THE EVERETT FAMILY

Truman at 5

2011-06-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

On the day of a school performance for Parker, I was desperately trying to free up space on our Flip video camera, which didn't work because the software had disappeared from our computer and took 45 min. to download whilst preserving the existing videos. Anyway, I thought I would pull out the old video camera which we haven't used for several years because the playback is broken. (Is it becoming clear that we aren't very tech-savvy?) And in the process, I discovered a memory card which I had no memory of! haha. This is a long way of saying, "Isn't Truman a precious baby?" He was so sweet and good-tempered.

And here he is on his birthday, five years later. Truman wins hearts wherever he goes. Even his sometimes mischievous nature seems lovable, because it's accompanied by a chubby giggle and a funny stubbornness. I was semi-complaining to a friend about his antics and she said, "I just hope he gets away with everything!" I'm so very glad he's our boy.

He played t-ball this Spring. He had fun being on a team with several friends. Adorable.

The after-game snack is the best part of the deal.

Winter 2011

2011-04-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

Parker and Todd went to Disneyland together for Parker's 7th birthday.

Emma and I had done the same thing for her 7th birthday, and Parker was super excited to go without the little kids so he could stay late and choose all the rides.

Another month, another school program.

Parker awarded a spot on the "Pyramid of Success" for Personal Best

PTA Father/Daughter Dance

Truman's 5th Birthday!

Truman had his first birthday party and chose a circus theme.
Since it was on a weekday morning, it was just me, Graham, and eight pre-k boys, plus our clown friend, Devin, who was a really great sport and hopefully gets some kind of home school credit for helping out.

Truman chose to dress like a "hawaii clown"

Holidays 2010

2011-04-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

This was our first Thanksgiving in our own home. Todd's brother, Tom and his family came to spend the holiday with us and to go to Disneyland. We really loved having them. We also spent the day with the Murphy and Miles families from our ward. So we had a few little connections going on: family, obviously, then mission: Craig and Tom served together in Dominican Republic, then high school: Heather, Michelle and I all went to Viewmont. (And I know my sentence structure is a mess. There goes my career as a copy editor, which is Todd's back-up plan for me if my best-selling novel doesn't materialize. haha. I've told him I can't come up with stories, but it doesn't sink in.) Here is the lovely girl table.

And the adorable little girl table.

The feast-loving adult table.
And . . . the boys were at the dark kitchen table making a good amount of noise, and frankly, I didn't want to go in there. So . . no photo. Anyway, it was a great day: good company, good food, lots of fun.

Another school program with toddler in tow. I love this Christmas program "Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts" which Emma also did a few years back. Parker now has the same teacher.

Parker with best friend, Joseph.

Cute Mrs. Bantle and Parker

Parker and Mom before the Mother and Son dance. We double dated with Joseph and Darla.

Kids at Mission Inn, Riverside

While I spent a happy weekend in Idaho with my mom and dad and Holly, Todd took the kids to see Santa. Graham is happy now, but minutes away from screaming on Santa's lap.

"What do you want?" Wii!

"Wii!"

"Wii!" They really ganged up on us this year :) And so falls the last household (according to the kids) without a Wii.

And then we had our Primary/ Ward Breakfast with Santa Activity and this picture of the Primary presidency with Santa was just so awkward I had to post it. Melanie, Kristen, Santa, Michelle, me.

Graham's one and a half already!

After one family decided to pack up and head to Utah, Emma discovered she would be the only girl on Christmas Eve. It was Emma as Mary or no Mary, so she gave up her dibs on the angel role. Luckily, the Christmas story is filled with boys. Everetts, Smiths, Beaches.

Since the stockings are on view, I'd like to add that we were near tears on several occasions because there were no Christmas characters (i.e. Santa, Bears, Snowman) on our stockings. The boys have grown, they've shopped, they've seen how the other half lives and they want Rudolph! I want the classic, tasteful, good for twenty years, already paid for kind.

Todd giving out small gifts from "Nani's Grab Bag," which is a tradition from his Grandma that we've followed when we're at home for Christmas.

The older boys with their gifts. Keegan's family is Utah red, so he got the Boise State colors.

After our friends left, the kids each opened a gift.

Graham has a bajillion pajamas, so he got a hat and mittens.

I tried but could not resist these matching robes I found on black Friday. No, they haven't been worn too often since then, but aren't my little men darling?

On the stairs Christmas morning.

That wraps up our Christmas day photos. Can you believe it? Three measley pictures. I just have no patience to keep bothering with the camera for more than a couple minutes. The kids got a Wii from Santa and the whole family has been playing Super Mario Bros. ever since. I have been dubbed Mom the Dragonslayer.

Our good friends the Freys came over on Christmas and we had a delicious dinner and played games together. Thank goodness we aren't the only ones without family in town or we'd be alone every holiday!

Fall 2010

2011-04-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

Truman is the engineer of the family. When I try to help him build a marble run, half the time he is correcting my work because I'm creating dead ends. He is very good at playing by himself and is quite independent in almost every other way. Sometimes that leads to messes in the kitchen because he has helped himself, or stubborn arguments because he doesn't doubt that he knows best, but usually it's a great attribute.

Here is Truman at preschool as Spiderman, showing some Spidey moves.

With our favorite Miss Michelle.

Halloween on a Sunday means trunk-or-treat at the church on Tuesday?
Emma is Ginny Weasley, Parker is GI Joe "Snake Eye" (or something), Graham hung tough most of the night.

Parker's second season of soccer and finally in a division with goalies. He loves to guard the goal and he's really good at it.

Soccer season means lots of roaming time for Graham. He actually picked up some nice kicking skills by the end of the season.

We ended up on a team with several of Parker's friends (and their moms, which made it nice for me, too).

Coach Al and Parker. Todd was able to be assistant coach and he really enjoyed it. He may coach next fall.

The (Lightning) Strikers

2011-04-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

In September we spent a weekend in St. George with Grandma and Grandpa Everett, and also Uncle Ted, Addison, and Jacob. We went to Pine Valley for some dutch oven lovin'. It was so beautiful and the kids loved running around, jumping the stream. We also kayaked at Gunlock, which was a nice workout and perfectly beautiful. Round it out with a rodeo and you have yourself a great weekend with family.

September also found us back at Disneyland. Graham's first trip was a success.

Sitting with Sissy on Casey Jr.

Emma is growing more helpful and lovely every day. What would we do without her?

And posed with Buddha belly for Halloween:

July 2010

2011-01-14T17:16:00.000-08:00

Long Beach Pike

In July we were sick. I was sick for weeks with what was possibly whooping cough. Todd's sickness luckily didn't overlap too much with the worst of mine. Anyway, we had to cancel our trip to Utah and Idaho. It was a bummer of a month.

Still, we did take the kids for two days to L.A. and try and make up for the lost "real" trip. We visited the L.A. Zoo, went to the Santa Monica Pier, Travel Town, Buca di Beppo's (yum) and then Long Beach Aquarium. Probably our last time trying to work one hotel room for 6 people.
Most memorable event was Truman's reaction upon seeing a naked boy "peeing" fountain at Buca di Beppo. He literally could not stop laughing, and he has a very infectious giggle.

Todd looking nice and trim at the height of his low-carb session.

June 2010

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

Emma is dressed up after a birthday party which included the tutu, the gloves and the curls. Not her usual "daytime" look.

At the Storm baseball game with our ward.

We had some nice days at the beach in the summer. With other families there for ward beach days, taking four kids wasn't bad at all. The kids loved having their friends from church to play with, and of course, I always love a good chat.

Parker with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Plunkett. He did very well in kindergarten, but I wouldn't say he was thrillled about it. Just tolerated. His strengths in class are being conscientious, generous, and obedient.

A small bit of the kindergarten graduation program.

Graham's Birthday

2010-11-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Don't laugh. I'm taking baby steps to dig myself out of a blog hole and I'm starting with Graham's birthday . . . which was in June.

We celebrated by having three families over for dinner and cake after church. Graham was slightly overwhelmed by the hubbub. When we sang to him and gave him the cake he started crying and was only consoled by his bottle. But, all in all, it was a fun first birthday gathering for our favorite baby!

2010-08-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of June, I was able to join some great girls from my ward for an over-night in Palm Springs. It was so relaxing to be at a pool all day without having to watch anyone. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Truman received the "Best Shot" Award at his end of year preschool program. His teacher said that regardless of the game, if it involves a ball, Truman always excels. I remember that for his first birthday "party" I tried to have a ball theme because it was what he loved most.

May 2010

2010-08-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

Photography by Parker

Our family in Arizona for nephew Sam's baby blessing.

2010-05-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

First of all, how can you fall asleep leaning on your hand like that? And secondly, I have a nearly identical picture from the Sunday afternoon session of the last General Conference. It sure was great having DVR this time around. So much more pleasant to just push pause instead of getting so uptight with the kids every time they needed me to do something in the middle of a really good talk. Plus, I'm much more likely to watch a talk here and there when I have time than when it was on VHS.

"Let me out!"

Here are a couple pics of the kids before our Easter egg hunt.

March

2010-04-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

March in a nutshell: new sod, broken elbow, boys who needed lots of baths because of dirt from the backyard work and, in Graham's case, from crawling army-style all over our tile floors.

A Little More February

2010-04-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

Truman has turned four. He is the cutest little boy, and the funniest person. Todd and I have to laugh at him, even when we shouldn't. Watching him try to find his place in the world and become a force to be reckoned with has mostly been very entertaining. Sometimes, lately, he crosses the 'naughty line' and even his cuteness can't save him. Truman is very independent. He helps himself. He has some strong opinions. ("I hate that backpack" - said about a random girl walking outside of the elementary school. And, "I'm not going to Primary ever again.") But, he is also a lot of fun. He was giggling so hard playing a game earlier this week that he fell over backwards. He loves when he gets to choose the activity for Family Home Evening; it's usually dodgeball. He has always been a very good builder, constructing marble runs, train tracks, and castles that look like they were built by someone twice his age. Truman has started taking a speech class at the elementary school, and we're hopeful that this will help others (and us!) be able to understand all that he says.

For his birthday "party," Todd took Truman and his friend, Jeremiah, for a round of fun at Mulligan's. They bowled, played miniature golf, rode the bumper cars and tiny trains, and apparently enjoyed some Ring Pops.

The only two pictures we took of our days away together:

February

2010-03-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

February was nice and full. Grandma and Grandpa Rudd came to visit us, and so did my sister, Janelle, and her family. These beach/park pictures are from a day the three kids spent with Grandpa Rudd watching the sea lions and playing at La Jolla. It was a little shocking to me that my dad can just hop in the car with three kids and few granola bars to be gone for the whole day. I am so used to packing and preparing for every contingency: jackets in case it's cold, swimsuits in case it's hot, sand buckets, hats, chairs, etc. They had a great day.

It was nice to have a sister in little kid mode, too, to pass the time with.

Todd and I spent a wonderful 3 days in Los Angeles. We stayed in Beverly Hills and went to Knotts', the Getty Center, a Jazz/Clippers game. It was so fun to have fun, without keeping track of anyone. The folks at home held FHE without us.

Parker's 6th birthday!

He wanted those (I think) icky pink-frosted "Lofthouse" sugar cookies instead of birthday cake. But he agreed to also have cupcakes so the rest of us could choose which we preferred.

With his birthday money from Grandma and Grandpa Everett, Parker wanted to go to Build-A-Bear. He walked in, knew exactly what he wanted, and was back out in around five minutes. I admire decisivesness like that. He named his bear, Sporty, and dressed him in karate clothes because he was taking karate at the time.

My favorite bikers.

Why is it so entertaining to watch two babies together?

Graham and Daisy

Christmas

2010-03-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the best photo to help us remember Christmas 2009. Emma followed my family's tradition of sleeping by the Christmas tree on the night before Christmas Eve. Except she got hit with the flu in the middle of the night, which is why the slipcover is off of the couch; it was being cleaned. So, the flu bug got in the way of our planned Christmas Eve party. The two families we had invited were left in the lurch, but were gracious about it. Our Christmas Eve was very quiet. These pictures are in backwards order.

Graham's first Christmas, but not his first "re-gift". What is the point of buying MOre baby toys? In fact, this toy was even a hand-me-down when Emma received it. I'm guessing it was purchased in 1993.

Gerber Puffs: the perfect stocking stuffer.

All Truman asked for was candy. And I was surprised by the pink bike!

Parker's Polar Express

2010-03-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Parker's kindergarten class as engineers.

Walking out with 100 kindergarteners to perform for the the kids at the flag ceremony.

Truman's Christmas Program

2010-03-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Truman's preschool program was funny. We had expected him to be our most "stagey" child, but he was really shy (as you can tell from the shoulder shrug pose.) During the songs he would try to discreetly scoot behind the other kids, a little side step at a time.

A day or two before this program, Truman burned the back of his hand really badly when he pulled the iron off the ironing board. We had to take him to the burn clinic in San Diego. I hate injuries. He still has a good-sized scar, but is otherwise fine.

His class this year is all boys - 2 of them are missing in these photos. His teacher's afternoon 3 yr. old class is all boys, and his Sunbeam class is 10 boys, no girls.

Newport Beach

2010-01-24T17:21:00.001-08:00

Crystal Cove State Beach, December '09 I loved these colors! Which one would look good on our family room walls?

One of the perks of coming to the beach on a cold and drizzly day in mid-December: a lot more seashells to find.

I gather by his face that Todd suspects me of taking a few too many photos.

I really was freezing. Todd graciously said that I looked like a nun? after my first picture, so for this shot I took off the hood I had cinched around my face. It's actually reminding me of most of my mission pictures taken between Nov. and March; scarf, pink nose, same coat, same damp cold, same forced exposure to the elements.

And this just reminded me of a funny story: A few weeks ago at dinner, Todd mentioned the MTC and then explained to Parker that the letters stand for Missionary Training Center. After a pause, a big, "OOOhhhhhh!" from Emma. "All this time I thought it was the empty sea!" And she started laughing. "I thought you were just out in the middle of the ocean, paddling this tiny boat all by yourself!"

It was pretty funny. And could this possibly be a reason why whenever I've asked if she wants to go on a mission, I get a very quick "no"?

We spent a long weekend in Newport Beach in December staying at a Marriot timeshare we had first booked around 18 months ago! We had various postponements, but finally had to use it or lose it. Except for the almost non-stop rain, we had a great weekend. In addition to the beach, we went to the Irvine Spectrum where Emma got to try ice-skating for the first time. The boys and I watched, and below is a picture of Truman giving fives to the skaters as they came around. At first he would duck down so that only his arm showed when anyone skated by except for Emma and Todd. He gradually got to the point where he would show his face as strangers gave him five.

Cute father/daughter moments. Todd wore out before Emma did. The other kids and I killed time by eating funnel cakes and looking at puppies in the pet store. They were so adorable that I actually got to the point where I was 25-30% in favor of getting a dog.

I also lost Truman and was completely stressed out for five minutes. That has got to be one of the top ten worst feelings as a parent when you've been looking for a few minutes and you really have no idea where your child could be. Anyway, sorry to taint the good times. We eventually found him! Yay!

No triple Salchows yet, (and yes, I just checked the spelling on that) but she had fun. Can't wait for the Olympics!

2010-01-23T14:29:00.000-08:00

This year was our first with two Christmas trees. Some girls in our neighborhood were fundraising by selling trees, so we got a tiny, real tree that the kids were in charge of decorating, and set up our pre-lit beauty in the living room. It was so nice to have the smell, the colored lights, and the keepsake ornaments on display. Graham's first Christmas!

(I still want to paint the family room, so I'll take any suggestions out there. The living room is Benjamin Moore Philadelphia Cream, but I'm leaning towards something cooler here. Thoughts? The sectional is kind of a moss brown.)

Emma's Webkinz get taken for a ride. They are like family since we know them all by name and celebrate their birthdays, as well. Emma's two best friends are also Webkinz fans. They have a club where they communicate by mail (the stamps are disappearing) mostly about what they have made or will make for their pets to wear, or when the club will meet again. The penguin shown here was a visiting friend.

Thanksgiving 2009 in St. George: Perry (a second cousin), Truman, and Tyler at the little, little kids table.

Emma, Makayla (Perry's sister), and Parker at the young-ish kids foosball table, and Todd and I rounded out the mid-adolescent to teenager table, while everyone else was grown up.

Parker got a place on "The Pyramid of Success" at school for "Hard Work." When I can find the paper in my oh-so-organized filing system, I'll share what his teacher wrote about him.

Fall Happs

2009-11-07T18:54:00.001-08:00

Okay. Here we go. Parker and Truman: Halloween night. I loved taking these boys trick-or-treating. They looked so cute as I watched them trotting up and down the sidewalks of the neighborhood. They commented on all the decorations at each house, and I could tell they loved the excitement in the air and being outside after dark. Parker actually considered skipping the outing because he wanted to be home to pass out candy and see the other kids' costumes, too. Parker wore Darth Vader to our ward activity, so they made a cute duo that night.

Emma, sporting the scarecrow costume that Grandma made for Aunt Janelle twenty-odd years ago. Lesson learned: if you hang onto something long enough, you will use it again one day! Emma was thrilled that we let her go trick-or-treating with her friend, Heidi, this year. She is the youngest in her family, so there were no little ones to slow them down.

I know. Grow up. My mom made this for a dance at BYU back in the day. Honestly, I just didn't want to buy a costume for Graham and thought he'd be more recognizable as Dopey next to Snow White. I was a little worried I'd be conspicuous dressed up at our ward's trunk-or-treat. No sir. This new ward was over the top. It's a very dramatic bunch. I'd bet 60% of the adults were in full, good costumes.

Here we have several photos of our favorite baby. I just love to see his chubby face and round head over and over. He is growing so fast. He wears mostly 9 mo. clothing and I think weighs around 18 pounds. He loves to smile at people who talk to him. He laughs easily and makes us happy by just being here. The kids still fight to sit next to him or hold him and he now goes by Graham, Gramby, Grambo, Baby G, Graham-o, Grammy, Ram, and Rami (Truman can't pronounce his "G's"). Also, Bubsy.

There was another photo of Todd holding Graham that I titled "The Double Double". ha ha. I wasn't sure if Todd would love to have me post it, but for the record there is a distinct chin commonality between these two boys. Would you also take a look at that meaty fist? Graham can get up to 8 of those fat fingers in his mouth at one time. I've never had such a suckster. He will sometimes pull out his binky to suck on his thumb.

Here is Parker's kindergarten class as they perform in a "Harvest" program. Parker is top left.

Five little pumpkins.

Truman as Yoda with his preschool buddies, minus one who was too shy. See the video below.

Todd's 37th. I love you!
Normally we do serve birthday cake out of the pan, but this new mix had choco chips that sank to the bottom of the pan and never let go. Fresh and Easy brand - don't try it.

Truman does some sort of pumpkin jig at the farm.

Emma spent the evening taking pictures with an old, disconnected cell phone Todd gave her. She asks me seriously when she's getting a real one! What!?

Soccer season is wrapping up. Don't you love how there are ten kids within ten feet of the ball? Parker scored his first goal last week. Way to go, Parker!

And now back to Labor Day. We drove to Janelle and Rob's near Carson City and had a really great weekend with them. It was our first visit to their new home, or any home of theirs, actually. Thanks you guys for having us! The kids are still talking about that high-tech toilet!

Truman and Jett go around and around and around. Beautiful setting as backdrop.

Daisy Faye and Graham are one day apart. I would call them Irish twins, except that means siblings born within the same year. Hmm. Irish cousins? no, I mean twin cousins . no. Oh dear, I am getting really tired.

"I love you little cousin. Ka-Pow!"

He really does look to have some kind of rock 'em sock 'em fist, but he's not a violent child.

It was very sweet watching these two babes together.

Sorry the picture is vertical.

At Lake Tahoe: stunning, but a mite bit chilly.

Rob and Coco

Here is the video from Halloween. It would only upload to the bottom of the page for some reason.

Everett Jackson Reunion

2009-09-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

We went over to Jackson Hole for a reunion with Todd's side of the family in August, and these are the pictures we got before our memory card filled up.

Emma with Grandma Everett

Parker, Jacob, and Emma on the Hidden Falls hike.

I had to include this picture of Jake showing his angry side, because tonight at dinner Emma asked if we'd ever actually known anyone who really got coal from Santa Claus. Well, we do know one person. Is he headed for a repeat?

Truman, Graham and I waiting for the boat at Jenny Lake. I did take a Snugli for the hike, but really it was more convenient just to carry him.

Back at the Ranch

2009-09-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

Todd tried to set some jumping records at the sand dunes.

The albino elk at Bear World was too interesting not to post. It's a lonely existence; can't "join in any reindeer games", and all that.

Emma's ladder ball game has dramatically improved. We bought a set after returning home, but Truman, Mr. Take-it-apart Man, soon put an end to the fun.

Chillaxin'

A little "out of the suburbs" therapy, with Todd this year, was just what the kids and I needed.

Baby Blessing

2009-09-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

We blessed Graham the first weekend in August at my brother's ward in Salt Lake. It was a special day, and we really appreciated Lowe and Michelle hosting the affair. Lowe makes a great bishop! One of the things from the baby blessing that stands out in my mind was that Graham would be blessed to appreciate the differences of others and to love them; to have charity. I look forward to seeing Graham grow and having him in our lives. We love our little baby!

With Uncle Jordan who came from I.F. with Julie and kids. Looks like he's ready for another one! LOL

Graham is wearing the only "blessing outfit" that any of our kids has worn. I'll admit that in the past I felt they seemed a little too Catholic for my taste. I guess ten years after coming home from Italy the effect is wearing off. Nothing wrong with a little rite and ritual in good measure, I always say. Anyway, he looked adorable. He was especially chubby when we put on his cap and fastened the strap under his double chin, but he didn't stay happy in it long enough for a good photo.

Chloe, Cecily and Emma

Precious.

Even though this happened 7 weeks ago, Parker just came by the computer, saw this picture, and started hammering me with questions about how many brownies Emma got on this day, and at what time she consumed them. Honestly! Kids and sugar!

Julie and Holly lunch prepping. It's lovely to be with sisters.

Michelle, Julie, Holly and Mom . . . and Emerson's head.

Steve, Chloe, Jordan, Holly, Maia (who was unbelievably cute and entertaining).

Newborn pics

2009-08-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

My friend, and very talented photographer Melanie, took some great pictures of Graham at 3 weeks. She also took darling photos of the kids, but they won't load on - too many MBs. Someone with more computer savvy could figure it out, I'm sure. This picture makes me realize how huge my baby has gotten. Look at his tiny newborn-ness.

melaniesmithphotography.com

A Visit from Uncle Tom

2009-08-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Todd's brother Tom came to visit with his family in the beginning of July. Katie and Kellen were lots of fun to play with, and Truman decided Aunt Jeni was his new best friend. Honestly. He wanted her to get him dressed and one morning he sat outside her door waiting for her to wake up and come out. When they were leaving, he said, "I want the nice mom to come back!"
Thanks for coming guys, and we all hope you'll come back. Swingtime! Since Todd was away on business, and I was still in recovery/survival mode, we didn't offer much in the way of exciting entertainment: the park, the pool, and Shakey's Pizza.

Last week of May

2009-08-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

I never posted these photos from the end of May. Parker's pre-school graduation was very cute. His teacher, Miss Michelle, is a wonder. She used to teach high school dance, so their programs are always really fun to watch.

Brynn, Porter, Calie, Jacob, Cami, Mae and Parker; Harry was having a hard night and sat with the audience. This was a great class of kids, and they were together for two years.

"You've Got a Friend in Me" (Disney theme)

Big finish: Brynn stoically danced on, minus a partner.

When Miss Michelle invited anyone to join in the chicken dance up front, Truman was on his feet and heading for the 'stage' before she finished talking!

Way to go, Parker! You've grown and changed so much in the past two years!

There were three age divisions for the gunny-sack races, and it was an Everett sweep. Emma had an impressive win against all the older boys, and Truman wasn't about to let the family down!

My ward gave me a baby shower and replenished the "boy closet". These were some women who stuck around to visit afterwards. It was a lot of fun.

Lovely spread.

Memorial Weekend we drove over to Long Beach to visit the gravesites of my grandparents, great-grandparents and uncle. I told the kids a little bit about my Grandma Cole as we drove over. I always remember going to the cemetary for Memorial Day growing up and wanted to pass on the tradition. I think it's important for our kids to know that there is a reason for the holiday beyond a bbq. We put a flag on my grandpa's grave because he was a WWII veteran.

Welcome Graham!

2009-06-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

We had a new arrival on Saturday, June 6th. Graham Ryan Everett was born at 11:14 pm, weighed 6.8 lbs and is 20.5 inches. His delivery was on the quick side, as we got to the hospital at 10:00 pm. I had been having contractions off and on, throughout the evening as Todd and I went out to dinner with some friends, took the baby-sitter home, and started watching a movie on tv. It wasn't until 9:30 that I really got convinced that I was in serious labor. I just kept thinking that the contractions would stop, since that had been the pattern for the previous week. Luckily, we delivered at our local (tiny) hospital, so we didn't have far to go.
It was such a relief to have our baby here, safe and sound! The delivery was a little frightening because the cord was wrapped really tightly around his neck twice. But, after a minute or two, he was crying with the best of them and is just perfect.
Todd went back home around 2:00 a.m. and had big news to share with the kids when they woke up Sunday morning! ("The stork came during the night!" j/k)

The kids came to see me and Graham right after church on Sunday afternoon. Pretty impressive that Todd got them up and ready for our 8:30 church after his long night.

Truman was so cute with the baby. He has been looking forward to this for a long time, and was very interested in helping to get Graham's room ready along with his clothes and diapers. He loves to hold Graham whenever he gets the chance. In fact, tonight, as we were tucking him in, he was crying because "I didn't get to hold the baby tonight!" He often walks into my room and asks, "Where's my baby?" When he is talking to Graham, he always addresses him as baby Graham. "Hi, baby Graham!"

That's all I have time for tonight!

Third Weekend in May

2009-06-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

Todd planned a hike at Zion's with his brother and some friends, and my mother-in-law was kind enough to offer to have him bring the kids, too! They spent a hot afternoon on the "red rocks" on Friday and did lots of climbing. James (son of Todd's co-worker, Mike) Jacob, Emma, Parker and Truman.

Truman being spotted by Mike.

Second Weekend in May

2009-06-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

This year Truman was included in our ward's Fathers and Sons campout. The boys had a grand, old time overnighting with Todd. And Emma and I lived it up by renting a video, eating out and painting our toenails together. We also took our time browsing at the library and really stocked up on books without Truman to hurry us along.

Emma's Baptism

2009-06-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

On May 2, Emma was baptized. The program was so nice, and it was wonderful to have both grandparents here, along with Todd's brother, Ted, with two of his boys. We are so proud of Emma. She has always had a desire to choose the right, and to learn as much as she can about Heavenly Father's plan. We are blessed to be her parents.

Emma with Mackenzie, Hope, Heidi, Aimee, and Aubrey. What great little friends to come and support her on a special day.

At the end of April, Todd's sister, Stephanie and her family came for a few days. Tyler enjoyed playing with the boys, and he named Truman, "Buddy." I love the look on Tyler's face in this photo. He's such a personality!

Jonathan with cute Haylie.

Emma and Julie modeling their new pajamas from Aunt Stacey.

Easter

2009-04-12T22:35:00.001-07:00

Some photos of our family Easter egg hunt. Every time Truman found an egg he'd say, "Oh. . . Wow!"

Emma cannot find the egg we told her was in the rosebush.

It's late now, but if I don't post these pictures tonight, it will probably be a few weeks before I get back in the mode. I'm mostly an "egg hunt on Saturday" kind of person, but Emma and I were gone too long yesterday to fit it in. So, here are the kids, ready to go. Especially Truman who has the sweetest tooth I've ever known. Here I am, 9 weeks to go!

Parker and Truman, not true to life. They are looking too chummy.

And . . . our vegetable boxes! I put this on for my mom, who wanted to see them. I am quite proud of our handiwork, though. I had the lumber cut myself at Lowe's and Todd assembled them. The kids and I stained them. We planted seeds and a few tomato plants. Todd and Parker did the edging and gravel yesterday. They are the one spot in our backyard that looks intentional.

Emma's 8th Birthday

2009-04-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

Friday was Emma's birthday, and she turned down two invitations to other birthday slumber parties because she wanted to celebrate at home with us, having ice cream sundaes and watching "High School Musical 2" after the boys went to bed. I had to assure her the boys would be asleep, because at the video store she worried about her movie choice being appropriate as a family film because, as she said, "At the beginning, Sharpay sings a song that is a little bit . . . um . . sassy." She actually just saw the first HSM a week ago, and we have yet to watch #3.
I am finally feeling like I need to let her be like the other kids her age and watch these shows, even though I wish she didn't want to. I mean, honestly why couldn't the other 5,6, and 7 year-olds stick to Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Ponies? Parker just went to a "rock" birthday party for a little girl in his preschool who is a huge fan of American Idol. Ah, sweet, innocent childhood.
But Emma is a sweet, innocent girl and we love her and are so happy she's a part of our family.
The big event of Emma's birthday celebration was a trip to the American Girl store in LA to buy a doll. She has been wanting one for a very long while and counting down the days till our visit there. I will just add, as a side note, that upon returning home, I said to Todd that I would be happy if all of Los Angeles, except maybe Dodger Stadium, was flung out into the ocean and landed somewhere near Hawaii. I am just not a big fan. The place is a mess. And I'm not just saying that because it took us around 2 and a half hours to travel the 65 miles from Corona to Hollywood - on a Saturday. Anyway, we took a "short cut" home by going on the 10 to the 60 to the 71 to the 91 to the 15. (Sorry. I sound so cranky.)
So, look at these cute pictures of Emma enjoying herself. And thank you to her grandparents for contributing to the gift!

Although she had never been to the store before, Emma was quite the expert thanks to all of her research on Americangirl.com. She even printed out the driving directions herself.

On the drive home Emma said about her doll, "I'm just so happy that she belongs to me now, and not the store."

Emma and "Julie"
(Julie joined us at our Easter dinner with her own place setting and colored egg.)

Spring Break

2009-04-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks of March was our Spring break. This is the last year we will get two weeks off instead of one. I'll admit I was a little daunted by the prospect of that much unstructured time with the kids. I made a plan to have a daily theme: gardening day, sports day, craft day, etc. Overall, I think it was a success. It helped me to wake up knowing there was something planned, instead of just ten hours of time to fill up.
We also ended up with free Legoland tickets, thanks to the generosity of a friend, and it was the perfect day there. I think our kids were just the right age for this park. They do have some tricky height restrictions, but everyone had a great time; beautiful weather, no lines, plenty of time for free play. Parker likes it more than Disneyland now. My own child!

Here we are at the beach. Thankfully, I didn't try to take the kids alone as I had planned. Dads are just so great, aren't they? Todd helped build sandcastles, and I got to sit the whole time and take pictures and hand out snacks.

At Long Last

2009-03-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

Okay. So, here is the news since the last post. We are all moved into our new house (HOORAY!) as of February 1. We are enjoying the added space and peace of mind that we aren't dealing with a derelict landlord anymore! The kids all love the house and are settling in well. I think their favorite part of the new digs is the staircase that is open to the living room below. Stairs alone would be thrilling, but when you can launch things over the railing to the tile below . . . heaven.
Although we didn't move far, we are in a new ward. The Primary is probably twice the size of our last ward's and the kids all have lots of potential friends. Half of Parker's preschool class is in this ward, and his preschool teacher is now Truman's nursery leader!
I have been busy scouring Craigslist and contemplating the decorating questions that weigh heavily upon my mind.
Todd was hired into a new position which required him to change offices. It is a promotion, though similar to what he was doing before. Great news except that he now commutes to Orange County instead of San Diego, so he is up and gone very early and sometimes home late.
Anyway, that's the recap, and here are the pictures that we managed from January/February.

Truman turns three! Grandma and Grandpa Rudd were here for the celebration.

Parker starts t-ball. His first game was on moving day. That was an exhausting weekend.

Emma, Parker, and Truman with Aunt Janelle, Coco, and Jett who dropped in for a fun afternoon to see us before going to Disneyland.

Parker's Star Wars birthday party which was three days before the move and a great success.

The boys loved the "Yoda Soda".

Using the Force to keep their balloons in the air with pipe insulation light sabers. (I go all out. You should have seen the Death Star Pinata we made, held together with masking tape.)

He's five!

Thiis was one of those times when the kids said, "Mom! Come take a picture of us! For some reason the purple gloves made Emma into the superhero's nemesis. I don't know. I just point and shoot because it's easier than questioning.

Truman tries to copy Parker's superhero pose but looks slightly less coordinated.

Please ignore the mayhem in the background. Everything was skaddywampus as we packed up.

IT'S A BOY!!!

2009-01-09T10:18:00.001-08:00

Christmas

2009-01-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve day we went bowling with Holly and Steve.

I think there is a similar picture somewhere of me and and my siblings looking out of this window when we were little. My dad grew up in the house he and my mom live in now.

Two angels, and we had to rope in adults as Mary and Joseph. I don't know what's up with the wiseman glasses/nose.

Trevor and Truman entranced with Geotrax. (More! Those things are so bulky.)

Emma with what Santa Claus brought. (No real kitten, again.)

Christmas was really nice. We hadn't been with my family at Christmas for five years, so the long trip was worth it. (Right, Todd?) This is a short-winded blog because I am short on time, but we hope you all had wonderful holidays as well!

Snow

2009-01-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

This is the plowed road. At least it protects you from a collision with oncoming traffic, although having a median this high makes a left hand turn more tricky.

Family Party

2009-01-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

The Monday before Christmas, all of my siblings but one were able to gather in snowy Idaho Falls at my sister Julie's for a great party. This was no small feat considering the weather and distance. Here I am with Janelle, Holly and Holly's son, Trevor.

Below are Steve, Julie, Mom, Todd, Rob, Michelle and Lowe.

Singing carols with the cousins.

Truman was really excited about "Jingle Bells", seeing as it's the only song he knows.

All of the grandkids, minus Jenna's four and Maia and Coco who were already asleep.

Christmas Programs

2009-01-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

Emma's class performed "The Elves and the Shoemaker" at the holiday open house. Emma was the lead lady as Gretchen, the shoemaker's wife. She was a whiz at memorizing lots of lines and keeping cool.

Parker's class had some very cute choreography, as usual. "Oh ho, the mistletoe, hung where you can see. Somebody waits for you, kiss her once for me."

For Christmas I was surprised with a new camera, so hopefully the next program's pictures will turn out better.

Last Hurrah at Disneyland

2009-01-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

You are seeing the last Disneyland photos for a good long while. Our season passes expired at the beginning of December. We went a lot. Enough that we are ready to give it a rest for a few years. I never knew I could get my fill. Of course, it's only been a month.

Sometimes you have to use the camera to kill some time. The boys and I are waiting for Emma and Todd to get off Soarin' Over California.

For Todd

2008-12-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

Todd and I met in December, and twelve years ago tomorrow was our first date; ice skating followed by hot chocolate. Each year when I listen to this Celine Dion song, it means more because of the added memories and adventures of another year spent together.

The big news

2008-12-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

We would like to announce to the blogging world that we are expecting our fourth child in June! I haven't been good about keeping up with our blog for the past few months because I've been sick, but I'm hoping that in another few weeks it will get better. One day at a time.
We took a trip to St. George to be with Todd's parents and two brothers for Thanksgiving. The kids had fun playing with their cousins, and were really very good on the road.

Another thing that has made the last few months interesting is our "move" - that hasn't happened yet. We had our offer accepted on a bank-owned home . . . in September. I dutifully started packing a few boxes a day in mid-October. We had thought we might close on the house and start moving things over on Halloween. And then we thought it might be each of the following weekends, until we got to Thanksgiving. Then we learned that there was an error when the house was foreclosed on and the bank doesn't have the title in the right name, or something. So, we have a garage half-full of boxes, our landlord is planning to move back into the rental we're in now, and I don't know much more than that, except that it will all work out, right?

In the meantime, we decided to make an offer on another bank-owned home to see if we could move forward more quickly that way. We still haven't canceled our contract on the first home, but apparently we could get out of it if we choose to. Today we found out that there are multiple offers on the second home, so we resubmitted our "best" offer and will most likely have to wait a week to hear back.

That is our latest news!

October's photos

2008-11-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, sorry for the month-long hiatus. Last week I realized that I just hadn't taken any pictures for a while, so I went out to the back yard and snapped some of the kids. I had been planning to get rid of this playset when we moved because it ruins the grass and I thought the kids wouldn't miss it. Then they spent two or more hours that afternoon playing together on it. Anything that facilitates cooperative play is a keeper.

All of a sudden, Truman's shirts are getting too short on him! I didn't notice until I saw this picture on the computer. He's growing up!

This is Parker at Disneyland (by the Small World ride that has been closed since last Spring). We were waiting while the others went on Matterhorn because, in his own words, Parker doesn't like to go fast. He also is wearing this hat for the first time, I think. He informed us in the car that his name at Disneyland would be Bear Brown, and we could just call him, Mr. Brown.

Can you believe they would let a tiny person like Truman walk onto this ride? 35 inches! Truman is a kid made for roller coasters. His first was the red roller coaster in Toon Town. He rode on it with Todd and when we got to the end of the ride I could hear he was crying. . . It was because he didn't want to get off! He was crying and saying, "Again, again!"

Parker and Miss Michelle at Parker's preschool Halloween program. He is wearing last year's costume because when it came right down to it, he was nervous about wearing the Darth Vader costume.

Something awful has happened and some of the pictures from Halloween night are lost. Truman was the cutest monkey again. I'm sad his picture disappeared. But, I guess not sad enough to get the costume back out and dress him in it for another picture.

Target was sold out of witch hats, so the wig is a fill-in, but I think it turned out pretty well. Something about the white dress socks and mary janes doesn't say "witch", but it's still cute.

Our little Linus

2008-09-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

I came out of my room a few weeks ago, and found Truman just standing at the window like this. That is his blue blanket (i.e. best friend) hanging on the laundry line outside. He's very attached. On this particular day his blanket had to be washed because he had dragged it on the ground outside. Since then he is very conscientious and always bundles it up high in his arms when he takes it out of the house.
A week or so before this photo, I had washed his blanket, but forgot to put it in the dryer. So, at bedtime I showed him that it was wet and put him to bed without it. An hour or so later, Todd and I were watching tv and heard a few doors open, and then a stool being dragged on the ground and the washer lid clanging open! So resourceful and so cute! We let him come sit with us until his blanket was dry. When I gave him his blanket he had such a look of relief and happiness on his face because he was so sleepy and now he could finally get some rest!

(I apologize for one of the uglier side yards on the planet. We do have grass in the back!)

Know-it-all

2008-09-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Emma: Where does God come from?
Me: Honey, I do not know the answer to that question.
Emma: I hope that Google knows the answer.
Me: Google does not know the answer.
Emma: But Google knows everything!

The Worth of a Mother and a Heartfelt Prayer

2008-09-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

Several days ago, I was in the kitchen dealing with a whiny Parker. He wanted a drink, but wasn't being polite or helpful. So, this is the conversation that followed:
Me: Parker, please bring me your cup.
Parker: (From the floor) No-hohoo-oh!
Me: (As I hand him the cup) Do you think that I am your slave, or something? (I must say, asked in all honesty. But I don't think he knows what a slave is.)
Parker: No.
Emma: (exasperated) Well then pay her a few pennies!

. . .

Our mealtime prayers fall short of the ideal, pretty much all of the time. Truman is usually willing enough to fold his arms before we begin, but after sitting still for about two syllables, he counts it good and starts into his meal. Parker practices "watchful prayer" where he sits still, but his eyes won't shut. We're working on it. This was the attempt at breakfast:
Parker: Please bless Truman that he can learn to talk better. . .
And please bless him that he won't chew with his mouth open . . . (Truman falls silent.)

July and little June on the side

2008-08-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Emma with her piano teacher at her recital.

Towards the end of June our family had a mini-vacation (less than 24 hours) in San Diego. We stayed at a great hotel in Mission Valley. We swam, played, visited the zoo at night (the koalas were awake!) and went to Todd's work party at Mission Bay the next day.
Livin' large. Parker and Truman had never stayed in a hotel before.
View of the pool from our room. I give Priceline 4 stars. I love the gamble.
Miles, Cecily, Truman and Emma at the zoo.
On our hike in Idylwild.

Best friend brothers: Parker, Truman, Jeremiah, and Jacob.
Parker's preschool class, all decked out in American glory.
Parker's display of three things about him:

1. superhero - Parker always wants it clear when he learns a new story, "Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys." Our FHE lesson about David and Goliath prompted a lot of scared questions about giants. Being a superhero sorts out all those fears for Parker.

2. Measuring spoons because Parker loves to help in the kitchen.

3. Tennis shoe because Parker loves to play tag, chase, and run.

Parker and Emma. Parker was recruited because both of the girls wanted a turn to be the beautiful butterfly and Cecily flat out wouldn't be an ugly bug.
Emma and Cecily

TRIP TO IDAHO

Emma lives the dream: bareback riding.
This picture represents Parker's general response to do the opposite of what I ask. "Smile!"
Truman weighs less than the saddle.

Jett and Truman enjoying "the system" in Jenna's car. Our family makes do with a flimsily strapped up DVD player that no one can hear or see. But for some reason it satisfies them.

Jett and Truman being chummy. Here's a typical conversation between the close cousins:

Jett: "Truman, where are you? Truman, do you want to go outside and throw rocks with me?"

Truman: "ao-ee eowa eh eh. chuckle chuckle"

FYI, to the people who care, I took Truman to the speech therapist this week and he's going to start some sessions. He might have a mild speech apraxia problem, so I'm glad I decided to take him in. Keep you posted.

Ready to go get the horses from the pasture with Grandpa.
Grandpa with High Pockets (Hy) and Blaze.

Emma has been obsessed (and I don't use that word lightly) with all things "Little House" for several months. I don't know how many times she has read the whole Laura series, but trust me, there is no question she could not answer (or ask!) on the topic. Anyway, she was in heaven in Idaho living a little closer to the pioneer ideal. She also found a book from the Rose Years series (Laura's daughter) at the D.I. in Rexburg and it was like Christmas morning. Emma loved being around the horses and spent many hours just hanging around the corral picking alfalfa and bringing it them.

Checkers: the inter-generational pastime.
So cute.
(Janelle, feel free to copy this and add to your post.)
I love the open sky. It was great to be home with Todd again after two WHOLE weeks! (and 2,000 miles alone with 3 children) but depressing to come back to crowded So. Cal.

And for my dear, dear friends who I didn't see along the 15, please forgive me. I love you!

Parker on top of the world at the sand dunes.

June is almost over!

2008-06-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

This piano recital actually took place before the last post over three weeks ago. I am losing some blogging steam. Emma played in her spring piano recital and did a great job. It's fun to hear her progression as she is practicing at home, and the songs get more interesting, too. Although, if I never hear "Ode to Joy" again, that wouldn't be a problem.

Parker had a Spring Sing program for his preschool the same night as Emma's piano recital. The kids were so cute. Parker impressed us with his dancing and singing. I'm posting a short clip of their "Hoedown". It was really fun. Parker received the "Best Behavior" award from his teacher! She said of all the kids, she never has to tell Parker anything twice! He is always right where he is supposed to be. No one was more surprised than Todd or I at this pleasant news. I mean, Parker is a good kid, but I think he probably obeys better at school than at home for fear of drawing attention to himself if he doesn't. He can be very shy. If an adult makes a comment about something he is wearing, then he never wants to wear that item of clothing again. He prefers "under the radar". He is also very sweet, though, and eager to please people he loves, like his teacher, Miss Michelle. He is already asking when school will start again.

The day after the kids' events, my sister Julie and her kids came to visit. Some memories of her visit: Parker saying, "Aunt Ju-ey! Aunt Ju-ey, come on." Emma dragging herself into the boys' room and crashing on the floor before I could even get a pillow under her head because Cecily was so wired and she was SO tired. (My kids inherited Todd's non-night owl genes.) Miles' general enthusiasm. Julie deciding to throw one more theme park into the mix so she could spend five days straight in single parent suicide. The day after they left, Parker saying "Ju-ey's boys are ca-wazy, wight, Mom!?LOL They had been rough-housing together and Parker told me how he remembered it, laughing as he did, like he was retelling a funny story: "I thought Miles was going to kick me in the nose . . . so I cwosed my eyes . . . and HE DID kick me in the nose! That's funny, wight Mom?"

More recently, two weekends ago, we drove up to Idyllwild in the San Bernardino mtns. We met Todd's co-worker and family there. It's a pretty town, at about 6,000 ft. We went on a short hike and called it a day early because Truman konked out the minute he was put in his car seat. On the drive home in the afternoon, the temperature climbed 20 degrees as we came out of the mountains! It felt so good to get out of suburbia for a day. We took a new way to Idyllwild, going east first and then north, and it was so scenic and peaceful. It's always amazing to see something new when you never knew it was there before.

I'm having trouble loading pictures, so I'll try to get them up later.

Emma's skills

2008-06-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago on a looong Sunday afternoon (we have church at 8:30), we were entertaining ourselves with a game of throw the beach ball in the hula hoop held by Dad. Emma has gotten pretty tricky with the hula hoop lately. It's the new recess pastime. I told her if she could show me some good stuff I would put it on the blog. So here it is:

Since I've never learned how to hula hoop, I was pretty impressed. If any of you out there are closet hula hoopers, I'm sure Emma would love to see your tricks, too!

Blog backlog

2008-06-05T10:27:00.001-07:00

The last of the brunettes: this is me with my five sisters, my mom, and my newest niece, Coco, (Nicole). We got together the last weekend of April, and I am finally doing a post about it. Thinking about that weekend makes me smile. I love being with my sisters and mom, and we don't get to do it often enough. (FYI, showing up in matching shirts was accidental :)
The Rudd Women
I love you guys! Julie is coming tomorrow (hooray!) and I will see the rest of you in July, I hope.
Joanna lives in a great biking town. Don't you love all these cruisers. We rode to the farmer's market and I felt like we were on "The Sound of Music". We actually did sing a few bars of Do-Re-Mi.

May

2008-05-27T12:26:00.001-07:00

Parker at his first Fathers and Sons camp-out. He had me draw a tent on the calendar weeks before the event, and he looked forward to it so much. He and Todd had a great time, and maybe next year, Truman will be ready for the adventure.
A milestone in the life of Truman: he's left the crib behind him. Taking apart the crib felt so momentous. He made the transition on his own. He and Parker have bunkbeds in their room, and one night, he just crawled into the bottom bunk and stayed there all night. I gave it a few weeks with the crib still up, just in case. Now their room feels so much more open, and they have a lot more space to play, so it's a win-win-win!
Yesterday, we tried to hike to some waterfalls in the mountains near us. We didn't actually make it that far, though. As we left, I told Todd, "Next time we'll come better prepared with lunch, water . . . and no kids."
This picture represents my goal for a few weeks in May: To prepare all the food for breakfast and lunch and have everything on the table before the kids can eat. (vs. getting them started on a sandwich or cereal while I continue to get the rest of the food ready, or feed late-comers, and bring them drinks, and then second servings.) What I learned: It saved me constantly getting up and down (or standing the whole time), and I got to actually eat, but we had more left-overs. I think they ate more though, and wanted fewer snacks.
I took this picture because I liked the color contrast on the plate. It was also my first Persian cucumber (tasty - the size of a pickle) and my first ghost sandwich, which was my attempt to get the boys to eat cheap, dried-out bread. And it worked.

Disneyland birthday

2008-05-03T21:34:00.001-07:00

I have to do a quick post about a great day. Emma and I went to Disneyland by ourselves to celebrate her birthday. (The matching outfits weren't quite intentional.) This was a long-awaited trip for Emma. She had stored up quite a wish list of things she wanted to do unencumbered by her little brothers. I am pretty sure we did it all. It's been awhile since I spent 12 hours there. The highlight of her day was eating dinner at Ariel's Grotto restaurant, where the princesses each come to your table and sign autographs/ pose with you for pictures. The lowlight of the day was realizing I was spending a bundle of money on bad food, and I didn't have my camera to take pictures of Emma with the princesses. I did use my cell phone, but I really have no clue how to get them off of there.
All told, I have fond memories of the day. I loved having fun with Emma. She is the greatest little girl. I cannot believe she's 7 already. We're so lucky to have her in our family!

Arizona Trip

2008-05-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

Emma, Aunt Stephanie, and Tyler. (We're so excited Steph found out she's having a girl! Girls are terribly outnumbered on Todd's side of the family.)
Katie (turning 5 this year!), Emma, Tyler, Parker, and Truman. Kellen wasn't in the mood.
Truman on the double-decker carousel at the mall.
Emma, also on the second floor. Parker stayed closer to solid ground and missed his photo op.

I haven't done a real post in a while. The last weekend in March we went to Arizona to visit Stephanie, Tom, Shannyn and their families. It was right before Todd went back to work and Emma was on Spring break, so we figured we'd better get out while the getting was good. It was really nice to spend time with family and for our kids to see their cousins. We also got to see old friends, which was really fun. (Link the Trendlers on the right to see some great college photos of me and the roomies.)

Everett Look-alike Meter

2008-04-12T08:33:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Everett Look-alike Meter

2008-04-12T08:24:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology - Pedigree

Everett Look-alike Meter

2008-04-12T08:20:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Our Easter Best

2008-03-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture. I never would have imagined how happy it would make me to convince a four-year-old to put on a tie and belt! It was a real victory rush -weird, I know. He looks like such a little man. Hope you all had a happy Easter! We are finally over the sugar high.

Easter Bunny

2008-03-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

We're not really into the Easter Bunny at our house, but we were at Wal-mart last week and they had this free picture set-up. Parker saw that you got a piece of candy for having your picture taken, and into line he hopped.
It took the photographer a few minutes to get a picture of Truman, because he wouldn't take his eyes off the floor. He was not about to move a muscle next to this freaky rabbit. He finally did look up, but I could see the relief on his face when he was given the candy and could get out of there.

Poppy season

2008-03-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

We drove over to LA a few weeks ago, and the poppies and other wildflowers in the canyons on the way were out of control! I guess all the rain this winter made them extra abundant. I snapped this picture through the window. Trivia bit: the California Poppy is the state flower.

Paint a picture with words

2008-03-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

I think I said, "I wish we had the camera" about 15 times on our trip to Utah. Pre-blog I would not have really cared that life was going on undocumented. So, I'm starting to change my habits. But for the blog, I would probably have ended up a shriveled old woman with nothing to show for my life but a pathetic little envelope of school pictures. I think I'll keep that image in mind the next time I am leaving town without the camera.

So, here is what I missed:

drive to St. George - probably would not have photographed that; pretty uneventful. But I could have taken some cousin photos/ Grandma, Grandpa, etc.

miniature golf at Fiesta Fun - perfect photo op - Parker whacking every tree and bush with his golf club turned hatchet, Emma coming from behind for a strong finish, me . . . hitting the ball into the water . . . then fishing it out with the club.

Red hills with the kids- countless missed photos. Emma is quite the climber. Parker and Truman, not so much. I realized what a sheltered life Truman has led. In our "planned community" city, he doesn't spend much time in a non-landscaped setting. Turns out he does not care for uneven footing. He prefers a shoulder perch.

"Enchanted"- Okay, I wouldn't have used flash photography in a theater, but I wish we had a video of Emma watching this movie. She was giggling "fit to kill". The cleaning animals did it for her.

Sand Hollow Swimming Pool - Truman's smile coming down the big water slide with Todd was pretty cute.

Girls' sleepover - Emma and I drove up to Salt Lake on Saturday. We were able to see our friends in Alpine (Nicki) on the way - great, but too short! We stopped at Mrs. Cavanaugh's in Bountiful for a hit of chocolate, and then went to stay with Emily in Centerville that night. I wish I had a picture of Sarah, Emma and Olivia camped out on the playroom floor. We could hear them giggling and singing for quite a while. I loved being able to hang out with such favorite people.

Sunday gathering at Lowe's house - Someone should always have a camera for those after-church, full table of food times. Wonderful to see Mom & Dad, Holly & Steve, Lowe's family. I was so glad to be there to see Lowe ordained as a bishop.

I'm trying to speed up this post. Basically, I love being in Utah, and that about wraps it up.

First Grade Patriotic Program

2008-02-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

Last night was Emma's school program. The kids were all so excited and have practiced for weeks and weeks. Emma was honored to be chosen to play Sandra Day O'Connor! Supreme Court, here we come!
Emma with best friend, Makenzie, and classmate Morgan aka Betsy Ross before the show.
My camera is really low-tech, no zoom. But here's a fuzzy picture of half the show.

The boy with the red tie on the right recited the entire Preamble to the Constitution, which I thought was pretty impressive for a six-year-old.

Truman's birthday!

2008-02-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Truman's 2nd birthday on Sunday. He seems so little to be leaving "one-year-old" behind. Actually, he is little. I just took him to the doctor and he is in the 7th percentile for weight and the 12th for height. Midgie! He's too cute, though. The doctor also referred him to a speech therapist because he only says about 10 words. We'll see what happens. I think he just doesn't feel the need to speak all that much. We love having Truman in our family. He entertains us all and is such a quiet ham!
Truman loves to draw, color, and sometimes is satisfied just to be holding a writing instrument. He really likes this water drawing mat picked out by Daddy and Parker.
Our friends, the Yoshidas, came over for Truman's birthday. I think he's making this face because he blew out the candles too early and we had to re-light them. That seemed to confuse him about what exactly he was expected to do. He got shy when he felt like he'd made a social blunder.
Also, please ignore the cake. It was a busy day, and I still hadn't decorated the race track cake (yes, race track) when our friends arrived. I don't perform well with an audience or time crunch.

More family, more fun!

2008-02-12T21:03:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry. Disneyland is really the only place where I think to take my camera, besides school programs. We really don't spend all of our time here.
Yesterday, Emma had no school (along with most of Southern Cal. we later surmised) so we went to Disneyland to meet Aunt Michelle, Chloe, Emerson, Maia, and their neighbor, Sarah. It was crowded and crazy, but worth it to see family. Luckily, Michelle and the kids have three days there, so we'll hope it empties out for them.
These few pictures are from a coronation ceremony that we attended. Parker really got into it- out in the middle of the crowd, following all the directions. Funny.

Truman exploring "Pirate's Lair" at Tom Sawyer Island: the kids' favorite place.

Emma has been wanting to go on this river run with me for a while because I'd never done it before. Unless I am wearing a parka that covers my entire body, I will probably not do it again. I think our mistake was waiting until the sun was going down to have buckets of water poured on us. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but Emma's whole lower half, her hair, plus all her of her back was soggy. When we got to the car and I took off my socks, my feet were pruned.

The Woods in the hood

2008-02-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

Holly, Steve and little Trevor came to visit last week. They took a break from hibernation in lovely Cache Valley to enjoy eighty! degree weather last Friday. It was nice for us to warm up, too. January was unusually cold and rainy. It was so great to have them here! Best wishes on your fifth anniversary, you guys!
Trevor - safe inside a two foot germ-buffer zone! LOL
We went to the beach on Saturday. The air was perfect. The water was freezing!

Dreaming of a white Easter.

The birthday boy

2008-02-12T20:12:00.001-08:00

Parker turned four on February 1st. How well I remember the evening he was born. It was during the Superbowl, also the Patriots I believe. The Superbowl made memorable by Janet Jackson, and yes, I heard about it during labor. The doctor who delivered Parker was not the one I had seen during my pregnancy, but she was really nice. Well, as nice as anyone can be who has said the words, "There's no time for the epidural now."

Anyway, Parker was born, and now four years have gone by already. Although, don't you think he looks like a six-year-old in this picture? He is slowly stretching out his little wings to find his place in the world. I love him. He is my funny, sensitive, little friend. He teaches me a lot about myself.

More news

2008-01-22T23:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, I just realized that after a great, two-week visit from Grandpa and Grandma Rudd, we have exactly zero pictures! Clearly I'm not cut out for this blogging business. Their visit was so nice. Mom finished up many of my unfinished projects, Dad played at least twenty games of checkers with Emma, and they both generally helped out while I was still sick.
Todd and I were able to get away for one night alone while they were here. We went to Newport Beach and stayed at a pretty hotel off PCH. Wonderful. Thank you, Mom and Dad!
In other news, Todd's company had lay-offs last week and we got the lucky number! It's the pits, but we trust that it will all work out for the best. Todd has an interview tomorrow, so cross your fingers!
I also should report that I've now had three violin lessons, and I really love learning something new. It's fun. I can play "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and a few other little ditties.

What Santa brought

2008-01-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

We weren't the best photographers this Christmas, but here are a few. We really enjoyed our holiday together. It was nice having some friends over on Christmas Eve to make it feel a little more festive, since we didn't have any extended family around this year.
The kids, of course, were so excited. Emma survived her 'Butterscotch Pony' unmet expectations, and was happy with her scooter and other heavily advertised toys. Parker rode his Diego bike around and around the kitchen island, leaving black skid marks on the floor. Truman's marble run was the hit of the holiday with everyone.
We actually drove to the beach at Oceanside on Christmas Day in the afternoon, just to get out of the house for a bit. It was so beautiful - 70, sunny. Actually, the day remains slightly fuzzy in my memory because I was dealing with a bad sinus infection that turned into bronchitis later.
But, it was nice.

Old news

2008-01-22T22:52:00.000-08:00

Hello! I cannot believe that I have let 40 days go by without updating this blog! I won't make a long list of my excuses, but trust me, they're good.

We had some friends over on Christmas Eve and acted out the Nativity. Truman was supposed to be a shepherd, and little, two-month old Baylee Frey was baby Jesus - until she started fussing and needed to be held. Then Truman just headed right for the manger and climbed in. It was cute. All the kids were giggling at his antics, which of course made him very pleased.

This is a video from Parker's preschool Christmas program. His teacher is Miss Michelle, and he loves school so much!

Carousel

2007-12-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

I love how Truman's laugh just bubbles up!

Santa's Elves

2007-12-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1189740671

We had to do it. Although, it is a little freaky. Todd's face actually does look just like that when he's dancing.

Dinner survey

2007-12-09T12:35:00.001-08:00

Sorry the videos aren't posting. They are so cute! I'll keep working on it.
Emma likes to ask questions. You all know that. But she also likes to "ask questions", especially at dinner. She'll first request permission, and then start firing them off. Some of her typical surveys concern favorite seasons, colors, activities, etc. She will usually phrase the questions in a two-choice format, like this: "Do you like macaroni or penne pasta? Do you like green or blue? Which is your favorite: cloudy or sunny?"
It gets old pretty fast when you're also trying to refill water, cut up meat, dodge Truman's flying food, and actually try to eat yourself. Last night she was in the "favorite cold symptom" category when she surprised us with this winning option: "Would you rather have a stomachache orrrrr . . . serious injury?"

"Wow"

2007-12-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

We went to Disneyland last night and it was Truman's first time. I hadn't been since April of 2005! Can you believe that?! We all had a great time. It really is the happiest place on earth! The lights and Christmas decorations were beautiful. I always love "It's a Small World". Truman doesn't say much, but I thought his one word, "Wow", pretty much covered it all.
Probably the funniest moment was seeing the picture of me, Emma, and Parker going down the huge hill on Splash Mountain. We happened to be walking by the ride right when it was being re-opened, so there was no line at all. I grabbed Parker's hand and told him it would be fun. Emma knew enough to be nervous, but she came along anyway. Poor Parker. I had forgotten that you can't sit with the kids on this ride. You each have to sit in your own seat in the tobaggan (how in the world do you spell that?) Anyway, the employee said Parker had to sit in the first seat, then Emma, then me. As we started on the ride, Parker was literally shaking, but he held it together. I told Emma to put her hand on his shoulder. He's only three! What was I thinking? I wish you all could have seen the picture they took as we went down the hill. In fact, when we got up to see it, all the other people in the room were laughing at the look on Parker's face. It was classic. Too bad I don't have $17.00 to save the memory for all time.

Piano recital

2007-12-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

Emma had her first piano recital last week. It was fun to see her, looking so grown up. She played a duet with her teacher of the "Chipmunks Christmas Song" and did very well. She missed a note, but stayed calm and composed and carried on. She also played another duet. We are so proud of her for practicing so hard!

Flat Out Fun!

2007-11-25T21:21:00.000-08:00

Truman ended up on his back and kept trying to sit back up, but couldn't. "He lay there like a slug." Too chubby.

1 Dad-powered sled

2007-11-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

2007-11-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

Snow!

2007-11-25T20:20:00.000-08:00

Here we are in Idaho, where it was probably 20 degrees in the heat of the day. We were soo happy to get a little snowfall while we were there. The kids loved building the snowman with Grandpa. I loved having another adult out there so I could watch from the family room windows.

Truman's ticklish

2007-11-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

PLAY BALL!

2007-11-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

Emma played t-ball this fall, but they actually stopped using the tee after the first week (which made for some long games, let me tell you).

Anyway, she held her own as the only girl on her team - the Dodgers! Todd's mom even got her some "Dodger blue" cleats.

She was pretty much in it for the trophy which she received yesterday. It's a bronze bobble-head girl trophy. These are her exact words to me this morning:

Emma:"Can you think of the thing I admire most?"

Me: "What?"

Emma: "My trophy. I admired it when I had my time-out."

It's good to know that the time-out punishment is effective.

Last game of the season

2007-11-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

The blogging bandwagon

2007-11-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

Hi. I am jumping on to the blogging bandwagon with serious misgivings. I'm afraid that I will only be adding to the guilt I already feel about time spent on the computer. Don't we all have about a million other things we should be doing?

Anyway, all negativity aside, I hope that family and friends will feel more connected to our little clan, since we aren't able to see some of you very often . . . ever!

Jeni, the pressure paid off!