We round up

David decided that 11 rounds up to 25. In answer to the next three questions in your mind: "Because" "No, it does not make sense or have to do with sleep deprivation (well, maybe, I think he almost got 16 hours of sleep between Monday and Friday)." and "Sometimes, when you are grown up, you (insert action here) just for fun."

So, on Thursday, after a few hints over the last couple months that the truck could be replaced, he took me to pick out a vehicle (of my choice) that better meets our family's long term needs and my wants. 

I got a Honda Pilot. It is pretty. It has some fun features I have not enjoyed previously. A hard drive to store my music. Bluetooth so when people call me as I drive they can catch my children complaining that "she touched me" or "she snorted" or "he's complaining that I farted." It also will wirelessly play music from my iPhone. How cool is that? 

On Friday, I got completely surprised when David took me out a bit earlier than usual for our weekly date. He asked if I knew where we were going, I guessed a corn maze, and he went with it describing (making up) a "marathon maze" in midway where it takes about six hours to get through, and you have a map, etc. etc. etc. About halfway there, he asked if I really wanted to guess where we were going. Totally had me fooled. 

Come to find out, some of his family members (thanks gang!) were set to babysit for the night, and we went out and enjoyed a meal at my favorite restaurant, The Blue Boar, and then stayed next to a waterfall on the Provo river at the Old Johnson Mill. Relaxed, watched "The Artist" (highly recommend), and did not talk about grad school, the children, or work. Best birthday ever, yet, but probably ever. Oh, and we hit a cheese factory, cause cheese is further evidence of divine creation.

The Wild Boar Tenderloin and beef barley soup tasted superb. The duck confit in the rosemary crepe tasted wonderful. The goat cheese mousse turned out excellent, in spite of the beets, and the rabbit wrapped in prosciuto(?) made my mouth happy. Duck breast, not so much. The monchego cheese on the white vinegar salad tasted amazing. Don't come trying to convince me other restaurants around here are better. You can have your garden of olives and houses of steak, I'll head for the hills of Midway.

View from our room.

Look at the bottom left, and you can see Neptune's color!

2012 Portraits

Amirrah

Maggie

Susanne

Tim

We do not have any pictures of Melissa's new baby, Neptune. 

Since I am no longer Scoutmaster, we no longer needed the truck, 

so she chose a Honda Pilot for her (slightly early) birthday present. 

It is the deep blue that looks black at night and an off shade of 

blue purple (plue? burple?) from the wrong angle.  

Ami's first writing assignment

Ami turned in her first grade writing assignment (her first ever writing assignment for school.  Obviously, we typed it up for the blog, but here it is:

Tap. tap. tap. Click. Clink. Clink. I like to dip the big stamps in red ink so it will go on and more of the the design will show up on the paper. I like to play with them because they have red ink. My favorite stamps are those with hearts and little flowers and they make a nice heart wreath. When I make stamped paper, I like to hide it under Mom's fancy pillow.

If I had another color, it would be dark dark dark purple. Then I could dip the stamp in to the red and purple which are both girl colors. If I could have other rubber stamps, I would want people like girls with pigtails, boys with shinguards, moms with on ponytail in the back, dads play Pirate Code, friends in the bike race and objects like dads desk, window fans, computers, dress clothes, suits, grass, fences, houses, long curtains and teensy, weeny, windows. 

With all of those I will make a house with people in the windows. I would make my brothers and sisters play board games like Pirate Code and Clue. I would help my little sister get her breakfast on the dinner table. 

Ironmom

Tim is making a ghillie suit for his Halloween costume, (with Melissa walking him through the whole way). She taught him how to iron so he could iron the material and the pattern. The following conversation ensued.

Ami: "When are you going to teach me how to iron mom?

Melissa: "When I think you are old enough to do so safely."

Ami: "When I make my own gill-bee suit?"

Melissa: "When you are older."

Ami: "Maggie, when are you going to learn how to iron?"

Maggie: "When do I get to learn how to iron, mom?" (FYI Another situation where verbal punctuation is important.)

David: "Ironmom?" (Ignored)

Melissa: "When you work on a project where it is needed."

Ami: "That will be when you are older."

Tim: "Yea, because it is important for me to learn this now, so when I get married I can teach my wife how to do things."

Melissa: "Hey!"

Tim: "Cause that's what Dads do when Moms do not know what they are doing."

David must be crying because his shoulders are heaving.

Melissa: "If your future wife's parents teach her how to do things, then you won't have to teach her... hey you - stop it."

David: "I need some water."

Ami: "Susanne, do you want some popcorn? If you sit up, mom said you can have popcorn, and you can share."

David: "Ami, Mom did not -"

Melissa: "Actually..."

David: "Really? Really?"

Ami: "Yeeessssssusanneyoucanhavepopcornifyougetupletmehelpyousitupbeforedadsaysno"


Ami pulls Susanne (who is asleep) to a sitting position.

David: "Et tu Brute?"

Maggie: "Yea! You are awake! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII looked out the window and what did I see."

First Crush

Susanne giggles. She shrugs her shoulders up to her ears, turn her eyes down, and blushes.

She pronounces his name clearer than any other word in her vocabulary.

He has his own movie.

He is one of the Avengers.

Does she go for the brainy Tony Stark types? Nah.

Does she dig a red and gold fancy suit? Nope.

Does she seek for Thor's biceps? Negative Ghost Rider.

Does she like Loki's horns? No, that's Ami.

How about Captain America? "Goway" (Go away.)

Does she particularly like how Banner turns into a giant green rage monster? "YesyesHulkyes!"

"What do you like about him?"

"Cuoute" (Cute)

She celebrates every time he's on the screen.

Almost as funny as asking Tim why he was running through the house naked: "I was fast so no one could see me and so no one would know I was awake."

Early Morning Revelations

"Where's Ami? Tim go get your sister, tell her it is time for scripture study," said David

...

"I went in there, and she will not roll over, but I know she is awake because she is breathing!" He replied.

"AMI, time for - wait... Tim, do you think people stop breathing when they sleep?" Asked Melissa

"...sometimes?... yes?" He replied.

"Only people who have sleep ap-" Melissa begin.

"No Tim," David politely cut in, shaking his head in that it is too early to have this discussion way, "People keep breathing in their sleep. I'm sure mom can explain the exceptions when it is not time for scripture study."

"I know what a blue moon is!" Ami states perkily as she walks in.

"Oh, my head," David stated as he rubbed his temples.

"It is when there are two moons for an entire year."

Melissa starts to google blue moon...

David rubs his face with a pillow.

So Tim starts to explain, "Blue moons would only happen on Saturn where they have lots of moons, so the people there would see two moons, because they have moons, and we only have one.

A moan from behind the pillow.

Melissa snickers as the dictionary she is looking at describes a moon as, "when an individual exposes both of their butt cheeks in a public setting."

"Really? Does anyone actually want to study Omni with me this morning or do we just want to sit around making stuff up?" David asked.

Silence.

"Screw it, Tim say the prayer, we need it, Ami, read verse 18, Melissa, stop laughing."

Poaddoy!!!

In the last nine years we have spent about $60 dollars on diapers and wet wipes each month, we had two times where the children overlapped and that doubled for a few months, and another time when we enjoyed a six month respite.

The celebration of Susanna's potty training met with much rejoicing, probably mostly for the wrong (read: financial) reasons.

So she decided to throw a celebration of her own.

At one AM.

Running up and down the hall butt-naked yelling her native-american-victory-style-warcry POADDOY!

Tim woke up to the land between reality and nightmares and started to weep informing us "It's not my fault, it's not my fault, I didn't do it, it's not my fault."

Ami took the casual approach, "Moooooooommmmmm, tell Susanna to stop it and let me go back to bed, and I want a drink."

David and Maggie lay comatose.

The neighbors considered calling the police (we expect).

Two gobstoppers (big flushable potty gets double treats if you take care of business and don't fall in) and thirty minutes later, all was back to normal in the house.

Until 5:30 AM

POADDOY!

[Pictures omitted by federal law.]

Smooth criminal?

It is date night...

"Maggie, most children who want to stay up and watch a movie with their parents ask permission" (after she walked in and sat down as we were watching our date night movie.)

"Oh, okay."

"and?"

"I promise to ask permission next time."

We were too tired to send her to bed. Well played Maggie, well played. We let her stay.