The Archies' Archives

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2010-05-12T21:48:00.001-07:00

Dear Elle,

2010-04-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Elle,

I never got to see you in a long time and Elle, I love you.

And, Elle, I never got to see you yet. And I really wanted to see you.

And have a playdate.

And, ummmmm, Elle, I like you 'cause I've been wanting to have a playdate with you, but your mom is sooo busy, so that's why I don't get to have a playdate with you.

And..... that's all.

And, Elle, is your mom still busy?

And now I am going to draw a picture for you, Elle.

I haven't got to see you yet in a long time still.

Bye.

Holly, I need you to write your name and Elle's name on this picture.

"Ok, but I don't know how to write Elle's name."

"Well, how do you think you write Elle's name?"

"Umm.... 'A?'... "

And Mom laughs really really hard.

"Oh! How about just an 'L'?"

That works just fine, Hol-E."

"That is just so crazy. Just an L. Crazy! Here ya go, Mom, thanks, Mom."

I've been blogging a lot... can't u tell?

2010-03-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

You guys... there is this new blog that you've GOT TO SEE.

Seriously...

I highly recommend it! The author is so funny! And pretty! And skinny! Whoot woo!

Check me her out!

and for all you kids who live out west... make sure you visit that lovely site later this week! GIVING away tickets to the Casual Blogger Conference in Sandy, UT. You want those. That conference is gonna rock!

ps. when u get over to SeriouslyAHomemaker, PUHLEASE follow me! I will heart you forever! Also, please, if you ever get a hair to recommend me to your friends, don't tell them my last name! I am trying to see that on the DL over there...

stalkers and weirdies and such, ya know?

And now you know why I haven't been blogging here...

{smooches!}

Snowbody's Business

2010-02-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Our House

We're a little under the weather right now.

We are accepting visitors... who have 4-wheel drive.

Because since it began snowing Friday night, we've only had ONE truck pass by with a plow on the front... not a "regulation, Utah-esque snowplow," but a guy in a a pickup truck. He came by once.

Dress appropriately! It's a good idea to wear pink in these parts.

Works kinda like hunter orange in a sea of white.

Also, short-legged people beware.

You could find yourself in deep doo-doo if you leave the beaten path.

22 inches of it.

We'll leave the light on for ya.

Ever Fall Asleep in the Shower? Ha... hahaha

2010-02-07T05:23:00.000-08:00

You know how important senior journalists go into war zones sometimes against their better judgment, just to get the interview, or photographs, that will propel them ahead in their careers?-- knowing that things may very well turn ugly and they could really regret being there?

Today I got a little spice of how they must feel.

I knew Lil' Bro was sleeping beautifully in his crib. I wanted to get a picture of him so I could show the world how beautifully wonderful he is. Especially when asleep.

So... I went into his bedroom...

tiptoe

tiptoe

squeak... PAUSE... don't move!!!

tiptoe

CLICK!

wiggle

CLICK!

squirm

SHHHHHHHH! OH CRAP....

oh, just... CLICK

k...

tiptoe

silently climb onto the toilet seat* to get a better angle... creeeeaaak!

wonder what the crap I am doing... DON'T WAKE HIM UP!

CLICK (why is the camera so loud?!)

Yes!

run out of the room...

Hello, beautiful boy! I LOOOOVVVVEEE YOUR LITTLE FACE!

Thank you for becoming such a good sleeper.

Did you guys realize that lately he's been sleeping through the night (sometimes)? Can I get an "Amen"?

AMEN! (thanks)

*Yes, yes he does sleep in the shower in the master bathroom. Kinda. He sleeps where the tub SHOULD be. How long can this last, you ask? Only until he is old enough to turn on the water.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Dang!

Wait!

Good morning, my dear!

I take back what I said about him being most beautiful when he sleeps.

This Snow is Freakin' Awesome!

2010-02-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Virgina, lovely snow... again.

Only last time it snowed like this here, we were on our way to Utah for Christmas. So, we missed it all!

These pictures were taken this morning... and we got A LOT more snow after that. A LOT.

Last night we took the Jeep over to the church parking lot and pulled the kids (and me!) around the on a sled. It was SO FUN! I had fun on the sled while Tom floored it and didn't look back... and when I fell off at full speed. Its cold when snow gets all up your back and up your pant-legs. I actually think the best part was listening to the kids giggle at me as I over-acted and jumped up from the deep snow and ran back to the sled, hiking my jeans up and hopping back on. They thought I was funny.

Its way more fun to be a funny mom than a nagging mom who says, "eat your chicken!"

We'll post more pics tomorrow. Yay! This is so fun!

In-house Geek Squad

2010-02-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

It dropped.... more than once, over it's lifetime. It lived with us and our 3 computer-literate kids, so those things can happen. Always on accident... and not very often, but over the course of 3 years, the damage to our mac laptop just added up!

It died.

And so we just needed to salvage the hard drive before laying it to rest...

And this is how my mac looks today.

Kind of a work of art... in a anti-tech way.

Apparently Tom does computer repair work like he does bathtub repair work.

Good News: I took all the buttons off the keyboard so that I can make a real work of art out of them someday. You know, like a sign that says,

I'd like to say the possibilities are endless, but they're not,

Same paper, different light (except for "waz up?") ... Weird, huh?

What Went Right

2010-01-29T20:20:00.000-08:00

This morning I was full of energy and ambition. I made a long but doable (who am I kidding?) list of household chores to accomplish, including a few errands that I would have liked to run.

Then an hour ago I got really depressed, because Momma didn't do SQUAT from her list.

The kitchen sink (and surrounding counters) were FULL of dishes demanding a friend.

The floor didn't get swept.

The bathrooms didn't get wiped down.

I didn't get to the gym (read: WHY WON'T THE KIDS GO TO SLEEP?!) But Tom (read: MR. FIT) just got in a great workout.

I spent more money today than I had anticipated.

UUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!

But, then, I decided to look at the positive. Looky loo, world...

This room remained clean today.

(Hello, sad old couch. This picture makes me not like you.)

So did this one, for the most part.

And this room, though grimy and screaming for a best friend named "Clorox Clean-up", isn't a disaster when you walk past it. In fact, it makes me smile, cause I created that beautiful artwork and sign all by myself. Sorry for the bad lighting.

And I kissed on this giggly baby a BUNCH today. Even though that wasn't on my list.

Although all the clean laundry did not find its way into drawers tonight, I did think enough to carry up a handful of the kids' undies. They landed outside their bedroom doors, to be dispersed by cheerful helpers in the morning). Good enough.

and... MOMMA DONE SOLD DADDY'S OLD iPHONE TO SOME SUCKER WHO PAID WAY MORE THAN HE SHOULD HAVE FOR IT!!! MOMMA DONE GOT HERSELF A REMODELING BUDGET IN ONE AFTERNOON!

As Sam would say, "Hey girl, shake that thang, shake that thang, now FREEZE!" (dance to that if you want)

Let's not forget that my dear husband, sensed that my good mood was declining as my chance to workout died and Holly was rockin' out in the kitchen WAY past bedtime (which was really bugging me, even though it was cauuute), commenced to unloading the clean dishes and loading the dishwasher. That is just awesome.

See the dirty dishes? They're gone now. See the dozen coral roses? He bought me those on Thursday and I haven't even begged for flowers lately. He just likes me sometimes, I guess. That works to his advantage.

So, it wasn't a loser day after all. Its good to walk through the house with my camera and "capture" the good in a day. Now I am feeling much better.

what a girl wants, what a girl NEEDS!

2010-01-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

I am drooling right now over a blog post i just read at Frugal Home Ideas. What da hayk? (as Logan used to exclaim when he was barely 2 years old). She's a genius!

Oh dear, since my mac died and then was destroyed... pictures to come... and i am using a little Dell Inspiron Mini computer, which i can't use very well and basically hate, I can't seem to figure out how to get a picture of her project onto my blog post today, but please click over and see the magic.

She spent about $35 to put this lovely wainscoting in her dining room. Wainscoting WANTS to be in my house. But just in the entryway, down the hall into the kitchen, in the front room, and up the stairs. That's all! And I want it to be here too!

Wainscoting wants to be in this hallway. Especially with the kids after an exceptionally tiring day at school. I snapped that picture at least 10 minutes after we got home. I am pretty sure that I had rattled off some sweet sentiment like, "Don't you dare enter the rest of the house until you put your coats, backpacks, and shoes where they belong!" Which resulted in them not leaving the entryway :-)

Wainscoting wants so badly to be here too, right? I see it!

Every time i walk into our front room, which we delusionally (new word, just invented right now) call "the library" i cross my eyes and see the room completely differently. I see gray walls, white wainscoting, white built-in bookcases covering the wall that enters into my lovely dining room, probably some kick-butt crown molding, red leather club chairs (thought about stealing them from sister-in-law Lori, but she said she got them at Costco, so we're good), and a large antiqued world map. Does anybody else see that in my library? Its weird, but nobody has mentioned it yet, so... I NEED IT!

And i want to do it all myself. I don't even need to pay anybody to do it. I just need somebody to pay ME to do it.

Recently Tom has decided to become a part of our family budget planning and execution... (could have been spurred on by me screaming "I don't want to bear the burden of the budget all by myself all the time!" followed by me sneering, "You just don't know how to budget! I hate all your ideas! What is there NOT to love about the crazy confusing and unique way that I ineffectively budget!?") So now I no longer have a decorate-for-the-heck-of-it budget. Hate that.

But... look, doesn't it look so nice in that lady's house?

Then i feel bad for falling in love with a new to-do project. Cause on my list i STILL have:

1. find a big countertop (wood? laminate? corian? stainless steel?) to attach to my kitchen island and turn it into a bar. latest brainchild is to buy an old, large, wooden table off craigslist and remove the table-top, cut it to size, and refinish it (adding several layers of slick varnish).
2. get some barstools to put under the bar.
3. encase the island in white beadboard to make it look like a built in piece.
4. sit at the bar to blog and sip ice water instead of sitting on a little step stool next to the high chair in the middle of the kitchen like I am right now... how did i get here?? oh yeah. nevermind. add 2 kids on my lap and we're a picture of efficiency! (Tom's out-o-town.)

5. add crown-type molding to the tops of my cabinets.
6. oh yeah... either paint over my entire kitchen cabinet remodel AGAIN with an eggshell finish so that the stupid finish isn't tacky anymore (why did that happen?1) OR add a few coats of polyurethane to the entire kitchen cabinet remodel. both jobs sound horrible. so dumb that i didn't do it this summer when i had them all taken apart!! didn't know!
7. paint the rest of the kitchen, family room, and entryway Valspar's Oregon Coast like i did the BIG wall in the family room.
8. paint the undersides of the wall cabinets black... back when i painted the cabinets black we decided it wouldn't be necessary to paint under there because, as i told my mom "only midgets and small children will be able to see under there! i don't have any immediate plans to host midgets here at home and kids won't care!" (direct self-quote) I was getting lazy and just wanted to finish the job! actually, when you sit on a step stool next to the high chair in the middle of the kitchen you CAN see it. also... when you sit on the couch in the family room you CAN see it. oh, and on the couch in the library too. DRAT!
9. crown molding everywhere? sure, since we're dreamin', why da hayk not?

and that's just the main floor. the bathrooms upstairs are begging me to replace their old vinyl with nice tile topped with new base moldings. new tub & shower install in the master bath? yes, but we have to find Charlie a new bedroom before we do that!

poor, poor basement. hello, down there! we want to finish you so that we can send the kids down to you to play. and so that the kids and i won't be scared to go down into you to fetch food storage and do laundry. but... do you see the list above? it calls to me! be patient mr. basement!

and all this amidst death and misery in haiti! whats my problem??!!

i googled "adopt child from haiti" and found out that its not really a plausible way to help out the suffering people there. drat. was hoping to A. help out B. get another cute kid without getting pregnant.

somebody please tell Tom and Sam that adopting a dog A. doesn't help me out and B. isn't the same as getting a kid... but it also DOESN'T require me getting pregnant, does it?! hmmm....

what-a-girl-wants and what-a-girl-needs can be so unfriendly to each other.

Angie

ps. sorry for the rant and randomness. there is a LOT in my head tonight.

pps. please don't let anybody in my house throw up tonight. i am so over that from last night... all night.

Resolutions

2010-01-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

New Years Resolutions:

1. Pray more
2. Eat less
3. Exercise more
4. Weigh less
5. Blog more
6. Spend Less
7. Play with kids more
8. Weigh Less
9. Weigh Less
10. Pray to be able to weigh less

Its time for this baby #4 fat to go!

My sister Jess is here visiting us with her CA-UUUUTTTE baby boy Tallis. I like him. What a cutie-head!

AND she pregnant with another boy! AND she looks fantastic! cute little belly. Still has skinny legs.

Hate her for that.

Well, as I like to say about all my skinny friends, "I'd hate her if she wasn't so dang nice!"

I'd be nice too if I had skinny legs....

Jessica is here from ALASKA! So, naturally, i love having her here... we don't get to see each other very much! I was especially looking forward to seeing her in the role of "mom". She's got it down, folks! She is really good with my little new friend, my pal, my "Tal-Pal". And he likes me because I am funny.

But, Sam says that I am turning into just a boring regular, not fun Mom. Ouch- that hurts. See resolution #7 above. I guess only 18 month-olds think I am funny. But-- Sam also says i have good dance moves and really know how to groove.

Dunno

All I know is that I want to blog more! So... I will!

Peace

In Love with Charlie

2009-12-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are still here! We are adjusting SO WELL to having Charlie with us and every day when I pick him up to snuggle him in I have to tell him in his ear that A. I am in love with him and B. I am so happy that he is in our family!

He has gotten SO BIG! Born at 7.14. Three days later he weighed in at 7.3. At 5 weeks, he weighed 12.2!!! And he has gained more since then! He is already 7.5 weeks old and I am NOT HAPPY about it! I wanted him to stay little!! (On the other hand, any weight he gains, I lose, right?) I don't think that figures in all the cinnamon rolls I inhaled last weekend, though...

Here are a few pictures of the cutie pants. Will write more someday... Like about how we are heading out on a 30 hour road trip to Utah (each way) on Friday for Christmas AND Aunt Aimee's wedding! Fun times!

Merry Christmas!

Blessed Baby

SOOO glad he is smiling at us now!

The look he is usually giving us while we try to make him smile.

Did I fail to mention that I have 3 other ADORABLE KIDS? How did we do it--- IDK!

Sam is so cool. Really. She is! We really like her.

Logan is learning his Dad's "class clown" tricks. I like to kiss his face when he is still asleep.

And when he's awake.

Could anything be sweeter than her? NO! Not at all possible.

I do realize that I haven't blogged about Sam's birthday or baptism, but I WILL!!!! This picture is a preview of one of the activities Samantha carefully planned for her birthday (which was ON Thanksgiving day). More of that to come... including video which is really cute.

Halloween Etc. and more Charlie

2009-11-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

Captain Jack Sparrow was about to lose his mind because of how his mustache tickled his nose!

As soon as we took these pictures he ripped off his 'stache'.

Holly was "a GOOD Witch". So sweet!

Sam is was a "little devil."

Three cuties itchin' to get some candy!!

Hello, little 1-week old Peapod!

Thank you, Charlie, for helping mom hand out candy to the whole 4 kids who came to our door!

Wow, I officially have as many kids as my mother does. That's weird! In a good way.

Tom was technically an "executioner" (last costume left at Party City on October 31st), but he told the kids he was "a guy from the olden days". Here he is with Travis, our neighbor. We trick-or-treated with he and his wife Tanja and their 2 cute kids-- showing them the ropes on "how to trick-or-treat" since they have lived in Germany for the past 6 years and had never done it! (Well, technically, Travis is American and DID do Halloween as a kid, but he is SOOOO old that he doesn't remember it!)

Not Halloween! This is Charlie after his first bath! So cute even when he is sad!

Who does he look like? We've heard it all-- like my dad, like my brother, like Logan, like Tom, etc...

Sometimes I just think he looks like a little old man. And I ALWAYS think he is the yummiest little cutie and I fall more in love with him every day!

Such a good helper!

Playing Transformers with Logan on Saturday morning while mom showers... this was REALLY cute, because everybody else was asleep and the boys were hangin' out.

The "Boys Team"

Holly was taking pictures of Charlie and got this one of the Mommy/Charlie Duo before we walked out the door to get "the kids" from school. And I didn't even photoshop out my big rear, etc. before posting it for ya'll! Even though I have lots of pounds to lose (again) after this pregnancy I feel SO GOOD not being pregnant that I don't even care about the extra weight I am still packin'... Seeing as how its only been 2 weeks since I had Charlie, I am cutting myself some slack. But really looking forward to exercising again in a few weeks!

I love not being pregnant.

Remind me of this if I EVER start talking babies again!!!

Where were you born?

2009-11-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

Logan was just asking about what year he was born-- we told him it was 2003 and he thought that sounded like a LOOOONG time ago.

Then Holly asked when she was born and we said 2005... and she thought that sounded like a long time ago too.

Then Logan mentioned that he was born in Logan, Utah.

And Holly followed up with saying, "I was born in Holly, Utah!"

And that was really funny.

More Pictures of the Baby and Happy Family of 6

2009-10-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Charlie is 3 days old now and doing so well! What a LITTLE cutie! He was our smallest baby (weighing in at 7lbs 14 oz) and lost 11 oz in the first 2 days to bring him down to 7.3! He looks so small that I can't believe he's ours! (the others were 8.14, 8.3, and 8.9).

We love his "brown-for-now" hair and haven't decided what color his eyes will be. I don't have big hopes that the hair will stay brown... I haven't had great luck with that so far!

I am doing really well considering that I gave birth 3 days ago. This has been my easiest recovery yet! I think it helps that I didn't need any pitocin during labor and that I only had an epidural for 20 minutes or so.

We are so glad that Tom's brother Steve lives nearby and also that the labor started on Friday afternoon- Steve was able to come and help a whole bunch- he even stayed overnight with the kids on Friday! Thanks Uncle Steve! Also, what luck I had that my freshman year roommate Lauren was at my house with me when I decided that perhaps I was in labor and needed a ride to the hospital (which is on the way to her house!) I love that she was here for that fun part of my life... going into labor with baby #4, and this is 9 years after we were best friends and roommates at BYU.

Anyway, here are some more pictures of the last few days. Notice there aren't any pictures of the kids at the hospital, meeting their little bro for the first time... no visitors were allowed on the Labor and Delivery/Post-Partum floors... at all, due to the H1N1 virus scare. Not even siblings. Only Tom was allowed to come! That allowed me to get a bit more rest than I might have otherwise, but it also helped me want to check out ASAP so the kids see the baby!

Thanks for all your well-wishes!

Angie

Is there a ball under my gown? No, thats Charlie.

Charlie watching Mommy post pics of himself on the blog. RIGHT NOW :-)

Our new addition

2009-10-24T01:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we figured since we bought a new house, we might as well add on to our family.

He and Mom are both doing great! We will post more pics later.

Tom

News Update

2009-10-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

I am embarrassed that I haven't blogged in a while-- because so much has happened! Mostly my excuse is that my camera is having trouble uploading pics onto my computer, and I hate to post without accompanying pictures!

But, I thought I should make a little squeak about how things are going at our house...

First of all, we have decided to post less specific personal details on the blog (ie. first names, birthdates, Social Security Numbers, and credit card numbers...j/k! :-). However, I still reserve the right to post other personal details about our family that some of you, and definitely Big T would prefer I didn't... can't help myself!

I hesitate to "go private" with the blog, because I think it makes it much less accessible to some of you readers, so this is the next best thing, I guess. So, we'll have new code names for the kids- watch how creative T and I got this morning when we talked about what nicknames to give them- Big Sis, Big Bro, Little Sis, and soon to arrive... you guessed it, Little Bro. Out of laziness, I may decide to just use their first initials sometimes too-- S, L, H, and C.

Soon here I will sift through the old posts and change out all our names... sounds like a fun job! Its what I'll do the next time I have a long to-do list of household chores to get to and need an excuse not to tackle it- I'll work on the blog!

Other than that item of business, here is the backlog of news from our house:

1. The kids started school successfully... THANK GOODNESS they have GREAT teachers this year! Will post "first day of school pics" later. I just love sending them off through the doors of the school (we walk) and getting a dozen, "Bye! I love you! Bye! Love you, Mom!" shouts. And I also cherish the hugs I get after school. We like to play at the school playground with kids from the neighborhood after school if we have time. Its just lovely! AND twice a week I get "alone time" while Little Sis is at preschool... which brings me to news #2...

2. Little Sis started preschool, just 2 days a week and she LOVES it. And I am pretty sure her teachers love her too. She is such a confident, happy, agreeable child to be with that starting preschool was so fun for her and I. I have started to carpool to preschool with some moms in my neighborhood, but I told them- I am not willing to let anybody else pick Little Sis up from school yet-- I HAVE to be there to see her face light up as I walk in the room and to hear the report and watch her cute little jeans-n-sneakers body march out of class, hefting that Dora backpack with pride!

A couple of days I have had to yell, "STOP!" as we walked to the car. She stopps, and asks, "What, Mom?" And I say, "Stop being so dang cute! I can't stand it! And its not fair to the other kids! And also, stop growing up!!!" And she rolls her eyes and depending on her mood, she says, "I can't, Mom!" OR she'll run back to me (I am always trailing behind with my BIG belly) and gives me a hug and says, "Ok, Mom, I'll stop growing." And then she takes a pretend key, turns off the pretend growing switch, then eats the pretend key.

Ahhhh.... sweet moments!

3. I am due in just under 5 weeks! Yay! This baby is much anticipated and we are already completely in LOVE with him. His name is chosen and the kids talk about him a lot! Little Sis talks TO him everyday and gives my belly kisses. If she gets hurt, she comes to see me and get kisses, then she talks to my belly and tells the baby about it until she feels better. If I am lying on the couch, she'll bring a blanket-- not for me, but for him! "'Cause he's cold!"

The bad news is that since my belly is SO big, and so straight forward out there, my supporting muscles are so sore that I can't sleep in the bed anymore- lying on my side pulls and hurts so bad! And rolling over is a total JOKE! Not to mention the fact that when I try to get up and walk after a night's "sleep" (ha!) my stride is totally off and i have to take waddling baby steps until things balance back out. So, T and I re-arranged the bedroom and now I sleep on the recliner next to the bed. I suspect I'll be there for a few weeks after the baby comes.

4. I started a tiny little job. I know that 7 weeks before giving birth to baby #4 isn't the most likely time to take on a job, but I did! The gym where Big Brother takes gymnastics needed some help at the front desk and since my visiting teaching partner from church has worked there for 5 years, she recommended me to them and I took it! After a LOT of discussion between T and I, of course.

I work Wednesday and Friday nights. Its a sacrifice for me to be gone 8.5 hours per week, but T knows its good for me to "get out" and I really enjoy the people I interact with at the gym. The coaches, staff, and parents are ALL really nice and its been fun. BUT, I will say that about halfway through the shift I start to miss T and the kids. I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder! The cool thing is that now that I work a tiny bit, I have less desire/need to attend "girls night" or "mommy" events in order to--- well, in order to do whatever it is that we moms need to do when we get out of the house! Now I am completely on the same page as T when it comes to "wanting to just be together" on Saturdays and on non-work weeknights. And its fun to get a little paycheck, which we have decided to put toward vacations and family recreation. In addition, since the coaches are just LOVING Little Bro's gymnastics skilllzzzz, and he will likely increase his hours there by quite a bit in the next year (maybe joining the team), the employee discount will really be a benefit! Can't complain about that!

Wow, I guess that's all the news I have time to post right now! I am officially late for a playdate with a friend I haven't seen since before we moved here. And Little Sis has big plans to play "babies, strollers, blankies, and bottles" with her little girl.

Thanks for reading! -A

Dad's motorcycle

2009-09-25T06:33:00.001-07:00

This is my new motorcycle. It is a Yamaha Roadstar Warrior 1700 cc. I kind of enjoy riding it to work and back.

I just wish it had a little more power....:)

PS Luckily we have good life insurance for me, it's a win-win.

Lighting Makes all the Difference!

2009-08-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Not much to say here except that Tom and I put in all new lighting in the entryway, hallway, kitchen, and dining room and it has made a HUGE difference in the look of the rooms. Really, the finishing touches on the improvements we've made...

Here are the befores:Tom protested to removing this old, bad brass fixture by the front door. He LIKED it... a LOT, apparently. I would not discuss the matter... it HAD to go!
This one died a few weeks ago when i went to change the bulbs and the glass shade shattered... good riddance!This Tiffany's style chandelier was beautiful in its day, but I don't like it. If you like it, come and get it!! I am going to drop it off at a thrift store some day soon!

Here are our new lights:

I really like the pendant lamp that hangs over the kitchen sink, even though it doesn't come across very well in pictures. I got it for $1.38 at Lowes... after returning it for what I originally paid for it ($12.48) on clearance, and then changing my mind and going back to the service desk and asking if I could repurchase it. When it rang up at the checkout it came up as $1.38. Love that!!!!!
Perhaps the greatest part of the whole deal is that I paid for all these lights by selling some things we had lying around here... all on craigslist. All the lights cost only $120 total. So, so worth it!

Inexpensive Wall Art- You can do it!

2009-08-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Before we moved into this house I fell in love with some artwork by an artist named Rodney White. I saw a 2'x4' print on canvas that I saw at World Market and I think what I really loved was the saying... and the colors. Here is a copy of the image (its much more beautiful and impressive in full size and on canvas):

It says, "How great would life be if we lived a little of it each day?" So true, so true... this philosophy is one of the reasons I love Tom so much. He embodies it and helps keep our lives exciting and adventurous and meaningful.

When my freshly painted wall was screaming for art, I thought I would put this painting up there... but when I took another look at it and showed it too my mom, we both agreed that it doesn't exactly flow with the other things I have done in my house since we moved in- in neither the kitchen or dining room. So, I looked elsewhere for other ideas and found some inspiration at my favorite D-I-Y decorating website.
See this here: Thrifty Decor Chick.

Sarah at Thrify Decor Chick took her inspiration from Ballard Designs, as she shows on her website:

It was Mom's idea to do as Ballard Designs does and place one square on the mantle... but to put a family picture there as well... so cute! Here was step 1:

But I didn't want to fill the wall with JUST color and pretty paper... I wanted the space above the fireplace- a focal point in our home- to mean something. I was still hung up on the Rodney White saying, so I put my cricut cutter to work (for the first time in a long time) and added the saying to my art! Yay!

Then, for another first in this new house I felt free to decorate and embellish-- to unpack some of the good stuff I still had in boxes and put them on display. It felt so good to be creative again!

Here's the after effect:
And since this is real life, I left the ladder in the photos, since thats just where it wanted to be. And also, I'll show you what was going on while I took these photos... Logan was setting up a gymnastics pad to do some trick and Sam was walking on Tom's back for him. For some reason, now that this room is painted and decorated, we all want to be in there! We love it! Come over and see it!
Maybe when you come over we'll even feed you mediocre cookies and milk like we did when my Grandma and Grandpa White and my Uncle Nathan and Aunt Miriam and their 6 adorable and fun kids came over last night. It is so nice to have family nearby these days and our kids get along so well! Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my White grandparents and am so glad to see them this week while they are here on vacation! I owe a lot of my do-it-yourself attitude and ambition with power tools and carpentry to these grandparents. We have so much in common!
Happy dog days of summer!

What else is new around here...

2009-08-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have loathed the dark navy blue wall in our living room ever since we painted our kitchen cabinets black. The two dark colors just did not get along, as you can imagine. So, with Tom planning a trip to Florida for business last week, I decided that I could paint that wall while he was gone- at night while the kids slept... because who needs sleep.

Knowing that the wall was soon-to-be-painted I got antsy to test out the new color (which is the lovely color used in the bedrooms upstairs- Valspar's Oregon Coast in Satin). I "Grafitti'ed" the wall just for fun. The kids and I all thought it was fun! Tom didn't. Party pooper.

See our before pictures:
Tom left for Florida on Monday night and on Tuesday morning my mom called and asked, "What are you doing today? Are you busy? I think I am going to get on a plane and come see you!" Yay for spontaneous parents! When I told her to pack her painting clothes and let her in on my plans for painting the monster wall (which is 2 stories high) she jumped right in and conquered that puppy for me! I feel like I hardly did anything!!

See how brave she is? This is the view from the hallway upstairs that has a little opening and railing that looks down over the family room:

Even Sam got in on the action late one night after she awoke with bad dreams and found grandma on the ladder...And the after effect:

So clean- So fresh... so SCREAMING for artwork to fill the new blank space!!!! It was as if Mom and I could hear the wall begging for decoration. Which, actually was nice, because I have done so many heavy construction projects that decorating was a fun, easy idea to contemplate.

See my next post to see what we threw up on the wall within a couple hours... think MDF (crappy pressboard), spray paint, and scrapbook paper...

Random Photos to Share... Since I am a blogging machine today!

2009-08-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

Since I am on a major roll with cleaning out the iphoto library and am a blogging machine, I thought I'd throw out some random pictures and events for you all to see...This picture is entitled, "I am in love with my children!!!!!"

We splurged one weekend in June and took the kids to Medieval Times up near Baltimore.

They had a real blast and are asking when they can go again. I told them that Daddy went 14 years ago, so they can go again in 14 years. They don't love that answer.

...

The kids get ahold of the camera often and sometimes they turn out the most insightful photographs... life from their perspective, I guess. See below:

Holly took a picture of her legs while sitting in her car seat. LOVE these rainboots! She gets LOTS of compliments on them :-)

Sam took a picture of her face and it actually turned out non-blurry and way-cutey.

Somebody snapped this shot of Mom doing what she does best- talking on the phone whilst on the computer (and growing a baby inside)-- is this how my kids will remember me as a mother? Lets hope not. :-) At least I was listening enough to know I was supposed to smile when the camera was pointed my way!

Swimming Sam

2009-08-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Samantha takes after her daddy and is a GREAT swimmer! This summer we signed her up for the Ridgewood Barracudas Swim Team and I think she enjoyed it most of the time...

Tell ya what- she enjoyed actually swimming- in her lanes with her lane coaches. She was NOT down with the "dryland" portion of practice (on the grass) or the meets (can you say anxiety meltdown? which is not uncommon for 1st year team swimmers, i guess). She ended up just swimming in the time trials at the beginning of the season and then again at the last home meet... and guess what, she dropped 10 seconds off her freestyle time this season! Thats, great, right? Not sure if she'll swim on a team next summer... But Tom and I love that she is a fantastic swimmer and has so much fun in the water.

Here are some pictures from her season:

So nervous before she races... considering a run to the potty...

Backstroke Finish

An encouraging hug from little sister... so sweet!

I did it! I swam in a meet! Can we go home now?

And this fantastic image is of Uncle Randall, who happened to be with us one weekend when she was scheduled to swim... she decided not to swim that day, but Randall made a great cheerleader and taught us some new tricks with the swim cap.

Lastly, Samantha has her very own blog and if any of you would like to have permission to view it and see whats going on in her life, please comment here and we'll send you an invite!

The Dining Room Reveal

2009-08-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Why did I do such a laborious remodel in the Dining Room? Because when my mom was here to help me paint the cabinets, she was SO HELPFUL and hard-working and amazing... and once we had the cabinets painted we had to wait a couple days for them before re-mounting the doors...

crickets...

silence...

crickets...

We had nothing to do!! So I mentioned that I had been considering putting high beadboard paneling in the Dining Room and it didn't take long before I was hauling huge 8x4 panels home from Lowes... much to The Man's surprise.

Well, needless to say, we did not get the entire dining room project done before mom left, but we got the upper wall painted and the panels cut to size. And the night before she left we were up way past midnight re-mounting the doors to the cabinets and we were very happy about what we got done during her stay.

And a month later I finished the paneling! I did all the trim work and most of the installation. The Man helped one night with gluing on the panels and on the last night with the second coat of paint. I just love the dining room now.

To Do:
Put in a new light fixture DONE
Curtains
Hang some cool photos/art DONE--KINDA
Add something cool to the table-- vase of lemons? Fall Florals? Not sure what will show up
Someday maybe a window seat will appear in place of the Kids Craft Table... although it makes nice additional seating when we have friends over-- little friends over, that is.

We didn't take any official before pictures, but these are what I could find...

Easter Dinner

See the navy blue paint under an oak chair rail? Remember the Americana theme the previous owners had going strong? Well, we ripped up the base mouldings and carefully removed the chair rail (which I re-used as a cap for the top of the panels).

And now it looks like this:

Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!! (Read that in an opera singer's voice! The heavens open! Beauty.

I had to add lots of trim work- on the outside and inside corners, between panels to cover up the ugly gaps, a base molding and then an additional quarter round on the floor (to cover up the gaps where the pergo flooring had been installed).

Surprises along the way? Figuring out the best way to drill out/cut out holes for the outlets WITHOUT a jig saw. Also, figuring out how to extend the actual outlets out far enough after the panels were installed so that the holes weren't hiding way back behind the boards... Lowes has solutions for that-- just make sure you ask the right person. First employee, "no, we don't have anything like that." Second employee, "sure, use these things right here- it's simple." Both employees were thinking, "Get this lady and her kids out of the store ASAP-- why are they always here?" Oh, and yeah, my kids were all thinking the same thoughts, only in not so nice terms.

If you see it in person, you'll see how imperfect it is- but I don't care!
The Man and I both totally love this room now and look forward to hosting many meals in there! Come on over!

When Cousins Come to See Monuments Play

2009-08-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

I so titled this post because I am not sure when Samantha got more upset- when Scott teasingly (and repeatedly) suggested to her that we spend each next day "seeing monuments" or when it turned out that that actually was the plan for some days. :-)

We had SO MUCH FUN when Tom's brother Scott and his family came to visit us in June. We saw a lot of National Sites (despite fierce objection from our kids who say they will NEVER see another thing that is named "monument or memorial" again) and even had time for pool parties and play time. Here are just a few pictures of the trip. Thanks, Aunt Lori for INSISTING that so many pictures be taken. Sam and Tom are still mad about that, though :-)

The crew at the DC Temple

The "Kids"

Seriously a good-lookin', free-wheelin', fun-lovin' family! :-)

At this Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima) we enjoyed the traditional Archibald foot races as well as lots of crackers, cheese, and grapes. All part of the fun.

We miss our cousins!!

So So So So happy to be with each other ~~all~~ most of the time!

At the capital. Actually, after this most recent tour, Tom insists that he will NEVER tour the capital again either. Whiners.

We are in love with our own muscles.

2009-08-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

When people come over, our kids flex for them. That's where all good conversations begin and end with our kids. They analyze each other's muscles by shape, size, and definition. They beg Daddy to let them do pull-ups. They beg for "chicken" to "make my muscles stronger." Its clear we've taught them whats important...Notice Tom's body is covered in welts from a morning spent "paint-balling kamikaze style."

What did I say about Logan's physique?

Don't know where she learned to "kiss her guns."

How can you see this and not LOL?

Even mom can play at that game, but we'll consider this a "before picture" to what ripped condition her body is going to be shaped into after baby #4! uh-huh

Muscle Shirt.

Apparently, we do the splits well too...

...Or at least try to!

And since these pics have been requested by the generous guys who GAVE Tom such a plethora of paint-ball welts, here are some gross images of Tom's skin a couple hours after some "guy time."
The one under the arm was the weirdest.
These two eventually turned into one.

He "says" they didn't hurt.

This reminds me of when Holly tries to lift up Tom's shirt to show his welts to acquaintances ... and when she tries to lift up my shirt to show strangers my "huge fat belly." I hope she keeps doing that even after the baby is born.

Our Logan

2009-08-06T19:25:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday, Handsome!

Our baby boy turned a BIG 6 a couple weeks ago, and although I did not blog about it, believe me, we celebrated!! But before I layout all the festivities for you, I will attempt to describe how I love this kid...

A couple months ago Tom and I took a trip to California and left the kids here at home with Grandma Archibald for 4 days. Grandma's incoming flight was due in around midnight and my outbound flight was at the crack of dawn, so as I tucked the kids into bed that night they knew that in the morning when they awoke, Mom would be gone but Grandma would be here.

Little Logan broke/melted my heart into a million pieces when he realized that I was leaving and wouldn't be there in the morning. He tried to hide his concern and was really quite tough, but a long string of questions about the trip lent itself to Logan trying to hold back the sobs as he asked me to stay home. Logan does NOT show fond emotions very easily. It had been a real struggle for me to get him to say "I love you" to me in the past. Sometimes I made him say it at bedtime, and even then, he would mumble it through gritted teeth-- too embarassed to say it aloud. 5 years old is too young for that kind of embarassment, isn't it?? And, for Logan, I felt it was even weirder, because he is so affectionate physically. He has always been a snuggler and clearly completely in love with me in many ways :-) But he wouldn't say it!!

This trip was a turning point for him and that night and he hugged me so tightly as he cried and told me he loved me and would miss me. I spent some extra time laying in his bed with him and talking about how much fun he would have at home with Grandma and Uncle Steve. He calmed down and let me leave the room eventually.

... And ever since then, whenever I leave the house, even to go grocery shopping, and he is left behind with Daddy, I get A MILLION "I love you's" and several hugs and he even runs down the side walk waving and yelling, "I love you, Mommy!"

I love, love, love it when he does that... and especially that Holly follows right after him, repeating everything he says, and adding in, "bring me back some toys!" :-)

I love my little Logan so much that it hurts inside to imagine my life without him. Today Logan and I worked really hard together to install the Lego Star Wars computer game on the PC. Then we reconfigured the whole TV/PC/touchscreen monitor set-up that Tom had going on... that actually took some tricky maneuvers, physically, for both Logan and I, and when we finally had it all done he cheered for me and then Holly wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "You're Da Best, Mommy!" (Sam was upstairs "organizing her 1st grade stuff").

BRAG MOMENT:
Oh, and did you know Logan is a gymnast now? Tom and I have always thought that Logan had the right build and strength and determination to be good at gymnastics, but we've moved around so much that up until now, we haven't gotten around to signing him up for any classes. A month ago we finally entered him in a recreation class at a nearby gym. I kid you not, after 1 hour with the coach, I was having a meeting with the coach and the office manager to discuss how Logan has been recommended to join the "Pre-Team"... which only means that he has the right "build and strength" and apparently, flexibility and natural ability to have the potential to compete very well someday in gymnastics, if he so wishes. My favorite part was when the coach handed me off to the office lady (who would kindly translate for me what the heck the coach, who doesn't speak english very well, had just told me), she asked me how long Logan had been doing gymnastics. I thought for a minute and replied, "Well, this is his first day EVER". Her jaw dropped a bit and she smiled kinda slyly and said, "Well, see, that really means something if Gregoriy has selected him that quickly."

Its really not that big of a deal, I know, to be on the "Pre-Team", but Tom and I were SO PROUD of him that we got completely giggly. When Tom got hom from work I said, "Logan, tell Daddy what they told us at the gym today!" And Logan piped up, "They said that if I want to go the Olympics, I can!"

In his mind, it is that simple.

Of course, Samantha has made sure that he understands thats not exactly how it goes and has tried to swallow her own pride by not being jealous of this whole thing... Its pretty cute to see him have the upper-hand for once :-)

I was informed that the boys team coach has coached young men all the way to the national level and that his co-coach himself was an olympic alternate, so these people know what they are doing and the facility itself is quite impressive.

So, now Logan spends 4 hours a week at the gym and Tom has to take a second job in order to pay the gym tuition :-)

Now, more about Logan's 6th birthday: I gave him the option of having a big birthday party with his friends OR taking the whole family to Busch Gardens on his birthday. He chose Busch Gardens! Yay! Thankfully Anheiser Busch allows military personel and their immediate families to spend 1 day per calendar year at one of their parks (Busch Gardens or Sea World) for free as a gesture of gratitude and patriotism. As Tom says, "Its so nice it almost makes you want to drink beer." Ha!

Here are the pics from Logan's Birthday Trip...

Pals - Everybody Loves Holly and Holly Loves Everybody...

Cheesy Gangsta Sam, and her posse!

Carousel Daddy

Carousel Logie

Carousel Holly (on her 6th time around)

Carousel Sammy. Mom rode around once and it hurt her rear so bad she thought she would die!

This ride is apparently more fun if you don't have a mohawk.

Logan PRETENDING he wants me to rescue him from the big scary kiddy ride.

The whole crew at the "Kinetics" show which was awesome and featured some SWEET chinese acrobatics that had Tom and Logan in fits about how and where to learn those tricks!

One thing that REALLY bugs me about theme parks is how you spend SO MUCH to get in the gate, and then they persist at trying to milk you for all you've got in your wallet for the duration of your stay... We were pretty good about resisting, but in the end, they got us with the stupid light saberish swords. Heck, it was the kid's birthday, we had to say yes! Actually, they are cool and I wanted one for myself, but had spent all of my savings on a bottle of suncreen too expensive comparative to it's size and SPF. sheesh.

Then, a few days later, we invited Uncle Steve over for cake and icecream. Logan had designed a birthday cake for himself on some scratch paper a week earlier during church and I slyly kept it handy so that I could mimic it the best I could... The cake read exactly as he wrote, "Happy 6 Birthday, Logan. Eat Up."

He stuck his new Lego Star Wars Storm Trooper Cruiser Thingy in the cake as well, because any good birthday cake HAS to have toys stuck in it! Duh!

Mommy Loves You, Logan!

The Kitchen Reveal!

2009-08-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, it feels like so long since I have blogged! I haven't posted about A LOT that has happened, but, let me tell you, I have been busy!

I've gone a lot crazy and gotten way in over my head on some D-I-Y home improvement projects and am finally coming up for air. And now it is time to REVEAL what I've done!!

But, first I want to thank Tom for being so patient with me on all of this... he is AWESOME at fixing things that are broken in the house or on the vehicles, but when it comes to Angie's "decorating" projects (ie. spending lots of money and time on cosmetic issues that actually DON'T need to be done) he's not so game for putting in the time and sweat to "get it done." But, he doesn't complain about me going for it (much) and is VERY patient while I slowly reach my finish line and get the home (and normal family functioning) back in order.

I mean... its not like I have been working in major family areas of the house or anything...

And the second big thanks go to my Mom and Dad (especially Mom, she is AMAZING) for helping me with the big cabinet painting job. WOW, I would have NEVER gotten those puppies done by myself... or with Tom's help for that matter. It was definitely a 4-man job over the Independence Day weekend. And then my mom stayed another 4 days and helped me start a BIG beadboard paneling project in the dining room... which Tom and I JUST finished on Monday... do the math... being pregnant and having 3 kids home 24/7 for the summer makes SLOW work for this lady.

And I should also thank the people who let me borrow their AWESOME power tools... The Grays and my Uncle Nathan. I heart brad nailers. I heart miter saws. I want... I NEED!

Anyway, here are the BEFORE pictures of the kitchen. It wasn't BAD... It just wasn't my style. Well, really, it just wasn't "mine". It had the signature of the previous owners all over it (Country Americana and original to the house, built 1983).

Do you love it? Well, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. So...

I tiled the countertops! And...

And painted the cabinets black. Also added hardware... although you'll notice that since Ikea ran out of stock on the drawer pulls, I am missing 3 pulls near the oven... Also, the "bisque" appliances would like very much to be stainless steel now... but I am telling them they have to wait until they die.

And this is the free-standing kitchen island that we bought from Ikea in order to add counter-space and storage space to the kitchen. I will be turning it into a bar by attaching a raised countertop to it like this...

See how they made a bar on the island? Actually, now I am wishing I had NOT posted that pic, because my kitchen looks dumb compared to that one...

Anyway, I have more plans for the kitchen island, like putting black beadboard around the sides and back (like shown here), adding bar stools, and also some "schnazy tags attached by schnazy ribbon" to each basket, because neither Tom nore Logan can EVER remember what is in each basket (its a guy thing).

I have a lot more I want to do cosmetically to the kitchen now that the hard work is done. Like- THESE CURTAINS and Cute decor like THESE. Not to mention new lighting, which I am working on right now with various craiglisters across the DC region. I'll post before and afters of the lighting improvements later. And I want to paint the walls an oatmeal color to warm it up. We have that color in the bedrooms and it is so soothing!

But, alas, this is what we have done so far and I am so proud of myself for doing it and I really do like it! The tile was a beast, let me tell you, but I conquered it. Full disclosure: I'll never do that again.

I'll post about the dining room separately.

Peace!

ps. props to my new favorite blogger for inspiring me since the day I googled "beadboard panelling"! Thrifty Decor Chick is my new BFF. Seriously, check out her laundry room!

What we Learn in Heaven

2009-07-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Just now Samantha was looking at some photos that I have on the fridge. One is of my mom at our wedding. Sam said, "Wow, grandma was really young back then!"

I said, "Well, yeah, that was 8.5 years ago! I was really young then too!"

"I wasn't even born yet then! I was still 11 months away from earth!," she calculated. "And Logan was even farther away... and especially Holly!"

pause

"And Charlie still isn't here!" she said ("Charlie" is what we plan to name the baby).

So I asked what I thought was a good question: "Do you guys think that Charlie is still in heaven, or is he in my belly?"

"He's in your belly!" all the kids agreed.

"But what about his spirit, where is that?"

"Oh, that's still in heaven" was the consensus...
"Because he's still learning how to laugh," Logan explained.

I guess a sense of humor is something Archibalds come to earth with.

I sure love these guys... even now, 10 minutes later as Logan is yelling "Saaaaaaaaaammmmmmm!" at the top of his lungs and chasing her around the house with an open-top peanut butter and splenda sandwich in his hand.

We'll see how this ends. :-)

Happy July, everyone!

My Dad is better than your Dad...

2009-06-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, my fine husband replaced the radiator in the Land Rover all by himself. He also almost fixed the house AC by himself (but thank goodness we had a little help from an HVAC repairman). We are all very proud of Daddy's skills...

Just Now in our kitchen this conversation took place...

Sam: It would be so cool if Mom or Dad was the president.

Mom: Well, sorry, but neither Mom or Dad want to be the president.

Sam: But Mom, if you were the President, then maids would do all the hard work for you...

Mom: Maybe that's true, but being the President would be a very, very, very hard job.

Sam: ...Well... then Dad could do it!

Mom and Dad: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
(for many different reasons)

Dad: Sam, why do you say that I could do it? Because it's a hard job and I can do hard jobs?

Sam: Yeah!

Logan: If Dad can fix the car, he can do anything.

Tom's ego is lifted and his heart is full. He's headed downstairs to lift weights with his new confidence. :-)

We're gonna have a....

2009-06-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

BABY BROTHER!

Logan is SOOOO happy! And the girls, although they were looking forward to ruling the family completely, are resigned to the fact that its kinda nice for Logan to have a boy buddy in the family (besides Daddy).

And the baby looks very healthy! We are all very happy for this news today!

Girl
Boy
Girl
Boy

How do we do it? I DON'T KNOW! But we're so glad that we have!

Baby is due November 8th. Look for him a couple weeks after that ;-)

ps. I know we haven't posted pics in a while... I'm gettin' to that!!

D-I-Y Sucks

2009-05-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

3 Things that tiling your own kitchen countertops is not:
1. Easy
2. Fun
3. Smart

3 Things that tiling your own kitchen countertops is:
1. A very big job
2. An endless job
3. A disappointment- if its your first ever tiling job

Can anyone feel my annoyance today? Tom says that it looks GREAT and that I am being too hard on myself... I am so glad that is what he is saying instead of, "wow, this looks terrible." Of course, it was his idea that "we" tile instead of put on new laminate. (We=Me) I said laminate will be much less work/time. I was right- neverless, today we have new tiled countertops.

Maybe i just need a few days to let it soak in.

Good news- all we have to do now is paint the cabinets, put on cabinet hardware, replace the lighting, put a new countertop on the "bar", paint a few walls (one is two stories high), paint the armiore, sew and hang 2-story curtains, and redo the half-bath. Did I mention that I am pregnant?

1 good thing about doing all this:
1. It is helping me forget that I am pregnant and making time pass more quickly!

Tom and I are going to California this next weekend for a kidless va-cay... I've earned it!

But I should probably put the kitchen sink back in before Tom's mom comes to watch the kids for us... gotta jet!

Tom can finally add to this site

2009-05-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Aha! Well, I can now finally post to this site. BTW, Angie has done an amazing job on the tiling of the countertops. It is pretty cool how Angie can just 'learn how to tile' in one month and do a great job.

T

Opening Prayers

2009-05-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

The other night, it was Holly's turn to say the prayer at dinner time. She began, arms folded, eyes closed... Tom was helping her and she was doing great... But suddenly she stopped mid-prayer and announced that she actually wanted to say the "opening prayer".

I thought to myself, "Well, this is a blessing on the food, but you can call it whatever you want..."

And she began again... About half-way through the prayer I became annoyed that she wasn't closing her eyes at all- or even attempting to, so I whispered, "Holly, close your eyes, please."

She looked at me with annoyance and declared in a whisper, "Mom! I am saying da OPENING prayer!"

I laughed my way through the rest of the prayer, trying not to disturb Sam, Logan, and Tom (who hadn't clued into my little side-conversation with Holly.)

I mean, why would you ever volunteer to say a "closing" prayer, when you could say the "opening" prayer and keep your eyes open through it?!

Seriously, I really like this little girl.

Oh, and other than that, Holly thinks that the baby in my belly is either going to be a boy or a girl. We are 15 weeks along, so in another month we will find out!

Always an Adventure!

2009-04-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

So, i was just mowing the lawn... "baling hay" as I like to call it when it gets this long...

Sam and Logan are at school, Holly has her friend Elle over for fun and dresses...

And Tom (who is home this morning, because he is flying out today for his Grandpa Nielsen's Funeral in Utah tomorrow) walked out into the yard and told me that he just bought tickets for the kids and I to fly to Utah... in about 4 hours from now...

AHHH! I am telling ya, it is ALWAYS an adventure with Tom! He got "good" prices by negotiating on Priceline... but now I am running around like crazy packing and figuring out how to get to Dulles Airport and not even having time to think about how I will entertain these kids on the planes... Did you gather that I am flying with all 3 kids on my own... because Tom just left to catch his flight... nice guy.

But, we are excited to get out to Utah and see family for the funeral. Sam has been praying that we would all be able to go... in her journal she wrote that "I keep begging my mom and dad to let us all go so i can see my cosins, but they won't budge. I am not giving up!"

I guess her faith paid off!

The kicker is that I am supposed to teach RS this weekend at church and I can't get ahold of anyone from the RS presidency to tell them that I have a change in plans! ah!

Gotta Run! Fun Times!

Twilight... stupid stupid... and a Secret Revealed...

2009-04-23T09:31:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

I feel compelled to gripe about Twilight today. I read the first one in March when I had the flu and was also very sick with the beginnings of pregnancy #4. I LOVED it. I am proud of myself for waiting a whole month before getting the next one to read. I decided that the house needed to be unpacked before I could commit another 2-day period to reading book #2 New Moon.

So, I started New Moon on Monday and finished it Tuesday. It was terrible! I was "rewarding" myself for a job well-done (unpacking) but felt guilty the whole day while I read, because I wasn't even enjoying myself!

At first, upon finishing the book, I was relieved that the book wasn't great and didn't leave me at a cliff-hanger so that I could concentrate on the paint projects and new counter-tops/kitchen lighting projects that I have on the docket.

But... then my friend Crystal told me that 2 is bad, but 3 and 4 are great! Oh no!

Twilight the movie came from Netflix the next day and I stole myself away during Holly's nap to watch it... it was bad, don't you think? I mean, if you read the book, how could you like the movie? The chemistry between Edward and Bella is NOT well portrayed at all! Their relationship develops so weirdly! David Pattinson is NOT overwhelmingly attractive like the book describes him to be... well, not attractive at all to me! And so much is left out (of course!)

So, I thought I was off the hook-- like off the addiction and the drive to read the other books right away!...

But then last night I had a dream about Edward! Well, not really... I was dreaming about something else (and I think it was a bad dream, but I can't remember it) and when I rolled over to scoot closer to Tom and try to forget the dream... the first thought that I had in my subconscious was, "Wow, I am so glad that Tom is not Edward. Tom is warm... Edward would be cold!"

Isn't that funny? And weird I admit...

And now this morning I KEEP thinking that I need to get my hands on the last 2 books and just get it all over with! Tom is going out of town for the weekend and I will have plenty of time to read late into the night! Ah!! But I should paint my cabinets and install lighting, etc! Reading can be so annoying to me! If I could read casually, it wouldn't control my life so much!

Anyway, does anybody agree with me on the 2nd book? Recommend the 3rd and 4th? Have copies I can borrow?

Did anybody catch the announcement that we are pregnant? Baby #4 is coming November 8ish! Yay! Now I have a reason to explain why I am getting so fat... ugh. Here we go again! But this is in small type, because in reality I DON"T want to be pregnant. I just want to have a baby! I have been in denial that a. I am actually pregnant and b. this thing is going to take 9 months (plus 9 months of weight loss efforts at least) before I am back to my happy size. Maybe this means we'll have another marathon on our hands next year. That would help, I think.

Anyway, wish me happy reading and happy fattening!

PS. Close Friends and Family- please don't be offended that we haven't announced to ya'll yet. I just have a really hard time saying "I'm pregnant" outloud. I just don't want to have the status or get the reactions from people yet! We've been hiding it for a couple months now and once you've been hiding and telling fibs about not being pregnant its hard to announce! Also, this blog post is a test of who in the family reads my blog! Ha Ha!

Since I am 12 weeks along, this is what my baby's hand looks like now. Wow! HE'S (premonition, not a fact) gonna be so cute!

Thank You, Angie Archibald!

2009-04-15T04:27:00.001-07:00

This "thank you" is WAY, WAY overdue, so instead of just thanking the person personally, I am going to blog about them and brag about them here!

Some of you may know that Tom's next younger brother Dan married a girl named Angie- so there are two Angie Archibalds in the family! Its fun and only sometimes confusing...

Anyway, Dan and Angie had our family for Christmas last year. They sent us an AWESOME "King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion" cookbook- well, its really more like a text book for fantastic baking. I love it! They also promised to be sending something for the kids soon after Christmas. I made them promise not to spend extra on shipping in order to get it to us before Christmas. Soon we forgot about it, and around Valentine's day we received a package in the mail from Dan and Angie (and Ruby and Nate). The best kinds of presents are the ones that come late and keep on giving (in my opinion) and this gift truly does that!

Angie made a BUNCH of hair clips and bows for my girls. They are SO cute and were much needed, as I have been a slacker lately with "girlifying" my girls!

They also sent Logan's "Easter Dog" that we had left at their house many months before. He was beyond happy to have that back!

So, my kids got super silly in taking pictures with their gifts and here they are...

Dear Angie Archibald,

THANK YOU for such a great gift! The girls wear the clips almost everyday! Especially Holly... they help keep her hair out of her eyes and go so great with her bob haircut!

Sincerely, Angie Archibald

River Rafting Adventure... On a Mini Scale

2009-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

It rained all morning and day on the Saturday before Easter, which was a bummer for all of us, but especially for Tom. He really looks forward to and NEEDS outdoor adventure on Saturdays after a long week at work.

So, as soon as the rain stopped at about 4 pm, Tom dragged the resistant children away from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and made us all go to the "river" (Sam yelling, "I hate going to the river! Its not fun for ME!" the whole way). Not the Potomoc River, but the river that connects into it (away from it?) here by Lake Ridge. I thought I saw a label on a map once that said "Chesapeake River", but that doesn't seem right! Anyway, we blew up our little "dingy" and had a lot of fun paddling around (2-3 at a time). The best part was that we saw 3 beavers swim right by us and they let us follow them (but not get too close).

Thanks, Tom for the adventure. When all was said and done, even Sam admitted to having fun. Told ya so!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

The kids were out of school all week for spring break, so I tried to make the best of it (while still attempting to do some unpacking) and we had a lot of fun! There were so many great pics to post, that I decided to make a slideshow. In it you will see pics of egg dyeing, egg-hunting at our neighborhood egg hunt, cake making (sam designed a cake on paper and asked if we could make it real!), etc. We did more that week, but I will post them separately! Happy Easter!

What every Daddy wants for his children...

2009-03-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

I found this conversation that I had recorded on a scrap piece of paper last summer...

Logan: Can I have another Popsicle?

Mom: No

Logan: Daddy said I could have another one!

Mom: Well, Dad was wrong.

Sam: Daddy sometimes makes bad decisions for you Logan. He wants you to get fat.

Logan: No he doesn't! He just wants me to be happy!

25 Random Things About Me

2009-03-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

1. I can't hardly pay full retail price for anything. It physically and emotionally hurts when I have to... and you should see my new coupon binder! It is a beautiful thing... Tom will be embarassed to find that I am publicizing this about myself. He gets so annoyed with my deal digging! Hey, it all adds up!

2. I just got my hair cut, colored, and highlighted by a guy named Elie from Lebanon. He called me "Love" and "Baby" the whole time. I look "Cool" now.

3. I can't ever wear earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet at the same time. I feel like its over the top! So, I choose 2 out of the 3.

4. Lately I have been training my kids to repeat "You are always right, Mom" to me when I have won a hard-fought battle over something they resisted and I pushed them on- and then things work out the way I said they would and they are glad I insisted. It bugs Tom when I make them say that because, he still won't admit that I am always right. Silly Boy...

5. While in high school I worked as a waitress, KeyCAD specialist (making technical blueprints for my dad), a cashier and customer service rep at Office Depot, a "book-keeper" for the Interstate Batteries distributorship, a cashier at Pick n' Save, and a banquet server at Paper Valley Hotel. Working was always part of the gig in our family. It sure taught me a lot and I really enjoyed most of my jobs. I learned a lot of self-discipline and time-management skills.

6. Once, when my parents were out of town I was assigned to hold down the fort at my dad's Steel Shop. During that week, I painted the disgusting office white and blue (but only up as high as I could reach, I left a foot or two unpainted). Also, I got to be there when the electricity shorted out in the whole building (can't do much at a machining shop when there is no power). AND, to boot, I somehow misplaced a payment that they had received in the mail. Actually, my memory is fuzzy on that- I think that the check was left attached to the payment stub and filed away- but when my dad got back in town, he made me dig through the entire dumpster looking for the check. So fun.

7. The thing I always liked about my mom when I was a teenager was that she was always ready to laugh at my escapades. She never got on my case. I think I had learned to make her laugh early on, because it was in my favor to get her laughing before I asked for something. My brothers and sister always sent me in to the Parents when we wanted to beg for something. I was the grand negotiator.

8. I played soccer in High School. Compared to soccer players across the state and country, I was not very good. I just didn't have the foot skills necessary to be fantastic! I blame that on the fact that when i was 10, we moved from Cache Valley Utah, where I had just been invited to play in the competetive league, to a rural Wisconsin town that didn't have soccer. A couple years later we moved to a larger city where I resumed my soccer playing, but age 10-12 is crucial for development and I had missed out. But, anyway, I really enjoyed playing with my High School Team and I always started. I played Full Back and had my ankles blown out by aggressive Forwards a few times. .

9. I ran a marathon in December 2007. Nothing fancy and nothing fast, but the training period was so rewarding! I felt like a rockstar every Saturday when I would finish my long run... 13, 15, 18, 21, 24 miles. And nobody was there to see me "cross the finish line" on those training runs. It was just my own personal victory! Sometimes I would have a little dance party before getting back in the car and driving home. Why haven't I been able to motivate myself to get ready for another race? Dunno!

10. I really want to buy a black leather living room set from Ashley Furniture, but when I showed it to Tom, he hated it. Why? I don't know. But I am not going to give up. Why does he think he has a say in what goes into our house? :-)

11. I keep a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the freezer. I snack on it whenever I am stressed-- or simply whenever I open the freezer. When we lived in Tallahassee, this became a real problem. I ended up asking my neighbor, KayDe Hale to store my chocolate chips for me. I instructed her to only allow me to retrieve them from her if I had a bowl full of dough waiting for chips.

12. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I wish I did. I think I should figure this out...

13. I love taking my kids to the National Museums in DC. I love how they listen to my every word when I am reading the captions to the displays. They ask a million questions and enjoy it very much. Especially when we can spend an hour in one room of a very large museum, knowing we can come back to see more next time. I think the reason why the kids love it so much, is because while we are there, I am paying 100% attention to them... something that is hard to do when we are at home.

14. I had a c-section with Samantha. And V-BACs with Logan and Holly.

15. I used to hate my nose. It is square and has corners and dimples on the front. My nose and I are cool with each other now, but it was rough in Junior High.

16. My 5th grade teacher ended up being a pedophile. Luckily he was into boys- and I was a girl. Also, one time I caught him chewing tobacco at his desk. At the time I thought he was such a cool teacher! They captured him years later in Alaska. Yikes!

17. I hate cleaning stains out of carpet. Hate it. When the kids spill something on the carpet I lose my temper right away. This has been improved by the acquisition of a "Bissel Little Green Machine." It is one of my best friends. Our last house had white carpet in the dining room. What was that guy thinking? Lets all cheer for the fact that our new house has wood laminate flooring throughout the entire main level. Hip Hip Hooray!

18. My first "boyfriend's" name was "Jazzy." I kid you not. I met him at a skating rink- he had moved away from my elementary school the year before I got there, but all the kids in my class new him and introduced us. He was my first kiss too. Actually, I don't think his real name was Jazzy- I don't even remember his real name!

19. One time when I wanted to meet Jazzy at the skating rink without my younger brother Bryant in tow, I changed all the clocks in our house to 1 hour earlier, then I got ready and snuck out of the house to the "bus stop" to go to the rink. He never knew what hit him and missed the trip somehow! Ha ha!

20. My dad caught me writing down and memorizing the lyrics to C&C music factory songs ("trying to get a nut, to move your butt, to the dance floor") once when I was in 5th grade. He was mad... not sure why!

21. I used to like to cook, but since my husband has a pallette identical to my 5 year old son, and neither of them like to try new foods, my job as Cook has become torturous and sometimes I can't stand to make dinner. Thank you Samantha, for at least trying the food I make.

22. I have a degree in Home Economics. Do they still have those degrees? Probably not. We learned how to shop for home appliances and cookware, how to properly use and repair many home appliances (vacuums, garbage disposals) how to buy a home, how to know what a good deal is at the grocery store, trends in produce prices, how to mend and sew, how to decorate using the principles of design, how to dress according to body style, and how to cook a meal for 4 with a random selection of groceries in the house. So valuable in my current life, really, but I find myself wishing I had majored in accounting or another business field. Oh well...

23. This isn't really about me- My husband Tom critiques every person we ever see jogging or running in public. He is the self-appointed expert on proper running form and technique. I HATE it when he does that, because I always think, "Hey, at least they are out there doing it!" Needless to say, I hate it when he sees me running. He isn't allowed to critique me...

24. My favorite color is a muted, earthy green.

25. I have a great roll recipe that I got from my friend, Emily Milton. I use my breadmaker to make the dough, then i drop globs of dough into a greased muffin tin. Always yummy... I could go for some right now!

Wow, that list is really dorky. Sorry...

Yucky

2009-03-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, Logan's doctor insisted that he get the flu shot-- we have never attempted to put our kids through that experience before and have always taken our chances-- but since Logan has asthma, I thought it was good advice. He was mad and wanted Sam and Holly to get one to, but I never got around to it, because Sam is pretty good at beating me up when it is time for immunizations.

Also, Tom's doctor pushed a flu shot on him this fall.

So-- Sam and Holly got the flu earlier this week, then passed it to me. And I am down for the count! Tom and Logan are completely fine... I guess I learned my lesson! I am in terrible shape and can't believe how hard it is to get out of bed! Holly keeps asking, "Now you can get out of bed, Mom?" I answer, "Not yet. I am not better yet." Then she gently strokes my face and gives me a kiss on the head. Such a nice friend!

Carey (my fun roommate) has been fantastic in helping me however she can. I really hope she doesn't get the flu, I would die of guilt! Luckily Clayre had the flu shot, so I think she is going to be ok!

Benefits of being stuck in bed: I have nothing else to to besides (a) watch TV online (b) spend hours on craigslist searching for furniture to fill the new house and (c) catch up on my blog! Yay!

What's My Deal?

2009-03-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

Many of my concerned friends have stated, quite directly, "You need to blog." Dianah Ross even said, "Do you think buying your first house is blog-worthy?"

I know, I know... I have lots of excuses as to why I haven't blogged... Here is the biggest reason of all: We bought a house!

Just before Christmas, we began house-hunting. We weren't even looking, and then Tom found a foreclosure home that he was in love with and that gave us a taste for the house-hunting bug. We didn't get that house, but it got us searching and in contact with a realtor. Admittedly we had a hard time narrowing down what exactly we wanted... SFH, townhome, Alexandria (too pricey), Ashburn (too far), Reston (yuck), Lorton (nah)... and then we found the Lake Ridge neighborhood of Woodbridge, VA and we new we had found a place to focus our search.

The search was consuming and emotionally exhausting. We would find a home we wanted, make an offer, and then find that 7 other offers had come in on the same day and we weren't interested in a bidding war. We made 5 offers in 5 weeks until "the house" came on the market.

I got an email alert that a new home had come on the market. When i saw the listing and the location (1 block from the church, 7 houses down from the school, and 2 blocks from the gym that I have a membership to) I knew right away that this was my house! We jetted down there within a couple hours and kinda freaked the owners out by being so prompt. We loved the house, felt at home, and wrote an offer in the car. The gracious owners accepted our offer right away, even though they had 10 other people come through the house the next day and also received a back-up offer higher than our own! We were truly blessed! They feel the same way- they had worried that the home wouldn't sell!

Anyhow, it has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, a 1 car garage, and 3 levels. Most of the basement is unfinished, except for the 4th bedroom. The owners have taken AMAZING care of the home and it doesn't need any immediate work!- that's saying something considering all the short sales and foreclosures we had looked at!

Here's the catch- since we bought the home so fast, the owners asked if they could rent the home back from us for a month after closing (Feb. 27th). We thought that sounded like a good idea, because since we would be breaking the lease on our rental home, we would need to find a renter and the extra time would be beneficial to us in preparing the home to show and listing it on various websites... well, we found a renter via craigslist right away and they wanted to move in on March 1st... Which left us without housing for a month! Ah!

We considered trekking out to stay with my parents in WI, but then when I came to my senses I realized that (a) I would be taking the kids out of school for a month (b) Wisconsin in the winter is not the most inviting place to visit! and (c) Where would tom stay so that he could continue work?

This was my dilema as we began to pack up our house... Then a Saint-On-Earth, Carey Payne- who never fails to amaze when it comes to service, loving sacrifice, and spiritual in-tuneness- offered to let us crash in their basement for 4 weeks. Her husband, Todd, is our bishop and when Carey brought the idea up with him, he said, "Why not?" These people are amazing and I am not sure if I would have done the same thing! (I think I would definitely consider it now, because what goes around, comes around!)

Anyway, after much deliberation and me asking, "Are you sure you want to do this?" And Todd and Carey reassuring us that they did-- we took them up on their offer.

At this point we are half way through our stay and things are going well, I think! We've turned their basement into a little one bedroom apartment... we brought our beds and dressers so that we wouldn't be living out of suitcases. The kids love sleeping in the "fish room", where Todd has a beautiful salt water aquarium. The basement is literally full of a wonderful book collection. So many amazing things to read! Mostly church books- many of them original print. There are also many historical books- biographies and autobiographies of great men and women who contributed to the building of this great nation. Anyway, its a cool place to "hang" and I think we are doing a good job of maintaining space between us. It is nice, sometimes, for Carey and I to be able to leave our little ones (they have a 7-month old baby named Clayre) at home with each other while we run errands or go to the gym.

Holly loves to entertain Clayre and I think Clayre loves to watch the action as our kids try to make her laugh.

Anyway, fun times in our life and always a lot of action!

Here is a collage of pictures from the brochure of the home click to enlarge:

OUR CHRISTMAS CARD TO ALL OF YOU!!!

2008-12-15T04:44:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago it occurred to me that there were only 2 weeks left until Christmas. I had no idea we were that close! Its good in a way, though, to be caught off-guard like that. Instead of stressing about Christmas for a month or more, I am going to just do what i can to make it a great Holiday Season for the kids within the next 2 weeks!

One of the things I love about the Christmas season is all the great Christmas cards that arrive in the mail boxes from friends and family. Especially from friends we haven't seen in years. It sure is nice of people to be so friendly and giving (I know what it costs both in time and money to create those letters, take and print those pictures, gather the addresses, and mail those cute cards!) Thats why I don't do it. Not because I am not friendly, but because I am famously cheap and apparently, not the best planner. I just don't have time to whip it all together last minute!

Since we have blogging as a new and fun communication device, I am going to make the next several posts (see below) THE ARCHIBALD FAMILY CHRISTMAS CARD series.

Its has been over 6 weeks since my last post. Things were crazy here, but, we are back to normal here and I want to get caught up.

Most of all, MERRY CHRISTMAS to all the people we love!!!

Merry Christmas, High School Friends!
Merry Christmas, BYU Friends!
Merry Christmas, USU Friends!
Merry Christmas. Hawaii Friends!
Merry Christmas, Tallahassee Friends!
Merry Christmas, Navy Friends!
Merry Christmas, Virginia Friends!
Merry Christmas, Family!
Merry Christmas, Everyone Else!

Your Wish is Granted

2008-12-11T17:54:00.001-08:00

Pictures of Tom's Truck with fancy "new" craigslist tires are now made public.

Its a 1997 Ford Ranger with only 50-something thousand miles on it. He bought it from a Indian guy who was selling it because, "It was bad for his image to drive it in DC." Tom loves to drive it in DC. Especially when he has to turn it over to unsuspecting valet parking attendants who don't realize that it doesn't have any power steering until they are attempting to park it in a teeny tiny underground parking garage slot. Ha Ha! That's a workout.

I refuse to ever drive it again for that very reason. :-)

He loves this truck. He has grand dreams for what it can become. (Think camouflage paint job. I kid you not. Someone please help me...)

Many people are wanting to see full pictures of what Tom has called "The Racing Van." Sorry, I don't have any, I guess. When the van is cleaned up and it is not frigid outside, I'll catch a picture of that beauty and post it. I know it's exciting, but don't hold your breath!

What has 20 legs, giggles, and stays up all night?

2008-12-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

What has 20 legs, giggles, and stays up all night?

Samantha's Late-Night Pajama Party, of course, and you're invited!

That's what the invites for Sam's 7th birthday party said, and it was a total blast! It was basically a "sleep-over" style party from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm that did not include any sleeping at all. I planned several activities, but what the girls actually did for the entire 2 hour period was run around and scream at the top of their lungs. I think they enjoyed it!

I made Samantha limit her invites to just her soccer team, because 1. I know all the girls and for they most part they listen to me 2. If I let her invite one girl from school, then other girls at the school would find out and be sad and we'd want to invite them too, and that opens too big a bag of beans to handle 3. The same thing would happen with invites at church. I felt bad for some of her other friends, but I think they understood and were ok.

We all wore pajamas, which was a nice excuse for Samantha and I to buy some new, warm, fuzzy jammies. Tom had a great time teasing the girls and being ridiculous... usually he would chime in with something really obnoxious just as I got them quieted down from their last lap around the house. Holly was in heaven with so many big girls around. Logan tried to keep his space doing "guy stuff" with Tom.

Samantha LOVED all her presents. Most of them were Littlest Pet Shops, Polly Pockets, and Hannah Montana Paraphernalia... what more could a little girl want??

Yesterday I was getting Sam ready for bed and I sat on her bed and looked straight toward the opposite wall. From there I could see her bulletin board and on it she had pinned the invitation for her party. Beneath that she had pinned a hand-written note that said, "Best Parte Ever." What more could a Mom want??

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Lady Leprachauns

2008-12-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun coaching Samantha's soccer team this past fall. Our friend Laura Bailey was gracious enough to be my assistant coach and we had 10 girls from Lane Elem. and Island Creek Elem. on our team. I just really fell in love with those girls and enjoyed both practices and games. And these girls were really good! We are not supposed to keep score (we don't), but that doesn't keep the girls from keeping it! We only lost one game this season! I am looking forward to the spring season!

And here are some action shots of Samantha on the field. One of the parents was so nice to take these pics and then send them out to the parents. Thanks, Ed! ;-)

I love that Samantha enjoyed soccer this season and I really hope she keeps it up... so that I can keep coaching!!

Blair Archibald, A Great Reason to Celebrate

2008-12-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, November 23rd, Tom's Grandpa, Blair Archibald, had a massive stroke. The day before, he had been scaling a ladder up to the roof and working in his garden. Three days later he passed away peacefully. He was 89 years old. That was the way he wanted to go. He was a legend of man and has left an AMAZING legacy for his posterity to follow.

There was only one man that I knew to be as kind as my grandpa Bryce White, and that was Grandpa Blair Archibald. He never had a negative or sarcastic word to say about anybody. Each one of his 6 sons has said that they could not have had a better father. What more could a father want to have said about him at his funeral?

When Tom and I were living in Provo and I was pregnant with Samantha, our old car broke down and was in the shop. We decided to go without a car for a few weeks until we came up with a plan for transportation. Well, I had my ultrasound appointment scheduled during that time-period and I wasn't about to reschedule seeing my baby and finding out if it would be a boy or a girl!

So, we called Grandpa Archibald and he came to pick us up in his LEGENDARY and much-coveted Grand Marquis. I loved the way he always smiled when he talked. And the way he whistled when he spoke his S's. "Well, this is sure exCCCCiting (insert whistle)," he said. "Call me when you're finished! Have fun!" What a nice guy he was. I still remember how slowly he drove down University Avenue on the way to the doctor's office. I was so anxious to get there! And that day we found out we were starting our family off with a little Samantha!

Also, when we lived in the on-campus housing (Wymount), we didn't get very many phone calls from off-campus numbers. Especially from local Provo numbers. Most people we knew lived in on-campus housing as well, and those calls came up differently on the caller-ID. It was out-of-the-ordinary to get a call from an 801 number. Most of the time, when a call came up from local Provo, it was from Grandpa Archibald. "Angie," he was start, "How are you? Can I bring you some tomotoes from my garden?" he would ask. "I have a big brown bag, and I hope you can share them with your neighbors down there at BYU." Once he called to see if we wanted to come and pick Irises. When we got up there (he lived just above campus) we found the perimeter and all flowerbeds covered with beautiful purple Irises. He was so generous and loving. We all loved him so much! For years afterward I have remembered his phone number by heart (to Tom's amazement), because when I saw it come up on the caller-ID, I knew that love and kindness and a soft-spoken grandpa were on the other end of the line.

We were blessed to get AMAZING airfare to go back west and attend his funeral. What a great trip we had! Tom's whole family was able to come and we took a great family picture. The best part was that we suprised Tom's parents (and everyone else except his brother Scott's family, who picked us up from the airport and let us stay at their house). Its fun to be spontaneous and put on a big surprise like that!

One more cool story... Every month, at the beginning of the month, Grandpa Archibald would sit down and write out a birthday card and small check for every member of his posterity that was having a birthday that month. He was a habitual letter writer and we all loved to "get the news from grandpa." Well, we received the birthday card for Samantha in the beginning of November and I tucked it up high on the cabinet, so I could pull it down ON Samantha's birthday (the 26th). Well, he passed on away on Samantha's birthday and opening that letter was quite the emotional experience. He wrote, "I sure miss you and love you and your family." Kinda cool. I tried to convince Samantha to not cash the check, but to keep it as a keepsake instead. No way- it wasn't that cool! But, we made a copy of that check, which reads in the memo line, "Happy Birthday! November 26th!"

Here are some pictures of our trip to Utah:

Logan and Sophie climbing the mountain that is DIRECTLY across the street from Scott's new house.

Scott and Lori's family... and Logan. How did he sneak in there?

Our kids, captured in the "reverent" silliness that a funeral requires.

Eating up the Relief Society's yummy post-funeral dinner with cousins.

Grandpa's Six Sons, youngest to oldest. Tom's dad, Dave, is the second from the right.

Grandpa Archibald had a FANTASTIC collection of hat-wear. Here are Tom, his brother John, and Cousin Lowell selecting their inheritances from the stash.

The "little girls," (Lily, Holly, and Ruby) having a screaming party in the back of the truck.

Kids on Halloween

2008-12-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

We have 3 cute kids and here they are on Halloween (and at various Halloween parties).With our Afghan neighbor, Sammy (Samir). He came to the party with us dressed as Harry Potter!

On Halloween Night, Logan was an Astronaut, Holly was Jack-Jack, and Samantha dressed up as "Fancy Nancy" (one of her favorite book characters. This is a run down of how Samantha's night went:

"CAN WE GO TRICK-OR-TREATING NOW???"

"C'MON, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR, THE NIGHT IS WASTING!"

"WHY DO WE NEED ANOTHER PICTURE? LETS GOOOOO!!!!!!!"

"JACKPOT. I'LL START WITH THIS TWIX..."

Samantha is genetically programmed (via the Archibald line) to LOVE treats. She has a small obsession with anything sweet. If we have sweets in the house, she is amazingly focused on how to get them into her mouth. She kinds like Halloween...

Tom took the kids down the street with to Trick-or-Treat with our neighbors, the Tibbs, and they had a GREAT time. Tom just loved being in a "real neighborhood" for Halloween. Previously, we have always been in an apartment (except for when we rented the towhome in Bountiful, but Tom was in Africa that year, so he missed out). It was fun to meet neighbors and get to know the neighborhood better. We sure like hit here.

I stayed at home and did the Monster Mash and waited for the THREE trick-or-treaters that came my way. I should have gone out with the kids too!

Ritz, Reading, and Relaxing after School

2008-11-28T03:52:00.000-08:00

Samantha is in 1st grade this year and is really getting good at reading. I really cherish the half hour after the kids get home from school and we get to swing on the porch and talk about school, watch Logan unload his backpack and show me his treasures, and watch Holly adore her big sister and big brother that she misses so much while they are gone all day.

On this day in October, the kids settled onto the couch together with a sleeve of Ritz (their favorite) and a book from Samantha's "Take-home-book" folder.

My heart melted as I watched Samantha read a book to Logan and Holly for her first time ever. They got a little silly once I turned the camera on, but at least they weren't fighting.

Her are some pictures and a video:

I am often annoyed when friends of mine don't post pictures of themselves on their family blogs. I want to see my friends along with their cute little mini-me's!!

So, i have convinced myself to post these two pictures that Logan and Holly took of me. No make-up even! The over-exposed flash helps mask that fact.

Here's to the happy simple moments of motherhood and childhood. Its nice when these moments coincide, isn't it?

Incredible Halloween, Again

2008-11-28T03:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, many of you know that we unveiled our Incredibles Costumes last Halloween, but we had to do a Incredible Halloween, Round 2 this year, because next year the costumes will be too small for the kids (hopefully not for Mom and Dad!). We had lots of fun dressing up as a family again this year. We wore these costumes to the ward Halloween party at the church and won the "Best Family Costume" award. The kids were really happy about that.

I have to admit though, that this Halloween really paled in comparison to last years. SO MUCH FUN! I always enjoy going back and reading my "Highlights of Halloween" email that I sent out last year. Since many people who read this blog weren't part of our "circle of friends" last year, I am going to re-post that email here for a fun read for all (especially myself):
_______________________________________________________

This was a Halloween to remember! (2007)

Highlights:

1. Tom driving home from work on his scooter dressed in his head-to-toe Mr. Incredible uniform. He said that one guy ran out of a Sports Bar with a Bob Marly-ish hat on and just stood on the grass and yelled, "YEEAAAHHHH!!" Tom gave him a simple peace sign and then drove on.
2. Going to the mall, which was hosting a trick-or-treat thing with the stores.
3. Pulling up in the parking lot at the mall and not seeing anybody else in costumes.
4. The first guy we passed, shouted out, "Hey, Look! Its the Fantastic Seven!" ???
5. Seeing people stop mid-step and drop their jaws when they saw us coming down the hall.
6. Hearing, "ooooohhhhhhhhh, thats so sweeeeetttt/cuuuuuuttteee" about 98 times per minute.

7. The dozens of people who either asked us to pose for a picture or just stopped and took photos of us with their cell phones as we passed.
8. Store employees yelling to their co-workers to hurry out and see the Incredibles!
9. The overweight woman who sprinted from the back of her store to try to get a picture of us
10. The lady who said, "oh look, its the impossibles!"
11. People who sat down their belongings so that they could give us a standing ovation
12. The lady who said, "now thats a family who is comfortable with themselves!!!"
13. The guy who kept repeating, "is that for real (insert ebonics accent)?" and then he asked me directly, "but, seriously, are you guys a REAL family? Mom and Dad and kids? WOW"
14. The children who would tug on their parents legs and say, "mommy, can i get a picture with the incredibles?" its like they thought they were at disneyland.
15. The male victoria's secret employee who quietly told tom that we should keep the costumes on late into the night. ha ha
16. After about the 100th person asked us to pose (this was later that night when we were finishing up our trick-or-treating) logan just dropped, face down on the sidewalk and laid there like he was dead. refused to stand up, or get up, or speak. he wasn't screaming or whining... he was just done.
17. As we were walking back to the car, the kids spotted a frog jumping on the sidewalk. we spent the next hour and a half waiting for tom to conquer his fear of amphibeans and pick it up. i kid you not. as people walked or drove passed the entire incredible family on their hands and knees on some stranger's front lawn, they usually asked us if we had any candy. "nope," angie would say, "mr. incredible is just trying to get up the guts to touch a frog."
18. Angie picking up one frog in each hand and begging tom to just hold the frogs so we can go home.
18. Tom picking up the frog. the big smile on his face in the pic is part exhillaration, part self-mockery. As he put it, "I could jump out of an airplane right now. but i can't touch the frog- i mean, what logically is going to happen to me? is he going to jump me to death?" sam consoled him with, "dad, i know how you feel." At the moment he finally had him in his hand, he announced that his heart was beating, "800 times per millisecond." (i am pretty sure that i going to be in trouble for telling this story, but it was so great!)
19. Logan's comment this morning to Tom: "Dad, Dad's aren't supposed to be able to pick up frogs. Just moms... BUT YOU DID IT!"

Anyway, we are going to have a hard time topping this Halloween. Wish we could have seen more of our family on this fun day, but ah well.

Happy Halloween!

Rockin' Out to Ringtones

2008-10-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon, Tom became officially annoyed by the ringtone I had chosen for my cell phone. He thinks that a phone should just ring like they used to. So, he began to scan the ringtone selection in my Piece o' Crap Phone and a party began! I snuck out the camera as slyly as I could. Sam and Logan didn't notice me for a while.

This video just goes to show that even the mundane things in life can be fun... especially if your Dad/Husband is a 4-year old trapped in a 29-year old's body.

As you can witness, I would like to point out 3 important points:

1. This is not our children's first in-kitchen dance session- Sam has her moves plotted well in advance.

2. These kids can really jam.

3. Tom's dance moves haven't changed since he was 4. I realized early on in our courtship that you can't dance "with" Tom. You dance near him and try not to get injured.

Anyway... As Holly yelled to Tom as he left the house for work this morning, "Rock on Rockers!"

Backyard Campout

2008-10-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the backyard is far enough...

Ever since we moved into this house, which sits on a lovely, mostly secluded 1/2 acre, we've been talking about doing a backyard camp-out. Two weeks ago, we couldn't think of a reason NOT to do it. The weather has been amazing here in October.

Tom set up the tent while I cooked an odd and not yummy dinner, which we ate outside at the picnic table.

Our tent is ridiculously large (who can vouch for that?). At least we know that if we decide to rebel against nice, warm/cool homes with comfortable beds and running water someday, we already have an alternative dwelling available. And we could invite the entire local Boy Scout Troop to join us!

I squeezed in a sunset jog while Tom got the kids dressed for the night "out". I came home to find them in the cutest conglomeration of warm-weather clothes I've ever seen.

Sometimes my heart does a squeezy flip when I see pictures like this of this cute family. I mean, look at the way Holly looks at Tom!

I sure am in love!

Sam thought it was funny to hide under the table for the pictures. So funny that I had to hunt her down for another pic.

This is what I got. All she wants for Christhmuth is her two front teeth.

The boys got to eat on Nemo dishes. Us girls woudn't dare eat on anything other than Disney Princess dishes....

Did I say the kids ate? Silly me. They sat in front of the dishes- can't really say they ate. Are they supposed to eat on a campout?

Where were the s'mores?

Rock Obama vs. Dad

2008-10-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

Seeing as how we live right near Washington, D.C., National news is local news. There are a lot of politically charged people around here, needless to say.

A couple of weeks ago Logan came home from school and told me that the boy who sits next to him in Kindergarten told him that he was voting for "Rock Obama!" I asked Logan if he replied that he would be voting for John McCain. Logan said, "No. I told him that I am voting for my Dad!" Good boy, son.

Dad For President!

This is Tom's "Ticked-Off (somebody is about to get a piece of my mind, hopefully my fist) Face." If he were politically charged, maybe he would make it more often. Thank goodness he's not- and doesn't.

We like Grandmas and Grandpas

2008-10-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, my Dad called and asked for my address. I gave it to him and asked why he needed it. He said they were on their way to my house and would be there in about 3 hours! Yay! What a great surprise! Tom was out of town (in Tallahassee) and I had been wondering what the kids and I would do for a fun Friday night without our director of recreation on duty.

I dragged my poor parents out to the commissary for a marathon trip. I had no milk, eggs, bread, crackers, cheese... the list goes on.

Have I ever said how much I LOVE shopping at the commissary here at Ft. Belvoir? I pay $2.19 or so per gallon of milk. EVERY WEEK. The prices on almost everything are unbeatable and I save so much money! I think that part of me wanted to show my parents how good I have gotten at grocery shopping with my new coupon binder too. I have organized my coupons into a big zippered binder with a shoulder strap and everything. The coupons are filed into baseball card sheet protectors and organized by aisles in the commissary. On friday I saved $20.65 with coupons! I could go on and on about grocery shopping, but that's not the point...

I am so glad that my parents "stop by" like that. After we dropped the groceries off at home, we drove down to Old Town Alexandria for some icecream at- what's it called? Scoops? So yum!

Grandma and Grandpa Hess left at about 10:00 am the next morning- but not before Grandma settled in to read some of my favorite books to the kids. That was fun for me to sit and watch.

Love you, Mom and Dad!

Remind Me Never to do THAT Again!

2008-10-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple of weeks since I have found myself here at the dining table late at night, the only person in the house still awake, sitting in front of my adorable apple laptop, and staring at my blog. Tom's work computer (a fancier apple laptop, provided by his employer) is on the fritz and he had to send it in to be worked one. Therefore, my laptop has become Tom's laptop. AND to boot, our wireless hasn't been working. So, I've missed being able to be online at will. It feels SOO good to be back!

So, lets catch up!

Yesterday, I waited WAY to long at a McDonald's counter for 5 Hamburgers (or as the lady working the registered repeated 17 times to the guy in the back, "Cinco hamburgesas, tres solomente ketchup"). After receiving my cold hamburgers, I turned to leave McDonalds and found myself suddenly in Wal-mart. Admitedly, I had been at the McD INSIDE Wal-Mart.

BUT WAIT, IT GETS WORSE!

Before I could reach the door and exit such a lovely place, Holly announced that she needed to go potty. Of course- what's a visit to Wal-Mart without time spent in the restroom??

When I looked myself in the mirror, and realized that I was eating a McDonald's hamburger INSIDE a Wal-Mart bathroom I vowed to myself never to find myself in such a place again. Where had I gone wrong? What am I doing with my life? I made Tom promise to 1. Never let me eat at that specific McDonalds again and 2. Never let me eat in a bathroom again. Tom took it once step further as asked if 3. It might be possible for us to NEVER walk into a Wal-mart again.

Maybe if Wal-Mart opens a drive through!

Our Racing Van

2008-10-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

We decided the old pooey hubcaps had to come off, so we sanded, scrubbed, and repainted the wheels on our van...and they look pretty darn sweet! Luckily I had Holly there to help me with the project and we even ended up painting 5 mini pumpkins pink at the same time. (Holly put on her Lion costume as it was a cold morning.

Angie was pretty impressed I must say, and I think I am going to now move to greater projects like the hood of our racing van.

A New Addiction- Borderline Unhealthy!

2008-09-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

How do you like my new look? I think that I am borderline addicted to my blog now. I even check it for new posts- from me.

But, seriously, do you like this new, cute background? And the music? Its too much! I sometimes want to live INSIDE my blog.

It was Tom that got the blog going again a few weeks ago. He started it out with some cool, neutral colors, and a photo of our old Chinese scooter. Sorry, Tom, I tried to keep your original vision intact, but, when I saw the cuter-than-ever backgrounds on Rebecca Gagnier's blog and Brynn Sorenson's blog, I succumbed to this adorable scrapbook look.

Why do I feel like I just rolled over in bed and took all the blankets with me--- pretty soon, Tom is going to start shivering pull back, I know it!

Love ya, Hon! Thanks for MY new blog!

Angie

Coach Tom and a Team of "Winners"

2008-09-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

No really, they are winners- there are pretty darn good (but who's keeping score?) AND they named themselves the Winners.

With a combination like that, you can't Lose!

The star player (in our biased opinion) is pictured center, top row. Kick it Logan-Bear!

Hanging Out Downtown

2008-09-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

After a full 3 days of constant sight-seeing (see the post below), the kids (and Tom) needed a few moments of rest.

Here is my little guy, playing with his tranformers at the base of a huge lampost in front of the National Archives. He is cute and I like to watch him whisper sound effects and dialogue to himself when he is imagining great adventures. Thats when I HAVE to kiss him, and then he whines and wipes it off. "Can't wipe off a Mommy's kiss", I tell him, "They stay forever and ever!"

Here is a cute Stroller Girl. For her, there are few things better than a stoller in motion. She really is easy to please. But be warned, even if she is not in the stroller, it is still hers! Do NOT try to catch a free ride.

Tom was lucky enough to come down with a nice head cold while his parents where here. Here is is, "taking a nap" outside the archives.

Here I am, outside the archives, just moments before the little man pictured above with the transformers declares, "MOM! I need to go poop... wait, I think I already did a little bit!" There ain't nothing I can't handle! Mom to the rescue!

The travelers on the Metro. Its all part of the experience, right? "Dis is Blue Line Train, Franconia-Springfield, next stop... Braddock Road!"

Tom and the kids, without teeth, I guess.

G-pa Archibald is just a fun, content, happy guy to be with.

I told Logan to smile, and just before I snapped the picture, he quickly stuck his finger in his nose. I mean, why wouldn't he?

And, finally, a decent home-cooked meal at the house. We enjoyed BBQ hamburgers, baked beans, Yoshiko salad, Dreamsicle Jell-o, and I can't remember what else. Followed by beloved brownies and icecream. It was fun to cook for grandma for a change. She is the master hostess and I know I'll never match up to her repeated masterpiece meals, but I keep trying!

DC Visitors Make Life Fun!

2008-09-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

As of this moment, Tom's parents and sister Aimee are at Mount Vernon, doing one last bit of site seeing before they hop on a plane back to Utah. Holly and I are in the quiet house now, wondering what to do with ourselves... well, I take that back. Holly knows exactly what to do. She is eating everything she can find. I have loads of laundry and vacuuming to do, but that can wait a couple hours, right? I need to post on my blog first!

We had lots of fun seeing all the major monuments with the family. All of us except Samantha. She officially hates anything that is named a "monument" or "memorial". Here we are at the White House. So fun that it was pouring rain! Tom's Mom and Dad were pretty happy to see the balcony where the actors from the movie "Dave" stood to greet the crowd. Interestingly, there was a long line of black SUVs and large sedans parked out front. I, being borderline obsessed with politics somedays, happened to know that the President was meeting with both John McCain and Barack Obama at the oval office at 4:00 pm that day to discuss the bailout, etc. We suspected that the cars were waiting to take the big shots back to the airport... An hour later we were at the Washington Monument and saw that long line of fancy black cars speed past- So, in essence, we saw John McCain and as my kids call him, "Rock" Obama on Thursday night! Bet you can't say that! (The Hillary sighting was possibly even better- read on!)
Here are "the kids", standing the literal center of Washington, D.C. According to our lovely guide (Senator Orrin Hatch's personal assistant), the Capital Building was built in the very center of DC. And the great Rotunda is in the very center of the Capital. And these four cute kids are standing on the center spot of the Rotunda, so that's kinda cool!

In the Capital Rotunda (which, BTW, is tall enough to fit the Statue of Liberty inside) there are a lot of cool paintings and sculptures.

Here is one of the neatest sculptures (we thought). It is a carving of 3 women who paved the way for women's rights in their time and into the future. Do I remember who they are? No. Oops. But, you'll notice the unfinished block of stone in the rear. Apparently, that stands for 2 things: 1. The unfinished work of women's rights and 2. The first woman president will have her image carved into that chunk. Cool, huh?

We think that the first time Hillary Clinton saw that rough block of stone she determined to make it hers! Well, she didn't accomplish that great feat, but when she walked onto the Senate Floor to vote on a Budget bill on Friday (we were watching), she knew how to make the room hers! She burst/floated into the Senate Chambers in stylishly late fashion, the wind gust from the great doors fluffing up her hip 'do... She wore a black pantsuit and red top. Honestly, she is prettier in person than she is on TV. But that doesn't mean I have to like her.

We also saw John Kerry (did you realize he is all silver gray now?), Orrin Hatch, Harry Reid, oh, gosh , somebody help me here... Lots of important-ish senators. And it was "real fun" to watch the oldest of them all make a sleepy argument for an increase in food stamp benefits-- he kept saying, "D'ya hear me?" and "Hell No!" I didn't just curse- he did. And why is it that I mostly only recognized Democratic Senators? Weird. Needless to say, as boring as it was for the kids to sit silently above the senate floor, we quite enjoyed peeking in!

Here are the boys (and Holly), posing with the great Abe Lincoln. Now thats a Good Lookin' Group of Guys right there!

Survey Favor and Lost Ring

2008-09-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

Hey all, my sister's clever husband has many talents- one of which is designing wedding bands. He is trying to get his business of the ground is curious as to which of his designs are most popular how much to charge for them rings. If you would like to, please take a minute to answer this 6 questions, non-obligatory survey about the rings. They are pretty cool.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=UUXJR4cqlnJtKUqarCvZ_2bQ_3d_3d

Designer: Courtney Larsen, Anchorage, AK
Rings: Eternally Classic Jewelry

Thanks!

Speaking of wedding rings, mine was lost (details not to be disclosed at this time) a few months ago. I miss it a lot. If you find it in my house or my yard, please let me know. For now, I am wearing a plastic ring (with a very large jewel) that Samantha picked out of the "treasure chest" at the doctor's office. It was a great sacrifice for her to give it to me. She is a nice girl.

Mom's Birthday

2008-09-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

I just celebrated my first 28th birthday! It kinda snuck up on me, and 28 is such a boring age to be, so we didn't plan much. Wait! I take that back! I had bought bus tickets to NY for my Bday and convinced some good friends here to join me- ladies only! But then I changed my mind a the last minute and decided that I wanted to spend my birthday with a handsome guy named Tom.

So, Tom made reservations at a fancy restaurant in downtown DC, but I talked him into taking us all the the Elders Quorum BBQ at the park instead. Hey- I like those BBQs at Levelle Dupell Park! The next day, we dropped the kids off at "swap" and, thanks to the mercy and charity of our good friends Shawn and Andrea DuBravac, went boating on the Potomac!

It was so fun! Rob and Julie Morgan came with us too and though Tom was the only one to get in the (choppy) water, and Julie outdid all of us in the fashion category, we had such a fun time!

There is a restaurant down in Dumphries named Tim's. You can dock your boat there and eat there on the water's edge! And they had a couple of guys there singing random covers and we had a mah-valous time. I ate a fish taco (tastes better than it sounds) and Tom, the unadventurous one, ordered a hamburger. We watched the DuBies and Morgans eat real seafood and planned a steamed crabs night for someday in the misty future.

Thanks for making my birthday so fun, guys!!

New York in '09?

Sunday Morning Monuments

2008-09-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

We've decided that since our church doesn't start until 1:00 pm, if we hurry to get ready on Sunday mornings, we can see a National Monument or Memorial before Daddy's 11:45 meetings! This past week we went to the Jefferson. What a beautiful day!!!

Where We Have Lived: A Running Log

2008-09-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

1. Dec 2000: Moved into our first apartment at Lookout Pointe, Provo, UT

2. Summer 2001: Moved into a 1 bedroom apt. Wymount because our old car (see Cars we've driven post) died and Angie was pregnant and couldn't walk up the hill to our Lookout Point place anymore.

3. December 2001: (3 weeks post-partum/post-c-section with Samantha) Moved down the road to a 2 bedroom apt. in Wymount. Bldg 11B?

4. April 2003: Moved into a townhome in Bountiful. Tom took a job working as a mortgage broker(?) with his older brother. We planned to take a year off of school before starting his masters degree.

5. June 2003: Logan, UT. (8 months pregnant with Logan) Tom's brother got fired from the mortgage group so we decided to head up to USU sooner than later. I had finished hanging our pictures the day Tom told me we would be moving again.

6. May 2004: We moved to Punalu'u, Oahu, Hawaii. Master Degree Internship/Heaven on Earth. Tom worked as an instructional designer at BYU-H. However, the Heaven part didn't officially begin until our second week there, because our first week there was spent living in an over-price, non-furnished, sand pile that was so close to the ocean that we couldn't carry on a conversation in normal tones due to the sound of the waves crashing in-- I'd pay to have that complaint nowadays. That was at Hano Hano Hale.

7. May 2004: Moved across the parking lot to Pats at Punalu'u. Begin Heaven on Earth.

8. January 2005: Moved to Tallahassee, FL to begin Tom's PhD work. We lived in a warehouse-like apartment in FSU student housing. We were surrounded by ghetto and roaches.

9. August 2005: Moved into The Dead Man Apartment in Talla Villa Apartments (B3?). The guy living there before us had died in his bed, with a heating pad on, and wasn't found for 10 days or so aferward. Thats not the worst part. He had smoked in the apartment for 12 years. I could blog for hour about the 5 days we spent trying to live there and all the help we got from GREAT friends. To add to it all, we thought that Tom was on ther verge of deployment, and I was pregnant with Holly. What a nightmare.

10. September 2005: Moved into a 3 bedroom apartment in the same Talla Villa. Apt L8. MUCH nicer, lovely place. Lots of kids to play with in the courtyard. It was a good ending to a BAD year.

11. January 2006: Moved to Bountiful, UT. Holly had been born 3 weeks previous and voila, Tom was "voluntold" to deploy to Djibouti, Africa ASAP. I was still suffering a terrible groin injury (from a combination of moving too much during pregnancy and labor strains). Add mastitis to the picture and it gets even better. Tom's mom saved us on this move. She found us a beautiful townhome in Bountiful (Pages Place Drive) and flew out to help pack up and fly with the kids and I to Utah. Tom's Dad flew out to... where? Somewhere- and accompanied Tom on the drive back to Utah with our car. Angie's parents saved our poor butts financially during that whole storm.

12. February 2007: Tallahasse, Round 2. Tom returned on Feb. 28 and we moved out on March 1st. We headed right back to Tallahassee to finish that darn PhD! We moved into a nice 3 bedroom at Talla Villa (unable to resist it's magnetic pull once again). Apt. C2.

13. May 2008: Alexandria, VA. We decided that since Tom was done with his on campus course requirements we could sneak out of Tallahasee and take a job in the "real world". Translation: higher pay, higher taxes, higher rent. But- more fun things to see and do and we LOVE IT HERE! We really do. We love our house that we rent (especially the yard). We love the people that we've met and who already seem like old friends. We love going into the city. We love the trees and today I am LOVING the fall air. We could stay here forever if we had to... Translation: if we got paid enough to live comfortably and be able to travel back west to see family often enough.

Where will our next home be???? Will we own it? Hmmmm...

Cox Farms

2008-09-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Andrea DuBs for convincing me to spend a whopping $26 dollars for a Monday afternoon outing at Cox Farms!! Whoever Grandpa Cox is- I like him. The slides were so cool and the kids had TONS of fun. I sure love my kids too. A lot. I especially think they are cute when the weather is perfect, they are happy, and there are pumpkins and newborn pigs nearby.

Fun at a barbeque

2008-09-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Well, tonight, was one of those nights where I (Tom) wonder what I was thinking. We went to an Elder's Quorum BBQ. We had a great time...we were 'socializing up a storm' and things were just dandy. We really like this ward and have made a lot of good friends.

Everything was going sweet until I noticed there was a group of about 6 boys chasing Samantha and another three girls around. That was fine, but then they started running and chasing them with sticks. (I guess they were playing star wars somehow). Well, the girls came to me and asked me to tell the boys to stop chasing them. So, I asked the boys to please stop chasing the girls.

Then...as always happens, no one listened to me and they all just kept on chasing them. It got to the point where the boys were trying to hit the girls with their sticks. Then a boy pushed Samantha on the ground and got on top of her and was pretending to use his stick as a sword on her throat. The boy, I really think was probably just playing, and got carried away...well, that was it for me. I blocked out any rational thoughts I had and ran over there, picked up the boy, put him on the ground, and held him down asking him if he really enjoyed this.

I then told the rest of the boys (who were all around the age of 9-11) that I was serious and I don't want them around the girls anymore. As you can imagine, this was fun for everyone else there at the BBQ.

So....later tonight, I ended up going to the boy's house and apologizing for probably overreacting, and his dad apologized for what the boy did. The boy is a good kid and was happy I stopped by....as I brought him a little football to make amends.

Anyways, being a dad to a little girl brings out some interesting emotions...and I am trying to do my best, but hopefully someone else has made some sort of similar over-reaction.

The ironic thing is tonight is Angie's birthday, and for the first time in years I actually reserved a table for us at a really nice restaurant in downtown DC....we should have gone to the restaurant.

T

First Day on the Bus

2008-09-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

This is our little mini-documentary of the kids' first day on the bus. Sam and Logan were pretty excited about this new adventure. We don't have the post-school footage yet, but it should be forthcoming.

Updates

2008-09-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

We are updating our blog now....with new cool pictures....and witty asides.

Some More Family Pics

2007-02-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

We spent a day in Provo and attended a BYU Football game when Tom was home for his 18 day "Rest and Relaxation" break in September.

We were proud of ourselves for making it through most of the first half of the game! Go Cougs!

When Tom came home for some R&R in September, the kids picked up right where they left off with him and I couldn't get a word in edge-wise! This is at the airport.

Waiting to see our Daddy for the first time in 8 months... man the anticipation was too much!

Holly fell in love with Tom the instant she re-met him on his R&R.

Tom in "Frickin' Africa"

2007-02-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

Tom in his "hooch", which is his 8' x 8' living area.

Being silly on the gun range.

Local Djiboutians passing by the gun range. It's like they are living the same life as their ancestors did in Moses' time!

Tom being "not silly" on the gun range.

Here We Are!

2007-02-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

The Kids at the Primary's Breakfast with Santa Activity.

Most of my family came to our house for Christmas. Of course, Tom is not pictured, because he spent Christmas 2006 in a tent in Africa... poor Daddy!

Holly's First Birthday Cake... I don't think she liked it... Ah well... I like spending $6 on a cake that gets smooshed and then dumped in the garbage!

Pretty Girl!

"Alex the Lion" (Madagascar), Pumpkin Holly, and "Violet" on Halloween!