November 8, 2013
The Spectrum magic is back!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Mother Nature I Forgive You
November 7, 2013
I guess I'll forgive Mother Nature for the cold and snow earlier this week.
Glow Sticks
November 6, 2013
You can't tell from the picture, but I built Cole a super cool body suit out of glow sticks tonight. Best $1 find at Target ever!
Cushion Fort
November 5, 2013
I didn't take a single picture today.
So you get a picture from one month ago today.
The kids love playing with the couch cushions. They turn them into all kinds of things from pirate ships, to slides, and forts. If you look really, really, really closely, you just might see two pipsqueaks hiding from mom in there.
My Name
November 4, 2013
It's really quite remarkable to watch a child grow up. Little moments when they recognize the letters in their name are some of those times when you sit back in awe at all they know and do. Cole has figured out all the letters in his name. Everywhere we go, he spots "C" and "L" and "O" and "E."
Yes, I spelled that C-L-O-E.
Hey, there's always room for improvement.
Pie
November 3, 2013
When your husband says he wants a slice of apple pie, you make the man an apple pie.
Game Day
November 2, 2013
It's not crazy. It's game day.
{And thank heavens for a gorgeous, warm game day!}
Sunday, November 3, 2013
The City Library
October 30, 2013
I had a meeting tonight for work at The City Library in Downtown Salt Lake. The meeting was fascinating... a screening of Frontline's "League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis" and a panel discussion.
And just as fascinating was the library itself. It was really beautiful all lite up in the night.
Bad
October 29, 2013
How bad is it if I'm already eating caramel popcorn and it's not even 10 a.m. yet? Seriously. Someone stop me.
Grocery Store Helper
October 28, 2013
This kid loves to go to the grocery store with me. I'm hoping that if I suffer through his pleadings to buy this or get that that someday he will take over the cooking and shopping for me.
Raining Leaves
October 27, 2013
I don't know about the weather at your house, but it's been raining leaves here all day.
I hate dance
October 25, 2013
Number one reason why I hate dance... makeup and lots and lots of hairspray. But it makes her happy and she looks beautiful.
She's so fluffy!
October 24, 2013
For $25 Blu better stay out of the dirt for at least a full day. I paid good money for that oatmeal shampoo bath and whatever other pampering she got at the doggie spa.
Even the alpha male said he didn't mind having her around now that she's super soft and fluffy and doesn't stink!
Zero Fatalities: A goal we can all live with
October 23, 2013
This is why I do what I do. For the last six years I have had the incredible honor of working with families who have lost a teen in a motor vehicle crash to tell their story. Today was our press conference to release our 6th teen memoriam, "Unfinished Stories." With our press conference over and done with - and extremely well covered by our local media stations - I can breathe again.
This never gets easier but it is worth every second of time, every email and phone call, every worry, and every tear to make this happen. I love these families. When I catch myself speeding or distracted on the road I see their faces.... I promise I will never forget and I will do everything in my power to ensure their stories live on so no other family has to suffer such a loss.
You can read their stories at http://health.utah.gov/
Night Owl
October 21, 2013
It's 12:30 in the morning and Cole woke up from his "nap" about an hour and a half ago. Sweet. Does anyone want to come and watch hours of cartoons with him until he's ready for "bed"?
Twinners
October 20, 2013
We picked up the kids from my parents today (thanks Kimmy and Mom). I must admit, I really, really enjoyed a weekend free of little people needing to be fed and entertained every second of the day. We got a ton of stuff done around the house, took the dog on a walk, ate dinner at a real restaurant without spending money on kids' meals that they didn't eat, watched T.V. and just enjoyed doing whatever we wanted when we wanted.
But alas the fun had to end. And don't go thinking I'm a mean mom... those two pipsqueaks had three days of staying up late, playing, and having their Aunt and Grandparents at their beck and call. And their Uncle Kurtis. With matching shirts, matching eye protection, and matching hair cuts. I think someone is a little attached. Thank goodness he doesn't have a matching paintball gun... yet.
Remembrance Event
October 19, 2013
I came home from a long and very emotional day of work (on a Saturday too) and saw a bunch of sunflowers sitting on the T.V. stand.
I assume they were for me since Jeff and I are the only ones home this weekend.
Jeff didn't know the irony of this. Today was our Family Remembrance Event. A yearly event I stress about for months and months until it's finally over. Each year we publish a memoriam of stories of teens who were killed in car crashes the previous year. Just before we publicly release the book, we hold a remembrance event for all of the families we've worked with. It's basically a giant grief support group where each family can share their story and how they're doing. We've done this for six years and it never gets easier. You learn to distance yourself from these teens and their families until you meet them in person and then the emotions you've held back come flooding out. And you realize that for some of these families, they've been coming for six years, every year.
I love these families. I really do. They are amazing and courageous. I so wish I could take away even an ounce of their pain. It's their pain that drives me to keep working on this project year after year.
This year our grief counselor was unable to attend our remembrance event. I was in a panic for weeks until one night on a walk I remembered hearing a presentation from the director of The Bradley Center for Grieving Children and Families. An early morning phone call and I was talking to Carrie Moore about our project and need for someone to come and help our families. She graciously accepted. As part of her presentation she showed a video (that I'd seen before and which I'd remembered on my walk) about her own journey through grief. Her husband was killed in an airplane crash 17 years ago. One of the other men killed in the crash had some sunflower seeds with him. A year after the crash what had once been a black hole in the earth had turned into a mountainside of sunflowers where none had been before the crash.
Jeff's sweet gesture reminded me that our Heavenly Father loves these families and gives them strength to overcome their darkest times. These Teen Memoriams are inspired.... hopefully to teach others who read them but more importantly to give the families some healing.
You can download our 2011 Teen Memoriam, "Unfinished Stories," at http://health.utah.gov/vipp/pdf/MotorVehicle/2012TeenMemoriam_FINAL.pdf.
Lazy Bums
October 18, 2013
It's 11:30 and these two lazy bums have done nothing but build a bed out of the couch cushions and watch cartoons.
Oh, and have second breakfast.
At this rate, we'll be dressed by bedtime.
Pumpkin Painting
October 17, 2013
Carving pumpkins seemed like way to much work this year. So I got the paints out and let the kids paint all of them. Even the one Jeff had apparently claimed as his own... for carving.
I'd like to say it was a blissful, enjoyable experience but giving two kids a whole bunch of paint is kind of stressful. At least for their mother. But despite my nagging and yelling and impatience, we all managed to get the pumpkins painted. Now we just need to hope it doesn't rain (or snow) otherwise we're going to have to start this whole pumpkin painting fun again.
No Timeouts
October 16, 2013
Cole struggles with timeouts at school. Some days a lot. He doesn't like to take naps (even at home) and apparently that's a big no-no at school. I find it a tad ridiculous that they can't let him go outside and play with the older kids. I know I couldn't hold still on a tiny mat for two hours! Or if you shoot your friends with a pretend gun... um, yeah, we actually got a note about Cole shooting his friends. Lame. And totally stupid.
You know it's bad when the first thing your kid tells you when you pick him up is how many timeouts he had that day. And it's really, really bad when he won't tell you how many timeouts he had.
But some days things go almost perfectly and you hear, "Mom! Me have no timeouts today!"
Bribery does work after all. Now if I could convince his teachers to let him pick something other than a stamp as his reward for four days of naps and no timeouts!
Ditto
October 15, 2013
The holiday of choice, in this case Halloween, can officially begin now. The Ditto sign is back up.
Haircut
October 14, 2013
The men in the household take their haircuts very seriously. Even when they ask to hold their mommy's hand.
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