Can you find in this picture . . .

A police helicopter, 3 swat team members on roofs, smoke from flash grenades, police behind their cars with guns drawn and the backyard fence that police jumped b4 scaring Susan half to death when they came in our back door with guns drawn and yelling?

Goggle Gaggle . . .

. . . ready for a bike ride to Weinerschnitzel for breakfast yesterday. Toby and Heather ate their whole (9 am) hot dogs and TJ ate his french toast sticks. Toby said 'I love weiners!' He also got a watergun at the $1 store and shot people all the way home

Mall Trip

Double Decker Carousel

Toby said 'scarrrrry!' Heather said it was the best ride ever. TJ may be getting too old for such things. Susan didn't even ride. Too scared? I just liked being with the kiddos.

Daddy Daughter Dance Slideshow

Sunday Family Bike Ride

Since it was General Conference and the kids had been inside all weekend we went for a family bike ride after watching the afternoon session on TV. Susan did a great job pedalling (and motoring)! TJ just got tired and held on for a 'tow'

Daddy Daughter Dance

Heather was an AWESOME date last night at her school's fundraiser. We 'doubled' w/the Goodmans (he&I also doubled to senior prom) and Heather and Whitney were the FIRST girls on the dance floor. It was lots of fun and a great idea!

My lone blog visitor

Aaron just revealed that he faithfully reads my blog (but doesn't comment) - I feel special, now!

1st day of Spring = Smoothies

Kids were excited to have a spring break bike ride to Brittany and Bailey's and then on to Tropical Smoothie Cafe for Chocolate Chimp smoothies - that'll help em be monkeys for the rest of spring break . . .

TJ's spring break trip to the oral surgeon

He was a little out of it after they put him completely under just to take out a tennsy little baby tooth. He recovered quickly, tho, and is now a tough guy for future dental visits. The treatment was definitely worse than the 'disease'

Spring Training

TJ had a half day on Wednesday and Uncle Grant was down from Utah with some tix, so we went to an Angels/Royals game. It was hot, but TJ survived w/a misting fan. A perfect afternoon at the game ('cept the Angels lost)! Thanks, Grant!

Pinewood Derby Truck

TJ and I finally made a pinewood derby car together last weekend. He did a great job designing both on paper and the block of wood. He and Toby both helped cut out the shape with a saw and TJ used the dremel for some of the finer points. He picked out lots of stickers to put on the truck (thanks Aunt Sally for the stickers in the megablocks nascar racecar from Christmas) and he picked out the spray paint colors at Walmart. He even made the template for the "flames" painted on the sides of the truck.

Disneyland in a day

We saved the galaxy from Zurg!

TJ and I went on Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters ride and did a whole lotta shootin' to get these awesome scores! Too bad Heather was off getting her face painted and hanging out with princesses, we coulda used her help.

Toby tunes

Toby got his own 'ipod' - actually a cheapo sansa from woot.com - loaded with primary and disney songs

We made it home

But Toby still hasn't gotten out of the van - he's too excited to have his turn to watch a movie on the portable dvd player that TJ and Heather used :)

Nemo submarine line was too long at Dland, so . . .

TJ got to go on a REAL Russian submarine next to the Queen Mary!

Crazies ready for Disneyland

Mr Nesbitt taking orders

Cold Stone Creamery Night 4 Wilson Elementary

The kids were way excited to see their principal serving up the ice cream! He even asked them if they rode 'the bike' to the store?!

President's Day Weekend

"In Love" or "Romance" for Valentine's?

I've always felt that flowers, chocolates, cards, and stuffed animals mean so much more on any day BUT Valentine's. That's a day when it is just an obligation. This article helped me to understand my feelings on the topic more, what do you think?


February 10, 2008
The Guy Side: Never watch Love Story' while swallowing
By Michael Grady

Tribune Columnist

I watched "Love Story" the other night. I had never seen it before. We stumbled across it when Phoenix's 3-point shots stopped falling, then flipped back and forth to see if Ali McGraw could last longer than the Suns' inside defense. (Don't bet on either.) It ends with Ryan O'Neal - trapped between grief and a massive '70s hairdo - uttering the movie's thesis line:

"Love means never having to say you're sorry."


I sucked half my beverage into a lung.

"Love," I croaked, when I was able to form words again, "means ALWAYS having to say you're sorry!"

They were thinking of romance. Romance means never having to say you're sorry. Romance is the stylish sheen on a relationship: the hood ornament, chrome accents and leather interior. Love is the engine: more complicated and less ostentatious. Both are important, but if this rig is going anywhere, it ain't because of the chrome.

The distinction between the two always disappears around Valentine's Day, leaving men (who can excel at love) trapped like bulls in the nuance-heavy china shop of romance. We spend unwisely, our spouses get confused, and somewhere a jeweler buys a vacation home

A quick anecdotal review, then, on the difference between love and romance:

Romance: A candlelight dinner at a French restaurant with fine wine and lively, flirtatious conversation.
Love: The frozen waffle you insist will do for dinner because your flu-ridden spouse was unable to shop.

Romance: Seeing her dolled up in her fanciest dress and telling her, "You look great."
Love: Telling her the same thing between contractions.

Romance: A singular, audacious gesture like flowers, a poem or an expensive present.
Love: The daily, relentless work of making yourself dependable.Romance: Speaking your heart in lush, flowery phrases.Love: Speaking in sentence fragments and gestures, and your spouse says: "I know."

Romance: Braving fire, flood, war, pestilence - and anything else screenwriters can come up with - to be with your soul mate.
Love: Coming home from a bad day, finding your spouse had a worse one, then switching moods to cheer him up.

Romance: Letting him share all his dark, inner demons!
Love: Letting him tell the same damn story he's told a thousand times, but listening and laughing because he enjoys telling it.

Romance: An audaciously expensive Valentine's gift.
Love: Finding a thrifty way to express your affection, then using that savings on a nice dinner for two.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Check out my Slide Show!

Once a month family dinner

The kids were excited because they could 'play outside' on Sunday

Spiderman rides a scooter, not a bike, right?

When I pulled into the driveway this afternoon Susan was outside with the kids watching them ride their bikes (and looking at the newly burned grass that some punk kids in our neighborhood keep lighting on fire which gets the younger kids all riled up seeing flames, smoke, and especially a big fire truck) and Toby was riding the pink big wheel in the background of this pic. He's been riding it for a few months and is really into pedalling now (and pushing the buttons on the electronic dash that make LOTS of noise).

I realized that it probably wasn't healthy for his development and reputation in the 'hood to be ridin' the pinky around, so we headed down to Walmart and found this Spiderman 3 (not 1 or 2) toddler bike. He rode it to see the fishies inside of Walmart and then he rode it right on through the garden department (after I paid for it, of course) and out into the parking lot and to the truck.

He was a little nervous when I made him get off and had to watch and make sure I was putting it inside the bed of the truck before he would get in to go too. I actually made him get the Spiderman branded bike instead of the plain old primary color Huffy bike because the Spiderman one was on clearance - we ended up spending MORE on his helmet and some knee/elbow pads than the bike cost! He's jazzed to be riding his bike now - we managed one ride up and down the culdesac before he had to go to bed.

Showin' off for each other

TJ and Heather were excited to have Brittney and Bailey come over and play the other night - they all have fun showing off for each other. Heather even rode her bike all the way to their house and back!

Still GQ and CK . . .

Even with his GI haircut

Saw some snow and got the truck dirty

I had a lunch meeting in Payson today and saw lots of snow that fell yesterday - it was very pretty except on the roads getting the cars all dirty

TJ's Decepticon Chess Team Deceives Me To Take My Queen!

Toby and Lexi as Joseph and Mary

Primary Participation

Toby finally started warming up to primary today (although I was still with him for the whole 2 hours). He held a shield in sharing time and even sat in a chair instead of my lap! Maybe next week I can return to Gospel Doctrine and Elders' Quorum!

Heather's NEW Favorite Restaurant

She is SO excited that today is Groundhog Day - but, she hasn't been able to find a groundhog at Rainforest Cafe yet . . . I felt bad breaking the news to her that Phil saw his shadow - she wants spring to come! Good thing she lives in AZ!

Think of all the marketing designed for his little eyes

. . . and he didn't get a single thing at Target. The cool part was that he was perfectly happy to just look around (not so for his older brother who spent all $3.95 of his own money)