cari on cari on cari on

What's Happening?

2011-11-16T13:12:00.052-04:00

I have somehow found myself serving as the Relief Society president in my ward. This seems to have taken up all the free space in my brain. I feel guilty that I don't keep a journal or scrapbook. I want there to be some sort of personal record of my life and blogging is easiest for me. So, here's an update of what our family has been doing for the last several months. I'll start with the most recent and go backwards.

October 15, 20111: Taylor Robert Larkins was baptized! We were lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents attend the baptism and we somehow managed to have 17 relatives there to support Taylor on his big day. Unfortunately, I was so excited that I didn't get a picture of the entire group.

Taylor also officially became a cub scout.

October 8th: We attended the Waterford Fair in Waterford, VA. It was amazing. This is a juried-fair, so all entrants are pre-selected. The fair takes over the entire historic town of Waterford. It is the cutest little town. All the exhibitors dress in revolutionary time period clothing and must spend part of their time doing hands-on demonstrations.

October 1: We attended the Virginia State Fair to cheer on my cousin Dustin's giant pumpkin. He took 1st place weighing in at 1019lbs.

August 30th:We started school one day late due to power outages from Hurricane Irene. Annie started 5th grade and Taylor is in 2nd grade.

August 19th: We went camping as a family for the first time ever--at the beach, in August. I cannot believe it actually went so well. It was the perfect weekend. We had so much fun.

This is why we had so much fun: We went with a really fun group of friends!

We camped at Cape Lewes on the Delaware Peninsula. We climbed to the top of an old WWII lookout tower.

Also in August:We spent another fun day at our friends' home on the Severn River.

July: We had a great visit to Utah (see separate post for Lake Powell)

June-July: We had an excellent season of swim team:

Annie went to a great summer camp, where she made this:

At his camp, Taylor made this:

Tay's camp was called "Ooo, Goo, and Stinky Too." This is a fake injury that I fell for.
Way back in June: We went to Virginia Beach, courtesy of Chris and family. We love the beach. It was fun to witness Maren discover the beach for the first time. The kids also discovered boogie boarding and they're hooked.

Lake Powell: A Survivor's Story

2011-10-04T13:12:00.017-03:00

I've been "concerned" about our family trip to Lake Powell for about two years. Rob's brother has a house boat and we were invited to join them in July of 2011. Annie said it was the best week of her life. Taylor lost his voice on the second day from screaming in delight. I did more than just survive, I did this:
This is wake-boarding and it's harder than my nephews make it look. But probably not as hard as I make it look.

And look what my kids did:

We even tried to stop them from doing this:

(For the record, I couldn't let my kids be braver than me, so I too jumped off this cliff. Though there is no photographic evidence of this, there were plenty of witnesses)
I had forgotten just what an usual and awe-inspiring place Lake Powell is:

Because I am not a fan of sleeping to the sounds of a dozen snoring in-laws and because twenty-five years ago I had a bad encounter with bats at Lake Powell, I slept inside the houseboat (in spite of the mockery) every night and it worked out great. The trip couldn't have been better. I'm lucky I got any pictures of my kids. We hardly saw them the whole time. If there was a ski boat or jet ski going out, Annie was usually on it or being pulled behind it. Taylor and his cousin, Max became Siamese twins and even started talking in the same voice. We had an unbelievably amazing time and can't wait to go back.

Here's the whole gang:

Great Moments in Athleticism--A Countdown of my 5 Greatest Athletic Achievements

2011-01-24T12:46:00.012-04:00

#5 The Red, Red Hots:Third Grade T-Ball
During one memorable game, I was playing short-stop, which was interferring with me using my glove to shield my eyes from the sun. Suddenly, a pop-fly accidentally landed right in my glove. I was so shocked that I stumbled backwards and right into a girl running from second base to third. I panicked and threw the ball to the nearest girl on my team, who happened to be the third baseman. Before I knew what was happening, my coach was congratulating me on my triple play. I had no idea what that meant but I was happy I could sit in the shade of the dugout now.
Here I am with the Red, Red Hots. See if you can find me. I'm on the front row and I "heart" t-ball.

#4 ARI IELSO
In the fifth grade, I couldn't run the 50yard dash fast enough to qualify for the Presidential Physical Fitness Award--which everyone knows is THE ultimate standard for physical achievement. My teacher timed us each individually and I just couldn't make it in time. Then came Field Day. Once I had some people to actually race against, I dominated. Not only did I finally qualify for the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, I broke the school record for the 50 yard dash.
BUT . . . the greatest moment for me came a decade later. I revisited my old elementary school to vote for the first time. On the way to the polls, I just happened to walk past the school record board and who's name should happen to still be there a decade later? That's right, ARI IELSO. (My maiden name is Nielson)Some of the letters had fallen and were laying at the bottom of the case (which was locked--in case you were wondering). But that's okay because even if no one else knows that's my record, I know. I AM ARI IELSO.

#3 1994 Coca-Cola Downhill Ski Competition Gold Medal Winner
Is it my fault that no one else entered in my category? Is it my fault that no one (including me) knew there was a competition being held at Elk Meadows Ski Resort that day? Did I, in fact, ski the official race course and get the best time of any woman 18-25 who entered that competition that day? Yes, yes I did. Showing up is half the battle--or in my case, the whole battle.

#2 Clute Cougars 7th Grade Volleyball Coach
After my first year of teaching middle school in Texas, the Gym teacher asked me if I could "help out" with any of the school sports teams the following year. For some reason, I did not interpret "help out" to mean "be the coach of." I was thinking more along the lines of ticket-taking or concessions. Imagine my surprise when I was given my coaching shirt and informed that tryouts would be the next week and that the principal's daughter would be on the team. This was a significant athletic achievement for me because it required restraint. It required me to instruct the girls on technique without ever actually using a volleyball to demonstate--which could have possibly discredited the rumor circulating around my team that I had "played volleyball in college."

And now I present my #1 Greatest Moment in Athletic achievement:

It's Up to You

2010-11-11T23:13:00.023-04:00

In a desperate attempt to avoid a birthday party for Annie, I offered her a deal (by "deal" I mean bribe). She accepted (by accepted I mean "fell for") and we spent the weekend before her 10th birthday in New York City.
We took the train from Penn Station, Baltimore to Penn Station, New York. The kids LOVED it.
We stayed few blocks from Times Square.

First we hit the Central Park Zoo. One of Taylor's favorite shows is the Penguins of Madagascar which is set in the Central Park zoo. Here are the kids with Rico, Private and Skipper.

Next we hit the Museum of Natural History. It was enormous. The highlight for us was Dum Dum Gum Gum.

We took a lot of cabs but alas, none of them were the Cash Cab. We kept our eyes open for him the entire time. Our preferred method of transportation was pedi-cab. It was scary but really fun. They can weave through traffic like no body's business, and they're willing to take pictures of you upon the completion of your ride.

We didn't go to the top of crown, but we got tickets to go to the top of the pedestal which is unbelievably high. Rob's hat blew off.

I'm pretty sure we are last Americans to make it to the American Girl Store. Annie didn't even ask for a doll. We just had to haul her dolls all over NYC with us so they could share her experience.

This may or may not have been the motivation for my bribe in the first place.

Lego Chewy.
I guess it's official--now we can make it anywhere.

My Mom is on Vacation

2010-11-11T22:21:00.017-04:00

Now that my brother's family lives nearby, we finally have overnight babysitting options. It's been two years since Rob and I have been away overnight together. We decided to go to the eastern shore--just one hour away, for just one night. My sister-in-law came up on a Wednesday in October. We put the kids on the bus that morning before we left. Taylor was in tears by the time he got off the bus 6 minutes later. His teacher from last year saw him bawling in the hall and walked him to class. To help him deal with his grief, he wrote a little book in class.

You'll notice there is no mention of Rob in the book. I have photographic evidence that he was indeed on vacation with me.
I can only imagine what his teacher thinks. A hotel? An hour from home? On a Wednesday? No mention of dad?

As you can see, it wasn't exactly a tropical-paradise-type of vacation. But you have to admit, we live in a pretty amazing place.

What Else?

2010-10-14T16:23:00.014-03:00

What else did we do this past summer? Well, if you really must know:

We made edible pink mice with Grandma Judie.
Tay went to Super Hero Camp. We've always suspected he was some sort of super hero, but now he has a diploma so it's official.
Annie went to Harry Potter camp. We've always suspected she was some sort of nerd. But now she has a diploma, so it's official.
Annie also went to a cooking camp where they only made desserts every day. The guy from Ace of Cakes even stopped by to visit and teach them how to decorate cupcakes.
Annie also went to American Girl camp and tennis camp. Taylor went to a sports camp and a Pump It Up camp (4 hours of jumping on moon bounces). But I got lazier with my camera.
We went to the county fair. It was AWESOME! This is the only ride I went on. I normally like the swings but these had an incredibly short radius and they also flew you right over I-70. Me and the deep-fried Oreo's I ate, didn't appreciate it.

We visited our friends who have their own private dock on the Severn River. They took us boating up the river, under I-50 and up to the Naval Academy. Then we went back to their place, pulled up the crab traps and caught our own dinner. We're official Marylanders now.

We also had my niece, Maren live with us again for a whole month. My brother, Chris and his wife, Autumn lived here too while they looked for a house in Virginia. We are SO glad to have family around. It's been so much fun to celebrate our birthdays together and know that we have someone we can drop in on uninvited.
And then it was over. We had a great summer. Here's the neighborhood crew waiting for the bus on the first day of school.

I Know My Own Kid--A Parable

2010-10-14T15:23:00.004-03:00

This was Tay's first year on the swim team. It was a great learning experience for us all. He was so nervous for the first meet. He did great at free-style. Then Annie started talking about the time she got DQ'd during backstroke. So Tay started dreading the backstroke. He cried quietly until it was time to line up. Then he cried like a baby--loud, gasping, unabashed sobs. We were wondering at what age he will finally start to be embarassed to have his friends see him crying hysterically--because it obviously didn't matter to him at age 6.

The coaches and team managers kept trying to reassure him--which just made him cry harder. I knew that if he didn't swim the backstroke that first day, he would never do it. I knew he would build it up in his mind to be SO terrible and he would dread it for the rest of his life. I knew he needed to face his fear. I knew he could do it too. He wouldn't believe me.

The team managers kept saying things to him like "You don't have to do this if you're not ready." So he would say, "Okay, I'm not ready." I would have to politely tell them through my gritted teeth, "No, he's ready and he's doing this--today." Finally the manager told me I was making it worse and told me to leave. (I was thinking the same thing about her but she has that official green vest so I have to do what she says and not vice versa) As I walked away angrily, I muttered, "I know my own kid!"

We watched him in line from the finish line and he continued to bawl until he jumped in the water. He then proceeded to swim his little heart out and take 5th place. I know my own kid! Of course the rest of the day, he talked about his victory. He didn't actually care that he placed. He just cared that he finished and wasn't disqualified.

He had a great season and won a ton of ribbons. It was frustrating sometimes to watch him swim free-style. Every time, he would take the lead right off the mark. He would stay in the lead until he had to take his first breath. He refuses to learn how to breath the correct way. He is content to take 7th or 8th place and keep breathing forward like he wants. He doesn't care what we tell him about how much it will improve his swimming and how much easier it will be for him. But we hope some day he might decide to trust us on this one.

Annie's season didn't go as great. She has improved so much since last year. But, so has everyone else. This year she was in the younger group of her age division. She did so much better at practices. I could tell she was in better shape than last year. But . . .she still came in the bottom 5 of her events every time. The difference was, this year, she knew it. The girls would line up and compare the times on their cards from the previous week. She suddenly realized that being in the 8th heat every time wasn't coincidental. She would get so psyched up every week thinking this was the meet she was finally going to just dominate. She swam so hard. It was hard to watch her finish and look up all excited, only to notice that everyone around her had already finished.

It was hard to watch her see Tay doing so well and bringing home all his ribbons each week. Thank goodness they give a purple ribbon to swimmners every time they beat their previous time. She was able to get at least one purple ribbon at every meet. We tried to help her focus on how great that was and that all that matters was that she was getting better. But we could tell she was still upset.

Before the last meet of the season, she finally let Rob to help her with her stroke a few nights before the meet, even though she pouted and whined about it. At the meet, she took almost 7 seconds off her time--which is huge. It was a big victory for her inside. We were worried she wouldn't want to swim again next year. But since she ended the season on a high note, she wants to try it again next year. She was so grateful to Rob for helping her.

Our experiences with swim team remind me about our relationship with our Heavenly Father. He gives us challenges sometimes and we cry hysterically and insist we can't do it. But He knows us and He knows that once we make it through, we'll be be so happy about that victory and maybe even grateful for the challenge.

There are also times when He knows what would bless our lives. He knows what would make our lives easier--but we're not ready to accept it. But he just hopes that some day we might be ready to trust Him a little more.

Then there are those times when we finally do trust Him. Just like Annie's faith that her parents MIGHT know what we're talking about--sometimes--grows with her experiences in trusting us, so does our faith in Heavenly Father grow when we trust Him and have those same rewarding experiences.

That's it for my emotional ramblings. My point is that we are so grateful for opportunities like swim team that teach our kids to do difficult things. I'm also grateful for the difficult things (see my post "You Can't Make This Stuff Up") I've had to face in my own life and the purple ribbons I've come away with.

Oh, this old thing?

2010-10-09T15:05:00.015-03:00

I almost forgot that I had a blog. So I'll be updating for awhile. When we went to Niagra Falls, we first stopped in Palmyra, New York, the birthplace of the church. It was a great trip so I thought it deserved it's own post. I just never got around to it until now. In our unending quest to avoid crowds at all costs, we took our trip the week before the Hill Cumorah Pagent. We had the place (the Sacred Grove) to ourselves, which was really nice. Here are some highlights:
The Palmyra temple.

Joseph Smith's house. It's actually bigger inside than it looks, until you think about how many people lived here at the same time. It was amazing to be upstairs and think that Moroni had been in that same room (almost--since this is actually a reproduction.)
In front of us is the Sacred Grove, in back of us, the Palmyra temple.
The trees in the Sacred Grove were amazing.
I was surprised how much the Sacred Grove looked just like the paintings I have seen of it. We're pretty sure this is the exact spot in the grove where the vision took place. See that ray of light? My kids were sure this is the place.
This is the part of our trip where Annie was ALMOST translated. Luckily, we were able to stop the process since we still need her here with us.

Annie and Tay on the top of the Hill Cumorah. It totally didn't look a thing like I had pictured it. I am glad my kids will have a reference point to think about when they hear about these places.
Annie got to be a missionary and help with the tour of the Grandin Printing Press. She loved it.
These are original paintings by my great, great, great grandfather, CCA Christiansen. They are on display at the Granding Printing Press.

This trip was all Rob's idea and it was so spontaneous, yet it was one of our best and most memorable trips ever.

NIELSONS--The Movie

2010-07-07T22:59:00.002-03:00

For the past few months I've been converting my family's old VHS and VHC tapes to digital files. I have had a lot of fun making movies for my family to watch. I just made this short trailer for my family. I thought my blog would be the easiest way to share it.

Hikes and Falls

2010-07-06T11:30:00.016-03:00

We're not known for our adventurousness.But lately,I don't know what's come over us. First we visited this waterfall in May. We liked it but we thought we could do better.

So, for the 4th of July weekend, we visited this waterfall:

We visited this little reservoir in May:

In search of a larger body of water, we visited Lake Ontario last weekend. It was slightly larger as you can see.

A few months ago we went on this little hike:

Rob thought he could do better than that, so he went on this little hike:
(The comment Rob's gets most about this picture is something to the effect of "I've never seen you show that much emotion.")

My dad took my three brothers and Rob to Peru to visit Macchu Pichu. They had an amazing time. They all flew to our house first so they could fly out of Dulles together. I was so excited to have all of the Original Nielsons at my house at the same time--even though it was only for about 24 hours.
My mom got to stay with me for a week! We also had an amazing time.We would have taken pictures of our adventures but our cameras were in Peru.
I made a 30 minute movie of everyone's Peru footage that you're welcome to borrow and watch for FHE sometime, but I'll just post a few of my favorites here in case the waitlist is too long for you.

Our Great Adventure or We're Fantastic Parents or Blogs Don't Lie

2010-06-05T22:09:00.009-03:00

Here are some pictures of our latest and greatest adventure.

Not only was our trip fun-filled, it was also educational. Here we are next to the historic C&O Canal. Notice how much learning my kids are soaking up.

Here we are on the Maryland side of the Great Falls on the Patapsco River. We're all smiling. It is obvious we are having a great time.

Obviously my kids don't mind heat or humidity at all. They are having the time of their lives and it shows.

Nothing screams "fun" more than a tour of a historic city. Here we are in Harper's Ferry. My kids just soaked up the Revolutionary and Civil War history here. They didn't mention ice cream or souvenirs or water or heat once.

I think you can tell from these pictures that obviously no one in our family cried because they couldn't find a single souvenir worth purchasing in either of the two gift shops we saw. No one else cried because they chose a rock as a souvenir from the first gift shop and then weren't allowed to purchased the way-cooler cannon in the next shop. We don't have pictures of it, but I can assure you that no one cried the entire car ride home over that same rock. That rock also didn't break into a million pieces when we got home or I would have posted a picture of it for sure.

It's all right here on my blog. Our family is adventurous. We are great parents who take our kids on educational and wildly entertaining trips. They are the two greatest kids in the world, and we are their amazing parents.

Ladies' Social

2010-05-10T22:02:00.006-03:00

I know that all I do these days is post cool things that other people have done. So, here's another example. This link will take you to Rileigh's blog. She just organized the tea party I went to last week. It was divine. The dishes she features and says "this one was my favorite" are mine. I was so proud--and also happy that only my dishes, and not me were featured. The pictures look like they were straight from a magazine. I wish you could have been there.

http://rileighlovesben.blogspot.com/2010/05/ladies-social.html

Okay I can't link it. So,just copy and paste that address so you can see what I'm talking about.

Gospel Doctrine Doctrine

2010-05-08T23:06:00.004-03:00

Warning: Reading this could cause possibly irreverent or at least irrelevant thoughts during future Old Testament Gospel Doctrine classes.

This year at church we're studying the Old Testament. I couldn't help it. While we were discussing Abraham and Isaac,all I could think about was the brillant anecdote by Simon Rich from Ant Farm:

"The Ride Back to Beersheba" (That title is genius)
Then Abraham tied Issac up and laid him on the alter over the wood. And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to kill his son as a sacrifice to the Lord. At that moment the angel of the Lord shouted to him from Heaven, “Abraham! Lay down the knife”… Then they returned to Beersheba. - Genesis 2:2

How about some ice cream, Isaac? No? Are you sure? I’ll tell you what, I’ll get us some ice cream Want some ice cream? I’ll get us some ice cream.

Wow, there’s nothing like camping! Cooking your own lamb, building your own prye… and no women! Just a couple of guys in the woods, lighting fires, doing stuff and keeping it between themselves! Speaking of which, do you ever notice how your mother sometimes gets ideas? I mean, she raised you and I love her, but she’s a very nervous person. All I’m saying is sometimes it’s alright not to tell her about certain things. Like guy things.

Wow, I just noticed that you have huge muscles! You’re really getting strong! When did you get so big and strong? Soon you’ll be a real strong guy!

Let me explain something to you. Sometimes grownups have to do grownup stuff that children don’t understand. I think there’s an ice cream place coming up. Like, what happened on top of the mountain? Do you remember? Of course you… of course. Anyway, that was a thing for grownups.

How about some Rocky Road? Chocolate? I’d get you some strawberry, but hey, your name’s Isaac not Isaac Marie right? Ha! Seriously though, if you want strawberry I’ll get it for you. I’ll get you whatever you want.

So let’s rehearse. I’ll be your mother. “Isaac, how was your trip up the mountain?” Okay, then you would say something like, “Pretty normal.” That’s not too hard right?

We’re almost home. Listen, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but your mother is very sick. She’s sick Isaac. And the slightest shock might kill her. Hey there she is, waving at us. Hi, Sarah, we’re back! Put a couple lambs on the spit - you’ve got a couple hungry lumberjacks on your hands. Ha ha. She’s very ill Isaac. Very ill. Wow, camping.

Hyperbole is the best invention ever.

2010-05-04T12:24:00.013-03:00

My blog is kind of journal, kind of a record for my kids to see that I did enjoy our lives together, a place to publish my writing tidbits so I won't forget where and how I saved them,a place for my distant family to keep up with us and a place for things that have inspired me. I was so inspired by this blog entry that although I could have just linked it from here, I had to copy and paste the entire thing into my blog so I could go back and re-read it whenever I want. Also the site has some unfamily-friendly language, so I just copied my favorite post for your enjoyment as well as mine.

"The Alot is Better Than You at Everything" by Allie from http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

As a grammatically conscientious person who frequents internet forums and YouTube, I have found it necessary to develop a few coping mechanisms. When someone types out "u" instead of "you," instead of getting mad, I imagine them having only one finger on each hand and then their actions seem reasonable. If I only had one finger on each hand, I'd leave out unnecessary letters too!

If I come across a person who seems to completely ignore the existence of apostrophes and capital letters and types things like "im an eagle and im typing with my talons, so dont make fun of me cuz this is hard," I like to imagine that they actually are an eagle typing with their talons. It would be a hassle if you had to hop in the air and use your feet to karate-chop two keys simultaneously every time you wanted to use the shift key to make a capital letter. Also, eagles lack manual dexterity, so I can understand why they'd want to leave out apostrophes. Eagles are all about efficiency.

But there is one grammatical mistake that I particularly enjoy encountering. It has become almost fun for me to come across people who take the phrase "a lot" and condense it down into one word, because when someone says "alot," this is what I imagine:

The Alot is an imaginary creature that I made up to help me deal with my compulsive need to correct other people's grammar. It kind of looks like a cross between a bear, a yak and a pug, and it has provided hours of entertainment for me in a situation where I'd normally be left feeling angry and disillusioned with the world.

For example, when I read the sentence "I care about this alot," this is what I imagine:

Similarly, when someone says "alot of _______", I picture an Alot made out of whatever they are talking about.

If someone says something like "I feel lonely alot" or "I'm angry alot," I'm going to imagine them standing there with an emo haircut, sharing their feelings with an Alot.

The Alot is incredibly versatile.

So the next time you are reading along and you see some guy ranting about how he is "alot better at swimming than Michael Phelps," instead of getting angry, you can be like "You're right! Alots are known for their superior swimming capabilities."

Facts About Blizzard 2010 (and some opinions)

2010-02-11T11:40:00.008-04:00

1.This was literally a historic storm. Maryland broke a 100-year-old record for snow fall during a single storm.

2.It’s going to be a long winter. In 1995-96 Maryland received 63 inches of snow from the first snowfall in November to the last snowfall in March. As of 10pm last night (it was still snowing then) we had already accumulated 83 inches.

3.Our county was the hardest hit in Maryland during the first storm (last Friday). I’m not known for my accuracy in reporting statistics but Rob estimates that we got 38 inches of snow. We got another 18 inches in the last 24 hours.

4.Our street wasn’t plowed for three days AFTER the snow stopped falling from the first storm. We then had 4 hours of freedom before the second storm started.

5.“No Soliciting” signs can come in handy even during a blizzard. At 9:30 pm during the middle of the blizzard, many of our neighbors received a knock on their door. Most of them did not answer. It turns out it was a man offering to come back the next day to plow their driveways for 125$. I was so proud of my “No Soliciting” sign for doing its job. It might have had a little help from the fact that our front porch looked like this:

6.If there’s nowhere to pull over, you won’t get a ticket. Due to a large pile of snow in a crowded parking lot, I accidentally ran a stop sign and pulled out in front of a police officer cleverly disguised as a black SUV. He turned on his lights and got out and yelled at me. Because of all the snow lining the sides of the roads, there was no where to pull over. So he just yelled at me and told me to get out of there. My poor kids were so scared.

7.Just before a blizzard, it takes two hours to get pizza delivered. I was too tired from picking up the BBQ food, the ice cream, the DVDs, library books and video games so I just phoned in the pizza order. I told the guy, "I've got nothing but time to wait for pizza."

8.Food storage should be more fun. We have plenty of actual food to get us through several weeks if we need to. (Although my neighbor with a Hummer brought us a gallon of milk and some Diet Coke). But we are out of all of our “fun food.” On Friday before the storm, we ordered two large pizzas, brought home Mexican food, and picked up brisket and BBQ chicken. It is amazing how fast that stuff goes when you can’t leave the house.

9.You can’t diet during a blizzard.

10.If you’re on a well and the power goes out, you will not have water. We have been really fortunate and also really surprised that we haven’t lost power. Luckily, thanks to my battery collection, we have been prepared. We also filled our bathtub in case we lost power--not to drink, to use to flush our toilets.

11. Being snowed-in is only fun for three days. We have cleaned every closet and drawer, organized all our cupboards, practiced our piano till our fingers bled, made curtains for Taylor’s room, shoveled six feet of snow (including drifts), hooked a wool rug, assembled a 1000 piece puzzle with 3 red barns and 3 yellow houses, knit a hat, conquered Super Mario Bros., baked cookies, brownies, and muffins, watched 20 years of AFV, read several books, memorized every Phineas and Ferb episode (some of us did that prior to the storm) cried and prayed.

12.If you want an adult-sized shovel, you need to purchase it before the forecast calls for snow.

Even though we're in a "State of Emergency" we had booked a little trip this weekend to the eastern shore. Unfortunately, we will have to cross the Bay Bridge. We don't like to cross this bridge when there hasn't been gale force winds in the last 12 hours. Wish us luck. We are about to attempt to cross this bridge:

A Conversation in Heaven

2010-01-24T21:56:00.005-04:00

Chairman of Earthly Assignments Committee: So, Robert, as you know, you’re here to discuss what your earthly assignment is looking like. We’ve actually been struggling with a few aspects of your assignment.

Rob: Is there some sort of problem?

Chairman: Well, that’s just it. There doesn’t actually seem to be enough problems in your assignment. As you know, we really feel that earthly challenges can help build your spiritual character by increasing humility and empathy. And so far, you don’t seem to have enough challenges mapped out in your human experience to adequately help you develop these characteristics.

Rob: Well, what if I just try really hard to remember to work on humility and empathy once I get there?

Chairman: I’m afraid that just won’t do it. So let’s look over your assignment and see if together, we can come up with a few ideas of ways we can increase your opportunities for growth in these areas.

Rob: Okay, so what is my life looking like so far?

Chairman: Well, so far you are assigned to great, happily-married, middle-class parents in a stable home. You’re assigned to be the baby of the family so you while you might not get photographed as often as your four siblings, you will be spoiled more than the rest of them combined.

Rob: Okay, so far so good.

Chairman: You are also slated to have greater than average attractiveness and intelligence.

Rob: Great!

Chairman: Well, the committee felt like the combination of both of these, might be really hard to overcome as far as humility goes, so we did map out a significant nose break in your teenage life, just to sort of humble you at least temporarily. But it does look like you make a great recovery with only a slightly crooked nose to show for it and your high level of attractiveness still in tact.

Rob: Okay, I think I can handle that. What’s the longevity on my attractiveness?

Chairman: Well, the bad news is that the committee really felt that in light of your other characteristics, a little baldness was only fair. But the good new is that your baldness won’t settle in until after your dating years are over and you’re married and settled.

Rob: Alright. I’m sure that won’t be too hard. You mentioned a high level of intelligence?

Chairman: Yes, yes. You are slated to be in the top 1% of the population as far as intelligence goes. Earthly academic tests will not really even be a concern for you at all. You’re scheduled to receive a full collegiate scholarship and admission to what’s known as an Ivy League university. Your Ivy League education will be a breeze for you and then you’ll be handed a fantastic occupation with a great salary. Besides your good looks, I forgot to mention that you are also slated to be of greater than average height with greater than average athletic ability.

Rob: Wow! This all sound really great. It sounds too good to be true for just one person’s assignment. Are you sure I don’t have any other physical impairments or challenges in my future?

Chairman: Not really. I mean you will have some brief struggles with allergies and asthma as a child, but this will actually just benefit you by getting you out of what’s known as “hard physical labor” or “yard work.”
You are also slated to lose your bid for senior class officer as humility tactic. But this will also benefit you later in life when you don’t have to plan your high school reunion. Trust me, you’ll come to appreciate this loss.

Rob: Wow! I’m thrilled. So what could possibly be left? Oh yeah, my wife! When you were discussing baldness, I’m pretty sure you mentioned that I did get married, right?

Chairman: Yes. And this brings us to the point of our conversation today. You see, you are currently matched with a woman of greater than average intelligence, height, financial background and in the top 1% of the population for homemaking skills.

Rob: Fantastic!

Chairman: Well, you see that’s the problem. The committee reviewed your profile and while it may seem like the ideal situation, you really do have to think long term—as in eternal. The committee was afraid of what type of person you may become if you are just given this profile we have outlined. We don’t feel that your current profile will enable the kind of growth we like to see in our people on earth.

Rob: So, what needs to be done?

Chairman: We’ve come up with a few suggestions for changes that we feel will even up the balance. We’d like to hear your thoughts on these proposals.

Rob: Let’s hear them.

Chairman: Okay, let’s say you keep your hair but you lose half of your intelligence and 6 inches from your height.

Rob: What else you got?

Chairman: You could keep your straight nose but you’d have to be placed as a middle child and possibly lose a limb of some sort in your early teen years.

Rob: Are there any other options?

Chairman: Well, I was hoping you would ask. The good news is that we have a wife that we’ve been trying to place that might just help even up the score.

Rob: This doesn’t sound good.

Chairman: Actually, she’s not that bad. She’s got average intelligence. She’s tidy. She’s not homely. Did I mention she’s got a great sense of humor?

Rob: What does she look like?

Chairman: Well, she’s what most people would consider “short”. She’ll actually be 14 inches shorter than you. But she’s really nice and she’s a good baker.

Rob: What’s her attractiveness like?

Chairman: Well, let’s just say that when you marry her, she will look really . . . decent.

Rob: So her height, decent appearance and average intelligence should be enough to keep me humble?

Chairman: Not exactly. She does come with a fairly large share of physical problems--nothing fatal or too disfiguring. Let’s just say that good job of yours will come in handy when it comes to medical bills. Did I mention she’s hilarious?

Rob: Will I be happy with this person?

Chairman: I can honestly say that you will be very happy together. You will love her and she will adore you. She will appreciate the assignments you’ve received in life and realize her role in your assignment—to get you back here with some humility in tact.

Rob: So basically, I’m her reward for her assignments and the rest of the blessings I’ll be given in life are my reward for her.

Chairman: Exactly.

Rob: Is there any way to work a full head of hair back into the deal?

Chairman: I’m afraid not.

Rob: Where do I sign?

America's Home Funniest Videos

2010-01-10T20:52:00.007-04:00

This is what the nativity looks like at the Larkins' home.All of the grandkids have to participate. The oldest wiseman pictured is 20. (This has nothing to do with the following story.)

I liked America's Funniest Home Videos when I first watched it twenty years ago. But I really love to watch AFV now--and it's not just because Bob Saget's gone (although that helps). I love AFV more than ever because now I have kids.

I regard AFV not only as entertainment for my kids, but as an effective teaching tool. Throughout the show, I am given ample opportunities to say to my kids, "And THAT'S why we don't stand on tables." or "See what happens when you skateboard on a railing?" or "THAT'S why we don't own a front porch swing" or even "That is EXACTLY why I don't play catch with you in the yard."

If Taylor ever slips on the floor or trips while he's outside, he gets all disappointed and says, "Oh, that should have been on America's Home Funniest Videos (that's what he calls it). He's not disappointed at his coordination. He's disappointed because I failed to get it on film--again. He doesn't want his clip to be on the show for the chance to win the money. He wouldn't even care if he was invited to be in the studio audience. He just believes all accidents deserve to be documented and viewed by the general public for their own artistic value.

I'll never forget the day I discovered what has kept AFV in footage for 20 years now. It is the common man's belief that he is more coordinated than those idiots on TV. After all my years of watching AFV, it might seem safe to assume that I had learned a thing or two about adults riding bicycles that are too small for them. I think I've seen an actual musical montage on the show dedicated to adults on children's bicycles. But, alas, I am the common man.

When Annie was seven, she was playing up the street at friend's house while I worked in the yard. She called to me asking if I would bring her bike out to her. As I got the bike out of the garage, I noticed she, her friend and the girls' mother were approaching. I slung her helmet over one handle bar and slung my own self onto the bike itself. I proceeded to ride the 19" bicycle down the driveway while exclaiming, "Wheeeeee!" The bike picked up speed. I didn't remember that children's bikes don't have hand breaks. The front wheel wobbled--a lot. I lost complete control and crashed at the bottom of the driveway.

I felt the pain in my knee immediately. I had torn the knee of my favorite jeans wide open. I had also torn the knee of my favorite leg wide open. But I couldn't stop laughing. I could hear my son's voice in my head, lamenting the lack of video documentation. As I looked up, I saw Annie running toward me in tears. She was sobbing so hard I could barely make out what she was saying. I knew the amount of blood coming from my knee must have her worried. She said, "Why in the world would you do that?"

I told her, "I'm so sorry. Don't worry, I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt. See, I'm laughing." Her tears turned to anger. "I'm not crying because I'm worried about you!" She stammered. " I'm crying because you really embarrassed me!"

That is the moment I realized that I was a grown-up--the moment I witnessed my own child's disappointment in me and my lack of this realization. I am now reminded of my grown-upness every week when I watch AFV with my kids and Annie tells me, "See, Mom, THAT is exactly why mom's shouldn't ride sleds, or stand on tables, or dance silly at weddings."
Taylor performing Jingle Bells with his cousin, Max playing a supporting role.

Merry Christmas (and No Soliciting)

2009-12-20T10:51:00.011-04:00

Merry Christmas! Because we travel every year for the holidays, Santa always finds a way to get our presents to us early. Some years he's sent us a letter ahead of time to let us know that he'd like to drop off our presents early--so we don't have to try to fit them all in our suitcases on our way back home. Last year he emailed Rob at work. This year he just decided to surprise us. When we came down the stairs Saturday morning, Santa had been here!

Not only did he bring us some great presents, but he also brought us a blizzard. We're completely snowed in and it's been great. Our neighborhood has still not been plowed. Church was cancelled today and we're guessing school will be delayed on Monday. We're SO glad/relieved that Santa came so we would have enough activities to keep us busy.
While some people were busy on Friday (before the storm hit) stocking up on supplies like water, batteries, shovels etc., we were busy stocking up on our own kind of supplies. Rob stopped at our two favorite restaurants and brought us home enough chips, salsa and BBQ food to last us the winter. I have never seen him so excited for "Christmas morning."
I took these pictures out of our back window. If you look closely, you can see Annie and Taylor making their way up the hill in our backyard in an attempt to slide down. The snow was too powdery but they got a good workout.

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

2009-11-04T21:01:00.006-04:00

For some reason, I have had a dream of being Little Orphan Annie for Halloween for about 15 years. But, just like I never dared dream that Rob would fall for me, I never dared believe that my dream of being Annie, would actually be fulfilled. Then, last spring, our favorite babysitter, Chelsey, starred as Annie in her high school production of Annie. As Annie (my daughter, coincidental?) and I sat on the front row, an idea started formulating in my head. I knew Rob was already planning on recreating his award-winning Mr. Clean costume for Halloween this year. but I figured, as long as he was planning on shaving his head, he might as well serve as an accessory to my dream. And so, with a little (or maybe a lot) altering (Chelsey is 18), I was able to realize my costume dream this year. My thanks to Chelsey and her mom for the costume and especially to Rob, who was mistaken all night for Mr. Peanut and Howie Mandel.

By the way, we did win First Place for Group at our ward Halloween party. Don't let the people in the background of the picture lead you to believe that this isn't a serious competition. It's serious, trust me.

Oh yeah, our kids dressed up too.

You Don't Have to Read This

2009-10-24T10:06:00.011-03:00

My kids both just celebrated their birthdays, so I'm finding myself a little more sentimental than usual. I don't have a journal but it is important to me that my kids have some sort of record that I actually liked them. So I wrote a list of some of my favorite things about Annie and Taylor. Please feel free to just skip this post without feeling bad. I wrote it for my kids and besides, I don't read the sappy stuff you write about your kids (please see my post entitled "My Latest Invention").

Some of My Favorite Things About Tay
1. No one enjoys "fun" more than Taylor. In his prayers every night he says, "Thank you that we could have fun today and please bless that we can have a good day tomorrow and have fun." He is always looking for a good time. (I hope this doesn't come back to haunt us in about 10 years)
2. He loves people. Two of his teachers now have told me that he's "quite popular" at school. I know this is because he loves friends and, again, he knows how to have a good time.
3. He is a sensitive guy. He cried for hours after watching The Fox and the Hound. (But who wouldn't, I had forgotten how traumatic it was) He only made it through the first 20 minutes. He also sobbed through Noah and Abinidi and let's not forget, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.
4. He has good taste in music. He'll hear a song on the radio and say, "I want that song on a CD for my room." Every once in awhile, I'll burn him a CD with some of his selections from i-tunes. He'll listen to it in his room with the door closed, then come out and show me the dance moves he's been working on.
5. He can really carry a tune. Taylor could sing before he could talk. When I would put him to bed as a baby, he would sing the tune to the song he wanted me to sing to him. He can really sing in key (as far as I can tell) and he'll correct Annie when she's off. He sings along, (and sways) when he's practicing the piano.
6. He is not aggressive. I really learned this watching him play soccer and basketball on a team. He can do the drills and make the shots like a pro, in practice. But when it comes to the game, he is just never going to get in someone's face and take the ball away. It's not in his nature.
7. He is a wonderful sleeper. Ever since we sleep trained him at six months, Tay has slept like a pro. Because he has so much fun during the day, he goes to sleep as soon as his head hits the pillow at night.
8. Tay says the best prayers. He doesn't just pray for fun. He always remembers to pray for anyone who is sick or traveling. He is especially mindful of what's going on in Annie's life.
9. He loves his sister. Sure he bosses her around to no end, and there have been times we worried he was training her to grow up and seek after an abusive boyfriend, but he does love her so much. I have heard him say, "Wow, Annie you look so beautiful in that dress." He knows what is going on in her life and he cares about it too.
10. He inherited his dad's athleticism and not mine. Rob might not agree that Taylor inherited his athleticism. But at the very least, he inherited Rob's confidence in his own athletic ability and his interest in things athletic.
11. He loves his dad. He'll do anything in the name of spending time with his dad. He has even been convinced that he likes watching sports on TV.
12. He looks so darn cute in his glasses.

Some of My Favorite Things About Annie
1. She is patient. Bless her heart, Annie has had to demonstrate so much patience in the last 6 years of her life. (She is nine years old, but Taylor is six.)
2. She is grateful. I found her crying in her room the night of her ninth birthday. She said she had had such a great day and was crying because she was just so happy.
3. She LOVES learning.
4. She inherited her dad's intelligence (and appreciation for mathematics). Her brain works in ways I can't understand.
5. She LOVES reading. It is a part-time job for me to keep her in books.
6. She is sentimental. She treasures memories and momentos of important things in her life.
7. She is a great teacher. She has taught a reluctant brother, many a lesson. She also teaches really great FHE lessons. I am always surprised at how well she understands the scriptures and gospel principles. She has been blessed to have amazing Primary teachers.
8. She is a great example for Taylor. She models patience, kindness and obedience every day.

9. She is determined. She started taking piano lessons one year ago. She has always had a dream of playing Canon in D. I found her an easy version, but it was still not beginner level. She worked on it one or two measures at a time. It took her eight months, but she can now play Canon in D beautifully.
10. She works hard. Her first year of swim team was really hard for her. She dreaded practices but she loved the thrill of the meets. She kept going to practices and working hard, sometimes through tears, but she dramatically improved her time by the end of the season.
11. She loves family. She is very sentimental and emotional about her relationships with her grandparents and cousins. She truly relishes the time she gets to spend with them. She lives thousands of miles away from them, but she does feel connected to them.
12. She is a romantic. She loves hot chocolate on a snowy day, the Christmas tree lights on in the dark and reading in a blanket in front of the window on a rainy day.
13. She LOVES traditions. She can't wait to get out the decorations for each holiday. She looks forward to doing the same traditions every year--picking berries and making jam, baking the same cookies at Christmas with her grandma, wearing matching pajamas with her cousins.

Larkinses in DC

2009-10-05T13:59:00.004-03:00

We were lucky enough to have Rob's brother, Jim, his wife, Allyson, and their three daughters spend the past week with us. We all had a great time! Watch this slide show to see how much fun we had.

Worth the Wait?

2009-09-21T22:54:00.005-03:00

Rob picked up this little souvenir 15 years ago as a Chemical Engineering student at BYU. The Eyring Science Center was being refurbished and he saw a worker carrying this sign out of the building to throw away. Rob asked the guy if he could have it and rest is history.

We have packed this giant chart all over the country. It sat warping in our humid garage in Texas for 4 years before making it's way to the east coast. All nerds who have entered our home in the last 13 years have been lead to our unfinished basement to marvel at the beauty of the chart that Rob has deemed an antique (although it clearly says 1976 in the lower corner, thus making me an antique also). Just when I thought Rob had given up hope of actually hanging it anywhere, once we got office furniture, he announced it was going in the office. The next thing you know, he'll want to display the kachina dolls he brought home from his mission.

Why I Didn't Blog (or call or clean or shower) This Summer

2009-09-17T16:48:00.013-03:00

I was obviously too busy working in my garden.

This is Annie's swimming trophy and Blue Ribbon for improving her time. She missed getting the most improved swimmer by one tenth of a second. She took 34.10 seconds off her backstroke time this year! (See also "I Have a Kid Who Can Swim" to fully understand the magnitude of this feat.)

Taylor really learned to swim! He can't wait for swim team next year!

This is Annie dunking Rob at our neighborhood block party.

No, this is not my baby. This was my niece who lived with us (along with her mom and dad) for two months while my brother interned in DC). We all fell in love with her and miss her every day.

I also ate lots of good food, which is why there aren't any pictures of me on this blog.

We had a great summer, but we were having so much fun, we just didn't worry about taking very many pictures. You'll just have to trust me.

2 Funerals and A Wedding

2009-06-27T08:18:00.018-03:00

We had to take our summer trip to Utah earlier than we had planned this year. My wonderful Grandpa, H. Taylor Reynolds III passed away in May so we flew out to his funeral. I spoke at this funeral and I was grateful for the opportunity. I wanted to make sure people really new what an incredible grandfather he was to his 7 grandkids and that we all really knew him and he really knew us. I just needed some way to have closure on losing this man who was so influential in my life and saying what I wanted to say publicly really helped.

Besides saying good-bye to my grandpa, we had a really great trip.(See pictures below)
Three days after we got back from Utah, Rob's grandma passed away too so it was back to Utah for Rob. The kids and I were able to say good-bye to her before we left. She was the sweetest person who ever lived.

We spent some time with cousins.

We hiked to what our family calls "Treat Rock" (You bring a treat to eat on the rock)

We ate good food.
We hiked/walked to a little waterfall just up Hobble Creek Canyon.

We saw billions of baby ducks.

We had our semi-annual Nielson Family talent show. Here are some pictures of the two best performances.

We met up with some friends we hadn't seen for awhile. (The Haacks)

We finally made it to Antelope Island. We roped a few steers while we were there.

The day before we left, we went to my brother Chad's wedding. It was beautiful and we are so excited for them!

We saw the new Draper Temple. The kids were so excited to touch in and even went in the lobby.

I Have a Kid Who Can Swim

2009-06-23T21:48:00.007-03:00

You may or may not be surprised to know that I can barely swim. My mom put me in several sections of swimming lessons as a child but I refused to get in the water. I remember telling my teacher I had to go to the bathroom and then never coming back. I had nightmares about swimming. Then, in seventh grade, I started having nightmares that my entire school would find out that I couldn't swim. So, I took private lessons and learned to doggy paddle and do what some people, but not all(including Rob), might refer to as a backstroke.

Swimming was just not a big deal where I grew up in Utah. I remember a big sign at the Springville Pool (besides the one that said "Welcome to our ool, notice there's no "p" in it") that said the names of various swimmers. But all the swimmer's last names were either Hatfield or Johnston so I thought you must have to be related to someone to be on the swim team.

But then I moved to Maryland. In case you forgot, Michael Phelps is from Maryland. Swimming is HUGE here--but still second to Lacrosse. Last year when we first moved to Howard County and didn't know a soul, Annie noticed a huge group of kids her age practicing in the lanes at the pool. We found out all about the swim team and she spent last summer getting ready to be on the team this year. To qualify, you have to be able to swim 25 meters without stopping. She has been looking forward to it for a year and she made the team this year.

The team is made up of kids from just her Elementary School and older kids who used to attend her school. Check out how many kids there are!

We compete against other neighborhood pools in meets held every Saturday until August. It is serious business. For time trials Annie came in 43rd of 48 in freestyle and about 37th out of 41 in the backstroke. But the good thing, the miraculous thing, is that she has no idea. She doesn't like to do anything that she's not great at. So I live in fear of her realizing that she's not that strong a swimmer--yet.

She looks so adorable in her fancy team suit and her swimcap. She gets so nervous before the race but she's so proud of herself when she finishes. She is always in the last heat of her event. At the first meet last Saturday, she finished last in her heat in the backstroke. But she got right out of the water and said, "I think I came in first place Mom!"

The greatest part of the team is that they give kids a ribbon every time they beat their previous time. They also give every kid who came in 8th place or lower, an 8th place ribbon. She got 4 ribbons after Saturday's meet. She had beat her time trial times by 3 seconds for freestyle and 2 seconds for backstroke. She also got two 8th place ribbons.

I am just still so astonished that I have an eight-year-old kid who can even swim that I cry behind my sunglasses while she's competing. I am so proud of her and proud to be the last mom cheering as she swims,that's right, SWIMS down the lane. Did I mention she's only in third grade?

I feel the same way when I see her doing fractions. You may or may not believe this either, but I can barely understand fractions.

My Mother's Day

2009-05-12T22:26:00.008-03:00

Here are a few pictures from my perfect Mother's Day. After breakfast in bed and my wonderful gifts of a birdhouse, a set of coupons and an i-phone, we went to Brighton Azalea Gardens. This place is just a few minutes from our house. There are 22000 azalea plants on 5 acres. It was beautiful--the gardens and the day itself.

My Latest Invention

2009-04-19T11:25:00.010-03:00

My younger brother is hilarious. I was talking to him the other day about my blog and how no one can tell when I am trying to sound funny. He said, “Yeah, I’m not funny in print.” If his humor doesn’t translate well, I don’t have a prayer. This really made me think.

So I came up with the perfect device/invention that would help people like me more effectively communicate, in print, with the people around us. I would call it the sarcastic font. I figure the icon for it in word processing programs could be a winking smiley face (but not an emoticon) next to the italics icon. The design would be similar to italics, but naturally a little wigglier.

I once mentioned to my friend that I wished such a font existed and she sent me a little list of emoticons I could use to indicate sarcasm. I tried using them in emails, but I was never sure that the reader knew what exact material the emoticon was winking about. The sarcastic font would make this clear.

I have tried to employ the devices of bold, all caps, and italics to emphasize my points, but you can’t just type an entire email or an entire blog post in italics or caps or it just becomes redundant.

I even have the Wikipedia definition ready:
The sarcastic font is designed to indicate humor and/or sarcasm in a body of writing. Any material written using this font, therefore; by law (why not) can not be considered offensive, inconsiderate, or sincere and should not elicit any unwarranted prayers or concern.

Yesterday, I found myself thinking, “Why can’t these geniuses (pretend geniuses is written in the sarcastic font :)) who read my blog understand when I’m just trying to be funny?” Then, it occurred to me that maybe I have this same problem. Maybe I can’t make out sarcasm when I read it either. Maybe when my friends commented that they were praying for me or that they were willing to babysit my kids while I go to doctors appointments, they were being sarcastic too. So I re-read my blog comments out loud in a sarcastic/half-angry voice and it really changed things for me. I wish I could tell what their true intentions were.

See how helpful my new font would be? The sarcastic font would give more credibility to standard fonts. If something wasn’t typed in sarcasm, you would know the person really meant it. I rest my case.

My bishop is an intellectual property/copyright attorney. I think I’ll run my ideas by him during tithing settlement this year.;)

I did just have a picture of me on here--believe it or not. But I realized that it showed our address, so I had to remove it.

Airplanes are Cool

2009-04-19T11:15:00.004-03:00

We took the kids to the Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at the Dulles Airport. It's free to get in but parking is 15$ and Super Cool Flying Souvenirs for boys and dads will cost you about 80$.
Just hanging out under a space shuttle.
Taylor's always been a fan of the space program.
Here's Annie with THE Enola Gay

White House Easter Egg Roll

2009-04-13T17:29:00.007-03:00

After an hour an a half of waiting in line expecting a breakfast burrito--like they apparently offered during the Bush Administration--I was mentally composing a post about what a disappointment the event was so my friends who didn't get tickets would feel better.

But then, while we were just getting to the front of the line for the actual egg roll, we heard the announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Vice President of The United States." We were thinking, "This is pretty cool, we get to see the VP." After Biden and his wife walked down the stairs, we heard, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States." THAT was cool.

The Obama family all walked out and the kids and I were like forty feet away. Unfortunately, I had sent with the camera, about 30 feet away from us so he could take the kids' pictures while they rolled their eggs. So I was stuck without a camera and without someone tall to help me hold the kids up so they could see better. Luckily, inspite of his feelings about Obama, Rob got some good pictures from where he was standing.

They introduced Fergi and she sang the National Anthem. We were sad that it wasn't the Jonas Brothers, but it was pretty cool. Then Fergi and her husband or fiance (Josh Duhamel or something like that) walked right past us. I think I'm taller than her.

Then we just kept running into Mrs. Obama and her daugthers wherever we went. They were reading books to the crowd for awhile. Then we headed to the stage where Fergie was set to perform soon. We got there and then up walked the Obama women. Rob snapped this great picture of her from about 3 feet away. We watched Fergi perform just a few feet behind them. Annie was on Rob's shoulder so she could look down (just literally, not metaphorically) on the Obama girls.

As we were leaving, we collected our Obama-signed souvenir eggs--but no gift bag like we had heard the Bush's gave out. Then we saw all these helicopters fly by and the streets were all closed and the Presidential motorcade drove by with about 20 black SUVS and 200 police officers. We swear we saw the President waving at us out the window.

It was a lot more fun than I expected it to be. But I think its all because we just had really good luck with timing. I had PROMISED Annie that we wouldn't see the President or his daughters and I was wrong. Taylor couldn't wait to leave. He was just dying to get back on the Metro. He had a map and loved keeping track of which stations we were passing through.

The breakfast burrito bribe was the only way I convinced Rob to go to the Obama's residence. He still isn't over it. It's a tough economy so no tax-dollar funded food at all--just hot dogs for sale.

Thanks For Your Prayers

2009-04-10T09:51:00.002-03:00

I have noticed that my recent attempts to be funny have actually just elicited prayers and concern on my behalf. I just moved within the past year and I don't think my new associates yet realize that the majority of what I say, is at least intended to be sarcastic (try to remember this for times when you might be offended by me). It's sad when you have to try to explain that you were just trying to be funny. Anyway, I am actually really fine. My swelling has gone down--mostly and my skin cancer is just basal cell--harmless, just inconvenient and unattractive. Its when I don't post about my health issues that you should be worried. Thanks for all your prayers--though. I can always use prayers.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

2009-04-09T21:38:00.004-03:00

So, I had a bad reaction to my last allergy shot on Tuesday. I came home with hives but they went away when I took my allergy medicine.When I saw my arm the next morning, I called my doctor’s office as soon as they opened. They said no one could see me.

I thought I would be smart and take a picture of my scary arm and email it to them. Then I just knew they would BEG me to come in and be seen. But they said they couldn’t receive emails and I would just have to come in the next day—more than 48 hours after my shot.

My arm got worse as the day went on. (But unfortunately my camera battery died and I couldn’t take an even scarier picture.) So I finally decided to go to the local walk-in clinic. Not surprisingly, I had a bad experience there and left without any help. While I was on my way home, my dentist’s office called to say I was late for my appointment and that the dentist really wanted to talk to me about my recent MRI.

Here’s a condensed summary of how that conversation went:

Dentist: So I understand you’re late because you’re having a bad reaction to your allergy shots . . .Whoa! Now that’s a reaction! Are you sure you’re feeling alright? Are you having any problems breathing? Did you talk to your allergist?

Me: Yeah, I’m really fine. I feel fine. I’ll just take a bunch of Benadryl when I get home and hope I’m still breathing when I finally wake up.

Dentist: Okay. . . So the bad news is that you have Stage 4 TMJ. http://tmj.org. Didn’t you say you were treated for TMJ once before?

Me: Yes, when I was a teenager I had my wisdom teeth pulled and when the swelling went down, I still couldn’t open my mouth. It turns out my jaw was dislocated and the ligaments torn while I got my teeth pulled.

Dentist: So what did they do to treat you?

Me: Well, I was already scheduled to have some orthopedic surgery . . .

Dentist: What type of orthopedic surgery were you having?

Me: Well, I just had all the bones in both my legs broken and realigned.

Dentist: What?! That must have been a few painful months.

Me: Well, there were a few complications so it actually took about two and a half years, but yeah.

Dentist: What kinds of complications were there?

Me: Well, I was taking Accutane for my complexion and it turned out that no one knew back then that it caused bones to not heal so that caused a few complications along the way.

Dentist: Wow. So I’m losing track of things, how did you say all of this was related to your TMJ?

Me: Well, my TMJ specialist had the anesthesiologist relocate my jaw while I was sedated for my orthopedic surgery. When I came to, they gave me a big retainer with a metal bar in the middle that impeded my speech and made high school even more fun than it already was for a pimpled cripple.

Dentist: Oh, I’m sorry to say it, but in the last 15 years since you were treated, it has since been discovered that those types of retainers are actually more detrimental to the long-term joint health.

Me: So I wore that retainer for four years for nothing?

Dentist: Well, I’d like to get you fitted for a new retainer. So it looks like we’ll have to wait to redo those last four fillings that were poorly done by that eighty year old dentist your mom made you go to when you were a kid. We’ll revisit all your basic dental needs after we get your jaw joints healthy.

Me: I actually didn’t say anything. I just cradled my gigantic, vermillion arm (see picture above).
Dentist: Can you come in on the 21st so we can make a mold to make your new retainer?

Me: I can’t. I’m having my skin cancer removal surgery that day.

FAQ's About the Previous Post

2009-03-31T13:30:00.004-03:00

1. Annie's walls are light green. You can't really tell from the picture unless you look at the molding at the bottom. The pink dots on Annie's wall are vinyl. Rob's a good painter, but he's not THAT good. I ordered them from this website:
http://www.sayanythingexpressions.com/index.html

2. Annie's middle name is Victoria. I got the monogram idea from a catalog--it's vinyl too.

3. No, Rob does not hire out.

4. Yes, I know I don't deserve him.

5. Yes, I now know kryptonite is spelled with a "k".

Painted Walls

2009-03-29T20:22:00.004-03:00

We finally painted some walls in our house. We aren't good enough painters to paint areas that will be seen by grown-ups. And actually I'm not good enough to paint anything seen by children even. But luckily I am married to a patient man who is not only willing, but very able to help me put a little color (or in the case of Annie's room, a lot of color) into the kids' rooms.

Ever since Taylor's best friend, Brennan, got to paint HIS room cryptonite green, Taylor has been dreaming of having a painted room. He didn't care what color it was as long as it was painted. Now he thinks he needs polka dots too.

Can You Believe This Guy?

2009-03-18T21:31:00.004-03:00

I was reading over my old posts and I saw this picture of Rob at the beginning of my blog. I just had to repost it. Mostly I thought ward members might like to see that he does own a suit and he looks great in it. He just refuses to wear one to church on Sundays. He says he's done his time. But I think it's because he doesn't want to look even remotely bishopricish. So if you ever see him in church in a suit you will know one of the following things has occurred:

1. It's my birthday
2. Rob's giving a talk in sacrament meeting
3. Rob's just been made the bishop
4. All his dress shirts are dirty
5. We're going to a funeral after church--and he's either a pallbearer or the victim.

25 Things About Me

2009-03-11T17:30:00.004-03:00

I know most of you have already read this list on my Facebook page, but since I'm trying to use my blog as a journal, I thought I'd post it here too for my posterity's enjoyment later life.

1.95% of my diet is carbohydrates. The other 5% is French fries.
2.I have always loved mowing lawns.
3.I sometimes call my husband Johnny Lingo—but only at night, when he’s sound asleep.
4.My hair has only ever looked cute during one six month window of my life back in 1995. (Sorry to those of you who didn’t know me back then or who knew be before then) This happened to be the 6 months when I met, dated and got engaged to my husband. As soon as I got that ring on my finger, I got a bad perm and it’s been downhill ever since. Photographic evidence available upon request.
5.My dream job would be to play the role of Eponine in Les Mis on Broadway on weekends and model wedding dresses part-time during the week.
6.I can’t sing or model.
7.When my husband looks at my high school pictures, he mostly just says, “Bless your heart.”
8.I actually have had plastic surgery on my face since high school. (Sorry to get your hopes up Class of ’93, but it was just to remove skin cancer from my forehead.)
9.I won first place in a Coca-Cola downhill ski competition. (I may or may not have been the only person who entered in my age bracket) I elected not to compete at the state level.
10.I am grateful to Astra-Zeneca for keeping me and my family alive(see also #1)
11.I wish I was as funny as my brother (to maintain family relations, I won’t mention which brother)
12.I don’t have any sisters.
13.I spoke at my high school graduation at the Marriott Center without wetting my pants.
14.I taught middle school English in Texas. That’s right--English to Texans. I told my students I felt it was my calling to teach wherever the English language was in the most need of help (besides this post) and that’s what lead me to them.
15.I was blessed to grow up two blocks away from both sets of grandparents and it breaks my heart that my kids don’t have the same luxury or know my grandparents very well.
16.I don’t like condiments.
17.I love Chick-Fil-A. I’m from Utah so I love the drive-up, but sometimes I wish they had a more romantic setting inside so I wouldn’t feel bad for wanting to eat there when we have a babysitter.
18.I worked at my grandpa’s hardware store from age 12-19. I was on a first name basis with every old man in town and not nearly enough young men in town.
19.I worked as a bank teller in college and loved it.
20.I’m out of witty things to say— and not just in this post.
21.I don’t consider myself a good cook, but I think I’m a pretty good baker.
22.Hablo espanol, pero se me olvido mucho (only non-spanish speakers will be impressed with this sentence).
23.I’m a type A personality who is married to a type Z personality and it works out beautifully.
24.I don’t like to look in the mirror in front of other people, because I know I have a funny “mirror face.”
25.I wish I was at least half as intelligent, patient, laid-back, and discerning as my husband.

Disneyworld 2009 aka Lessons Learned

2009-02-16T13:11:00.007-04:00

For really loyal and dedicated viewers of my blog--mom and dad--here is a little slide show of highlights from our trip to Disney. This was our first visit. Here are a few thing we learned from our trip:

1.Our kids aren't Disney freaks. We realized just how few Disney movies they have actually seen. We found ourselves on the rides trying to explain who Dumbo was or telling the story of Peter Pan. They are also unfamiliar with: Pinocchio, Dumbo, Song of the South (thanks human rights activists), The Lion King, and Snow White. But they really know the Pixar shows.

2. We really shouldn't have taken Taylor on Space Mountain as his introduction to Disneyworld. We were afraid the line for this ride would get really long, so as soon as walked into the park, we headed for Space Mountain. Rob and I had had forgotten how scary this ride really is. Taylor has never been to an amusement park (except Dutch Wonderland which is operated by the Amish so it's just not that scary) This traumatized him so much that he was nervous about every other ride in the park. He spent more time worrying about rides than he did riding them.

3. You need to check the Orlando weather forecast before you go. (we did and we felt so smart when we passed people in flip-flops and shorts) You will notice that we are really bundled up in most of our pictures. The first two days we were there, we needed coats and hats etc. Those happened to be the days I took the most pictures. We had 5 days of PERFECT --not to hot, not too cold weather after that.

4. Lines are for suckers.Thanks to our perfectly timed, post-Florida Superbowl, pre-President's Day, off-season visit, we walked onto just about every ride in the park during our visit. We got there when the park opened, rode every ride 3 times, then when it started to get crowded, we'd leave.

5. We could have just stayed at our hotel and told Taylor it was Disneyworld and he would have been just has happy--if not happier. He kept saying, "How many more rides do we have to go on until we can go swimming."

6. No one really likes the Country Bear Jamboree. Those bears are looking mangy.

7. Its a good thing we've already been to the real Yellowstone. Our hotel was modeled after Yellowstone. The pool had a waterfall and hot pots and a geyser that went off every hour. We're glad we've already seen the real thing because the real Yellowstone might not seem that fun to our kids now that they've been to the fake one. Our trip to Dinosaurland in Vernal will have to be put off until Taylor forgets how much fun he had playing in the fake Dinosaurland in the Animal Kingdom. (The last time I was in Vernal, there weren't tube slides amongst the fossils)

8. Epcot really is for senior citizens.

9. What goes around, comes around. In an effort to deprive Disney of making any more money than they needed to, I always made sure I gave my stroller away to someone just entering the park--to save them 15$ that they could then spend on a bottle of water instead. We also got fast passes a few times and didn't need them. But I insisted to Rob that we find a deserving looking family to give them away too. On our last day in Orlando, we(I) were rewarded for our (my) thoughtfulness. We went back to Hollywood Studios just to see the stunt show. Taylor really wanted to go on Toy Story Midway Mania one more time but we knew the fast passes would be gone and the line would be over an hour. As we walked into the park, a man came up to us and said, "Do you want our 4 fastpasses for Toy Story?" Its a small thing, I know, but I'd been explaining karma to the kids and telling them that even though we might miss our bus back to the hotel while I tried to find an English-speaking (I scared an Asian lady by trying to explain the free stroller I was offering her) recipient of my generosity, we would be rewarded for our kindness--and patience.

10. Our kids aren't Disney freaks. I was most proud of this during our trip--that they hadn't succumbed to the Disney media all kids seem to be bombarded with. They had NO desire to get their pictures taken with characters. (This princess pics in our slide show were from the character breakfast that was just for me. The princesses come to your table and make princess conversation until you take your picture with them so they'll leave) They also didn't feel the need to get any Disney-related merchandise (besides the pink leopard print mouse ears) Taylor picked a bongo as his souvenir and Annie chose a Yeti to commemorate her two trips to Expedition Everest.

11. You really don't walk off the equivalent of all the Disney food you are forced to consume.

A Few More Reasons

2009-01-13T10:22:00.007-04:00

Why We Go To Utah For Christmas

2009-01-10T08:53:00.028-04:00

Nielson Cousins

Larkins Cousins

Girl Cousins

Boy Cousins

Baby Cousins

Matching Cousins

Silly Cousins

Wii Cousins, Cousin Talent Show 2008, Cookie Cousins, and Snow

6 Things I Value

2008-11-02T21:45:00.006-04:00

I have been tagged for the first time ever (and hopefully the last):

6 Things I Value:
1. My husband AND our marriage
2. My kids and their personalities
3. The Gospel and the safe life its provided me
4. Rob's job--because he loves it, doesn't work late and doesn't travel
5. The experiences I've had and friends I've made as I've lived in UT, TX, MD, WA, and PA
6. DVR

6 Things I Don't Value:
1. Political ads
2. Economic crises
3. Math problems
4. Sandwiches
5. Spongebob
6. Surprise raisins in baked goods

Boston and Baptism

2008-10-30T16:16:00.015-03:00

Here is a rare photo of our entire family made possible by the fact that all our kids' grandparents were in town for Annie's baptism. Annie had a great day. She wore the dress that her great-grandmother made for her first daughter, my mom. All the girls in the family since then have worn this same dress for their baptisms. Thanks to a peek in Annie's journal--with her permission--I know she got exactly what I hoped she would get from her special day. Thanks to all the family and friends who traveled a long way to support us!

Here is another rare photo of me. Rob has wisely developed a fear of ever taking my picture. So his parents volunteered periodically on our trip to Boston-- so there will be documentation for our posterity that I did go out in public with my family. Here are a few shots of our fun trip.

Here's Annie singing a hymn in The Old North "One if by land, two if by sea" Church. Our church should really look into these types of pews. I liked them because you can shut the door and trap kids in--or out. Rob liked them because the walls are high and fewer people would see you sleeping.

Here's Tay running across the "Shot heard round the world" Concord Bridge.

Rob and the kids at Plimouth "no, I didn't spell that wrong" Plantation.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Yes, I am trying to hide behind Rob in the first photo.

2. Yes, my current hair color is what I would consider "closer" to my "natural" hair color.

3. Yes, my mother-in-law does have a neck--it was just really cold in Massachusetts.

When You're a Jet

2008-10-12T22:29:00.005-03:00

Here are a few pictures that I intended to use with my previous posts but never got around to it.

Here's Tay demonstrating his snapping skills.

Here's Annie contemplating life and probably her recent discoveries about the creation of life.

This is Taylor two weeks after his birthday, still sporting a crown. He is playing with his new marble machine and yes, that's Prayer Bear again. It turns out we get to bring him home every other week. He is so dirty and stinky I should have taken a close up of him. Oh well, I'll get one next week when we have him again.

We're Better Than You At Everything

2008-09-29T21:52:00.002-03:00

Cari to Taylor: I can't believe you can snap your fingers! I couldn't snap my fingers until I was ten years old. You just turned five two days ago. (These days he's like a Jet from West Side Story just walking around the house snapping his fingers on both hands.)

Annie: Mom, we're better than you at everything. You couldn't ride your bike until the third grade. You couldn't swim until you were in the seventh grade. You couldn't snap until you were ten and you NEVER rode the bus to school.

I didn't realize anyone, besides me, was keeping a list of my shortcomings.

Pictures coming soon.

Warning: Cheesy Alert

2008-09-26T11:47:00.005-03:00

I decide to put in the "cheesy alert" so my brothers wouldn't read any further and then decide never to visit my blog again. It's also so Rob won't read it and then suggest I give up blogging.

I am addicted to the Nie Nie Diaglogues. Its too long of a story to explain fully. But you can visit this link if you want to read for yourself:

http://www.nieniedialogues.com/

Every day, this woman (who happens to be in Provo, Utah) writes the most beautiful passages about the happenings in her day as she raises her new baby and three of her sister's kids (her sister is "Nie Nie" and her blog is equally as amazing, but she's currently in a drug-induced coma after she survived a plane crash that left her with burns over 80% of her body). When I read their blogs I am reminded of Elder Eyring's conference talk last October where he heard a voice say, "I'm not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down."

This seems especially applicable in the case of Nie Nie (her real name is Stepanie Nielson) because now her kids have a beautiful collection of her feelings about them to read while she can't be around. I also love that her sister documents so much of her temporary kids' lives. If I was away from my kids for an extended period of time, I would hope that someone was documenting every minute that I was missing.

Elder Eyring says, "Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done."

Out of fear of sounding like the mock-blog, Seriously, so Blessed ( http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/) I am not sure that my blog is the proper forum for the documentation of my attempts to recognize how blessed I am. But I am grateful for my recent reminders that I need to be paying better attention.

Birds and Bees

2008-09-26T11:44:00.001-03:00

Tell me how you can avoid “the talk” with questions like these:

Annie: Are we going to have any more babies?

Mom: No, I don’t think so.

Annie: But how do you KNOW you’re not going to?

Annie: Also, how does your body know if you are married or not? I mean, it’s your body, it can’t KNOW if you are married or not so it can have a baby or not?

Mom: Well, it actually is possible for someone to have a baby before they get married. But that’s not how Heavenly Father wants babies to come to earth. He really wants everyone to be born into a family.

Annie: And that’s why you should get married as soon as you can, like the minute you are grown up, so you don’t have a baby before you get married.

After a brief and careful description of a few things pertaining to the animal and human kingdom:

Annie: Okay, but do you only have to do that once . . .or maybe twice if you want two kids? I guess animals are lucky because they can have enough kids at one time to last them.

I’d love to hear suggestions as to how I should have answered these questions. You’ll notice I didn’t post my actual responses, for fear of being reported to Child Protective Services.

Darth Taylor

2008-09-21T22:35:00.008-03:00

Taylor turns five this week and he can't wait. Here's an update of what he's been up to lately.

Here's Taylor at his first soccer game. He is holding his class pet--Prayer Bear. It was his turn to take him home for the weekend. He went everywhere we went this weekend, except he didn't want to go to church for some reason.

Tay and Annie are both taking piano lessons and doing very well. Rob is even teaching himself how to play.

I sent Rob and Tay to the Sporting Goods store for soccer cleats. They also came home with these Tay-size golf clubs. We've been taking the kids to the driving range. They love it and we love the comments the older guys give us as they walk by: "You're setting them up for a lifetime of disappointment" "Look at those little Tigers would ya?"

Darth Taylor--What more can I say.

First Day of School

2008-09-21T22:12:00.010-03:00

Here's a picture of Annie's first day of school. She just started second grade at her new school and thinks it wonderful. She likes the weekends, but she can't wait to get back to school on Monday.

Here's a picture of Tay on his first day of school. He missed the Kindergarten cut-off by 25 days. He goes to Pre-K five days a week from 12:15-2:45. He LOVES it. He has made some great friends already. There are 13 kids in his class and 9 of them have birthdays in September. Everyone will be 5 by the end of the month. So this month, they've had birthday treats about every other day.

This is actually a picture of Annie and Taylor on my birthday. Since I am the photographer(picture taker is probably a more appropriate word)in our house, you will notice that I am never in any pictures. My aunt Syd brought me this great cupcake tree full of cupcakes made with the family recipe so it felt like I was right at home. Annie gave me a label maker.(I can't believe I have never owned one of these before)Tay gave me my favorite Lindor chocolates and Rob gave me a piano. It was my best birthday ever.

Blueberries, Fireflies, Unicorns and Rainbows

2008-07-24T11:47:00.010-03:00

Okay so there's no unicorns here, but we do have pictures of us catching fireflies in our backyard and a rainbow in our front yard and picking blueberries in someone else's yard.

Summer in Utah

2008-07-20T22:16:00.001-03:00

My first slide show!

Beach Trip 2008

2008-06-09T19:28:00.012-03:00

We just got back from our trip to the beach.

Annie and Tay had a great time. Here are some of the highlights.

School's Out

2008-05-30T09:47:00.011-03:00

Here's Taylor's last performance at his school. He's the tall guy in the middle. He had a great year. He has a little 2 1/2 inch stuffed dog, Furry (see picture below), that also earned his diploma. He went to school in Tay's pocket every day as a little comfort item. He would hug him for about one minute after I dropped him off then tuck him into his pocket.

Furry also attended Primary for a while until some of the other teachers mentioned that he (not Taylor, Furry) was too disruptive.

Temporary Housing

2008-04-28T17:19:00.015-03:00

We officially sold our house and are living in an apartment for the next 24 days. We are afraid that we are all going to need nicotine patches when we move out because we will all be addicted to the smokey smell of our place. But, what can you do? It's a buyers market.

Here are two pictures from our last few weeks in our house. Here's a picture of Grandpa Frank playing dart tag during his visit. We mean it when we say that we take dart tag seriously at our house.

Here's Grandma Vicki reading Annie The Black Stallion. She LOVED the book and will never forget the experience of reading a few chapters with Grandma every day during her visit.

Annie is now playing softball and really loves it so far. Her coach is our friend, Jason Fox (aka Elder Bednar), who just became our bishop. Two of his 5 daughters are on the team. They are the other two blondes without hats, thus promoting the local belief that Mormons don't wear hats.

Here's an action shot of Annie running for first base. Notice the location of the ball.

Dart Tag and Rollerskating

2008-04-08T22:36:00.009-03:00

Here we are participating in one of our favorite family activities--dart tag. When Taylor is in charge of the FHE activity, it is either Uno Attack, or Nerf dart tag every time. Rob's parents were here this week so we made Grandpa Frank play instead of me. He had a great time--we think.

Annie's new favorite sport is rollerskating. She just went to a birthday party at the skating rink and loved every second. It reminded me of skating with my best friend Jackie in her driveway to her Whitney Houston tape. div>

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T21:12:00.012-03:00

Here are a few pictures of Annie and Taylor posing in front of our For Sale sign. We have had a great time in our house the past 4 1/2 years. We will miss our friends and our neighborhood so much.We took these pictures after church, the week before Easter.

Here's Annie and Tay posing in front of our Easter table. We had our friends, the Haacks over for dinner. The kids are wearing their Easter church clothes. You may have noticed that it is impossible for Taylor to take a normal picture without some sort of dramatic posing.

We went to a great Easter egg hunt at our friends' church yesterday. Here's a shot of the kids with the Easter bunny lurking in the background. Those Baptists know how to throw an egg hunt.

Annie wrote the real Easter Bunny a letter to tell him thank you for being so great. She left out a piece of paper and pencil for him to write back. He left her a great note that she is going to take to school for show and tell.

What's Going On

2008-03-07T14:34:00.011-04:00

This is my first official post so I thought I would briefly write about what is going on in my life. It can basically be summed up with 4 words: Rob, Annie, Taylor, moving.

Here's a picture of Annie on Grandpa's horse. She is eagerly awaiting our upcoming move. Her excitement is all based on the bribe of getting a Wii once we get all settled in. She is also excited because her future school was recently featured on the news because their gym class does Dance Dance Revolution for P.E. They have enough equipment for 60 kids to dance at the same time. We hope, for her sake, the kids are graded on effort. She inherited her mom's dancing skills.

This is Taylor on his first day of school this year. He is the tallest, handsomest and silliest kid in his class. He only goes to school 2 days a week. He has also been bribed to put on a happy face for the move with visions of a bunk bed in his future. I saw a clip from Forrest Gump last week that reminded me of him. He says something like, "From then on, if I was going anywhere, I WAS RUNNING!" Tay can't walk anywhere. He HAS to run. He also has to be carrying something in his hands at all times--a car, a dog, a Lego creation, an airplane etc.

Here is Rob's official work photo. Wouldn't you want this guy managing your money?