The Swedish Fish

Living the Dream

2012-01-19T20:50:00.000-08:00

Now that we've been back and settled into our happy little routine I figured I had better get back into detailing the mundane details of our lives. I have pushed the "Next Blog" button enough times to know that all the things that happen to us are the same things that are happening to about a bazillion other housewife bloggers. The only difference is that when we do it, it is so much more interesting...right?
For example, this is a photo of Rocky's after nap face.
I know that she is almost 4 but this girl loves to sleep. Usually I have to bribe her with the promise of a treat to get her to just lie down for a minute, but then once she conks out I practically have to drag her bum out from under the covers to get her to return to the living 2 hours later. This moment will forever live on to prove that I am a super annoying mom that barges in, rips off the blankets and takes a picture. It also demonstrates that Rocky has a pretty sweet just-woke-up face.

Daisy is completely enamoured with Kitty. (She isn't as creative with names as her older sister, but I figured that it is significant that this stuffed animal was given a name considering that Daisy only says about 5 words and the other 4 are foods.) She uses her big begging blue eyes to convince me that she needs to take it with her everywhere, which is in direct contradiction to the big Marci Rigby rule that toys are supposed to stay home. Rocky really likes her kitty too, but mostly she just likes to be in the pictures.

And the biggest thing to hit Eugene since the Ducks won the Rose Bowl was snow. I almost cried with joy after having such a dry Christmas in Utah.

So it wasn't 15 inches, but it was enough for a snowman, and it didn't melt for at least a couple of hours.

At least they had the opportunity to look good in their snow clothes and slide on the ice.

Our little Andrea got married at the Sky Camp Lodge. She and Daniel are the cutest couple ever and it was a lot of fun to spend such a beautiful day at a gorgeous wedding.

And then of course, there was this...

I was going to get mad because nail polish is not something that usually is allowed to go unsupervised, but in this case I thought it was so cute that I ducked behind the door and pretended I didn't see them. I couldn't believe that Daisy was actually sitting still. I may have blown my cover by pulling out the camera, but even if they think their mean mom has turned soft I guess it is okay because this photo was worth it, especially because of the jammies.

Chillin' with the G-Paws

2012-01-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

The girls love their Abia. They had a lot of fun making Spritz cookies and marshmallow snowmen with her this year. Even though she has a lot going on she always has time to spend making fun memories.

Rocky helped her grandpa fix the tub. Hopefully the flooding will stop soon.

Oma and Opa took the girls to the Weber State game so they could see the Alma mater of their old mom and dad. A special thanks goes to our favorite usher, Aunt Judy, for the good time we had.

I know that there are always pictures like this but this is what my kids like to do with their grandparents. I think they've read some of those books a hundred times. I liked this picture because it shows their Christmas P.J.s which were the cutest.

Scrimmage

2012-01-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

We went with a bunch of the Rigbys and Mark and Emily to watch the Jazz scrimmage after the NBA finally decided that they were going to have a season. The game was great...probably the best game that team will see this year.
The real treat, however, was the company.

Rocky and her first true love, Hayden

We got to see the newest member of the family, Eleanor and she is as cute as can be.

Daisy with Eric and Debbie

Brandon and Mark were too serious about the game to be distracted with a camera.

Hangin' with Jonah

A Winter-ish Hike with Good Company

2012-01-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Matt for taking great photos. They speak for themselves.

Christmas Catch Up....In No Particular Order

2012-01-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

I started this season off with a resolution that I was going to take my camera everywhere and document all the fun we have during our trips to Utah. Then, about a day or two in I lost the camera and didn't find it until a day before we came home. Luckily other people had their cameras and have filled in for my mistake.

One of the traditions that we always do in Ogden is tour Christmas Village with my family. There are a lot of things said about Ogden, but it is my home town and it makes me feel proud that it is doing so well. When I was little I loved peeking in all the little houses to see the Christmas displays, and now I enjoy trying to get a look while keeping up with Rocky.

I didn't take many photos of the gifts we did this year. Brandon made these terrariums so that all our family would be able to enjoy a little bit of Oregon.

And although I didn't take photos I do want to write down what everyone made for the sake of posterity. If you aren't interested, skip this part.
For the ladies in my family I made a letter picture. The ones for Kristin and Jill were made out of old jewelry, my mom's was made of bottle caps and buttons for the little girls. We made a hidden book for Jared and Brandon made an awesome Legend of Zelda perpetual calendar for Ethan and a mini skeeball game that sort of worked out for Caleb. Everyone else got terrariums and jam.
We received a bunch of nice homemade things too. Kristin made bags for my girls and they also gave us a great picture of the 80's ABCs and an Anastasia music box that was a great find. Jill made the guys skinny ties and the girls nest jewelry that totally rocks. She also made soda bottle soap dispensers and a completely unbelievable one-of-a-kind pop-up-book for Ethan that floored us all. Aynna made me a great pair of fingerless gloves, Indee and Debbie made pot-holders, and Hayden made a University of Oregon duct tape wallet. It was awesome.
At the very beginning of December when we were still at home we went to the light parade in Salem. It was super fun because Brandon was done with all his tests and we just were able to kick back and enjoy being together. It really wasn't a big thing but I just want to remember it forever.

The Howard ladies got all gussied up to go see the Nutcracker Ballet at the Egyptian Theater.

It was a lot of fun and the Rocky especially liked the beautiful ballerinas. The only hitch was a little before the intermission when she said in a very loud voice, "This is too long...Do you have any snacks?" The people around us all got a pretty good chuckle, and I especially think that the dude on the end of our row agreed. It was perfect though because afterwards we had specialty cupcakes to calm her hungry stomach.

We bonded with Grandma and Grandpa Howard and he read us the book that Jill gave him. The book was one he had loved in his younger days and it was the best Christmas gift period. We wanted to get a photo with the grandkids and great-grandkids but as always it is impossible to get one in which everyone is looking. Oma finally told the little kids that if they didn't cooperate for the picture that there would be no Christmas for any of them. We got the shot but there are some pretty concerned little faces.

The pinata for the year was a protester, of course. It makes me wonder if any of them will still be out there camping next year. If they do we'll just have to lengthen the beard next time.

Jill really outdid herself this year with the special touches being the ponytail and the hat that Kristin crocheted.
Rocky felt a special kinship this year with Santa. When she sat on his lap she told him that she wanted him to give her a bicycle. But, then, when he gave her pom-poms instead she said, "Well, maybe next year on the bike."

Daisy was having nothing to do with good ol' St. Nick. Maybe she had heard bad stuff about him from Krampus, who remains a pretty constant houseguest this year. She tried to sneak up behind him and steal a present, but I was mean and tried to put her on his lap. Hopefully these fun Christmas traditions only leave minor emotional scars on my kids.

Speaking of scars...check out Rocky in the background of this picture. She's obviously terrified. It is also pretty cool that Jared is wearing pom-pom hair.

During the nativity pageant Rocky really wanted to play the part of Baby Jesus but they gave it to a doll instead. What a ripoff. Instead she opted to be a shepherd.
Daisy agreed to be a shepherd too and wore the traditional blue bath robe, but she wouldn't do it unless she could bring her fruit snacks with her.

I still need to get the pictures of the Rigby nativity play because Rocky was upgraded to the role of Mary. She rode in on a bigger cousin dressed as a cow. In that one Daisy was a sheep and her crowning moment came when she stole the baby Jesus and stood on the edge of the stage proudly waving her prize.

And what is a Christmas without the Grinch?

The only bad thing about our trip this year was that everyone was sick. But, with a few days in bed and some antibiotics we came through it no worse for the wear.

These girls were lovin' on Caleb and Becky the whole trip.

No wonder I feel completely exhausted. We had a ton of fun this Christmas spending time with family and good friends. Although it is always a whirlwind of craziness to pack up and spend a few weeks away from home it is always worth it because it reminds us how lucky we are to have such special people in our lives.

Finals and a New Friend

2011-12-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much to say since Thanksgiving because we have been in the limbo that is finals week. Probably some of you think that it is pathetic that I said that 'we' have been dealing with finals because it was Brandon who actually wrote the papers and took the exams, but the three ladies of this family also had a pretty rough go of it. The extra stress combined with stagnant air quality and freezing overcast days had us all ornery, impatient and grumbling at each other. I only mention it because I have a tendency to only write about the fun parts of our experience here in Eugene and I can see myself in the future reading back about our dear days at the U of O. When Brandon I get too nostalgic and miss this place too much I'll have to just whisper 'finals' and we'll have at least one thing that we feel good about leaving behind.
While we were stuck at home the girls came up with a bunch of ways to stay entertained. Here they were tying to figure out a way to get Pony Ride back after she was thrown over the back of the bed. Now that I think about it, she may still be there.

Daisy always stays up on her reading. I told you that she was born a foodie. She looks at this cupcake book about 10 times a day.

Rocky watched Mickey's Christmas Carol on the i-pod over and over and when it got to the scary part she would hide under the covers. We started reading the Charles Dickens version after Thanksgiving and we finally finished it. She will tell anyone she sees about the long chain that Jacob Marley carries. She is especially taken with the idea that Scrooge changed from being mean to being nice.

I don't know what they were watching here but I took this picture because I thought that Daisy's posture looked so grown up. She looks like an old man resting his arm on his beer belly. She's not sucking her thumb, but instead appears to be pondering something deep. It was probably Gnomeo and Juliet which is the new favorite of both the girls. Daisy likes the music and Rocky likes that Juliet dresses like a ninja.

To celebrate the end of finals we went to Salem and watched the light parade. It was so much fun to be all together and just able to have fun.

Okay, so now for an unrelated story. Brandon was reading on Wikipedia about this guy, Krampus. In Austria and some of the other Alpine countries he is a well-known character that is the foil for St. Nicholas. At the beginning of December St. Nicholas is seen on the street walking around giving treats and looking to greet the good little boys and girls. But for the not-so-good kids, instead of a saint, there is Krampus. He is a demon who is out and about looking for naughty children to take back to his lair to eat for Christmas dinner. We thought that this sounded like a pretty good parenting technique so we showed the picture to our daughters.

I figured that if she is hiding under the covers because she is afraid of Goofy dressed like a ghost that she would be terrified by this dude. Heck, I was terrified.

She seemed unfazed and she laughed a little because she thought he was funny. Then, later she started talking to her new imaginary friend...who just happens to be a demon named Krampus. She talks to him all the time and asks if he can go with us everywhere. I told her that he is mean to kids and she said..."He is nice now, he changed."

She was telling my friend Katie about it at church today (of course he came with us to church) and Katie said, "Isn't he kind of ugly?"

Rocky was all flustered and said, "Don't say ugly. He is my friend."

Yesterday Rocky walked in the room obviously in a conversation with him and kind of giggling said, "Oh Krampus, you are so craaaazy."

Part of me is proud that she is excited that she isn't fooled by the outward appearance, but the other part is already getting nervous for the bad-boy boyfriend of the future that she swears has 'changed.' Maybe we'd better hold off on Ebeneezer Scrooge for the next couple of years.

For now I guess we'll take our little demon friend along and hope that he doesn't find any naughty kids while we're out.

Lots of Thanks to Give

2011-11-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun Thanksgiving with the Valverdes. We are so lucky to have our Oregon family to celebrate with. Rocky was especially excited to taste test the mini-pies that Andrea and Anhiel made.

As always, Thanksgiving is a great chance to reflect on all the blessings I have. I'm super grateful for so many things but this year I'm especially feeling lucky to have such an awesome family and the best friends.

While Rocky and I did the cooking Daisy was working on her conceptual art. She is pretty tight-lipped about the inspiration behind this particular piece, but I think it has something to do with the intrinsic price of materialism. I guess to know for sure we'll either have to decide the true meaning for ourselves, or wait for her to learn to talk. She's made over a hundred other works that are similar to this one, but they unfortunately have all ended up back in the pantry...and some have been eaten.

And now I have for your reading pleasure, several random pictures that I've been collecting. They fit together only in the fact that they are a reflection of our day-to-day entertainment. Now that the days are rainy and the sun goes down early we all have a little bit of cabin fever which brings out the crazies in each of us.

Many of you don't know that we had a special event in our home. Pony Ride the mouse and Mu Shu the moose were joined together in holy matrimony. The groom looked handsome in his brown suit and the bride, as always, wore white. Rocky insisted that they kiss and that I take a picture to document. Now I guess we'll just wait around and see what kind of offspring they produce.

For Family Night we made these little turkey crafts that Kathy sent. We had a good time and got pretty creative with the foam. We've gone to a couple of playgroups where there are crafts like this and Rocky prides herself on thinking outside the box. Why make a turkey when you could make something like this? Maybe she was trying to imagine what the moose/mouse baby would look like.

Brandon is such a great dad and he always thinks of creative ways to get the girls to cooperate with things that they don't want to do. Daisy wouldn't let him brush her teeth until he let her brush his hair. All of a sudden it became a game. I usually just wrestle her down and pry open her mouth...which, now that I think about it, explains why Daddy is the favorite. It's okay though because he's my favorite too.

I know I've mentioned it many times before but Daisy is a little foodie. A bunch of the words that she says are food or food-related. The newest word is mushroom but it isn't because she likes them. We were eating pizza and when she would take a bite and find a mushroom she would pull it out of her mouth, hold it toward Brandon, and say mushroom over and over again until he took it from her. She won't even let them sit on her tray, they have to be completely removed. I know that there are a lot of anti-mushroom people so she'll probably still be able to make it in the culinary field, but this could be a big setback for her future dreams of becoming the next Jose Andres.

Rocky lately has started talking like a robot which means she will use a choppy monotone voice for everything she says. The other day I told her that we were going to go out to play and she was so excited that she forgot and used her Rocky voice to say, "Yeah!" Then she changed it to a robot monotone, "Yeah," and added, "Beep Boop Beep Boop," which apparently is how a robot expresses joy. She also likes to pretend like she is a cat and sometimes she will be a robot cat, which is pretty cool. I like it because when she is a robot she will do everything I ask. Sometimes when she isn't listening very well I ask her if I can talk to the robot so that she will pay attention. I hope this doesn't lead to some kind of split personality disorder. If it does Rocky can always submit this blog to her therapist and it will probably explain a lot.

BFFs

The other day I was getting out the Christmas stuff and I was telling the girls that this was one of my very favorite things. I like it because it is really simple. Just as I finished saying it Daisy chucked it on the ground and it broke in half. I was already kind of in a sour mood and I started lecturing (yelling) right away.
Me: You need to leave my things alone. I'm sick of having everything broken. These aren't toys.
Rocky: Jeez Mom, she's just a baby, she doesn't even know what you are talking about.
What could I say? She was right. I calmed down and pulled out the super glue. My mom says that when I pull this decoration out in a few years I'll like it even more because of the crack in the G.

Bonus Video: This video contains nothing but Rocky and Daisy dancing which is a daily occurrence that I don't think I'll ever get sick of. If you don't speak Spanish I'll just let you know that Brandon tells them first to dance and then later he asks Rocky to show him one of her moves.

She Got Her Hair Did

2011-11-09T21:44:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this girl has learned her lesson because after a visit to Michelle at Supercuts she looks completely adorable. She said that she likes having short hair except that it makes her head feel "wobbly."

Daisy wanted her picture taken too so she put on her model face.

Since it has gotten so cold outside the girls have found some creative places to sit. I was on the computer yesterday and I found that Daisy had pulled her favorite toy, the doll bed out to the front room so she could tuck herself into it for some reading time.

Bonus Video: Brandon always sings songs to the girls at bedtime and Rocky has taken a special liking to this one. I just wanted her recorded because I never want to forget how sweet it is when she sings along.

Rocky Cuts Her Hair...It Could Have Been Worse

2011-11-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

While playing with a friend Rocky thought it would be a great idea to cut her own hair.

I always wondered why some parents let their kids have mullets...this may be a clue.
She did a pretty fair job with the bangs, leaving them long enough to still look cute. When you just glance at her it actually looks like it is a specific hair style...not just the regular chop-chop that most kids do. Unfortunately however, it is a really crappy hair style that wasn't even cute when it was popular 25 years ago. I'm taking her to have someone try and adjust it so it looks less white-trashy.

I get a little twist in my heart when I think of those little blond ringlets that were left behind.
Brandon's comment was, "Good think she didn't do this until after she was Thor for Halloween." Good thing indeed.

Happy Halloweenie

2011-10-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

Brandon worked really hard turning our family into the Avengers. He was Tony Stark, otherwise known as Ironman out of the suit. The camera didn't pick up his arc reactor but it looked great.

Captain America

The Incredible Hulk

Thor

These two little superheroes brought in quite the stash. They are adorable girls but in costume it lifted their cuteness off the charts. Daisy was stuffed so big with muscles that she could hardly walk but when she would get a piece of candy she would do her excited dance and people would just give her more. Rocky was very proud of her Thor costume and was especially particular about her beard. We had to fix it before we left the house because she was looking in the mirror and felt that I hadn't drawn enough on the chin.

We also had a lot of other Halloween style fun this past week. We went to see all the Jack-o-Lanterns at Kesey square and carved a few of our own.

We also ate pumpkin pancakes for breakfast and then later had the Howard family traditional dinner in a pumpkin. Rocky begged and begged to watch a really scary movie so I tried to think back to the thing that I thought was the most scary when I was little and I kept going back to the Garfield Halloween special. We pulled it up on youtube and now I know that the scariest thing about it are the awful musical numbers. Rocky was pretty spooked by the ghost pirates but it wasn't enough so we also watched Disney's version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow which pretty much scared the pants off of her. She is a little thrill seeker though and when it finished she just wanted to start it over again.
All in all it was a great day and a great season. I'm sad to see October go because this has been a good one. Don't worry though because while we were eating our pumpkin dinner we already started brainstorming about our costumes for next year. Rocky said that she wants to be a dead mermaid..........hmmm....we'll see.

Bonus Video:

Go Ducks!

2011-10-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

We went to another Ducks game and had a blast. Puddles body-surfed his way up to our back row bench again.

Luckily this game wasn't as crowded so the girls stretched themselves out to take a little rest. I didn't think it was possible with all the noise at Autzen but I guess Rocky made it work.

I love that stadium.

Fall and Such

2011-10-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Eugene is a beautiful place to be during the fall. The leaves are amazing....but don't be fooled, it gets pretty cold.

The rain is probably on its way but for now, we'll enjoy what we've got.

Bonus Video:

Too Fun and Too Short

2011-10-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a visit from Oma, Opa, Jill and Jared and it was one of those special times that I hope I never forget.

We went to the Sweet Life and Rocky and Daisy each got to pick out one of the beautiful petit fours.

Of course we had to stop at Voo Doo Donuts too. Rocky shared hers with her new pet mouse. She tells everyone that she got her pet from Jiwwy and that her name is inexplicably Pony Ride. Pony Ride has only been here for a short time but she has already been carried around to all the best places in Eugene.

Jill told Rocky to make a scary ghost face and this is what she got. I'm scared.

We went to the pumpkin patch which of course provided for a bunch of great photo ops.

She looks cute, but watch out goats, she's trying to feed you rocks.

Rocky was just soaking up all the attention she could get...and making a pretty cool fashion statement.

She insisted that I take this picture of the corn because some of it was purple, but now I see that she was just trying to get away with a vulgar hand gesture. Oh well...it wouldn't be the first time that a Howard woman got caught flipping somebody off. I won't mention any names, but we'll just say that it must be something that has been passed through the blood.

We also went to the Saturday Market and it was the perfect morning. I wish we could have stayed there all day.

I also took a bunch of pictures of Jared reading with the girls and Jill playing games with them but there was something wrong with my camera. It was just such a fun weekend I wish that I had it all recorded so I could watch it again. Thanks for coming all the way out here. The whole trip was like a treasure to me.

Crazy Bonus Picture:

A Good Day

2011-10-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the girls looked super cute and I wanted to take some pictures. Of course we were running out the door like we always are so I only had a second and this is what they gave me.
Little stinkers.

On Saturday we got to go to the Ducks game and it was a blast. Despite the fact that we didn't get home until 11:30 the girls were awake and enthusiastic the whole time. They liked yelling "OOOOOHHHH" and would bounce up and down when the crowd would cheer after big plays. I'm not sure that they realized that there was a game going on but they did take advantage of being the only kids around and tried to soak up all the attention of the surrounding students. One guy was really proud of himself because he 'taught' Rocky to give a high five. I didn't want to burst his bubble and let him know that she has been doing it for a long time, so instead I let him work with Daisy for a little while. By the end of the game she was saying a version of "Go Ducks" so that was progress.

We ended up pretty crammed in there but who needs space when you're sitting next to such cuties. Brandon said that he is pretty sure that next year Rocky will be ready to crowd surf.

It was a big moment when Puddles the famous mascot came all the way up to the last row of the student section. I thought Rocky was going to explode with excitement but she tried to play it cool when they were face to face.

In other news...Brandon has been working hard on our Halloween costumes. He is the cutest.

Also, since it was my birthday yesterday I am officially the big 3-0. It was a great day and I think it was probably the best birthday I've ever had. Nothing special really happened, but I just kept looking around and thinking that I am so lucky. It's just that my life is in a good place right now and I have great friends and an awesome family and it feels good to have enjoyed 30 years of amazing opportunities. Hopefully when I turn 40 I'll feel the same.

And one more thought: This morning I was trying to discourage Rocky from sucking her thumb. She loves to pretend so I said that she should pretend that there is something yucky on her thumb. I hoped that she would pull it out and make a gross face or something.
She just looked at me and said, "That would be fun, but I think it would be more fun if we pretended that I was a baby and then it will be cool if I suck my thumb."
She is definitely winning the battle.

Even Cuter

2011-10-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

My friend has been practicing with her camera and has been busy taking pictures of all the kids around here. I don't think she knows how much I appreciate it. When I see them I realize that these little stinkers are even cuter than I thought.

Rocky and her little brother...at least they act like siblings, you know love, then fight, then love again.


This is one of those images that I never want to forget. Thanks M.

I've told a lot of people that Daisy is always begging for food and this is a perfect example. She usually climbs all the way onto the table. This is despite the fact that her dinner was still sitting half eaten.

Rocky loves to look through my blog books. They were the best gift ever! Thanks Mom and Jilly.

This moose was mine when I was little and was called Tommy Moe, but Rocky has renamed him Mu Shu. She insists that he does everything with her and has been carrying him around in her shirt.

Mt. Baldy

2011-10-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

For the first time both Rocky and even our little Daisy made it on their own two feet up to the top of a hike. Okay, so the route to the top of Mt. Baldy is probably not even a mile, but I was still pretty impressed with those chubby little legs.

...Daisy's not mine.

At the top they were rewarded with bananas and a beautiful view.

The Beard Whisperers

2011-09-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Brandon made his musical debut as the bass player for Eugene's newest sensation, The Beard Whisperers. Jake, Seth, Ryan and Logan were out of luck when Ricky moved away, taking his bass guitar with him and like any self-respecting garage band scrambled to find someone to take his place before their show. Lucky for us Brandon not only has a a bass, but he also comes with an uncanny ability to grow facial hair, and two weeks later, here he is, in a band. He was worried that his limited ability to play the aforementioned bass would be a problem, but I assured him that the bass player's most important role is to provide eye-candy for the girls and he rocked at that job. He worked hard to learn his part and the show took place on Friday night.

The Beard Whisperers in action. Photo stolen without permission from Michelle's blog because she is a much better photographer than I am. Hopefully she considers theft a compliment.

The crowd that gathered in Jake and Annie's backyard on what was luckily a beautiful evening was treated by a talented group of guys who love music. We spanned the generations from oldies to babies and everyone, especially the kids, had a blast.
The guys in the band are super fun, and they have really cool wives that I like to hang out with so I feel like I've hit the jackpot. I always knew that I should be the incredibly hot wife of a rock star.

Rocky and Mac, official groupies

The audience was the best because it was made up of such great friends.

Marcelle's guitar cake

A Short Short Story

2011-09-21T21:59:00.000-07:00


Rocky enjoying some pea soup in what Brandon refers to as our outdoor European cafe

We have a new neighbor who is from India and I was trying to think of some kind of treat that I could take over to welcome her. I asked Rocky if she had any ideas and this is what she said,
"We could make some surprise green beans and we could knock on her door and say, SURPRISE! Green beans!!"
I liked the idea but in the end we went with some Voodoo Donuts.
The end.

Happy Anniversary to Us

2011-09-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

What better way is there to share your anniversary than to be on a trip to Camp Baker with the ward youth and staying in a tent with your own two beautiful girls? There is no better way.
This time due to pillows and a new air mattress everyone slept well. Especially Rocky. She basically had to be peeled out of her bed.

Daisy on the other hand was an early riser and tried to make a quick escape.

I am a lucky lady to have six years with this stud and many more to come.

I don't know who liked the sand toys more, my kids or the deacons.

Rocky on the sand dunes practicing her posing.

I wish that I had taken more pictures of the youth jumping off the dunes because it was a blast.

Long Beach

2011-09-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

After crossing the beautiful Astoria bridge we found ourselves in Washington and headed up to Long Beach where we were pleasantly greeted by cranberry bogs. They weren't flooded, I guess that happens in October, but it was really fun to see how they grow.

We also stumbled upon Marsh's Free Museum which is one of the most interesting places I've ever seen. It is home to Jake the Alligator Man as well as several other must-see curiosities. I was going to take some pictures, but I think that it is something that you have to see with your own eyes. I am, however, a willing tour guide for anyone who is interested in making the trek out here for a visit.

And if you do take me up on the invitation to visit our tour will sadly not include the Hungry Harbor where we unfortunately stopped for lunch. The sign led me to believe it would have a pirate theme and decent coastal food, but in the end turned out to be false on both counts. I was seduced by the skull with the fork and knife crossbones and failed to even think twice about entering an eating establishment with the name of Hungry Harbor.

Our next destination Cape Disappointment ended up being much less disappointing than our lunch had been. We went out there to see the lighthouse. When we got out of the car Rocky insisted that we tie her jacket around her waist like the old people we had been seeing at all our stops. (Apparently the middle of September is prime time for touring oldies.) When we tied it on she was so proud of how cool she looked.

The lighthouse was beautiful and I after my experience with the Astoria Column I was only a little disappointed that the stairs were temporarily closed.

I took this picture because I felt like it was important to document. Although you pretty much have to drag Rocky screaming into any type of indoor bathroom she thinks that it is absolutely imperative that any time she sees a Port-o-Potty that she must use it, which is pleasant for the lucky parent that gets to accompany her. I didn't take a picture of all the outdoor potties that she used because I didn't really want to relive the moments, but this one was okay because Brandon took her.

And for those of you who are still hungry for more Goonies...here is Haystack Rock that was used as a key landmark in finding One-Eyed-Willie's treasure.

As you can see two of the four of us were very enthusiastic about seeing it in person. Maybe after they have actually seen Goonies they will have a change of heart.

Rocky didn't cheer up again until we took her to her favorite Oregon destination...again...the Tillamook Cheese Factory (or fabrica which she always says because it is one of the words that she always says in Spanish.)

Daisy had her chance to use her word "cheese" over and over while they sampled the different varieties and then of course we had to get some ice cream. Now that I think about it the fabrica is one of my favorite places in Oregon too.

Since we ended up not camping that night we had dinner on the way home. This spot was surrounded by the ocean and was as beautiful as it was cold. Luckily we had hot soup to warm us up. We heated on our little stove that Rocky refers to as "the microwave".

And we finished with, s'mores. Since there were no sticks to be found Brandon found some screwdrivers that filled in after being sterilized.

Then we drove home and put our kids in their beds so that we could get a good nights sleep.
The end.

Astoria

2011-09-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Since we have moved here we have always wanted to head up to the northernmost tip of the Oregon Coast to Astoria and since it was the last week of freedom for Brandon before he started his PhD we figured we had better take the chance. On the way out there the weather was looking pretty overcast and for the first time of the year it felt like the fall had taken over. This was a good thing for us because while the air conditioning in the car is out of order the heat is working fine. The drive was pretty uneventful except that we did stop at Burgerville and Rocky ate french fries, which seems to be the only thing she remembers about the trip. That and the gummy worms that we bought to snack on. Next time I think it is important to take my kids on a trip just remind me that they will be just as happy going to the local 7-11, maybe even happier.

On the road we passed a truck that was hauling logs and immediately after passed another one hauling bricks to which Rocky commented, "Well, there they go to build the houses for the piggies."

Luckily for us when we got to the beach the day had turned into a perfectly beautiful afternoon and we hung out with the shipwreck and played in the sand.

Brandon tested out his new skinboard, which turned out to look like a lot of fun and a good way to seriously injure yourself.

Even though the girls play in the sand almost every day at our apartment complex, this was a whole new experience.

It is even better when it is a little wet and sticks to your whole body.

Next we headed to the old Battery Russell Fort. During WWII the Japanese actually fired at the Oregon Coast trying to find this place. I guess the huge guns that used to be there would shoot about 6 miles and were put there to protect the border. Now it is an abandoned concrete shelter that is really cool to explore and, in a few of the back rooms, as Rocky said in her spooky voice is, "REEEALLLY SCAAARY!" We were there in the day and it was well lit and innocent looking, but even I had to admit that it would be a perfect location to shoot some horror film about teenagers who, upon taking a trip to the beach stumbled upon the old abandoned fort and decided to spend a night being hunted by soldier ghosts...either that or at least the inspiration for an episode of Scooby Doo.

Another thing that rocks about Astoria is the Column. We got there just as the sun was starting to set and I guess Rocky was anxious not to miss it because she ran...and I do mean ran, up the spiral staircase to the top. It was bad enough to walk up there myself because it was so high, but it was horrifying that she kept stumbling as she hopped from stair to stair. I've talked with other moms so I know that I'm not the only one that gets images of my children being involved in horrible accidents and I just kept fretting that she would fall through the guardrails. She was just fine of course, but by the time we got to the top I was almost in tears. Brandon took both girls down himself and let me have a moment at the top to enjoy the sunset and calm down. It really was such a beautiful view. While I was up there I contemplated the fact that I was now officially an old worry wart and tried to figure out the exact moment when I started to cling to irrational fears. This may have been it.

Everyone was excited to sleep in the tent...at least for about the first 15 minutes. Unfortunately the air mattress had a pretty steady leak and the girls (Daisy) didn't appreciate it. Also, I had forgotten the pillows so the four of us had two pillow pets to share around. We did the only fair thing...waited until they were asleep and then stole their little dog and duck for ourselves. Daisy kept waking up and climbing over to share her duck with me and after Rocky raised a formal protest in the middle of the night Brandon just ended up using his jacket. Needless to say there wasn't a lot of sleeping going on. We had originally planned to camp for two nights but ended up deciding that one night of torture was enough.

We waited uncomfortably until the sun was high enough that we could justify it as morning and started our day.

We had a warm oatmeal breakfast and packed up so that we could get to the most important part of the trip.

The entire city of Astoria is beautiful. The streets are lined with historic homes and steep hills. The neighborhood, however is mostly known for the filming of one movie that forever changed film history.
I was excited to see the Goonies House but for Brandon it was truly a Pilgrimage, and it wasn't complete until he and Rocky did the Truffle Shuffle out front.

From the top of the hill at the Goonies House you could hear the symphony of barking from the Sea Lions below at the pier so we headed down to further investigate.

And this ends phase one of the Astoria trip. Next post: Washington.

A Little Update about the Little Girl

2011-09-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Daisy is officially 18 months! At her doctor's appointment she was 40th % for height and 30% for weight and just as healthy as can be.
She is talking more and more and seems to be picking up new words every day. She says mama and dada of course, and it was no surprise to those of us that know her that her next few words were foods...cheese and banana. She will also say "shoes" which makes perfect sense because her favorite thing to do is to sit by the door and try on all the shoes in the basket. When she gets sick of trying them on she will pick one and walk around the house with one shoe on and the other foot bare. She also is always wearing my pink beanie 5 or 6 necklaces, and she drags her blanket around everywhere she can, often having a meltdown when we tell her she can't take it outside. It is okay with me though because when she has a tantrum it is the cutest thing you've ever seen. She will throw herself on the ground, dramatically and kick her feet and for some reason it is completely hilarious. I guess I should amend that last statement because it isn't that funny when she does it during Sacrament Meeting.
She is a ham and loves to make people laugh, especially her dad. When she is hungry she gets grumpy but when you give her something to eat she gets so excited that she dances...I mean, she literally dances and she does it almost every time we eat. She is serious about her food and when I am trying to cook dinner she will stand behind me and pull on the pockets of my pants until I give her a piece of whatever I'm trying to prepare. I guess that kind of tasting along the way will help her when she is a chef, but it isn't that easy for me to try to keep my pants up and cook at the same time.
It is a little tricky to get good pictures of her because she kind of hides when she sees the camera. I have to think of ways to surprise her.

She is a kid who is happy, loving, and completely adorable. I love her little chubby cheeks and huge smile and the way she will snuggle when she gets tired. Sometimes I get so caught up in writing about all the things that we are doing that I forget to take the time to write about who my little Daisy is. She is a treasure and I consider myself lucky every time I hear her little voice call Mama.

Milk, It Does a Body Good

2011-09-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

A Sad Post that Gets Happier as it Goes

2011-09-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Although she was 98 years old it is still super sad that this world just lost my Great Aunt Della. She was very special to me. She was feisty, hilarious, and such a good woman. She taught me how to play Skip-Bo when I was 12 and she played it again a few weeks ago when we went to visit her for what would be the last time. While we were there she told us that she had lived a "good life and wouldn' t have traded it for any other." I'm sure that all of us who knew her will miss her sassy attitude and her quick wit, but I will also remember her for setting a great example. I hope that at whatever age I am when I go that I'll be able to look back at my life without regrets like she did.

On a much lighter note:

I wanted to post this picture and keep it for my records as one crazy night with some awesome friends. I laughed so hard that my abs got worked harder than if I had done the Jillian Michaels DVD.

And in other awkward self-taken-photo-memories...Tonight I drove my Indian girls to the airport for their flight home. The next time I will see them is when we finally get out there to Hyderabad...when we can afford the airfare...think somewhere around 2030. I'll miss you Pranita and Shai.

All I've got to keep me cheery now is these two little stinkers. Here they are modeling their new cover-ups. Thanks Abia!

Bonus Picture

Brandon went to the dentist and had a Novocaine. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw him.

Back to Eugene with a Few Stories

2011-08-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

The first thing we did when we got home was to eat the corn that Grandpa had grown in his garden. Rocky couldn't get enough.
We also went for a nature hike and ate the five blackberries that were ripe.

At this point our camera ran out of batteries. I'm not sure why...it couldn't be the nonstop picture taking that I did while we were in Utah. I haven't gotten around to changing the battery yet and since I didn't get any pictures of the Eugene Celebration parade or the 30 kids in the bouncy house at the birthday party Rocky was invited to last weekend, I figured that I should take this chance to catch up on a couple of stories.

All evening yesterday Rocky kept saying, "Knock, Knock, Who is knocking on my..." and she would change the ending. It started at dinner and she said, "Who is knocking on my little cucumber?" Later she said her leg and then she moved to consistently asking, "Who is knocking on my fridge?"
I finally asked her who she thought was knocking on her fridge and she said in a tone that implied that it was completely obvious, "You know, the Billy Goats." I guess in nursery they told the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff and she figured that if the goats could knock on a fridge, why not on a cucumber?

We were walking last night and the girls were getting kind of antsy in the stroller so Brandon suggested that Rocky tell Daisy a story. This is what she said.
Once upon a time there was a butterfly and it fell asleep and dreamed about bats. The bat's name was...(pause)...Butterfly. Brandon said that it sounded like something he would be studying in one of his lit classes. Probably Cortazar or Borges. Maybe she will have a future in writing the next meta-fictional classic.

Brandon and I have a lot of interesting incidents involving sleep walking and/or sleep talking. The other day when we woke up, for no clear reason, the Dustbuster was in the bed between us. I didn't have my glasses on and I though it was one of the kids because it was all tucked in and looking so cozy. Neither of us have any idea who put it there or why, but since I'm writing this account, I'm going to go ahead and blame it on Brandon.

As you can tell by the fact that I think these stories are interesting that our lives pretty much consist of nonstop adventure. Although, after the excitement we had in Utah, it is nice to get back to the calm. We've be reconnecting with our friends around here and enjoying the parks and the cool evenings and remembering why we love Eugene.

Everything Else

2011-08-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Bedtime with Oma and Opa lasted a lot longer than it does at home because they have to read about 25 stories.

Piano lessons with Eric.

Watching Yelle videos with Jilly.

Morning faces.

The Kangaroo zoo which is as fun as it is tiring for little jumping legs.

Who would let all that pie go to waste?

Lemons anyone?

We had a great time at Wendy's with Abia, Aynna, and Jonah. It was just a regular Wendy's but it was exceptionally fun company.

Summer Runnin'

2011-08-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Brandon, Cara and I ran the Legacy Midnight Half Marathon. It was my first half and I felt pretty good about it. The race started at 10 PM and I really, really tried to get to the finish line by midnight but I missed it by about 5 minutes. I guess it is okay though because now I've got something new to work towards. The funny thing about running 13 miles in the dark is that they all look exactly the same. Luckily everyone was decked out it glowsticks so I could watch the bobbing neon lights along the way because other than that pretty much everything else was just blackness with the occasional mile marker.
The good part about it was that it was cool and the sun wasn't an issue. Unfortunately all my fueling at that late hour kept me puking the rest of the night.
The best part of the race was that Brandon made an awesome playlist for the three of us and we synched our ipods so that we would all be listening to the same music even if we couldn't see each other.

And if running his first half marathon wasn't enough, Brandon took things another step further this summer by doing his first triathlon with Eric and Caleb.

They had made a pact to grow out their mustaches and Eric, with a little help from some eyeliner, looked only partially creepy.

Mike was so proud of his boys.

Further proof that Rocky takes after her dad when it comes to the amount of facial expressions she is capable of making.

Me and my BFF Becky, cheering on the men we love.

Rocky and Daisy found creative ways to pass the time when the athletes were out of view.

Rocky was so tired from cheering that she made sure to take a moment to rest up so that she would be ready to cheer in her dad. While we were waiting she told everyone that she was there cheering for "my friend...his name is Daddy."

Swim

Bike

Run.

This race they actually went two times through the whole process which seemed exhausting. The second time looked pretty much like the first.

Eric, Brandon and their cousin David model the mustaches. Eric's seems to have mysteriously disappeared.

The Rigby bros at the finish (just be glad that this doesn't show the belly shirts they were wearing.)

Pioneer Day it Up

2011-08-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Since we haven't been in Utah for a few years on Pioneer Day we really partied hard this year and tried to catch up on all that we had missed. We started with the rodeo.

You can practically taste the enthusiasm.

Then we got up early to be there for the parade. This year it was a little bit overcast so we weren't blasted by the sun as bad as usual.

I remember watching this parade with my grandparents and it was fun watching my kids watch it with their Oma and Opa.

Jill and Dad took a trip to the firework stand and came home with the wimpiest kid-friendly fireworks that they could find but Rocky was still too nervous. We finally just put her in the car and once she was protected by a sheet of glass she couldn't get enough of them.

Now that we know this secret, next year we'll be able to get some real fireworks.

Hanging out with Howards

2011-08-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

While in Ogden we spent some time checking out the local sights. Beus Pond is always the hot spot for baby ducks.

Our annual Isaacson camping trip was canceled this year because the campground we had reserved was covered with snow. It was a huge bummer but in order to help us all feel better we hiked up to Timpanogos cave as a family. Rocky hiked her little legs up the entire way. I was so proud of her. Then, on the way down she started to get tired and grumpy. I just kept pushing her to go farther because I didn't want to carry her and finally she just stopped and very sternly said, "I am NOT walking any more...and I WILL suck my thumb." At that point I realized that she had hit the end of her energy tank so I put her on my back and let her suck her thumb the rest of the way. After about 5 minutes of rest she perked right up and by the time we got to the bottom she was ready to play with her cousins.

On a trip to the Farmer's Market with Matt and Kristin we got to see cheese actually aging. I think it was pretty much the highlight of the summer.

We took a trip to the Treehouse Museum and of course had a tea party with Oma and then the girls had to run around and try every single thing that was available.

At the Playground and Pool

2011-08-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Rollin' on the River

2011-08-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

World Cup Archery

2011-08-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ogden city was chosen to be the host for the World Cup Archery tournament and we weren't going to miss it. There were archers from all over the world and they were amazing athletes. The U.S. team took the men and women titles and there was some intense competition during the overall individual events.

The toughest part was that we all had to be quiet while they were shooting, which was hard for me, but pretty much impossible for my girls.

We tried to find some distractions to keep them entertained.
Rocky was enchanted by the Rodeo Queens and we all cheered her on as she walked all the way down the bleachers and despite being terrified introduced herself. Then I had to go down and take a picture before the queen and her attendants called security to find this adorable little girl's parents.

Aquarium

2011-08-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

Landlocked as it is, it is a surprise how awesome the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy turned out to be. It was a great time to hang out with the Rigby clan because they are so into animals. Lucky for us it was shark week and there were all kinds of special things going on.

Tia Feliz taught her nieces how to ride the Buckin' Frog, but Rocky wasn't all that successful.

Rocky's favorites were the baby seahorses and she can't stop talking about them.

Quincy was so worn out that she fell asleep mid-stretch.
Brandon and Daisy were bonded in their enthusiasm for the Archer Fish.

Rocky and Cambria kept up their status as frenemies. They played and had a great time and then they fought and couldn't stand to be together, until they started playing again.

They stopped to pose for this picture then tried to rip off each other's faces about five seconds later.

Best Frenemies Forever

Brandon's Summer Project

2011-08-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

Brandon doesn't feel like summer is complete until he comes up with some kind of huge task to finish and this year he decided to dig a hole for the trampoline at his mom's house. Luckily for him, and for Hayden who worked hours and hours helping him, they have one of those Olympic style rectangle tramps. I worked for about an hour and filled the wheel barrow so full that it fell over and dumped the dirt right back where it had come from. After that I retired my shovel and went back inside to work on something that better magnified my talents...sitting around reading books.

Daisy did her part by hanging out in the swing where she could keep an eye on the progress and supervise.

The finished product was a lot more safe and the kids were delighted.

A Hike

2011-08-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

Rocky and Cambria hiked us all up to the top of the Waterfall hike in Ogden. They were troopers and dealt with the heat with pretty minimal complaining. They were exhausted until we got to this perfect photo opportunity and I asked them to do something cool. This is what they came up with.

Nice.

We took a lot of water breaks (which incidentally made for a couple of emergency 'bathroom' breaks which Rocky enjoyed because she likes to "pee in the bushes like the boys").

The girls were singing Lady Gaga the whole time up and Rocky couldn't be distracted by a silly photo. I haven't seen Cambria for a while now but I've still got it in my head...."The edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge...." and it goes on and on and on that way.

Daisy and Quincy were so occupied with the snacks that they didn't even notice the waterfall.

It was a beautiful hike with great company and we even got to the bottom safely before it started to rain.

Whew!

2011-08-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

We've had a heck of a summer so far and I've got about 6 billion pictures to prove it. This post is just an overview for anyone wishing to skip the next several posts.
We spent a little over a month in Utah, returning to find that our bike trailer was stolen, our mail was confiscated, the garbage hadn't been taken out, our plants were dead and we had an overdue DVD checked out at the library. I guess that we left in a little too much of a hurry.
It was worth whatever fine we have to pay because we had the time of our lives playing around in what will probably be our last summer of freedom.
We had trips to the zoo, the aquarium, the Treehouse Museum, a ranch, a pond, Timpanogas cave, the pool (several times), The Boondocks, and Kangaroo Zoo. We hiked, ran a half marathon, and Brandon did his first triathlon. We lit fireworks, watched the parade, went to the rodeo and watched the World Cup Archery Tournament. Brandon dug out the trampoline and the kids spent hours testing it out. We went to the theater and saw a bunch of movies; Thor, X-Men, Captain America, Harry Potter and The Help and we even saw Cars 2 at the Drive In. We took a walking tour of Historic 25th Street in Ogden and went tubing down the river. We picked green beans and ate all kinds of freshly grown veggies straight from the garden. We went to farmer's markets and factory stores and sampled everything from cheese to freshly squeezed lemonade. The girls had tons of fun soaking up attention from their grandparents, tios and cousins and they ate enough fruit snacks to last them the rest of their young lives. It is a good thing that Brandon has another month before his classes start because we are going to need the chance to get some rest. We are excited to be home and at the same time miss everyone already.

Stick 'em Up

2011-08-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

Mike took us to his work party at the American Heritage Ranch and he showed us all how to get killed in a shoot out. Rocky was kind of stressed about what was going to happen to Grandpa but lucky for us all they were just shooting blanks.

Riding the train

It was a good thing the pony ride was free because she rode it about 30 times. I think she would still be going around and around right now if she could have her way.

Grandpa Rigby taking a break in true farmer fashion.

Rigbypalooza

2011-08-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

When the Rigby's decide to party they aren't kidding around. We had a 3 day Rigby blitz and we made every second count.

Daisy was bonding with her inner turtle.

If you think they are only acting crazy for the photo, think again.

Mike demonstrating how much he takes after his dad.

Daisy was very helpful during mini golf.

This was serious business.

Nothin' like a few limes for lunch.

A little trampoline time.

The zoo.

Rocky couldn't figure out why I insisted that we wash their faces.

Motor Vu Drive In

Seriously, don't ask.

Summertime and the Livin' is Easy

2011-07-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

The Fourth of July rocked this year. It started with the Butte to Butte 10k and breakfast with great friends and ended with fireworks and great friends.

Other than that we have mostly been relaxing and enjoying the lazy days. The girls especially like being able to sit around in their underwear.
I can't figure out which kid looks the cutest in this picture.

Brandon has been really busy volunteering with the Oregon Bach Festival. He made a bunch of friends from Venezuela and we got to hang out with them on the coast.

Bonus Picture

A Mountain Biking Adventure

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

Taylor took Brandon to initiate his new mountain bike on the McKenzie River Trail. Here they are at the beginning all full of excitement.

In the meantime Katrina and I kept the kids entertained by checking out Koosah and Sahalee Falls.

The pictures really don't do it justice.

Rocky had a blast with Myer and Benson hiking the entire way.

This is what happens if you ask Rocky to smile.

The guys took a little longer than they thought and Brandon had some pretty gnarly scrapes but they made it back alive.

When we got finished Rocky couldn't figure out why I insisted that they take a bath.

Speed Walkers and Trash Talkers

2011-06-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

S.W.A.T. representing before the brutality officially began
The Professor, Kristen, Tasha, Jo, Mandolin, Deb, Cara, Me, Mike, Sara, Jacee, Kristin, and Kevin

Last weekend I had the awesome experience of participating the the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay that goes from Logan to Park City. I've been trying to think about how I could possibly describe what it was like, and really it is just one of those things that is hard to explain.
This picture of my new gal pal Deb kind of sums it up. It is crazy, fun, awesome and exhausting.

Me, Cara, Mike, Debbie, Sara, Kristin, and Jacee

I thought I knew what I was getting into, but it turns out that the idea of run, drive, sleep, repeat is a lot more involved than I had anticipated. Lucky thing I was in the lovely Van 2 with some of the coolest people ever.

We laughed and cried, and stayed up all night until we all got the crazy giggles. We ran our butts off and got to model some pretty chic reflective vests. We made up a whole new vocabulary and got up close and personal with the honey pots.

I was smiling in this photo because everyone was there cheering for me, including Mike and Adam. Also because I didn't realize how steep Trapper's Loop is when you aren't in a car. It is a good thing for peer- pressure because I promised myself I wouldn't walk until they passed and because of a photo-op involving a Sinclair dinosaur I had a longer time than anticipated.

I realized that I had nothing to complain about the next morning when I had to watch Kristin and Cara take on the meanest, rottenest, beast of a mountain. This leg of the run is called Ragnar because it represents strength and courage. I saw them both when I was watching these two sisters. It is the utter toughness of the course that makes this thing truly great.

And it the end, S.W.A.T. conquered it.

At this point I was hiding out in the van trying to calm my nerves because I was running next. I'm not that good at striking a pose anyway. They tried to give me pointers but I am afraid I'm a lost cause.

And at last...triumph. The finish line.

Thanks to all my co-trash-talkers (who were much better at cheering than trash talking) for letting me in on the fun. Thanks to Kristin for runnin' the show and a big big thanks to Cara for being such a true friend. I love all of you guys and I feel like it was an honor to be standing there with you.

And thanks to Tanner (who I always consider Mr. Kristin Bell) for coming up with such a tough race. While I was out there I seriously contemplated burning my running shoes and never looking back but after a good night's sleep I was already on the internet looking at the Northwest Passage that runs up by Seattle. I can't get it together for this year, but I am getting an itch to consider it for next year. Who wants to join me?

Best Camping Trip Ever!

2011-06-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

We had a blast camping on the coast with family at Bullard's Beach. Everything was perfect and it was so great for us all to be together. I didn't have my camera much but this is what I got.

Guess which kid is really asleep.

The After-Run Crazies

2011-06-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

Nice.

A Perfect Day for Boating

2011-06-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

It was finally hot enough to feel kind of summery so we headed out to the lake and busted out our boat to do some water skiing.

Well, I guess this was our grad-student version of boating anyway.
In the end we didn't do much water skiing, but we did have some pretty awesome peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which was even better. Good thing we had these kids so that they could do the manual labor and row us around in circles all afternoon.

These underage rowing slaves are great because they work for hours and you can pay them in leftover Peeps.

Bonus Picture:
Daisy has a passion for shoes. Every day she gets out all the shoes and tries them on multiple times. Then, after she has emptied out the basket she'll climb in and chill for a few minutes. We are currently working on teaching her to put everything back into the basket, but she isn't there yet.

Coastin'

2011-06-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

All Brandon wanted to do for his birthday last week was to head out to the coast and see some birds. We did both.
The girls are already embarrassed when they have to be seen with their parents, especially when a kind stranger who volunteered to take the picture tries to get them to smile.

The idea of the Octopus Tree was enough to coax Rocky out into the rain but when we got there she was disappointed that it wasn't really an octopus. Luckily the downpour stopped to let the rest of us get a good look.

We also had to stop at the Tillamook cheese factory which, even though I've been there a bunch of times, still is super fun.

We saw 2 adult and 4 juvenile bald eagles, kingfishers, herons and all kinds of other cool birds.
Since this trip Rocky likes to tell anyone who will listen that we went to the coast and "Mommy wouldn't let me hold the ice cream cone." She also always mentions that she ate a corn dog and that she "really, really liked it."
I for one am glad that Brandon and I are filling the lives of our children with nature and learning.

A Random Mix of Pics

2011-06-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Daisy finally has enough hair for some pigtails...well, not really, but we did some anyway.

Now that she's so grown up she has decided that she is going to start attending the university with her daddy.

Letting the girls play in the laundry baskets is one of my avoiding chores strategies. I mean, how can I wash clothes if the baskets are being occupied?

Dress up...

and dress down.

Cooking Show

2011-06-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Our daily schedule often includes the PBS cooking show that is on every day at 12:30. It is the perfect time when lunch is finished and I require Rocky to snuggle with me so we have a few minutes of wind-down time that lead into the 1:00 nap. Usually by that time she is tired enough that she will sit still, but I've been surprised at how much she has been influenced. Lately when she sees something good she'll say, "Oooh, we should make that."

One of her favorite things to do is to host her own cooking show. She'll be out on the playground stirring a bucket of wood chips and telling the other kids, who aren't listening, how to make posole (Mexican soup). She always picks a couple of leaves off the bushes and adds it saying that it isn't right until it has 'spices.' She's funny about spices because she always has to smell them like the cooks on T.V. Now a generous hand-me-down kitchen from Callie and a Rocky sized apron has added sophistication to her production. She's getting good enough that I think we should be able to start taping by the end of the summer. She always starts by saying, "Welcome to the cooking show. Today we are going to cook..." whatever is on the menu which usually consists of tortillas, spaghetti or eggs. I like when she does the tortillas because she will spend a lot of time patting them out. She's pretty creative about her recipes although I have noticed that she makes a disproportionate amount of cookies, and birthday cakes.
Daisy is always willing to be the designated taster, whether the food is edible or not.

We also try to give her some experience in the real kitchen. She and her dad made some gourmet chocolates. It turns out that stuffing toasted almonds into dates and dropping them in chocolate makes for an amazing treat. I think the girls preferred the pretzels, but that just meant more for us.

Hopefully this lasts and by the time she is 10 she'll be able to make dinner every night.

One Small and Cute Excuse

2011-06-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

If any of you have been wondering why there have been such big gaps between my blog posts, I have one excuse that is small, but makes a lot of messes...and her name is Daisy.
A few weeks ago Brandon had left the computer at home and was at one of his evening classes. I had just a couple of pictures I wanted to put up and I knew it wouldn't take long. Daisy and I were finished eating but Rocky was still working on her rice so I thought I'd be safe for a minute or two. Well, I clearly thought wrong. It did literally take two minutes, but when I turned around this is what I saw. Take note that this photo doesn't show the rice that was strewn all over the entire room.

It is bad enough that it happened once, but yesterday while I was getting all weepy about my friends I turned around and saw that she had done it again.

Apparently I'm not much of a multi-tasker.

Here to Make Friends

2011-05-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

You don't have to watch the whole thing to get the idea.

Clearly reality T.V. has nothing to do with reality, and these people probably know what they are talking about...well, maybe not the ones from Flavor of Love, but the rest of them are sticking to a game plan.
I've been thinking about this a lot because while I don't consider it my sole purpose, to a degree I think that I really am here to make friends. My survival strategy consists of relying heavily on those around me for inspiration, help, advice, entertainment, recipes, and hand-me-down clothes.

Recently I have had reason to reflect on how friendship has enriched my life because one of my dearest high school friends passed away. Braden is my second cousin once removed (it took us about a year to figure out how to say it.)

After a very traumatic accident when he was in 8th grade he spent the rest of his life as a quadriplegic. He was an awesome person and, with the exception of the hand-me-down clothes, fit all the above-mentioned criteria for a great friend. He and his family welcomed me, and a bunch of other friends into their home, where we made all kinds of great memories. A lot of times I would go there just to get away from all those silly pressures that seem important when you are 16 and I always left feeling better. I will miss my friend, especially his laugh, but I feel happy that he was finally able to leave that still body behind and let his spirit free.

When I look at the good parts of the adult that I have become a lot of them come from the positive examples of the friends I had along the way.

Okay, now for the really mushy sappy big finish.

I have had a lot of different seasons of my life, and in each one I have met friends that have brought me so much joy. When I left home to go to school in Hawaii, in Boston as a missionary, in college at Weber State, and in Eugene. With the exception of the ones that live here I rarely see any of them, but I still feel close to them and appreciate the way they have touched my life.

While it has become obvious that my real mission in Eugene is to commune with my inner hippie a by-product has been some really great friends. The tough part of living in a student community is that the graduation season means that people you love will be leaving you behind.
I guess it is the same with Braden. He's moved on and we are all left to keep truckin' through. But, even though the season has changed, I get to keep all the good things I learned from him, and all the rest of you.

The Best Part

2011-05-08T21:52:00.001-07:00

The best part of being a mom are moments like this one.
Ummm...I mean, moments like this one.

A Poem

2011-05-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

A special poem for anyone who is a mother, or who has one.

The Lanyard - Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

Happy Mother's Day to the special moms in my life. I really hit the jackpot when it comes to special women in my life.

Brandon's mom has been a dear friend and mentor to me as we've started our little family. She is a wealth of knowledge, as she should be after raising this family.

My family is celebrating with heavy hearts this year because of the passing of Kristin's mom, Maureen. Even though at first she thought I was a bad influence, she grew to be a great support and friend. I owe her a lot because she raised Kristin who is a true friend and sister.

Here are my parents, and Maureen and Kent with Ethan on his baptism day.

Two sets of amazing grandparents.

Major Motivation

2011-05-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

I was privileged today to watch thousands of brave, strong, and amazing runners battle through the 24th mile of the Eugene marathon. It is a humbling, and extremely motivating experience to watch people push themselves forward despite being so completely exhausted.

It was super fun because I got to be with some of my awesome friends...
Lindsey, Autumn,

and Katrina,

to cheer for Laurie who has inspired us all with her example and her running blog.
I tried to copy this sign from something she posted, and even though it didn't look that good, the message was clear.

I thought that she would think it was funny, but I underestimated the affect that it would have on the other runners. I know from my own experience that two miles from the finish might be the hardest spot in the course, but when people saw this smiley they remembered to enjoy the moment for what it was. They smiled and several people said thanks. I have to give the thanks to Laurie for not only setting an example to sheer toughness, but for having such a great attitude.
I got home, and even though it is ugly, I hung this poster up on the wall because I think I need to remember that whatever is going on in life, or in a race, to run happy.

Professional Photography

2011-05-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

Rocky just wanted to announce that now that she has her own digital camera she is going to start a business.
She specializes in weddings but is also available for family, and senior portraits. So far only one picture she has taken has turned out the way she liked it.

Here is her portfolio.

If you are interested in booking a sitting she can be found most weekdays at the playground outside of her apartment between 3:30 and 5:00.

Bonus Pictures:

Three

2011-05-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

How can my little Rock Star be three?
She is such an amazing little girl who loves life and when she is around it is hard not to feel the same. Her energy and her smile are contagious and she has a special capacity to see the best in everyone.
All she wanted for her birthday was a pinata like the one in her favorite music video. More details on this will soon be found on Brandon's blog because that is his scene.
It turns out that making something like that takes more time than you would think. Brandon and I both spent a couple of late nights getting in touch with our creative spirits and this is what we came up with in the end.

So what do you do after you and your husband spend a week building a slightly horrifying model of a slightly less horrifying musician?
Give a bat to a bunch of kids and let them destroy it.

I'm not sure at what age a plumber's crack stops being cute...it might be three.

I'm not sure who was more excited about the Cinderella doll, the givers, or the receiver.

I was surprised, and excited when Rocky picked the delicious looking cupcakes, over the quirky fun ones. It might have something to do with them being called Rocky Road.

Once again, for posterity's sake I think I need to mention important current events to place this day in a correct historical context. I just heard that Osama Bin Laden was killed...but enough about that, let's get to the real news.

Prince William and Kate finally tied the knot.

Easter

2011-05-01T20:39:00.001-07:00

The girls were all ready on Easter Sunday to model their beautiful new dresses. Rocky was especially proud of the Easter dress that she insisted her Oma buy her from the peanut butter store. Some people call it Costco, but those of you who have seen our dried beans in the empty peanut butter jars know why we buy our PB in bulk.
Daisy also looked ravishing, deciding to pass on the traditional pinks and yellows and went with the simple, yet stylish blue polka dots.

Peeps!

Rocky couldn't contain her excitement at the student housing egg hunt. She got to be with her buddies, Tate and Lilly.

Daisy was a little bit miffed about being in the category with the "babies" since she is obviously more mature. It payed off though because she did find the golden egg, fulfilling her mother's childhood dream. In this case it wasn't much of a feat considering that there were three babies and 3 golden eggs. Oh well, the chocolate bunny was still just as sweet.

A Little Bit Wicked

2011-05-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I got to go to Wicked and I am making sure to document it so that I can date myself, and so that I'll never forget how fun it was. My mom told me that when she went to the theater to see Gone with the Wind she was so overwhelmed that she cried. I had the same experience with this musical.
I looked up a bunch of the songs on youtube and after we watched them Daisy thought that she would show everyone that those witches had nothing on her. I had to explain that being wicked is different than just being a troublemaker. She didn't seem to care.

Rocky filled her potty chart which meant that she finally won the prize of her dreams. When we were brainstorming ahead of time to decide on a really great reward I told her she could have anything she wanted out of any store and she confidently told me that she wanted a balloon. When she earned all her stickers we went shopping and I told her she could pick out the one she liked best. I didn't even narrow it down to the small cheapies, the big expensive ones were even in the running, but lucky for me she picked the one that only cost $1. I was positive that she would want a princess, or the Pikachu but she picked out the heart that says, 'You're So Special'.
Really.
I tried to sway her toward something a little less along the lines of terminal patient and more toward celebration but after all it was her potty prize so she got her way.
How long do those things stay inflated anyway?

It has only been Track season for a few weeks and Rocky already told me that she is sick of races. She made an exception to go see her tio, Victor run the hurdles.

She prefers hitching a free ride to racing...

and Daisy is willing to oblige.

She is just about walking on her own. I don't know if I'm excited or scared.

The Best Hiding Place

2011-04-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

This morning right after her bath Rocky insisted that I take a picture of her, "Right now!" I told her that she had to do something cool and this is what she came up with.

Pretty cool.

A rare moment of sisterly snuggling.

Although these two are starting to really play together, it is usually better if their limbs are kept to themselves.

The other day when Rocky was supposed to be taking a nap there was a weird sound so I ran in to find an empty bed. She is getting pretty good at hiding so I looked in all of her best spots but she was nowhere to be found. Usually she will give herself away by announcing where she is or giggling, but there was an eerie silence that made me worry that she was somewhere else in the house.

Just as my panic level was starting to rise, Brandon found a suspicious foot. She was fast asleep, napping like she should have been. She didn't even stir so we just covered her back up and tiptoed out of the room. I guess this explains why her hair always looks so frazzled when she wakes up.

Bonus Picture:

When It's Time to Change

2011-04-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

As life changes, and time passes, sometimes we are forced to say goodbye to things we love. Brandon and I were fortunate to attend one last sealing in the Ogden temple before it is torn down and modernized. I'm sure we will love the new temple when it is finished, but the old one is taking a little piece of my heart with it.
Although some (rude) people think it looks like an alien ship, I think it is beautiful and will miss it. Especially because it was where Brandon and I started our marriage.

On a much lighter, but almost equally tragic note, it is also time to part with two other good friends..
.
Okay, so they are shoes, but these shoes have been so awesome.
They ran me through the marathon, training and all. I promised that after we crossed the finish line they could have a rest, but then I ran on them for another two years, which is ridiculous because most running shoes are lucky to make it through 6 months. Well, these babies have done their duty and are now headed to that big 5K in the sky where they can rest their poor soles.

Job well done.
I know this change is looong since overdue but it is a big deal for me. I like the things I have and I don't like to go out and get new ones.
Here are the replacements. I like them okay, but I probably won't be able to trust them until we spend some real quality time together, maybe like a year or two.

In bittersweet moments like this I find solace in the stable and unchanging things that make life predictable, and that would never throw a tantrum in the mall...my kids.
Well, I guess even if they are constantly changing, they still make me feel better because they are so cute.

Bonus Picture: Rocky thinks it is fun to stand on our patio and tell the people that are passing that she is going to take a picture. I think it is fun to look through the window and watch how they respond. Too bad her camera has been out of film for 10 years.

Potty Power

2011-04-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

One day while we were in Utah I had gotten up early in the morning and was upstairs talking to my mom when Rocky came into the room. She wasn't wearing any pants or a diaper and she said, and she said it this way..."I pooped in Marci's room!" You would have thought she had just been given the Nobel prize by the enthusiasm in her voice. Then she encouraged her Oma to, "come see."
I went downstairs and it was true. There, partially on the floor and partially on Brandon's notebook was a little pile of kid scat. She raised her arms and proudly said, "Ta Dah!"
I decided that whether I was ready or not, it was time to potty train.
Her little friend, Lilly had lent her this video called Potty Power which is as effective as it is awful. It features hit songs like "Wipe Your Bottom" and "No More Diapers for Me."
While my 'big kid' was very good at singing the songs, she hadn't ventured into the actual realm of the toilet.
Well, when we got home, we got started. We are still obviously in the process but we've had a lot more success than accidents and we'll just keep trekking through.
This was a day or two ago so her chart is a lot more full now. Whenever she goes past the door she has to stop and consider her success and she'll always point out Prince Eric and Ariel and say, "He doesn't swim." I guess it really concerns her.

She isn't that great at pulling up her own undies yet. Either that or she prefers to wear them this way.

Sorry Daisy. You don't get to start until you poop in Marci's room on your own too.

Daisy's Movie Debut

2011-04-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Daisy's uncle, Eric, made this amazing film documenting our trip to Utah. As I'm sure you already can tell, this may be her first foray into starring in movies, but it definitely won't be her last. We are also looking forward to a long future in film and are all ready to say that we knew Eric Rigby before he was famous.

A Wedding, A Princess, and a Dancing Queen

2011-04-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

We were excited that Brandon's Uncle chose to get married over spring break because we got to be there. David married the beautiful Betsy (really Bathsheba which is a coincidence way beyond explanation...Dave says that they have got to name their first born son Solomon).
Even though I tried to explain what a bride is Rocky was convinced that she was seeing a real-life princess.
In truth, Betsy was as beautiful as any princess in any storybook.

The granddaughters, Daisy, Cambria, Quincy and Rocky

I tried to get one with Jonah too, but by that time they were so wiggly that they got even worse than this one. Just imagine that he is in there.

Rocky was pretty disappointed when I told her that Spiers, who happened to be her prince for the evening was also a relation.

These girls danced and danced and danced. Then they took a break to stuff themselves with cupcakes and candy and danced some more.

Daisy, with her uncle Eric, who also kickstarted her movie career.

Chillaxin with Cousins

2011-04-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

We had the best time on our trip to Utah and Rocky had a blast with her cousins. She and Ginny had a great time playing like they were puppies. Well, I guess it was more that Ginny was the puppy who would follow Rocky around barking. Rocky was thrilled because she has always wanted a dog and she has always wanted boss Ginny around. Overall I think it was a good thing because they weren't screaming.

...I have no idea.

Spring Break? Yep.

This is my sweetest little niece Quincy. While I was there I held her every chance I could get but I already miss her, and the rest of her cute family.

Rocky and Cambria busted out the dress-up clothes. This was their interpretation of how princesses should look.

Daisy proved the power of her grip by setting the record for suspended hang in the 0-14 month category.

A Random Mix

2011-04-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Rocky is one serious sleeper. Even though she is almost 3 she can still nap for 3 hours...either that or she will spend an hour silently tearing her room apart and climbing all the shelves to pull down the clothes in her closet. I'd rather remember the sleeping.

Another bath picture. I know it seems like I have a picture of the girls in the bath every other blog post but trust me, I'm showing restraint. Now that we have digital cameras and you can take as many pictures as you want I've taken about 5 million bath pictures. I've narrowed it down to the top 300 to put on my blog.

And I figured since it is April Fool's Day that I should put up the pictures of St. Patty's. Brandon went all out and surprised us all with breakfast.

Later on we did the whole Corned Beef and Cabbage deal, and of course, we had green Jello Jigglers.

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-03-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't have the pleasure of seeing Daisy much in person, maybe this will help you to understand why all I want to do is pick her up and squeeze her all day long.
She is so cute and round and when I pick her up she does this funny little giggle and I absolutely cannot get enough of it. I'm actually a little annoyed at this moment because she is sleeping and I can't bug her.
She is just a fun kid and when I finally let her bee free for a few minutes she will do all she can to get us laughing. Her gap-toothed smile has passed from being scary to adorable.

Because of those round cheeks it is hard to tell from pictures, but she has recently had a little growth spurt and has thinned out a little bit. At her one year appointment she was 29 inches (50th percentile) and 20 lbs (30th percentile).

Whenever I don't know where she is it is pretty much guaranteed that she is playing on the doll bed, which I now refer to as her throne.

Rocky proved herself worthy of a throne also when she was unable to sleep until she removed the pea she had strategically placed under her mattress, unbeknown to her parents.

I guess we will need to be a little bit more careful about what fairy tales we are reading to her. In a way it was good that she caught on to the princess and the pea because what else would we do with the peas that she refuses to eat? Daisy can't eat them all.

We are lucky to have such sweet peas in our pod.

Fun with the Young Women

2011-03-07T20:24:00.001-08:00

My awesome friend Jackie just sent me these pictures that she took at a couple of our Young Women activities. I wanted to share them not simply because they are flattering, but because I love these girls so much.

In February we had the best time making chocolates, and fudge at the candy factory.

I still dream about that place.

We dipped Daisy's binky in the chocolate. Not really, but I don't think she could have liked it any more anyway. She enjoyed the attention from the girls as much as the treats she sampled. Rocky had to stay at the church with her daddy because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep her hands clean. I did bring her a little chocolate mouse that we made so she still came out okay.

Daisy doesn't really have enough hair to warrant a net, but I knew that this is probably the only time in her life that she can still look cute wearing one.

This picture takes us back to the old days with the snaggle tooth.

We all had a great time at the Halloween dance. Especially Rocky, although she did have a hard time balancing her time between her two favorite activities, dancing and eating cookies.

Daisy Day

2011-03-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

My Daisy Girl turned one!

Her favorite thing to do is to be in the swing so in between storms the last couple of days we have taken her out there as much as possible. The higher I push her the louder she laughs.

I made cupcakes for her to share with her friends.

We won't mention the little duck graveyard where the mistakes ended up (Graphic Picture Warning!)

Brandon was glad because he knows that when I mess them up it means that he gets to eat them. Hopefully the ducky CSI doesn't hear about this because my fingerprints are all over those bodies.

Don't worry because while I was busy making Daisy's birthday awesome by sticking toothpicks into doughnut holes she was going over a few recipe books to pick out the birthday meal. Yeah, I know, fancy cupcakes = neglected children. She really was just crawling around almost naked, but hey, those ducks are sure cute. As you can see, she was obviously very distressed and didn't do anything fun at all while I was distracted.

Her little personality is starting to really come out and she is a ham. She likes to make everyone laugh and will make all kinds of sounds a faces to be entertaining. She loves, loves, loves her daddy and they spend a lot of time giggling together. She crawls around at warp speed and tries to get into the bathroom when I'm not looking so she can flush the toilet repeatedly which sends her into a laughing fit every time.

Her smile is contagious and she brings so much happiness wherever she is and I just want to squeeze her cheeks all day long.
She's too young to care about it being her birthday but I'm celebrating because having her is the best gift ever.

First Time Bowling and a Couple of Lost Kitties

2011-02-27T09:06:00.000-08:00

We went bowling for the first time in Eugene. With Rocky's help Brandon scored a 105 and I had the high score of 49.

Daisy preferred the video games.

The big new of the weekend, however, was that the Cat in the Hat visited Eugene. I haven't seen that big of a crowd since Karl Malone appeared at the Layton Hills Mall.
Let's just say that the Cat had completely underestimated the force behind the patrons of the Eugene Public Library. He was finishing up a tour around Oregon promoting his new show (which I don't recommend for a variety of reasons, one of which being that the cat is voiced by Martin Short).
The kids were pretty excited and the parents were willing to push and trample to get a great picture. My kid shoved her way in so quickly that I didn't even have to stomp on anyone's stroller. She walked right up to the Cat in the Hat and asked, "Where is my mom?" Causing a very "helpful" woman to take her to the front desk while I was yelling, "She is mine!" and trying to work my way through the hoards. Luckily we all made it out alive.

This morning we had another cat visitor but this one came right to our door. It stayed outside our patio door, despite Rocky's pleas to go out and pet it. It was like being at the zoo, but this time we were the ones in the cage.

Snow For Real

2011-02-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

There was enough snow to cancel every school between Corvallis and Eugene, except the University of Oregon. Lucky Brandon got to brave the snowflakes on his bike.

The girls were speechless.
Rocky found her peace once she put on her mittens and fully bonded with the white stuff.

While 1/2 inch may be enough to cancel school, it sure isn't enough to make a very big snowman.

Just ignore the lawn full of snow behind Rocky. Our snowman being small has nothing to do with the fact that I don't have any mittens and Rocky's participation basically consisted of knocking this little dude over the second after I took the picture.

I figured that I was in good standing to actually be a super fun mom so I pulled out all the stops and even brought out the hot chocolate. Rocky's response...what is hot chocolate?
How can she be almost 3 and never had hot chocolate?
Well, at least she knows now.

The forecast still says that we have a possibility of getting a whole inch tonight. I'd better check our 72 hour kit to make sure that we will survive.

Where is My Brother?

2011-02-23T17:33:00.000-08:00

After a weekend of visitors, Rocky feels lonely. Her aunt and uncle took the nice weather with them so all we can really do today is sit inside and mope. She keeps asking, "Where is my brother?" When I ask who her brother is she says, "You know, Mac, Kristin, Ethan, Joanna and Ginny." For some reason she just couldn't grasp that they weren't collectively her brother and she also had problems knowing that her uncle is Matt, not Mac.
She might mess up the name, but she certainly remembers how much fun they all had hanging out together.
They swam, went to Chuck E. Cheese's, played at some great parks, and had a couple of gorgeous days exploring outside.

Joanna showed the big Voodoo donut who was boss. She ate slowly and steadily and made it about halfway through without even barfing.

We had one perfect day on the coast.

Frenemies...best buddies until toys get involved and then it is every kid for herself.

Catching the spirit of Eugene.

Snow?

2011-02-18T20:38:00.001-08:00

It wasn't much but it was enough to inspire Rocky and Brandon to try to catch a snowflake on their tongues.

Laundry Basket Derby

2011-02-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

When Daddy is driving the baskets they usually come in as a tie, which seems to be okay with everyone.

We've recently joined the playgroup at the Centro Latino where Brandon is doing his internship which means that Rocky is the only blondie. The reason that she stands out, however, has nothing to do with her appearance, but her creative approach to craft time.
All the kids were using hearts to make a cute little chicken.
This is hers.

I'm so proud.

Poor Starving College Students

2011-02-16T16:19:00.001-08:00

Okay, so any of you who have seen me lately know that we are obviously not starving, but, we are living the dream, firmly planted in family student housing as Brandon chips away at his degree(s). Some of you may not have experienced this growing stage of life so I thought I would fill you all in on the insider information on why it rocks to have no money.

10 - Recession? What recession? I guess it isn't hard to lose a job when you didn't have one to begin with.

9-Weekly trips to the Eugene public library which lets you take things home for free...unless you lose them like the incredibly dorky book, Alternacrafts, that I somehow misplaced and then had to pay an obscene amount for in fees. Because of our elite membership we were recently able to check out both Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gorillas in the Mist.

Just for full disclosure, our library really does have an inclusive up-to-date DVD selection. We only have these because we went out of our way to choose them. I'm pretty sure that makes us either really cool or really un-cool.

8- Hip vintage clothes...otherwise known as old clothes that used to belong to your friends but are now your favorite new outfits. Look familiar Cara?

7- We have a lot of extra time that others might use for shopping to attend free community events and drum circles. Unfortunately the drugs are only free the first time, but lucky for us Mormons, we are just there for the feelings of brotherhood anyway, and maybe a few of the complimentary vegan hot dogs.

6- We always get to wear cute sweaters and hats inside. Most people only show off their winter accessories outside, but we get to model them all day every day.

5- Pushing your kids in a jogging stroller is a much better workout than being on a wimpy treadmill in a gym and no babysitter required. Also, saving gas money by riding your bike doesn't just help the environment, it makes for some hot buns!

4- Keeping up with the Joneses means being the first to loot the garbage pile when someone moves out. Who would throw this away?

3- If you had money for crafting supplies you would never know how many things can be made out of old garbage.

2-How could you ever ruin a souffle yourself if you had the money to buy a good one at a fancy-pants restaurant? Home cooking is cheap even if it isn't always good. Hopefully by the time we can eat out again we won't want to because I'll have become such a great chef.

And the honest to goodness number 1 reason that trumps all the others...

The other poor starving college students
There is nothing like a bunch of great friends who can have fun crammed in tiny apartments or enjoying the sun together at a local park, and who don't need a dime to enjoy being together.

My Favorite Song About Love

2011-02-14T18:37:00.000-08:00

The Ballad of Love and Hate - The Avett Brothers

This isn't really a love song, but it is a song about love.

Share the Love

2011-02-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

Rocky thought it would be a good idea to help me with the chores for Valentine's Day. I gave her a big hug and then went to clean up the mess she made while "cleaning."

I thought I would make something special so earlier this week I checked out a book from the library called "How to Be a Domestic Goddess." After reading through it I was so exhausted that I ended up throwing out my plans and making the easiest no bake cookies I could think of.
My aunt always called these chocolate oatmeal treats Gorilla Poops.
Who's the domestic goddess now?
I don't think it will make the cover of Martha Stewart's Living but I am going to give myself some props because it takes a lot of guts to make heart-shaped Gorilla Poops and even more to publicly admit it.

Well, they tasted good anyway.

Happy V-Day!

Another Weekend of Nonstop Adventure

2011-02-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

We checked out the most random children´s book I´ve ever read. It was called The Mask and it had a pocket in the front with this beauty. The story was about a couple of kids that were swallowed by a wolf and then after they beat the thing to death from the inside they made a mask out of its head. I know, gross. Rocky wants to wear it all the time and growl.
I used to think that with the extremely competitive market for picture books that it would be easy to find good stories, but there are definitely some losers out there. Oh well, I guess it was worth the free ninety nine that we paid to check it out at the library just for the entertainment of watching Rocky try to see out of those eye holes.
It is important also to point out that she is wearing the p.j.´s that she got from her Oma for Christmas. Take note that they say "I'm not sheepy" a pun that is completely lost on the wearer. Every time I put her in these duds she says something different, but it is always wrong. Her favorite is "I'm not a lamb."
I wanted to get a picture of her post-hairdo-hairdo. Whenever I put it up in the little horns that I call "nubbies" it makes for some pretty cool curls.

This picture was supposed to be funny, but instead it turned out to be one of those bittersweet moments that reminded both Brandon and me how quickly she has grown up.

Here she is studying Spanish by watching the dubbed version of Shrek with her favorite tutor. (If you say that she is learning a second language it makes the hippie mom's put their judgemental stink eye away for a minute or two. It only lasts until they see that your snack bag is full of Swedish 'feces' instead of organic hummus.

Brandon is always good at finding interesting and free activities to keep us busy. This time we went to go watch BMX races at the fairgrounds. Let me tell you, this brought out a whole new crowd of people that I've never seen before in Eugene. Think more tattoos and fewer teeth.

They were all really nice and Rocky made a few friends. First she sat next to a couple of boys and smiled coyly until they gave her some of their chips. Then she latched on to this little girl who was probably 6 and the smallest BMX racer I've ever seen. She was really cute and her jersey and helmet matched her dad's perfectly.

Daisy was surprisingly interested, well at least for about the first 5 minutes.

People are always asking me if I think Daisy looks more like Brandon. I can't say that for sure, but I can say that she has picked up his talent of sleeping anywhere. It doesn't matter if it is time to eat...

or time to be studying.

Rocky gave baby Oaklee an Emo hairstyle. At least I think it is Emo. It might just be a model-sized re-enactment of the nap hair that Rocky gets every day. Personally I think she is trying to get it to look like the guy who sings her newest favorite song, All the Pretty Girls.

I know it is hard to believe that this many exciting things happened to us in such a short time, that is why I took the pictures as proof. One day when Rocky and Daisy are teenagers and they think their parents are boring I'll pull out the pictures and show them that we were always boring, but that it used to be fun.

Wild Child

2011-02-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

I know that everyone is probably getting sick of hearing about the teeth, but they just keep getting more and more out of control. I know that in a couple of weeks they'll probably just look normal and I really haven't been able to get a great picture until now.

It isn't just the spikes, it is the way her smile takes on the look of a wild animal when she is laughing. This picture is especially effective because it highlights the way that she managed to cover her face with food. She rubbed it all over her eyes and in her hair. I think she is pretty talented because hardly anyone could be that dirty, with that crazy of a smile and still be so cute.

Sweet Tooth

2011-02-03T16:09:00.000-08:00

I don't know what has happened to us this week but there seems to be an insatiable hunger for cookies around here. I think it might have something to do with Girl Scouts.
Daisy put her newest front tooth right to work showing those Thin Mints who is boss.

I'd bet that she would also have liked the Samoas if I would have been willing to share.

Although I would have been happy to eat nothing but treats the entire week, I did manage a pretty successful experiment. It turns out that roasting a chicken is just about the easiest thing I've ever done.

Unfortunately, in true Marci style, because the chicken turned, out the rest of the meal was a total bust. The other pan of roasted vegetables came out of the oven looking like they were about one step away from being cremated. Usually you can just scrape off charred parts (something we have done an embarrassing amount of times) and you can still eat the insides but in this case, once the charred parts were scraped, there was nothing left.
Nothing like a home-cooked meal of chicken with roasted chicken and chicken on the side. Luckily we had a few cookies left for dessert.

Go Wild-Ducks?

2011-01-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

This morning we went to watch the Weber State Wildcats take on the Oregon Ducks in tennis. As devoted Wildcats and Ducks we were a little torn on what to wear. Rocky went full-fledged Duck but Daisy and I decided to go half and half. I wore a Weber shirt and a green jacket and she had her O with purple pants. Brandon was unwilling to make a commitment and went neutral with his Sasquatch shirt. Really, how can you go wrong with Sasquatch?

On our way out Rocky insisted that she and Daisy sit. She pointed at me and ordered, "Take me a picture."

Watch Your Fingers!

2011-01-29T17:08:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to get a good picture of the chaos that is Daisy's mouth. I can't decide if she looks more like a hillbilly or a hockey player.

Pajama Jam

2011-01-29T16:33:00.000-08:00

For the past several weeks the big news in the Spanish branch was the pajama party. It was announced a couple times before every meeting and each time it was emphasized that yes, we really are wearing pajamas. It was always mentioned that we weren't going to eat, but we were going to breakfast.
The way these announcements were made and received made it seem that it was believed that this novel idea had never been conceived of before, and if anyone had ever thought of it, certainly nobody had ever had the guts to actually go through with it.
Well, I'm happy to announce that not only did we dare, we totally rocked it.
I will admit that I had my doubts at first, but when I walked in the door and saw the unbelievable spread of food, I knew that we were going to P.J. party better than anyone had P.J. partied before. We ate and ate, then we played the "What If" game which reminds me of many fond memories at slumber parties when I was 12.

Rocky picked her outfit herself and Daisy looked ravishing in this 2010 Carters original.

How else could the night end except by the reading of bedtime stories.

I'm not sure that everyone is ready to make it a yearly event, but personally, I would call the whole thing a great success.
I wonder what crazy idea will be the theme of our next party.

Say Cheese

2011-01-27T15:21:00.000-08:00

This picture is a little old, but when I found it I couldn't help but smile.

Sing It Like You Mean It

2011-01-26T15:05:00.000-08:00

This morning Rocky was walking around the house with the her Primary songbook singing her own versions of Queen songs. She belted out "We will, we will, Rocky you," and "We are the campus, we are the campus."
Times must be changing because I don't remember singing any Queen songs in Primary.

Sunny Day, Keepin' the Clouds Away

2011-01-25T18:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry to everyone who is suffering from huge snowstorms. Maybe you should move to Eugene. You'll forget about the months of rain when you finally get a day like this one.

When I told Rocky that we were going to be watching President Obama for a LONG time she wasn't that thrilled. But, as the crowd got cheering she perked up. I'm not that sure that she is that interested in the State of the Union, but she knows how to act in a crowd. She put her hands up in in the Oregon O and yelled, "Oooohh". She didn't say her usual second part, "Go Ducks," so I can only assume that this O was for Obama.