Run, Forrest, Run!

Britton has a shiner. He and a friend were in the basement playing mini-golf with tennis rackets yesterday and his friend had a little too much follow through, if you know what I mean. It is a pretty impressive black eye and a lot of people at church today inquired as to how he managed to obtain such a wound. It is already looking better but I'm sure it will still be around for a few days. It is a good thing we don't have any family pictures scheduled this week.


Yesterday morning we attending the Elementary school's annual "Fun Run" fundraiser. Britton Jenna and I all ran the 1 mile race.


Korinne was super happy to be out in the chilly temperatures cheering us on with Dad.


The kids did great. I ran with Jenna the entire time and not only did she run the whole race but she even had a little kick at the end. Britton finished ahead of us so I didn't get to see his big finish. They had a raffle at the end with a lot of prizes. We were hoping for one of the cool prizes or gift certificates, but came home with a mug. Better luck next year, I guess. It started to rain during the raffle and by the time we got home it was snowing again. We just LOVE spring snow storms. (Me, sarcastic? Never!)



As I write this Adam is in the middle of an intense game of Monopoly with the kids. He really should get some kind of award for patience. He plays these board games with the kids for hours. Even after all of these years it still amazes me.

The older kids have the game down pretty well, but I can hear Adam saying things like, "Korinne, you can't keep taking money from the bank" only to have her reply "But it's MY money, Dad." Hm, sounds like fun.

Nine Years Later

Loved you then,

Love you, still.

Always have, always will.

We have been married for 9 years today. We went to dinner at the very first place Adam took me to dinner when we started dating.

A month or two ago there was a little "How well do you know your husband?" thing floating around facebook. I didn't do it on facebook, but I thought it would be fun if we both filled it out separately and posted it here.


Hilary's Answers for Adam:

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?

"24" or a game.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?

Blue Cheese or Ranch

3. What's one food he doesn't like?

Mustard (Ok, I know it is technically a condiment, but he can't stand it!)

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?

90 % of the time water. If it is a sit down restaraunt and we have a gift card it would be raspberry lemonade and if it is a drive thru it would be Rootbeer. (Yea, we are kind of cheap that way)

5. Where did he go to high school?

Richfield High School --Go Wildcats!

6. What size shoe does he wear?

11

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?

Paul Cardall CD's

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?

Anything with bacon on it

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?

Ice Cream

10. What is his favorite cereal?

He likes whatever is available

11. What would he NEVER wear?

A speedo (No one should ever wear a speedo)

12. What is his favorite sports team?

He is a loyal USU Aggies man, but also likes the Jazz, Indians & Braves. (Different sports, I know, but he likes them all the same)

14. Who is his best friend?

Me

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?

I refuse to make telephone calls, it drives him nuts.

16. What is his heritage?

Scottish & Norweigen with a little English in there for good measure.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?

Forget the cake, it is all about the ice cream!

18. Did he play sports in high school?

Yes. He swam for a year and ran cross country

19. What could he spend hours doing?

Playing with the kids

20. What is one unique talent he has?

He can wiggle his ears.

Adam's Rebuttal: I agree that no one should wear a speedo. Really, what are they thinking? I also played football in high school for a year and ran track for 3 yrs. Of course, the weekly pick up game of basketball is really where it was at. Go Wildcats and Aggies!

Adam's Answers for Hilary:

1. She's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?

HGTV or a Documentary

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does she get on her salad?

Bleu Cheese

3. What's one food she doesn't like?

Ketchup

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does she order?

Water or lemonade

5. Where did she go to high school?

Murray "#1" , "It's the best!"

6. What size shoe does she wear?

7 1/2

7. If she was to collect anything, what would it be?

Books/ Documentaries

8. What is her favorite type of sandwich?

Reuben

9. What would this person eat every day if she could?

Chocolate

10. What is her favorite cereal?

None--maybe Granola

11. What would she NEVER wear?

Oversized sunglasses

12. What is her favorite sports team?

Utes/Jazz

14. Who is her best friend?

Me

15. What is something you do that she wishes you wouldn't do?

Go to bed late

16. What is her heritage?

Swiss/ Welsh

17. You bake her a cake for her birthday; what kind of cake?

None--I would buy her a chocolate cake donut.

18. Did she play sports in high school?

Yes, Cross Country and Basketball

19. What could she spend hours doing?

Watching Documentaries

20. What is one unique talent she has?

Running/ Blogging/ Video Montage making

Hilary's Rebuttal: He did really well, most of them are spot on except for the fact I don't collect books. I have a goal to not collect anything at all so that was kind of a trick question for him. Loved the answer about the chocolate cake donut- so true, so true! I did run track in high school as well. Go Spartans! (#1)

Oops, I did it again.

Ok, I broke another important but perhaps lesser known Mommy commandment, "Thou shalt not forget to bring water to thy son's soccer game on a sunny day." It was the first soccer game with the sun shining and while I was pleased the entire family was there on time (with sunscreen on, thank you very much!), it became apparent that I'm just not used to operating with good weather yet this year. After the first quarter Britton came running to me with the most desperate look on his face, "water, WATER!" I was at a complete loss. In the last 6 months of my life bringing water to anything was simply not on my to-do list so not once did it enter my mind. Other soccer games were quite cool so he never asked for water. I watched as all of his teammates gulped Gatorade and carefully prepared water bottles with ice while Britton cried for water. Let's just say it wasn't my best Mommy moment. We got through it, but only after I raided our friends' after game treat stash for a Capri Sun. Britton doesn't like Capri Suns, but he drank every last drop. Believe me when I say I don't plan on breaking this Mommy commandment again!

Korinne has had some difficulty coming to terms with sunscreen. She doesn't remember much about it from last summer and finds it to be quite a bother. She wanted to go out and play yesterday so I told her that if she wanted to go outside she would need to put sunscreen on. "No, Mom, I don't need it because I'll be really careful." I tried to explain that it doesn't matter if you are careful or not you will get a sunburn if you don't have sunscreen on. Just before bed Korinne noticed that her arm was somewhat red. Never missing an opportunity to panic over a health care issue she exclaimed, "Mom, my arm is red! I need some sunscreen right now!" I had to explain to her that sunscreen wasn't going to help her now, it only helps when you are actually in the sun. She seemed skeptical but decided to take my word for it this time.

She got in the blueberries today. I won't even tell you about it, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

I can't figure out why there was blue all over her legs and feet as well. She really is a very talented young lady.

Jenna is very happy that all of Britton's soccer games are at the local elementary school. Now she and Korinne can play on all of the playground equipment while Britton plays soccer. She is great to keep an eye out for Korinne and I'm happy that she is so happy about the new arrangement. Let's just say she isn't much of a sports nut.

There is another boy in our ward whose name is Britton. He and Britton are the same age and they are also on the same soccer team. I really never thought I would have to specify which Britton I was cheering for. The other family is trying to adjust to multiple Britton's as well. I thought Jenna was our most common name but we haven't come across any Jenna's and I already know of 3 Britton's (all the same age). Pretty crazy, huh?

Sunshine

We love the sunshine. The kids played outside all day long on Saturday when it was in the high 50's and had a great time. It wasn't until I called them in to take baths that evening that I realized I had broken one of the ten Mommy commandments; "Thou shalt never forget to slather thy child with sunscreen on sunny days." It was a disaster. Korinne was so red she looked like a strawberry. I should have taken a picture but I didn't really want evidence of my gross neglect. Fortunately it wasn't a painful sunburn because she never said anything about it. Jenna is already bronzed. She is the only one in our family who has olive skin and can tan like it is nobody's business. The rest of us settle for looking like cherry tomatoes when the occasion permits.

My parents called on Saturday morning and said they wanted to come up for a visit. Great! Then they proceeded to tell us they needed to rent a trailer and load it up before they could leave. This is code for "we are so happy you have an unfinished basement and are willing to accommodate our storage needs." We never know what to expect on these trailer expeditions, and sometimes we don't even know about them until we are unloading. The last few loads have been stuff for my brother Taylor who is living in China and some carpet to put on our cement floors in the basement.

My parents stayed the night and even let Adam and me go out on a date while they stayed with the kids. We played a mean game of miniature golf (I won by 1 point) and went and got shakes afterwards. At the Ice Cream Parlor Adam couldn't stop yawning which made me yawn. I looked at my watch and it said 10:10 p.m. Yup, we are getting old. We just can't stay out late like we used to. We had to laugh at ourselves. And I must say that high school and college kids are looking mighty young these days.

Britton played his first soccer game on Saturday. He is now old enough that they have a goalie and start playing positions. He enjoyed being goalie for part of the game and had quite a few saves.

Jenna has learned a fancy new word, vegetarian. She is our most picky eater and doesn't really like much of anything, including meat in all its forms. Now when she asks what is for dinner she will include the question, "Is there meat in it?" If I reply that there is meat in it she simply says, "I'm a vegetarian" which, of course, means absolutely nothing to me. Most everything I cook is outside of her strict and self imposed diet so every night is filled with puppy dog whimpering and sometimes worse. Every year I think she is going to snap out of it, and every year it seems to continue. Britton tries to overcompensate and will spend the entire meal saying things like, "Mom, this is the best meal EVER, I mean I just LOVE it. I think this recipe is definitely a keeper, Mom!" (All direct quotes) It's really pretty sweet the way he carries on so. Korinne is a pretty good eater, albeit a messy one. Mostly we are happy if she is off the table and is wearing clothes. (I know, our standards are low) She still likes to sit by Adam during meals and is always at the center of all table conversation.

Ok, I'm REALLY hoping that spring is finally here to stay. The weather has been perfect!

Much Ado About Nothing

Our accountant e-filed our taxes at about 9:30 p.m. last night. We've never waited so long to file before nor have we ever stewed over our taxes so much. Since January we have been saying to each other, "we are SO going to have to pay this year." You see, every year we have gotten a nice refund but there were some changes last year and because of a few real estate transactions we were sure we were going to end up owing come April 15th. So, we did what all people who owe taxes do, we waited until the very last minute to do them! You can imagine our shock and surprise when our accountant called to give us the bottom line. We braced ourselves for the worst only to find out we are actually getting a refund. WHAT!?! I've been stewing for 4 months and we're getting a refund!? (And a nice one at that- will wonders never cease?) So tax time around here really was "much ado about nothing."

Korinne and I went to the grocery store today. Walking into the store I said, "Korinne, I love going to the store with you. It's so fun to have just us girls!" She replied, "Um, I like boys best." Moted! After arriving home from the store she went in and showed Adam a few treats we got from the after Easter sale baskets. This is when the following conversation took place:

Adam, "Is this for me?"
Korinne, "No, it's for my friends"
Adam, "Well, can I be your friend so I can have some?"
Korinne, "No"
Adam, "What can I do to be your friend?"
Korinne, "You can be my friend for $1.00"

What?! What a character. Adam laughed pretty hard over that one.

Have you ever seen a strawberry like this?




I had to take video because a picture just wouldn't do it justice.

Flip!

Korinne likes pink frosting.

Every once in awhile I catch her getting into a leftover container of pink frosting in the fridge with a spoon. Today, however, she was determined to cover her tracks so she put the spoon she used to eat said frosting back in the silverware drawer--you know, so I wouldn't notice.

Clever. "What? I don't know what you are talking about, Mom."

Britton learned what it means to "flip someone off" today. At dinner he mentioned that one of the older kids "flipped off" another kid on the bus. We talked about it and Britton vowed to never participate in such activities. "Why would someone ever do that anyway, Mom?" Good question. Well, at the end of our discussion Jenna asked wide eyed, "So, did he really flip him all the way off the bus??" We had to rewind a bit and explain what the term "flipped off" meant. Her question made me smile. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all stay naive forever?

95 and Kickin'

First of all my Grandpa turned 95 years old this week and that is nothing to shake a stick at! We went to the Party Barn in Mapleton to celebrate and there was quite a crowd this year. The annual Great Grandkids Easter egg hunt was cancelled due to inclement weather. The kids were consoled after they passed out lunch sacks full of Easter goodies in lieu of the hunt and let them frost and decorate cupcakes. Here are the kids with their Great Grandpa:

My sister-in-law Jen flew in all the way from China for the event. . .Ok, not really, but is was nice that she happened to be in town for the big par-tay.

If you are really really into holidays and doing fun and cute things with your kids to celebrate each one of them than you should definitely stop reading here. I'm pretty sure you will cringe if you read this next section.

Ok, so this is the first year I have ever done Easter baskets for my kids. I know, I know Britton is 7, but I never saw a need before after they would get bags and bags of candy and stuff at extended family Easter hunts in years past. It just seemed ridiculous to give them yet another basket of stuff so we just focused on the real meaning of Easter on Sunday and called it good. Well, since we weren't doing any family hunts this year I went into unknown territory--the Easter basket. It wasn't anything fancy, some peeps, a few jelly beans, 1 small chocolate bunny, a CTR ring, a Choose the Right bracelet, and a scripture story. This morning Britton was the first one up and he went downstairs and then came upstairs and said, "What are those things on the table?" Easter baskets. "Who are they for?" You guys. "Who are they from?" (Ok, I'm sorry but I refuse to say the 'Easter Bunny' brought them seeing as he hasn't ever brought anything before) Us. "Wow! THANK YOU! That's awesome!" I'm all about setting low expectations when it comes to holidays. That way they are super excited about the small things.

The girls and Britton in their Easter duds.

Moving On

We had a good conference weekend. On Sunday the girls entertained themselves while they "listened" to conference by dressing up in dress ups and taking pictures of each other. Here is the "I'm so happy it is conference!" pose:

This next pose doesn't look very comfortable, but Korinne was sure it would be beautiful.

Jenna decided to pose in front of everyone on the couch. (And no, Adam isn't asleep.)

At any time Korinne has about 3 or 4 band aids on her hands/fingers. It is always a sad day when Mommy's kisses become obsolete.

"Mom, I need a band aid, it hurts REALLY bad!"

"Come here and I'll kiss it better."

"No Mom, I NEED a band aid!"

We are heading out in a bit to help my parents move. . .again. "What?" you ask. Has it really been 6 months already? :) I'm not saying my parents move a lot, BUT. . . .actually that is exactly what I'm saying. To be fair this is only their 4th move since Adam and I have been married which considering their history is pretty darn good! Let's just say I lived in at least 13 different houses before I went on my mission (NOT including all of the places I lived during my time at USU, of course).

Ok, I really really love those Cadbury mini-eggs that are in the stores this time of year. Double grrr, I don't need the temptation! (How is that for a random thought to end this post?)

Weekend Update

We love General Conference around our house. Well, to be more specific Adam and I LOVE it, Britton likes it, Jenna is definitely aware of it, and Korinne is blissfully unaware but sure likes coloring pictures from the General Conference packets for children floating around the Internet.

I'm up to 50 min. runs in my training for the Wasatch Back Relay in June. I had to run it this morning on my treadmill as the weather hasn't been very cooperative this year. Here we are in April and it has snowed almost every day this week. Mother Nature played a cruel trick on April Fool's Day by giving us this:

(It has been at least 2 weeks since I last praised our best purchase of the year--the snowblower. Ah, we love it!)

My sister Tiffany and her daughter Abigail are visiting from Texas and came up on Friday with my Mom for a quick day visit.

It was fun to see them even if it was for only a day. We went to lunch at Cafe Rio--you can't get better than that.

The kids have been working hard on their piano skills, and Korinne has been working hard at making sure she is in the way during all practices.

On a side note Adam and I have decided we need to invest in a band aid company. In a very short period of time Korinne has gone through at least 120 band aids. As she puts it, everything that touches her "hurts really bad." Last night she had 3 band aids on her fingers for unknown ailments. Now that she knows how to get band aids all by herself she does so. . .freely.

Word is that spring might finally spring this next week. We're crossing our fingers. . .