Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I cut my hair!
Well, the heat got to me and I had a moment of insanity yesterday. I cut my hair. It hasn't even been trimmed since January and it was getting quite long. I cut it from the sides, then made (note the word "made" - he was not very happy about it) Steve trim up the back. It feels much lighter and maybe it will make this heat more bearable. Steve just took a photo, so when I get one, I'll post it to share.
Happy Birthday, Kenneth - 10 years old!
Well, yesterday was Kenneth's 10th birthday. It's hard to believe we've been parents for a decade.
Sunday just about killed him dead...it was SOOOOOO hard to wait ONE MORE DAY. Then, once yesterday came, he was so happy! We made him wait until everyone was awake to open his presents (that just about killed him, too). Our schedule has been very "off" due to the weather. It's just too hot to sleep at a reasonable hour, so we've been staying up late and getting up late. Steve was up especially late on Sunday night getting a project done. Anyway, by about 8am Caitlin woke up and she was the last one. Steve gave Kenneth his Optical Calcite (a rock), and the display stand we bought him while we were in Hawaii. Then he asked him if his birthday was good, and if he was happy. While you could see the look of disappoitment in Kenneth's eyes (he REALLY wanted a Nintendo DS), he was very grateful and sweet about it. Steve then asked him to get something from up stairs for him, and lo and behold there was another present on the stairs. You should have seen his sweet face when he opened it and saw his new, black, Nintendo DS. It was reminiscent of Elise's 1st kiss, actually. I wish I'd have had the video camera on. He was SOOOOOOO overjoyed. He received 2 games from his friends, and he got some $ from another friend which he used to purchase another game, and we gave him 1 game, so he now has 4 games. He's pretty set up, I think. We spent the day shopping (Aunt Julie's gift card was burning a hole in his pocket - it turned into some Star Wars action figures), and we went to Panda Express for lunch (one of Kenneth's FAVORITE places to eat). Kenneth had requested Beef Strogenoff, Green Bean Casserole, and Strawberry Dacquaris for dinner. It was a yummy dinner and we topped it off with a family movie of his choice (he chose "Ant Bully"). I think he was pretty happy with how the day turned out, and now my son is 10. How does that happen?
Sunday just about killed him dead...it was SOOOOOO hard to wait ONE MORE DAY. Then, once yesterday came, he was so happy! We made him wait until everyone was awake to open his presents (that just about killed him, too). Our schedule has been very "off" due to the weather. It's just too hot to sleep at a reasonable hour, so we've been staying up late and getting up late. Steve was up especially late on Sunday night getting a project done. Anyway, by about 8am Caitlin woke up and she was the last one. Steve gave Kenneth his Optical Calcite (a rock), and the display stand we bought him while we were in Hawaii. Then he asked him if his birthday was good, and if he was happy. While you could see the look of disappoitment in Kenneth's eyes (he REALLY wanted a Nintendo DS), he was very grateful and sweet about it. Steve then asked him to get something from up stairs for him, and lo and behold there was another present on the stairs. You should have seen his sweet face when he opened it and saw his new, black, Nintendo DS. It was reminiscent of Elise's 1st kiss, actually. I wish I'd have had the video camera on. He was SOOOOOOO overjoyed. He received 2 games from his friends, and he got some $ from another friend which he used to purchase another game, and we gave him 1 game, so he now has 4 games. He's pretty set up, I think. We spent the day shopping (Aunt Julie's gift card was burning a hole in his pocket - it turned into some Star Wars action figures), and we went to Panda Express for lunch (one of Kenneth's FAVORITE places to eat). Kenneth had requested Beef Strogenoff, Green Bean Casserole, and Strawberry Dacquaris for dinner. It was a yummy dinner and we topped it off with a family movie of his choice (he chose "Ant Bully"). I think he was pretty happy with how the day turned out, and now my son is 10. How does that happen?
Sunday, July 26, 2009
I survived!
I survived the Cub Scout camp this week. It was quite a venture. I'm glad I did it - I won't do it again. There were some definite hiccups in the days leading up to it that took a lot out of me emotionally. Fundamentally, however, the camp was successful and the boys had a great time. There were 154 scouts, about 30 siblings in our TAG program, and almost 100 parents each night. It was no trivial undertaking, and I couldn't have done it without the great team I had - and especially Steve. His support was unending and made such a difference.
I have been having more and more contractions as the week progressed, and I have heeded Elise's warnings and taken it VERY easy for the last 2 days. We've pretty much decided to put me on bed rest until the contractions go away. I have a doctor's app't on Tuesday and I will have another ultra sound then, as well, so it will be nice to get an update. Tomorrow is Kenneth's 10th birthday. He's counting down the minutes. He had his birthday party yesterday - pretty low key - we had 5 boys over and they played Guitar hero and enjoyed pizza and birthday cake.
Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. I'm sure that's the only way I made it through the week.
A BIG thank you to Sami for sacrificing her time and allowing Steve to stay here with me. It really meant the world to me to have him here. Besides the support, he had to load and unload my car every day as we had to take the Tahoe in for some repairs. (I know - terrible timing).
I'm very glad to have last week behind me, and I'm looking forward to a much more relaxing summer. However, I'm NOT looking forward to the heat wave they're predicting for us....mid to upper nineties??? WHAT??? We live in SEATTLE for crying in the soup! And we DON'T have air conditioning!!! Well, I'm sure we'll survive the heat.
I have been having more and more contractions as the week progressed, and I have heeded Elise's warnings and taken it VERY easy for the last 2 days. We've pretty much decided to put me on bed rest until the contractions go away. I have a doctor's app't on Tuesday and I will have another ultra sound then, as well, so it will be nice to get an update. Tomorrow is Kenneth's 10th birthday. He's counting down the minutes. He had his birthday party yesterday - pretty low key - we had 5 boys over and they played Guitar hero and enjoyed pizza and birthday cake.
Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. I'm sure that's the only way I made it through the week.
A BIG thank you to Sami for sacrificing her time and allowing Steve to stay here with me. It really meant the world to me to have him here. Besides the support, he had to load and unload my car every day as we had to take the Tahoe in for some repairs. (I know - terrible timing).
I'm very glad to have last week behind me, and I'm looking forward to a much more relaxing summer. However, I'm NOT looking forward to the heat wave they're predicting for us....mid to upper nineties??? WHAT??? We live in SEATTLE for crying in the soup! And we DON'T have air conditioning!!! Well, I'm sure we'll survive the heat.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Crazy
I'm sorry I've been so lacking in posts lately. I'm Camp Director for a Cub Scout Twilight Camp (like day camp, but held in the evenings) this week - Monday - Friday. There will be 160 scouts, about 60 siblings in our "TAG" program, and almost 150 parents/leaders. It is a HUGE undertaking to say the least, and one I will not repeat in the near future. My family has not seen much of me for the last 2 weeks and we will all be glad when it's over. I will say this, though. It's going to be AWESOME!!
Anyway, I'll resurface next week! Wish me luck!
Anyway, I'll resurface next week! Wish me luck!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Happy Birthday to 2 of my favorite people!!!
My sister, Elise, and my sister-in-law, Amanda, share today as their birthday. I wish them nothing but a lifetime full of happiness and love! I hope they get spoiled rotton today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ladies!!!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
"Week" explained
Well, you might wonder why I put "week" in quotes in my last post.
It's because we drove to Utah (14 hours) on Saturday, June 27th, and returned home to Seattle (another 14 hours) on Friday, July 3rd. So, it wasn't really a week afterall. All the children saw fit to point out the fact that "Grammie's Week" couldn't be over since it hadn't been a week yet! Well, they were right, but everyone wanted to be home with their spouse for the 4th of July holiday. We did jam pack a LOT of fun into the 5 days we had together...here's a brief run down - photos yet to come (when I get them from Angela, I didn't even take a camera...why bother when Angela's there and you know her photos are going to be 1000 times better than anything you could attempt anyway?)
Sunday: We arrived at 3am and hit the hay. It took me a while to settle down since I was driving. My brother, Ben, waited up for me and helped me get all the kiddos in - THANK YOU BEN!!! My friend, Heather, with whom I caravanned, talked to me on the phone until I was about 30 minutes out...THANK YOU HEATHER! And thanks to everyone who offered to chat with me in the wee hours to keep me awake. I nursed a diet coke from Boise to Ogden and that seemed to do the trick. I hope my baby isn't any worse for wear. :)
Church was at 11am. Choir practice was at 10:30am. We made it for choir (my mom's the conductor) and we sang a beautiful rendition of "Let the Mountains Shout for Joy". My Dad was one of the speakers, and he gave a profound sermon on a couple of sections in the Doctrine & Covenants. I always enjoy hearing my dad speak. He is very polished, for one, and has deep insights from his extensive scripture study that I enjoy learning. I wish I could hear him expound on the scriptures more often. My mom taught the Sunday School lesson and it was fabulous, and I learned even more. The Relief Society teacher took a jab at one of my comments and I felt like walking out (my sisters agreed that her attack was out of place), but I didn't. I dutifully sat through the rest of the lesson. Oh, well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad, eh?
Our afternoon was lazy and relaxing. While I didn't take a nap, I enjoyed the company immensely. Heidi was there, my Grandma Noble, David, Jackie, and Jaxon, in addition to all the "live-ins" for Grammie's week - which included: Darin (he left on Monday morning), Missy, Nathan, Benjamin, Gilbert Clay; Angela, Alex, Johnathan, Zachary Webb; Emily Adams; Joy, Kenneth, Daniel, Caitlin Layton; Teva, Kid, Shelby, and a cat whose name I never learned. Teva, Kid, and Shelby are dogs. Teva stayed with my folks when David & Jackie moved out, and Kid is their long time pal. Shelby is Angela's dog who came up from Vegas.
Angela had bought some beads in Hawaii, and Heidi did an AMAZING job making necklaces for Angela out of them. I brought the tools, but all I did was cut wire and crimp the clasps on - Heidi did all the work - and they turned out lovely.
Sunday evening came to a close with a Family Home Evening on Priesthood blessings. David had asked my dad to give him a blessing, so Dad gave a lesson on blessings and the priesthood and the importance of being worthy to give blessings to all his grandsons who were gathered there before he gave the blessing. Both the lesson and the blessing were beautiful. It made me want to ask him for one, too, but the kids had had enough.
Monday: We got up and going and headed to the Bean Museum at BYU. The kids loved all the animals on display and we even caught a demonstration of some sort so they got to see a lizard, snake, turtle, etc. We headed over to the CougarEat for lunch, then to the Bookstore for BYU trinkets. After that we went to Grandaddy's office and he had a BYU pencil for each grandchild. We wrapped up our BYU stay with a stop at the Museum of Art which had an "I SPY" display that was quite amazing. We then headed to Grandma Noble's house (she lives with my uncle & aunt in Lindon) for swimming, snacks and popsicles. My cousin was there with her kiddos and it was so great to sit and visit while the children swam. The sun was hot, and the water was fun. They had all been looking forward to swimming.
Tuesday: We went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. Before the Church dedicates their temples, they are open to the general public. We got to tour the temple together, and that was a special experience. Then we headed to the Kennecot Copper Mine: the largest man-made excavation in the WORLD. It is very impressive and we enjoyed seeing it, and visiting the visitor center and watching a short video about it. It runs 24/7/365 and mines quite a bit of copper, gold, silver, and another metal that I could never figure out how to say, much less spell. :) We went back to my folks' for lunch and swimming and later that evening I snuck out with Daniel, Caitlin and Emily to see one of my dearest friends, Shari and her family. We had a nice visit and it was good to see her newest addition, Peyton. What a cutie pie!!
Wednesday: We went to Lagoon. Are we crazy or what? The kids had a great time, and the adults were hot, but we were glad we went. We almost shut down the park...we didn't leave until 9:15pm. Wowee did we make great memories that day!
Thursday: Since we knew we were all traveling on Friday, we had planned Thursday to be a "down" day of swimming, doing laundry and just hanging out together at the house. I, however, got an idea in my head that changed all of that for me. My parents have an amazing "circle" in front of their house with a fountain in the center. The fountain is taller than I am. Every year they spend a mint on annuals (flowers) to go around the fountain that they put in in the spring, and dig out in the fall. Last summer Elise & I talked them into investing some money into bulbs that would come back year after year and reduce their work load a little and give some variety to the "circle". Well, most of the bulbs had bloomed and most of the circle was just dirt. After having looked at that all week, I couldn't help myself. I talked to Missy and we went to Wal-Mart and got a bunch of perenials and mulch and some jasmine bushes to spice up the place. We did it as a surprise, and it worked. My mom cried when we showed her our "proposed" layout (asking for feedback before we actually planted anything). Well, needless to say it wasn't a "restful" day, but I wish I had a before and after photo. I know Angela took an "after" shot...I'll see if I can get my hands on it. I think it turned out pretty well, and I know my parents were pleased. Now, hopefully between the bulbs and perenials, that area will beautify their home for many years to come - during the spring, summer and fall. A big THANK YOU goes to Shauna for being willing to spend our precious little time together planting flowers with me. Talk about a true friend. Thanks!
I guess that about sums it up. We had a fabulous time. I do have to insert here that I think it's a raw deal that EVERYONE arrived at their homes hours before I did...even my sister in Connecticut. It is a long drive (not as long as it was when we were in Texas), but it was well worth it.
It's because we drove to Utah (14 hours) on Saturday, June 27th, and returned home to Seattle (another 14 hours) on Friday, July 3rd. So, it wasn't really a week afterall. All the children saw fit to point out the fact that "Grammie's Week" couldn't be over since it hadn't been a week yet! Well, they were right, but everyone wanted to be home with their spouse for the 4th of July holiday. We did jam pack a LOT of fun into the 5 days we had together...here's a brief run down - photos yet to come (when I get them from Angela, I didn't even take a camera...why bother when Angela's there and you know her photos are going to be 1000 times better than anything you could attempt anyway?)
Sunday: We arrived at 3am and hit the hay. It took me a while to settle down since I was driving. My brother, Ben, waited up for me and helped me get all the kiddos in - THANK YOU BEN!!! My friend, Heather, with whom I caravanned, talked to me on the phone until I was about 30 minutes out...THANK YOU HEATHER! And thanks to everyone who offered to chat with me in the wee hours to keep me awake. I nursed a diet coke from Boise to Ogden and that seemed to do the trick. I hope my baby isn't any worse for wear. :)
Church was at 11am. Choir practice was at 10:30am. We made it for choir (my mom's the conductor) and we sang a beautiful rendition of "Let the Mountains Shout for Joy". My Dad was one of the speakers, and he gave a profound sermon on a couple of sections in the Doctrine & Covenants. I always enjoy hearing my dad speak. He is very polished, for one, and has deep insights from his extensive scripture study that I enjoy learning. I wish I could hear him expound on the scriptures more often. My mom taught the Sunday School lesson and it was fabulous, and I learned even more. The Relief Society teacher took a jab at one of my comments and I felt like walking out (my sisters agreed that her attack was out of place), but I didn't. I dutifully sat through the rest of the lesson. Oh, well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad, eh?
Our afternoon was lazy and relaxing. While I didn't take a nap, I enjoyed the company immensely. Heidi was there, my Grandma Noble, David, Jackie, and Jaxon, in addition to all the "live-ins" for Grammie's week - which included: Darin (he left on Monday morning), Missy, Nathan, Benjamin, Gilbert Clay; Angela, Alex, Johnathan, Zachary Webb; Emily Adams; Joy, Kenneth, Daniel, Caitlin Layton; Teva, Kid, Shelby, and a cat whose name I never learned. Teva, Kid, and Shelby are dogs. Teva stayed with my folks when David & Jackie moved out, and Kid is their long time pal. Shelby is Angela's dog who came up from Vegas.
Angela had bought some beads in Hawaii, and Heidi did an AMAZING job making necklaces for Angela out of them. I brought the tools, but all I did was cut wire and crimp the clasps on - Heidi did all the work - and they turned out lovely.
Sunday evening came to a close with a Family Home Evening on Priesthood blessings. David had asked my dad to give him a blessing, so Dad gave a lesson on blessings and the priesthood and the importance of being worthy to give blessings to all his grandsons who were gathered there before he gave the blessing. Both the lesson and the blessing were beautiful. It made me want to ask him for one, too, but the kids had had enough.
Monday: We got up and going and headed to the Bean Museum at BYU. The kids loved all the animals on display and we even caught a demonstration of some sort so they got to see a lizard, snake, turtle, etc. We headed over to the CougarEat for lunch, then to the Bookstore for BYU trinkets. After that we went to Grandaddy's office and he had a BYU pencil for each grandchild. We wrapped up our BYU stay with a stop at the Museum of Art which had an "I SPY" display that was quite amazing. We then headed to Grandma Noble's house (she lives with my uncle & aunt in Lindon) for swimming, snacks and popsicles. My cousin was there with her kiddos and it was so great to sit and visit while the children swam. The sun was hot, and the water was fun. They had all been looking forward to swimming.
Tuesday: We went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. Before the Church dedicates their temples, they are open to the general public. We got to tour the temple together, and that was a special experience. Then we headed to the Kennecot Copper Mine: the largest man-made excavation in the WORLD. It is very impressive and we enjoyed seeing it, and visiting the visitor center and watching a short video about it. It runs 24/7/365 and mines quite a bit of copper, gold, silver, and another metal that I could never figure out how to say, much less spell. :) We went back to my folks' for lunch and swimming and later that evening I snuck out with Daniel, Caitlin and Emily to see one of my dearest friends, Shari and her family. We had a nice visit and it was good to see her newest addition, Peyton. What a cutie pie!!
Wednesday: We went to Lagoon. Are we crazy or what? The kids had a great time, and the adults were hot, but we were glad we went. We almost shut down the park...we didn't leave until 9:15pm. Wowee did we make great memories that day!
Thursday: Since we knew we were all traveling on Friday, we had planned Thursday to be a "down" day of swimming, doing laundry and just hanging out together at the house. I, however, got an idea in my head that changed all of that for me. My parents have an amazing "circle" in front of their house with a fountain in the center. The fountain is taller than I am. Every year they spend a mint on annuals (flowers) to go around the fountain that they put in in the spring, and dig out in the fall. Last summer Elise & I talked them into investing some money into bulbs that would come back year after year and reduce their work load a little and give some variety to the "circle". Well, most of the bulbs had bloomed and most of the circle was just dirt. After having looked at that all week, I couldn't help myself. I talked to Missy and we went to Wal-Mart and got a bunch of perenials and mulch and some jasmine bushes to spice up the place. We did it as a surprise, and it worked. My mom cried when we showed her our "proposed" layout (asking for feedback before we actually planted anything). Well, needless to say it wasn't a "restful" day, but I wish I had a before and after photo. I know Angela took an "after" shot...I'll see if I can get my hands on it. I think it turned out pretty well, and I know my parents were pleased. Now, hopefully between the bulbs and perenials, that area will beautify their home for many years to come - during the spring, summer and fall. A big THANK YOU goes to Shauna for being willing to spend our precious little time together planting flowers with me. Talk about a true friend. Thanks!
I guess that about sums it up. We had a fabulous time. I do have to insert here that I think it's a raw deal that EVERYONE arrived at their homes hours before I did...even my sister in Connecticut. It is a long drive (not as long as it was when we were in Texas), but it was well worth it.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
It's a BOY!!!
We just had our ultra sound....it's going to be a BOY!!! He was NOT shy, and Caitlin burst out crying and cried through the rest of the ultra sound. The boys are excited, and Caitlin's coming around. :)
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Waterfalls
These are a few of the magnificent waterfalls found on Kauai. There were so many, and we only saw a select few, but they were all very beautiful. Kauai has the only navigable river system of the Hawaiian Islands, and all of that water comes from Mount Waiʻaleʻale which is known as 'the wettest spot on earth' receiving more that 460 inches of rain per year. (See, Seattle isn't so bad!) Shower anyone?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Celestial Impressions
These are just a few of the images that captured our attention during our stay in the islands. With displays like these, who needs Picasso, Rembrandt, or Michaelangelo?
Hawaii -- In Retrospect ...
This is the Yacht Club! We enjoyed a fabulous 5 hours on a 55 ft catamaran along the Na Pali Coast in Kauai.
Angela just loves to get her photo taken....I think this is a great shot of her and her Dad.
When told to show a little bit of attitude, this is what the guy got...Amanda's got attitude....!
Words need not describe the enjoyment being had.....
Monday, June 15, 2009
Hawaii - winding down
This is Steve DRIVING the 55' catamaran we went on. The captain was so nice to let Steve have a turn, and he got to drive it for almost 30 minutes! It was like "Make a Wish"....his dream come true. He looks good, doesn't he? For more amazing photos - click on "The Webb Family" in the sidebar to the right. Angela posted some great photos.
We've had an amazing couple of days. Yesterday (Saturday) we got up at 4am and Steve got to go up in an ultra-light (or a Trike) and fly over the ocean, canyons, beaches, etc. of this island. Danny & Amanda also went flying as well. I got some photos, but I'm not sure Steve's downloaded them yet. Then we came back and had breakfast, then we went to an AWESOME beach called Hideaway beach. It was the most amazing snorkeling we've had yet...and I got to see a sea turtle! It rocked. The fish were incredible, the coral was amazing, and we got to see 2 sea turtles. The beach was shaded and we took naps and it was so lovely. Then we drove to Poipu for the sunset.
Today we got up and went to church here in Kapaa Shores. It was a very nice service, and we enjoyed it immensely. We returned back to the hotel for a big fractured taco lunch before heading out for a "scenic" drive/hike. Well, our car decided after about 10 miles of windy, switch-back, windy, awful, steep, straight up driving (3400 feet up), we had had enough and we swapped out people and headed for the lookout before heading back down the mountain. The view from the lookout was SPECTACULAR. It looked like a green, lush Grand Canyon. Amazing.
The car-sick car went back to Poipu for more sunset photos (Angela got some great ones) before heading back for "breakfast for dinner" (pancakes and eggs for dinner....trying to use up our groceries).
We leave tomorrow to go back home, and we're ready. It has been an idyllic (sp?) vacation, but we're ready to have our kids back. We miss them terribly. I know they are having a wonderful time without us, but we're ready to be back together as a family. :) In the morning we're going to hit Tunnels beach for one more round of snorkeling before packing up and heading out.
One non-vacation note: I'm having heart episodes again, and they're becoming more frequent. My heart rate is not going quite as high as it did with prior pregnancies (historically between 180-210), it's staying more in the low to mid-100's, but it's still really annoying. Danny's going to send me some sort of monitor so I can track my episodes before I go into the cardiologist. I think I'll probably relent and visit the cardiologist with this pregnancy. The episodes are becoming more frequent (2 today), and that's really annoying.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Captain Andy's - Na Pali Coast Catamaran Tour
We had a FABULOUS day today! It was so awesome. We had our catamaran tour today. It was a 5 hour trip of sheer pleasure. Steve even got to drive the boat for a while...those photos are on his camera, which I don't have right now. We saw LOTS of dolphins, sea turtles, waterfalls, and some AMAZINGLY beautiful scenery! I don't think I mentioned that yesterday, we went tubing down the irrigation canal that was hand-dug through an 18,000 acre plantation. It was wonderful and we had a great time. This is the vacation of a lifetime, and a big THANK YOU goes out to the Griffiths clan for making this week so fun for my kids, too. THANK YOU!!!
Because I'm retarded, and I can't get MY video to upload - here's one that's very similar to what we saw today.
Click Here
Because I'm retarded, and I can't get MY video to upload - here's one that's very similar to what we saw today.
Click Here
Legoland
Remember last summer how we went to Legoland and Daniel performed in the show? Remember how I told you it was so cute? Well, here it is....Daniel: the performer.
You Rock, buddy!
Click Here
You Rock, buddy!
Click Here
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Waikiki
Here are our photos from Waikiki Beach (thanks, Kenneth, for letting us use your camera, bud).
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