Scavengers

A couple weeks ago, we participated in a Video Scavenger Hunt with the young adult group in our church. Rick and I as leaders challenged the young adults cause we knew we could form a winning team. Check us out:

Carl. That's all I need to say.
Me. Wearing a pair of my DAD's ACTUAL PANTS from the 70s.

Rick, looking like a homeless dude.

And Liane... ready for the challenge.

Together, we were Team Slow Clap. And we were UNSTOPPABLE.

We took all our challenges seriously... from crying at an ice cream counter, to dancing the YMCA in front of the YMCA, to searching through a graveyard at night for a headstone with one of our names on it, we did it all. The only problem? We misunderstood one of the major rules, which stated that you couldn't do two things at once. We took that to mean you couldn't do two things at the same place, so we were constantly looking for different places to go to get all our stuff done... meanwhile other teams were doing 4 and 5 things in one store. In the end we only lost by 10 points, which is pretty amazing considering the amount of work we went to to be sure we got everything. As a result, we are gearing ourselves up for a REMATCH. and when it happens WE WILL WIN. I GUARANTEE IT.

Election Day

The kids are off school today, so Rick and I are taking them with us to the polls to vote. We are very excited to let them be a part of the political process this way, and they can see how grownups participate in an election. As for Violet, she has been learning all about the voting process... she ran for Student Council at her school. In third grade, kids can run for class representative. They have to write and give a speech, and the kids vote for the two students that they want to be their class reps. The kids who win for class rep get to go on to try for one of the Student Council offices... third graders can be either secretary or treasurer. Violet aspired to be treasurer. Here's her speech, written entirely by her:

The class elections were slightly faulty, in my opinion. The kids could only vote for one person and they weren't allowed to vote for themselves (although we later learned that not everyone followed that rule... sigh). The top two made representative. Violet was tied with a boy in her class for the second spot, so they held a second election... in her class there are 13 boys and 8 girls. Guess how the vote turned out? Yep. Violet lost by 5 votes. The good thing was that she learned a lot about elections and has some great ideas for next year. And she's the class alternate, so she does get to participate in student council activities when one of the class reps is absent.
So... if you haven't yet, there's still time. Get out there and vote. And if you have kids, involve them in the process. You will be glad you did!

Fairy House for Sale

The other day in my backyard, I stumbled upon this little creation... the kids made a fairy house, complete with a barbeque grill on the side, flagpole, and a two room cabin. They wanted to be sure the fairies knew it was for them, which is why Violet made the "For Sale" sign...
She was quite proud of her little creation.

And so was Riley. In fact, he decided there needed to be a flag in the back, too, so he made one. He's so creative!

We are pretty sure that a few fairies moved in, at least for a couple of days... because we went out a few days later and some of the things around the house were moved around. It could have been the dogs, but the kids and I decided it was probably the fairies. :)

A Song for Halloween

I thoroughly enjoy my daughter's singing and songwriting, especially on Halloween. She did another one called "Oh Bat" which was equally entertaining. I will have pictures from Halloween as well as actual blogging all next week... Sorry I have neglected the blog for so long!

Have a happy and safe Halloween, friends!

Project Runway

Introducing the fashion model... Introducing the fashion model...

And that's how it's done, folks.

How to hold a successful fundraiser, by Violet

There you have it! It's really that easy.

CUT!

Ode to Joy

Indeed.



Have a joyful weekend! :)

Carnies

Step right up ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and join us for the greatest show you have EVER seen! Our carnival will have you laughing, crying (because you are laughing so hard), and begging for more! We have LIMBO! We have GOLF! We have DANCING! And we have PICK A BLOCK... the newest, most exciting game out there!
The Ringmaster will be overseeing all the events for fairness and fun!
First up for Pick a Block... LIANE! Can she do it? Can she guess the block that was placed in her hand? YES!!!! She did it!
She gets to choose from one of our fabulous prizes!
Rick tried his hand at golf while the Ringmaster entertained the crowd behind him...
And then the Old Pro had his turn... will it go in??

YES! AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!
The Old Pro receives the Grand Prize from the Ringmaster!
But the night is still young and there is more fun to be had!!
First there will be more dancing...
More prizes...

More happiness!!
More magic (??)
And lots more smiles!
And maybe even a few tears when it's all over...

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us at our World Famous Carnival, where the fun just keeps on coming!! Join us next time when we put on another show, coming to a blog near you!

Come one, come all...

You heard it here first, folks! Come one, come all to the greatest show you've ever seen! Sit back and enjoy amazing entertainment, dancing, fun, and PRIZES for all ages! Games and acts the likes of which you have NEVER seen before and likely never will again! Sit back, relax, and join us tomorrow for full coverage of the AMAZING KID CARNIVAL!

I kayaked a half marathon

Rick's friend Bob puts on an annual kayaking trip down the Colorado River... many years ago Rick went with Mike Brewer on this trip and loved it, adn every year he has wanted to take us, but we just weren't sure if the kids were ready for the trip. This year, however, we decided we were ready!

We had to wake up at some ungodly hour (we actually saw the sunrise as we were driving to Boulder City) to meet everyone. We all drove together to the base of Hoover Dam, where we would be launching the boats. Seriously. TOTALLY different perspective of the dam from down there. That thing is HUGE.
Riley was rarin' to go! Rick and I had to carry down our kayaks (we each had a 2 man kayak: Riley and Rick in one, Violet and I in the other) and get them ready for launch.
And then we were off! Both the kids had to help us with the paddling, and they both did GREAT jobs!
Riley was a super paddler and helper!

Ricky looked so cute in his hat.
Tell me. WHAT is happening with my boob? How did I not notice this??
We had a few stops along the way to check out some natural hot springs (the Sauna Cave was amazing!), waterfalls, and more.
and I got to get a picture with Rick :)
The kids passed the time by blowing bubbles...

and we enjoyed the beautiful (although quite hot! it got up to 100 degrees!) weather...
My favorite stop was at Arizona Hot Springs. We hiked in a little ways toward a canyon and all of a sudden there was water on the ground...
And as we got in further, we noticed there was a waterfall!
The water was beautiful and WARM because it was fed by the spring... and the farther up you went, the warmer the water became.
Then we came upon a HUGE waterfall (over 12 feet high!) and had to climb a ladder to get up the falls to the hot springs and pools above. The water got warmer and warmer and kept going till it was downright HOT! Rick and the kids hiked all the way to the source of the spring where it bubbled right out of the ground! AWESOME!

After that hike, Riley was spent. He took a nap in the kayak while Rick rowed.
Amd Violet wanted to ride with her new favorite friend, Hannah. Hannah is Bob's daughter. Here's a picture of Bob guiding the girls into a cool looking cave...
and this was the last 4 miles of the trip... Bob with the girls just jabbering away about 7 and 8 year old girlie stuff! HA!
And me, in a kayak by myself, powering through the burn I felt in my arms.
The hardest part was the end... where we could SEE the docks where we would be stopping, but because the river was so wide at that point it just felt like we weren't going anywhere. And all I wanted to do was be DONE. And I did it... and I must say, I loved it. :)

Personal Trainer

So I broke down a few weeks ago and got a personal trainer, since, clearly, I am incapable of working out without some major motivation. Oh that and my scale showed that I weighed the same as when I was 9 months pregnant with Violet. Which is AWESOME. Cause I am not pregnant. But at least I feel like those (stupid) people who ask me if I am pregnant have an excuse... cause, well, apparently I could very well be, according to those stupid notches on the scale.

SO. I got a personal trainer. And it's going GREAT. Best investment ever for me. I see him weekly - every Tuesday, and then I also attend his class on Thursdays, so it's kind of like seeing him twice a week. I also go to one other class or do some sort of workout on at least one other day a week, which has helped immensely.

He has me on a diet for the next 8-12 weeks... it's not awful and actually quite do-able. Mainly the only things I totally *can't* have are dairy and soy. Otherwise it's good proteins, lots of green veggies, a few starches here and there (so I don't go totally insane!), and very limited fruit.

While I am not seeing a huge difference just yet (it's only been 3 weeks), I do *feel* the difference. And that is what matters. :)

I am going to keep him for at least 12 weeks and hopefully by then I can report that my body is looking and feeling much better. And hopefully by then I can have dairy again, cause I really miss cheese. :)

Been a busy week...

Sorry I haven't been blogging as much as before. Rest assured, I will be back to regular blogging on Monday! :)

Question for the day: Did you think that Sarah Palin really, in all the hours of preparation for her debate, never got feedback from anyone that she is pronouncing "nuclear" incorrectly? REALLY?

Sigh.

Roller Skating

Violet was invited to go to Molly's birthday party last weekend... it was at Crystal Palace Skating Center. You know, THE Crystal Palace on Rancho. The one that has been there as long as I can remember. I was sooo excited to take her - and I took Riley, too, since he had never skated before in his life.
There was a bit of a learning curve for Riley. At first his skate wheels were too loose, and he just couldn't keep his feet underneath himself. He was totally one of those characters you see on TV or cartoons that can't skate. Only it was real life, and it was quite a workout for me, ad I spent most of my time practically carrying a 50 pound kid around the rink.
But we went to the counter and had them tighten the skates so the wheels were harder to roll... and that was what did it! He could finally stand up on them and he got out on the floor all by himself! He was still a little wobbly, but at least I didn't have to carry him anymore. Instead, he enlisted the help of one of Molly's friends, Mia. Mia is a super cute and super sweet girl that Riley clearly had a crush on. My son LITERALLY THREW HIMSELF IN FRONT OF HER as she skated by so she would stop and help him.

I asked him about it later... "Riley, were you falling down on purpose over there?" And he said to me, "Yeah, cause I wanted that one girl to help me!"

NICE.

And, then there was Violet... speeding around the track,

doing the LIMBO...
and even making it to win herself a free drink at the snack bar! AWESOME!
Riley got brave and ventured out to limbo too, but it was too late. He showed me how he would have done it, though. :)

The party was so much fun. I got in a serious workout that day! I don't remember the last time I skated... it had to be at least 10 years ago, if not more. And I am so glad the kids got to go and experience the kind of fun I had in my childhood ;)