My Little Distinguished Cub

I'm one proud mama. In order to get the Distinguished Cub Award the kids have a list of about 15 tasks and they need to master at least 12 of them in order to get the award. Way to go Reece!

After I was taking this picture, one of the kids in Reece's class and I had the following conversation.

Thomas: Hey, Mrs. J
Me: Hey Thomas
Thomas: Reece ROCKS!
Me: Cool
Thomas: No, Reece really rocks, he is so cool, everything he does is cool. I think he is the most popular kid in the class, everyone likes him.
Me: Really! That's good to know.

I promise, I'm not the mom that wants my kid to be the most popular, and I'm not going to force my kids to go on diets and get a nose job, be a cheerleader, and not allow them to break up with their boyfriend because he was the captain of the football team (seriously there was a girl in my high school who's mom did all those things to her). But, it just makes me feel good that my kid has friends and that kids think he's cool. Maybe it is because I always wanted to be the cool kid in school, but with my huge buck-teeth and triangle permed head and huge bangs, I never could achieve that.

Flash Back Friday: Three Way Calling

Do you remember how cool it was when one of your friends had 3-way calling, we never had it in my home, but there was always that friend did. I know that every girl did this, so don't judge me and don't even pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about. We would call someone on 3-way that we decided we didn't like anymore, then one person would be silent so they wouldn't know we were on there. The point was to try and get them to say mean things about someone or find out who they liked so we could spread it all over the school. Or, you could get a boy on the phone that you liked as your friend asks him who he "likes".

Well, video chatting has gone to a new level, you can have a 3-way video chat. In the top left features Chris, my brother-in-law. The top right corner is our friend Tasha, and then on the bottom is Michael and I and our sweet innocent children that are being blinded by a mass of white flesh.
And this is why our computer will always be in a common area of our home! Thanks Chris for entertaining us.

I swear, he really has clothes

From all the pictures I take of Mason without clothes on, you would think that he doesn't have any. BUT I SWEAR, this kid has more clothes than the rest of the family put together. Our friends the Wallins are nice enough to pass on their son's clothes to us, and let me tell you, they are great clothes.

Mason is quite particular about his clothing, if a drop of water gets on them, or if he sees a spot of anything on them, those clothes are in the wash and he wants a new outfit. 50% of the dirty laundry is Mason's, he is 2, could he be obsessive compulsive already?

NEW PJ'S

This is what I have accomplished so far today. Poor Maya has no PJ's, she wears mis-matched pajamas that are too small for her. She loves to wear my T-shirts and thinks they are nightgowns. I found some fabric that was only $2 a yard and made her a nightgown, the other one will be purple, and I will hopefully get it finished sometime this week.
She's modeling it for me, and what better accessory is there than a bunny backpack?
Oh, and of course about 30 necklaces and bracelets as well.

I shot the next picture of her yesterday, some days she just cracks me up, other days she makes me want to crawl into my room and never come out. Is that just the way it is with girls?

She was making all sorts of goofy faces for me, I thought this one was funny.

CNN : Eco Solutions : Vertical farming

Anyone want to buy a pilot?

Maya

Maya did dance again this year, she has absolutely loved it. She was able to take dance with two of her best friends, Madison and Mckenzie, instead of a picture of her all by herself, I thought it would be fun to have her friends in her picture too. I think it turned out pretty cute. Maya is sitting on the star in the back.

What I learned from my father

Talk Like a Lady:

Back in high school my sister and I were talking to each other, goofing around and being a little crass, my dad looked at me in disgust and told me that "I sounded like I worked out on the docks". My sister and I got a good laugh about if for weeks, we even still say those words to each other in jest. The simple phrase has rung in my ears all these years every time I start to talk a little crude and I realize how I sound.

Hard Work Will Take You Far:

My dad has worked for Chevron basically all his working life. He started out "working on the docks" so he knows how they talk out there. Through hard work, dedication and loyalty, he has moved his way up through Chevron with countless promotions and raises, and two transfers, one to California and then to Texas. My dad is highly respected in his job and when he recently received a promotion, I was able to read all the great things his co-workers and bosses had to say about him.

Take Care of Your Things:

My dad didn't grow up with a whole lot, how can you when you have 8 siblings? He takes great care of everything he has. Everything has a spot, and he actually puts those things back in their spot when he is done with them.

Save:

Save and invest for your future, he has done it all his life. In a few years he will retire and will live very comfortably the rest of his life, not having to worry if they will have enough.

Exercise:

My dad was the inspiration behind running a marathon. My dad ran a few marathons and even a super marathon or was it and ultra marathon? I think it was 36 miles. My dad has been in good shape and good health all his life. He injured his back quite a few years ago and was no longer able to run, so he picked up roller blading. I don't think he roller blades anymore, but he has always kept himself in shape through basketball, biking, running, etc.

This One, I haven't leaned, but it is amazing!

My dad seriously has an internal GPS system in his head. He can drive anywhere and know where to go, even if he has never been there before. He has never lived in Utah before, on a visit out here years ago, he took a drive out on the west side. About a year later, we bought a house in West Jordan. When I called to tell my dad where we bought a house, he asked me if it was east or west of Bangerter Highway. Ok, I thought, Bagnerter is a pretty big landmark, one might remember that road. When I told him the addres, he told me it sounded like it was near Airport 2. I had never even heard of Airport 2, I thought he was making it up or something. A few days later, Michael and I were driving around our 'soon to be neighborhood' and found none other than Airport 2. How did he know that??? Crazy!

I love you dad!

Doesn't this just give you hope for our future?

My friend Jalayne had her baby recently and I got to be her first official photographer, isn't she adorable?

I found my dream home

It's not for sale, and I don't even know where this home is. It just looks so peaceful and relaxing. At night Michael and I would watch the sunset with a cup of herbal tea and the kids would be running around playing tag or riding their bikes. Out past the house you would see a cow, some sheep and maybe a goat grazing, and of course a flock of chickens. Each morning we would be awoken by the crow of a rooster. Mornings would be spent cleaning the house, collecting eggs, feeding the animals, milking the cow. We would spend our weekends working in the garden, churning butter and maybe making some cheese. There would be a big cool barn that is filled with crafts and local artists would come and teach art classes, quilt classes, wool spinning classes. In the spring we would sheer the sheep, card the wool, spin it and knit it into something beautiful. And life would just float by peacefully and happily. Did I mention I love to dream?

Triathlon Training

I found a 13 week training program for a triathlon, I only have 11 weeks, so I'm going to have to start on week 3 of the training. I'm really excited about it, I was pretty nervous about it, I've gone heavy on recruiting people to do it with me. I think I have my friend Nora convinced, have you signed up Nora? Amber, you know you want to do it!!! It would be really fun to have more people do it, so let me know if you are interested.

I'm going to have to adjust the schedule a bit, Sunday will be an off day instead of Saturday, and I generally workout for an hour at the gym when I work out, so I will be lifting weights or working out longer than it suggests.

Week:	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday	Total
1	Swim-15	Off	Bike-35	Run-20	Swim-30	Bike-40	160
	Run-20
2	Swim-20	Off	Bike-35	Run-20	Swim-30	Bike-45	175
	Run-25
3	Swim-20	Off	Bike-30	Run-25	Swim-35	Bike-45	180
	Run-25
4	Swim-20	Off	Run-25	Swim-25	Bike-45	Run-30	175
	Bike-30
5	Swim-25	Off	Run-25	Run-30	Swim-30	Bike-45	185
	Bike-30
6	Run-15	Off	Bike-25	Run-15	Bike-25	Swim-20	100
REST Wk.
7	Run-15	Off	Bike-30	Bike-25	Run-20	Swim-25	115
						Open Water
8	Swim-25	Off	Run-35	Bike-50	Swim-30	Run-35	210
	Bike-35
9	Swim-25	Off	Run-25	Swim-30	Bike-35	Run-35	205
	Bike-35				Run-20
10	Swim-30	Off	Bike-45	Run-45	Swim-35	Bike-60	245
	Run-30
11	Swim-20	Off	Run-25	Bike-35	Swim-20	Bike-55	215
	Bike-30					Run-30
12	Swim-20	Off	Off	Run-30	Bike-45	Swim-20	115
						Open Water
13	Off	Bike-15	Off	Swim-15	Run-15	Race!!!	45
	Sprint Distance:		Swim - 0.6mi, Bike - 12.4mi, Run - 3.1mi

Can you patent a pig?

Monsanto is trying to. This is scary! If they can patent the pig, what is next?

Look alikes

To the left is my little Mason, to the right is my little bro Cam. When his wife posted this picture of him on her blog, I had to do a double take. For a split second I thought it was Mason. What do you guys think?

Flash Back Friday: Old Grannies

Halloween? No. A dress up party? No. A play? No.

In fact is is none of the above.
My friend Megan:

I had just dyed her hair, and she was modeling for me.
For a real good laugh, take a look at her senior pictures gone wrong.
It is sure to get you rolling.

Megan had had a crush on this boy Brett B.

for a really long time.

For months she told us how talented he was, how handsome, smart and funny he was. He finally had asked her out on a date. Lindsay, Christine and I were dying to tag along to see how it would go. She refused to let us go, naturally. Without her knowledge,
we came up with the bright idea to dress up as old women so nobody, including Megan and Brett, would know it was us. That way, we could see how the date went. We carefully chose our outfits, I think we did a pretty good job!

The best part of the story is that we were stupid enough to think that people would actually believe we were old women. We also didn't think Megan would recognize us. They went to a restaurant, and we followed with binoculars in tow. Once they were seated, we made our entrance. Brett had his back to the door, Megan was facing the door. As soon as we walked it, Megan burst out laughing. She obviously saw us, but she covered well. She didn't want us ruining her date with Brett. We didn't stay long, there was nothing to see.

Happy 10th Anniversary Sugar Lips.

I don't really call him sugar lips, or any other pet name for that matter.

I'm married to my perfect match. If you know me well, you know that I can be quite flighty, OK, really flighty. Michael has a way of encouraging my passions and dreams, while bridling them to realistic proportions. He is the string on my kite, he allows me to fly where I need and want, but keeping me from being lost in the wind forever.

Michael is a great gift giver, he knows what I want, even if I haven't realized it yet. I will have no clue what he is going to give me, I don't have to leave hints, or magazines with items circled in them etc. I will open up a gift, and it will be exactly what I want. I can always tell that he had put a lot of thought into it. There are no last minute trips to the mall the day of my birthday, or waiting a few days after the event for the present to be delivered.

Michael is also very thoughtful. At least once a week I get an email or a note on the counter letting me know how much he appreciates all I do and how much he loves me. You can find Michael getting the groceries every Saturday, because I HATE grocery shopping. He also does all the meal planning and even tells me my options of meals to make if he isn't going to be home to make dinner. He does about 90% of the meal making as well. Not only does he take care of the food in this house, (if he didn't we would probably starve) he helps out around the house as well. He helps with dishes, sweeps, mops, makes the bed etc. Sheesh, it is going to sound like I don't do anything!

He is a great father and loves being with the kids. He makes sure to take Reece out on father/son nights often. He is a good example to them in how he treats me, in helping out around the house, and being a hard worker, along with a ton of other things.

Probably the thing that drew me immediately to him is his sense of humor. Michael is really really funny, we have such a great time together. Looking back, it has been a great 10 years!

Love you, Babe!

~marisa

Going for the Triathalon

I was excited to sign up for the Hobble Creek Half Marathon scheduled for the end of the summer, registration opened up May 1st. My friend Xenya called me, because she had signed up and knew I wanted to run it as well, to let me know the race was filling up. I got online right then to sign up for it and it was already full. I was so bummed. I won't be able to run the Provo River 1/2 marathon because it is the same day that Reece will be baptized. So, I'm going with plan B. I've always wanted to do a triathlon, but haven't for one excuse or another, but I think this is my year to do one.

It is:
a .75K swim
20K bike (12.4 mile)
5K run (3.1 miles)

I better decide for sure pretty quick, I've heard that this triathlon fills up quickly as well. What do you guys think? Has anyone ever done one?

Year Round School

I'm so sick of school, and I'm not even the one that goes to school. It is June, school should be out, Reece should wake up and be playing all day long. We should be able to take trips to the park together, go to the pool, go up in the mountains. BUT NO. Reece has school until July 1st. I'm so done with homework, and spelling words, and vocab words. I'm done with strict bed times so that he can be ready for school the next day. It is light outside until like 9pm, when I put them in bed at 7:30, it is as bright as mid-day. I have the best memories of playing outside at twighlight, running around, riding bikes in the cooler weather of a summer night. AGHHHHHH, year round school stinks!


thanks, I feel better.