner of the picture.

This guy was there.

One of the millions of knockoff Ray Bans. I do believe this guy wore them best.

Remember when I said there were a lot of people?

Some very important information was being passed around.

Lots of cuffed pants being worn by boys.

Look! A rock star who tucks his shirt in!

And the main reason my sister and I went to this little shin-dig:

FOSTER THE PEOPLE!!!!
We listened to the two bands before them play just so we could be right up front for their set. Imagine our surprise, when right before it started, we turn around and see that everybody else and their dog have joined us.

The press photographers were also enamored with them.

Awesome band. Awesome band. Awesome band. Awesome band. Awesome band.

I love them.

Lael loves them, too.

FYI to all you who live in close proximity to SLC, Foster the People will be playing at the Urban Lounge on June 7th. Which means you can watch them perform for a mere $12.75!! Steal of a deal. Buy your tickets now. You won't regret it.

And because they aren't some huge band yet, they helped with the setup and take-down of their equipment. Nice boys. They know that when you're helping, you're happy.

The rain began when we were leaving. Perfect timing.

It was a great day.

memorial day

2011-05-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

photo from google

Thanks to my,

Grandpa May
Grandma May
Grandpa Gilyeat
Grandpa Dewey
Uncle Dennis
Uncle Colin
brother Craig
brother-in-law Dave.

And all the other men and women who have served our country.

Thank-you.

this is my confession

2011-05-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

I love aviators.

I have put off purchasing them in the past because my husband holds a complete, burning in the bosom, undeniable hatred for them. He wants to slap them off the face of anyone he sees sporting those sweet frames.

But this year I have decided to take it upon myself to help him combat and overcome those unnecessary negative feelings and a few weeks ago I bought myself a pair. Aaron tried to show me how ridiculous he thought they were by taking a picture:

See how freakin' sweet they are??!

I swear I could actually fly planes when I wear them.

And to further my cause of changing a stubborn mans opinion of frivolous things, I Googled 'em, and look what I found:

If it's on a trucker hat, you know there's no denying that truth.

And as of today, there has been no attempt to slap them off my face. I think I'm making headway with him. Or he can remember what my Dad said to him when he asked for my hand in marriage. Something along the lines of, "if you ever lay a hand on my daughter, I have a gun and a shovel and nobody will ever find you." Even from the grave, my Dad's words ring in his mind.

Maybe, just maybe, he'll own his own pair by the end of summer.

Then we could be co-pilots.

photo-ing it in today

2011-05-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

The end.

the rain is pure as the rain is sure

2011-05-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Quick!

Name the awesome band who sang that song!

Living on the east side of the state we're used to wind and snow and hot summers. It rains here, but not in huge quantity like the west side of the state.

Friday night it rained.

Then it stopped.

Started raining again Saturday evening and didn't stop for 24 hours. Big, humongous drops of rain.

We're definitely not used to that.

Sunday was Stake Conference. How they do it here since our Stake is spread out, we have a morning session where we live, then an afternoon session at the actual Stake center 45 minutes away. When we awoke to this:

we knew it wasn't going to be a normal Sabbath Day.

Aaron was taking a friend over to the airport later that morning, so I left with the kids to go to the meeting. By this time, word was spreading about the seriousness of the rising waters in the valley and our Stake President stood up before the meeting even started and asked the able bodied men to leave and go help with the sandbagging efforts. Eventually, the meeting was cut short on account of hardly anyone left in attendance. And members from the entire Stake were called upon to help. Them waters were out of freakin' control. Volunteers worked in the rain and wind from about 9 a.m., well into the evening. Ox in the mire, ya'll.

This is the river that formed on the backside of the apartments.

Water, water everywhere!!

Totally awesome when the sprinklers came on to help out.

Ankle-deep water on the sidewalk.

Futile attempt to stop the water from going under our building.

Behold! The power of the humble sandbag!!

A Great Wall of Sandbags was formed across the street to try and divert the water back into its irrigational((new word!)) boundaries.

Ten minutes after the bags were in place, the river was already downgraded to creek status, at least on this side of the tree line. On the other side was white water rapids.

Some of the trucks involved with helping out.

This was Sunday evening:

And this was yesterday morning:

By evening time on Monday, the water was back to normal, at least near us. There are still places where the flood waters are high and they have no power. And with the higher temperature we're expecting this week in the mountains can only mean more flooding could be coming our way. Bring it, Mother Nature. We have an arsenal of sandbags at the ready.

Oh, these were the opening and closing songs they had picked out to sing at Stake conference. Somebody knew what was going to happen.

check it out

2011-05-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

There's this girl I went to high school with.

Fast-forward twelve years, and now she's a girl I blog with.

She just had her first baby ever last week.

And I was a guest blogger on her blog last Friday.

Go here to read it on atasteoft.

It's a very honest post about being postpartum.

The squeamish need not read.

You've been warned.

another one

2011-05-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure how to say this, so I'll just show you a picture.

But even more exciting than there being a new addition to the family is that it's not mine! The tiny, little thing belongs to my little sister.

MY BABY SISTER IS HAVING A BABY!!!

We've know for about a month and she enlisted our help in informing the other family up here about the impending arrival. It happened like this:

We had dinner at my mom's and the other three pacific northwest siblings were there. Krissy called on the phone and I nonchalantly started undressing Oneil, and then presented him to my mom. She's a little excited/surprised.

This is what she saw:

I didn't get the onsie off in time. So that is actual doo-doo on the "doo".

And before she knows it, she'll be doing this to one of her own:

And besides being super excited about her having a baby, when she is great with child will be the only time in this lifetime when she will weigh more than me. I'm really looking forward to that.

Congrats Krissy and Mike!!

happy birthday, girl.

2011-05-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

I love your face.

notable notes

2011-05-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

The first note is proof to me that I don't completely suck at being a mom.

And with all due respect to Ms. Keller, this is a note I left on someone's truck at Fred Meyer's. I suppose they wanted to see how close they could get to the van without actually touching it.

fog has been lifted

2011-05-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

You'll have to please excuse me from the lack of posts this week. I've been living in a dayquil/nyquil fog all week. Yesterday was the first day I wasn't addicted to cold medicine.

It all started last Saturday when I was in Seattle for Time Out for Women with my sister, April. We spent Friday night at the Hotel Monaco. We woke up early to go running along the waterfront. My throat felt like it had that pre-sick tickle in it and my out of shape butt was dragging the entire run. I had to tell my sister to run on ahead. The last part of the run, from the waterfront to the hotel, is uphill. Four blocks uphill. I have never looked forward to red lights more. Except maybe when I'm texting.

Fast-forward a week, and I am no longer dependent on drugs to get through the day.

And maybe it was the drugs, maybe not, but this video was shared with us a few days ago and it is pretty funny. So I thought I'd pass it along.

"185. Storm Trooper friendly."

2011-05-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Want to see what happens when you blink?

This does. He's 8 weeks already. And he is still cute. Even the little booger in his nose is cute.

music to my ears

2011-04-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

I thought it was about time I updated my playlist. Here's what I've got so far; some old songs, some new songs, but they've all got a beat you can run to. Upload them to your own listening device, go for a run, and it'd be like we are running together!

Kinda, sorta.

Rolling In The Deep---Adele

Ain't No Other Man---Christina Aguilera

Viva La Vida---Coldplay

Forget You---ft Tyler Ward & Drew Dawson

Moneygrabber---Fitz And The Tantrums

Faith---George Michael

Paris (Ooh La La)---Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Give A Little---Hanson

Are You Gonna Be My Girl---Jet
Misery---Maroon 5

Stutter---Maroon 5

Animal---Neon Trees

In The Next Room---Neon Trees

Switch---Will Smith

Black Betty---Ram Jam

part two of two

2011-04-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

As the end of my pregnancy was drawing to a large close; I was again worrying about if I'd be able to run or if I'd have to find a new hobby like cooking or cleaning.

I scoured the internet looking for a solution to my IT band problem. Many, many, many things have been written about this chronic ailment that plagues a good majority of runners. Since the pain is usually found around the knee, that's what most runner's think is wrong with their body. But after proper diagnosis, the IT band could be the likely culprit.

Human Anat. and Phys. Lesson: The IT band is a ligament that runs from the iliac crest ((top of your hip)), down the outside of the thigh and attaches at the tibia bone ((your shin bone)). Hence, the genius name of the iliotibial band. Its main function is to provide stability to the outside of the knee joint. Pain occurs when there is friction between the band and bone. Reasons for the injury can range from increasing mileage too quickly, worn out shoes, running the same direction around the track/roads, running on banked surfaces. End of lesson.

My problem was that 99.9% of my runs took me out on country roads, always running in the same direction. And I may have upped my mileage too quickly before the marathon. Oops.

I gleaned information from a few different sites to help me get that band back into running shape. I invested in a foam roller and that, my friends, is a miracle worker. It has become my best friend/worst enemy. That thing has the power to bring me to tears as I'm rolling my thigh across the top of it. It hurts so good.

I kept it safe for about a week and a half using the elliptical machine. Then two weeks ago, I thought I would give it a go and try running once again. I zipped up my jacket, stuck in my earbuds and shuffled through the songs until I found the right one that would help motivate me to move my feet.

My legs felt as if they had lead in them. But I plodded along until the song was over, then turned around and listened to the song again while willing my stiff body to keep going. With the exception of three days, I've gone running everyday. And everyday it's getting a little easier, my body is remembering what it's like to be a runner. To synchronize the movement of my arms and legs into a comfortable rhythm. Taking strong and deep breaths to match that rhythm. To be moving forward. It's been a long time coming.

part one of two

2011-04-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

About four miles into the marathon last year, my left IT Band was screaming for me to stop. Since I'm really good at ignoring screaming kids, I just ignored the pain and finished the race. I walked like the Tin Man for well over a week; could hardly bend my left knee without wanting to cry and suck my thumb.

I thought by not running for a month and stretching it out every once in awhile, that would give it enough time to heal. A month went by and I optimistically tied on my shoes and headed out the door. I barely made it half a mile before the pain was back and it felt like I was being stabbed in my knee once again. I walked back home, went in my room and cried. It was that sad. Running is sort of my thing. Well, that and having lots of babies. So not being able to run was a real blow.

I had problems with that dang IT Band before the race and my dang husband told me I shouldn't run it, it'll ruin me forever. But my stupid, stubborn, dang pride got in the way. Sitting at the foot of my bed, crying, I was thinking, "Dang. I've ruined me forever." And then my dang husband said, "I told you so", about half a million times. He's nice like that. That's why I married him.

I prayed for it to heal. While I waited for divine intervention, my punishment was going on walks instead of runs. And when that got to be too mundane for me, I started hiking up the Ridge about three mornings a week.

For you who live in and around Provo, it puts the "Y" to shame. Just sayin'.

It was on one of those hikes when I knew I was pregnant. I had reached the top and called Aaron to let him know I was on my way back down. Yes, T-Mobile is that awesome. While chatting with him I started to clear my throat in order to expectorate some saliva. That's when I gagged and almost threw-up. Half a millisecond later, I knew I was pregnant. And then I wasted money on three pregnancy tests to tell me something I already knew.

I had been praying for an answer and I got it. In the form of a baby. Okay, not really, but I was forced into a more sedentary lifestyle. It was the worst out of all five pregnancies. But all of the overwhelming nausea, throwing-up, prescription meds that turned me into a narcoleptic zombie the first three months really helped me to forget about my bum knee for awhile.

To be continued...

it's his fourth birthday today

2011-04-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

He does a pretty mean Calvin impression.

Happy birthday, boy.

let down

2011-04-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

It is finished.

Not voluntarily, mind you. I tried to keep the flow going, but after nursing four other babies I guess my body was like, "No milk for you!"

The last week and half I have been supplementing what I could give with formula hoping that would make it last for awhile. I was even drinking enough water to fill a small swimming pool each day. But the feeling of the "let down" had disappeared and I knew the end was near.

Monday morning was the last time I nursed him.

It was a bittersweet feeling.

My body is now my own but I will miss sharing it with my baby.

blessed day

2011-04-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was blessing day.

Family gathered together to give our baby his official name and blessing. These were the cast of characters involved with that ordinance.

l to r:

best-est friend in the whole wide world-derek, aaron's brother-nate, aaron's dad-dale, aaron holding oneil, my sisters' husband-dave, my brother-craig, aaron's sisters' husband-scott, and cade out for a sunday stroll.

Here's all the kids who were present. A million tries later, and this is the best shot. Perfect, if you ask me.

Five babies in 7 1/2 years. We may or may not be a little on the crazy side.

And my Dad was standing in the circle....Aaron wore a pair of his shoes.

It was a blessed day.

some people

2011-04-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

It happened twice while I was large while being pregnant. Both times I had popped into the grocery store to grab a few things on the way home from picking the kids' up from school.

There I was, minding my own business and I notice a lady watching me. I thought maybe she was amused at how I was waddling around, trying to grocery shop with all the kids. Then came her loaded question, "Are those all yours?"

"Yes they are," was my answer.

Then she opened her mouth and removed any doubt of her lack of intelligence, "That is so irresponsible."

How does that saying go? "Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." I have learned from past experiences how true that is; so I just smiled politely and let her walk away.

The second occasion was maybe three weeks later, same reason, different grocery store. This time I was picking through the oranges, trying to find the best ones. Side note: the thicker, bumpier the peel, the better.

There I was filling my bag with vitamin-c, and I see this guy giving us the same look. I brace myself for his unsolicited conversation.

"Those all yours?"

"Yes they are," was my answer again.

Then he pauses, and I could tell he was looking for just the right, follow-up sound bite. And he found it, "What are you? Some kind of Jesus-lovin' christian freak? Those are the only ones who have that many kids nowadays. They don't use birth control, you know."

Right here I felt like breaking into song singing this. Not wanting to get into some deep, doctrine tug-o-war, my reply was, "I sure do love Him, but my husband and I also just love kids."

The dude said some other mumbo-jumbo about being 43 years-old and having seven kids of his own by three different women and then thankfully, walked out of the store.

Some people need to learn and abide by the other sage advice, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." -Abraham Lincoln

took this picture back in '06 at a Wendy's drive-thru. i knew it would come in handy some day.