Family Photo Shoot

Randy and I were thinking we wanted to do something a little different for our family pictures this year. I took that as "drag my feet until there was no time!" Actually, the different we were looking for was something outside and not at my favorite, great-deal portrait studio. But, because I dragged my feet we took a stab at taking the pictures ourselves. That would also means it turned into kid family pictures. I'll admit...that works for me. Two less people to coordinate and get ready.

Here is a sample of our attempt to get just one picture for a Christmas card:

And after those great shots it started to fall apart! The weather and amazing climbing opportunities made it too difficult to resist.

What an amazing camera is the Kodak EasyShare C633!

Reoccurring Frustration

There is a certain large grocery/everything else Marketplace that I used to visit quite frequently. I kept having the most horrible time in the store as I was trying to check out. My favorite (hear the sarcasm) is the self-check-out lanes, although the cashiers that actually check groceries were hit and miss on being helpful as well. After too many frustrating experiences, I vowed to never go there again. Unfortunately it is close and today I had to return a purchase Randy made last week.

My kids always want to do self-check-out, and I always refuse, especially when we have any produce. Even without produce, the experience goes something like this: Scan item. Slide it across the yellow pad. Place in the bagging area. "Please remove the last item from the bagging area." Remove child's hand from the bagging area. "Please place item in the bagging area." "Please wait for cashier for assistance"....This repeats with all 10 items we are trying to buy, or until I give up and simply leave without my groceries.

Every time I ask the cashier assistant to just turn off the bagging sensor, and a few times they have. Today, however, the lady refused and told me I needed to move my child from the side of the bagging area. I told her it is impossible to use this machine with kids. She insisted that it was my problem and moved my child herself! I finally just gave up and tried for an actual human cashier. I only had four items and had to pick Gabby up from school in five minutes, so I didn't have time to wait in the 20 minute line (because the human cashiers are always either really old or it is their first day on the job). I left the milk and other items where I stood and left the store. (The mean side of me, which is growing closer to be the whole of me, hopes the milk spoils before anyone notices.) Of course my kids are upset that I didn't buy the food, and I am fuming from an amazingly annoying, unhelpful non-cashier cashier.

I came home and complained to Randy about the store again. He tried to pretend to understand and then laughed. I told him that I am not the only one to experience this. He said it was just moms and eighty-year-olds! I told him it is obviously time for me to blog about it so I can find out who else has these same frustrations.

Embarrassing Moment: Part II

Embarrassing Moment: Part II
The first embarrassing moment can be found back in June when I spoke in church. The most recent moment was again in church, while teaching relief society. I swear I am capable of talking in front of people. I do it all the time. I put together class parties, teach preschool, instruct little groups in Stake Primary trainings, ramble on and on and on to my lucky friends and family. In my past life as a financial analyst, I presented proposals to purchase loan portfolios and even companies to the executives of the company. I never had a big emotional breakdown in those settings.

Why is it so hard to speak or teach gospel principles to adults?

I knew from the second Relief Society began that it wasn't going to be good. My stomach started hurting, my heart was beating into my ears, my mouth was dry and I had to remove half the outfit so I wouldn't pass out from the heat.

The lesson went something like this:
"This is how we can simplify our lives," sob, sob, sob...
"We need four basic things," sob, sob, sob...
"Food," BIG sobs when sharing a primary talk from a kid in the ward...
"Clothing," a little break from the sobs as we discussed modesty,
"Shelter," cry a little when referring to my kids and how quick they are to catch on to the principle of self reliance,
"Spiritual Fuel," and the flood gates opened. I tried to clear my throat so I could speak and I am afraid it came out sounding like a snort. I swear it was not from my nose!
PLEASE just finish the lesson already. It is so painful. (I am not sure if it was me or the group of unfortunate women begging for this?!)

The worst part of it all is everyone coming up after to tell me how great the lesson was. Do they really think it was good or are they trying to make me feel better about the humiliating experience I just had? Humiliating is definitely the right word for it. Let's just hope that they all forget all about it and don't recognize me the next time I show up at church...please.

A Week of Halloween

Halloween has long been over, yet costumes have yet to hit my blog. If my posting habits continue, I will get Christmas pictures up some time around Easter.

This year, as in every year in the past three, Halloween lasted a complete week. I tried my best to have a more positive attitude about it so it was much more fun, but I was still glad to put all of the costumes away.

The Friday before Halloween Gabby's school had a carnival. The next night was the stake party. Gabby was a chef (she goes for anything that will draw little attention to her). For the first few parties she wouldn't even consider wearing a chef's hat. Parker switched between a police man and a clown. Joshua was a giraffe. He loved it and loved to tell everyone who mentioned the word Halloween that he was going to be a giraffe. On Halloween day we drove down to Randy's work to trick or treat around the office. I was amazed at the effort to decorate the office. Most of the employees were even dressed up. Guess who didn't...

Halloween night the ward had a dinner and trunk or treat. It was great. My kids even got to eat something healthy before they consumed their five pounds of sugar!

And after it was all over they made houses with candy walls. Parker is sitting in his kitchen.Fun, fun, fun!

Ephraim in the Fall

In October we went down to Randy's mom's house to tile her bathroom floor. Because I forgot a box of tile from home, we only got half of it done. She has been living with a half tiled bathroom for a month now. I promise to get it done when we are down for Thanksgiving.

But then again, because we only tiled half of the bathroom we had free time to take a trip to the mountains. It was a beautiful day and the canyon was colorful and even more peaceful than the little town of Ephraim.

We went up to Community Lake to take a walk and enjoy the outdoors. The weekends this fall have been so nice. Gabby ParkerJoshuaGrandma Dyreng, Parker, Joshua and Gabby searching for twigs to throw in the lake. Any time with Grandma Dyreng is a good time. The kids love to hang out and be silly with her.

Caryn and JoshuaRandy, Gabby, Joshua and ParkerJoshua, Gabby, Parker and Grandma Dyreng
Randy and his mom Our amazing Family Portrait.

Haunted House Tragedy

Parker made a very cool Halloween house at Lexi's birthday party. He was very proud and I was very impressed. He did such a great job carefully carrying it home. It was just that last step into the house that tripped him up. Can you see the tears running down his cheeks?

I must admit, it was hard not to laugh out loud. The fall didn't just cause the roof to slip off. It was a little more serious than that. I did feel bad enough to promise to rush to the store to buy everything we needed to make another one. Thankfully Jessi had made an extra house just in case such a thing happened and Parker got to start over decorating all afternoon to his heart's content.

What Falls in the Fall?

You've guessed it...LEAVES.

When there were only a few on the ground Owen told Parker how fun it was to play in them. They spent a good hour raking leaves from the ground and straight off the vine on the fence, yet the pile never grew big enough to jump in. Just a few weeks of patience and look what happens! Joshua and Parker enjoying the warm fall weather.
Joshua helping like any big boy would.
Parker with a good leaf pose?!

Imagination in the Bathroom

I am not sure that this is completely appropriate, but many things I laugh at may not be...
Parker just came out of the bathroom and said, "mom, when I used the bathroom just now the bubbles looked like a dog leaning against a tree. His ears were sticking straight up."
Strange, yet what an imagination!

When Mabel Comes to Town

We eat.We talk.
We play.
We laugh.
And just have an all-around great time.
Aunt Mabel come to visit from Tennessee in September. We loved visiting with her. She is great at making everyone, especially the kids, feel important and loved. She even celebrated her 75th birthday with us while she was here. We loved to have a chance to spend time with her and we are grateful that she is so kind to make the effort to come see us. We miss you already!

Pirate Parker and His Lost Treasure

Yes, I do recognize that Parker has been the subject of the last who-knows-how-many posts. I do love Gabby and Joshua too, Parker just entertains A LOT!

Parker is now... FIVE...

which means he is old enough to loose his baby teeth. Last Friday his first one came out! The funny thing is he hadn't even noticed it was lose until the day before. For being an observant little man, this was not very observant?

...And the toothfairy even brought him a dollar!

Definitely not because the tooth was worth that much, but because he is so cute.

Horse Rides

Our kids heard that their cousin rode on a horse a while ago. Parker is interested in anything that seems a little bit active and slightly dangerous. So here comes the horse rides:

All the kids were brave enough for this...

But not this...

Parker thought it was awesome.

Parker's Five!

Our cool Parker-man turned five in September. It has now been a good two weeks since the special event. If you know me you may think I am trying to teach Parker patience by waiting to post, but let's be honest...I have just been lazy.

Anyway, Happy 5th Birthday to Parker. Because his birthday was the same weekend I ran the marathon I was a slacker and didn't get Parker to the store to pick out something to put on top of his cake. After I made the cake I told him to run up and find some animals for the cake. He came down with 20+ animals to decorate. I made him leave a few off. (And yes, I washed them all very well with hot water and soap before we put them on the cake!)

I am going to have to get a video to post of Parker's big gift. Randy and I (even though Parker won't give me any credit) got him a pair of roller skates. He wants to try anything active that looks a little dangerous, so he has been asking for skates. The first few days were a little scary until I suggested that they use the stroller to balance themselves as they skate down the sidewalk. It took them less time than I thought to manage them.

Guess what Joshua got Parker for his birthday?I must admit that I feel a little old to have a seven year old and a five year old now. At least I can now use the "Parker, you're five years old. You can't act like this" line. It sounds so much better than "four years old!"

A Good Laugh

As we were reading scriptures with the kids tonight we were having a discussion about obeying the prophet. I asked, "So if the prophet asks us to do something, what should we?"

Gabby, our predictable obedient child answered, "We should do it."
Parker, our thinker and entertainer answered, "But if the prophet asks us to eat 10 suckers in one day, we shouldn't do it."

I hope it made you laugh at least a little. I hear laughter is good for you.

The Longest Run of My Life

I have said it a few times before while training, but I do believe I will never be able to say it again...last Saturday I ran the longest run of my life. I completed a 26.2 mile marathon, and although I hope to do it again, I am sure I will never run further.

On Friday night the Willardsen crew headed up to Logan. We made it up in time to have dinner and drive around town, showing our kids where we spent our last years of college, and our first year of marriage. Reminiscing the old times was more fun for me than them, I am sure. That night we stayed in a house in Providence, between mile 20 and 21 of the marathon.

On Saturday the 20th my sister Stephanie, my friend Paula and I ran the Top of Utah Marathon, along with 2,000 other runners. The race starting at Hardware Ranch 14 miles into Blacksmith Fork Canyon and ended in Logan at Merlin Olsen Park.
I had been experiencing horrible pain in my shins/calves over the last month, since the Provo River Trail Half, and had talked myself into expecting a rough and very slow race, but was still not going to miss it after all the training. I am slow enough to wait for the week of the race to research leg pains on the internet and asked a few experienced friends for advice. Everything and everyone told me to take some ibuprofen, ice and run. Although I had iced before, I hadn't used the advice to take ibuprofen continuously during training. I did for the race, and the result was no lower leg pain. I could have enjoyed the training a little more if I would have just taken some pain reliever earlier! (Maybe it was how slow I took it that helped too!?)

The run was definitely long, and parts of it were very hard, but I have to say that I never thought of quiting. My family was waiting to see us just after mile 20. I spotted them early, and made sure they saw us coming so they could get at least one picture. It was great to hear their cheers. Gabby was cheering and Parker yelled, "You can do it mom" as we ran past. I hit "the wall" at about mile 23 when I started to feel that I had to pick it up a little and just finish. After 4 hours and 42 minutes I crossed the finish line. It was great to have my family there to cheer me on. It was worth the hours of training and the sore muscles. I would do it again. Just give me a little time to recover!
I am grateful for the experience. It is rewarding to accomplish something that is difficult, especially after working so hard. (That must be why we remodeled an old house!)

I am even more grateful for an awesome husband who supports me in the best way possible. Although he doesn't have the desire to run a marathon, he is willing without complaints to help get the kids ready for school in the morning when I am slow to get back from a run, and hang out with the kids for hours on Saturday while I run the long runs. He even lets me rest when I need it. He is so good at watching the kids that he can't even take his eyes away from them to smile for the picture!

You're the best.