What I've Been Up To Lately

I feel like every waking moment of the last few weeks has been dedicated to digital scrapbooking. My friend's sister asked me (ok, paid me) to make her a custom guestbook for her wedding, and as a gift to my sister I offered to scrapbook her wedding pictures. Between the two, I've scrapped about 45 pages in the last 3 weeks. If you're interested, take a look at my work below. **Tip: you might want to pause one while the other plays.**

Alisha's Guestbook:


Michelle's Wedding Scrapbook:

A Good Inside Joke

One of my favorite things about being married is that I have this person who goes through (or at least hears about) the same experiences I do on a daily basis. He sees the same movies and commercials, participates in the same conversations, judges the same poorly dressed people, etc. So after 7 years together, we've developed our own set of inside jokes. "Do you remember the time I almost ate all that chili?" "Hey, honey... Utard." The list of things only Kirk and I laugh at goes on and one. But here's one I'll let you all in on.

I recently read that in an effort to curb whining, one mom implemented the following rule: if a person asks for something and the answer is no, asking again will never change the answer. The exception? If the person puts the back of his hand on his forehead like a maiden in distress and repeats the phrase, word for word, "Alas, I fear I shall perish without it," then maybe -- just maybe -- the answer might change to a yes.

Go on... try it.

Husband: "Honey, I'd really like to get that new golf game for the Wii."

Wife: "No, we just don't have the money."

Husband: "Alas, I fear I shall perish without it."

Okay, you'll probably still say no, but at least you'll both be laughing.

Graduation Shindig

Hey, all. So, I'm pretty much a slacker and didn't get the invites in the mail in a timely fashion, so here's the scoop.

We're having a little get-together, barbeque style on Monday to celebrate that Kirk is finally done with school. Yeah! You're all invited (at least, if you live in Utah, you're invited), and here's the info:

Monday, June 30th at 6:00 p.m. at our house (not posting the address here or Jay would chastize me... ask if you need it)

Bring a salad, dessert OR side dish AND a lawn chair
Burgers, dogs & drinks provided

We hope to see you there.

**Cute postcard to follow via snail mail**

For Blogger Members Only

Hey, if you aren't doing the new "blog list" yet, I'm telling you to take the time to set it up. Kirk did it on ours (thanks, hon), and I'm loving it. Now all your blogs display according to who has most recently updated, and I get a little snippet of your most recent post right on my blogspot. I can now get quick updates without having to actually enter each blog just to find out that it hasn't been updated recently. I highly recommend this new feature!

Blogger Buzz: Show off your favorite blogs with a Blog List#links

Happy Father's Day

The best Daddy in this world (Kirk) got Mario Kart for Father's Day, and you can see that the whole family is enjoying it!

The Water Party

The other day, Adam had a "water party" at a neighbor's house, and he's been dying to repeat the fun. We thought he'd enjoy the fountains down at the Gateway, so when Jay & Raini made an open invitation to the festival sponsored by the Utah Foster Care Association, we were quick to join them.

As you can see, Alex didn't love it, but he didn't hate it either. He became very attached to me though; he was afraid I was going to leave him in the water.

Adam watched other kids placing cups over the holes and watching them spray into the air. He thought it looked like fun, so we donated Alex's sippy cup to the cause.

In addition to playing in the fountain, Adam got his face painted, watched his mom get her pigtails painted orange, got a balloon sword, ate at McDonalds, and got to ride the train (TRAX). All in all, it was a fun day. Thanks for the invite, Tuckers!

The Computer

Alex will climb on anything, and lately one of his favorite spots has been at the computer. At least once each day, I find him in the office on the chair, just typing away.

One Step at a Time

As many of you know, Alex is now 15 months old and still not walking. This wouldn't concern me that much, except that his feet have always been pretty turned in, and we've been worried that this has caused the delay in him learning to walk. When he was 9 months old, his pediatrician & I tried to get him in to see an orthopedic doctor, but we were told no. Now that he has reached 15 months, his pediatrician suggested trying physical therapy. So, off we trudged to the PT at 7:30 this morning.

If I had realized that PT for kids was like a big playland, I would never have taken Adam with us. He proved to be a bit of a challenge, but we got through it. The therapist had Alex try a few different activities, but he was mostly grouchy because I had to wake him up too early. She was able to tell me, though, that his biggest problem is that he has a larger-than-normal range of motion in most of his joints, but particularly his hips. This causes him to be very wobbly, and actually allows his feet to turn in. Most kids have developed tighter joints by this time, but Alex has not. In part, this is apparently due to "W" sitting. (Picture a child sitting on his knees, but with his feet out to the sides forming a W.) So, no more W sitting for Alex.

The therapist said that there is no real reason to worry; many kids don't walk until 15-18 months. Beyond that, they don't really take not walking seriously until a child is 2 years old. She said the best thing for him right now is to try to develop muscles to compensate for his joints, and for us to try to keep him standing as much as possible so he can wear the grooves into his joints that will eventually make him feel stable. She said he'll just need to spend a lot longer than most kids in the "pre-walking" activities until he has built up his muscles and refined his joints.

She also prescribed taking him to the kids play center at the West Valley Fitness Center. She suggested that I get some knee pads and get right in there with him. Since he loves to explore, she thinks this will really help him build his muscles and his confidence.

I feel better after the appointment, because at least now I understand what is going on with his little body, and I have some ideas of how to help him. I will also have answers for the MANY people who constantly ask why he isn't walking. I'll just tell them he'll get there one step at a time.

A Change/No Change Situation

Honey, the title was for you. Everyone else can start reading here. --->

Two Sundays ago, we got the news that our ward would be splitting. The meeting that evening revealed that it was more of a realignment than a traditional split, but the short version is simply that we, and many of our Hunter Village friends, are now part of the previously existing Hunter 4th Ward. Any members from the old Hunter 4th still retain their callings, while those of us imported from Hunter Village each got a fresh start. That's where this blog's title comes in.

My part is the "No Change." Although I got to enjoy Monday, Tuesday, and most of Wednesday last week with no calling, on Wednesday evening I was simply reinstated to my same position: Ward Music Chairperson, or whatever that calling is called. I'm still in charge of selecting hymns for Sacrament meeting, arranging special musical numbers, organizing the organists & choristers, and leading the ward choir. I'm neither excited nor disappointed. Something new may have been fun, but at least with this I know what to expect.

Kirk, however, gets to claim the "Change." On Sunday, he will be sustained as the Ward Mission Leader. I think he has a better idea than I do of what this is going to entail. All I know is that he will have meetings every Sunday, that he'll probably end up doing quite a few exchanges with the missionaries, and that he'll need to be out visiting people a lot. Oh, and I know he'll be awesome at it. He hasn't come to that conclusion yet, but I know that his way with people will be really effective in this calling.

All in all, we're excited about our new ward (although we'll miss seeing some of our old friends each week), and we're ready to embark on this Change/No Change journey.

How Do Those Lyrics Go?

I know I have not posted in a long, long time but here I am with a post. Okay so I cannot count the times I have been singing along with a song in the car when I get a weird look from Andrea. Then she says what did you say? That's not how the song goes. Well here is a video my sister sent me that cracked me up with the wrong lyrics to a popular Creedance Clearwater Revival song. Enjoy!

Hauling Rocks

I've decided that I'm just not a gardener in any way. I don't like dirt, I don't like weeds, and honestly, I don't care that much about flowers. So this year, we're ripping out our flower beds and putting in rocks. You don't have to water, weed, or otherwise maintain rocks. Rocks are rocks without any outside influence. But, rocks can be expensive, so we're systematically moving them from an empty lot in our neighborhood into the back of our jeep and then into our dirt.

This process is quite an adventure for Adam, who loads up dump trucks full of the rocks and helps put them in the back of the jeep. Tuesday when we were getting a load, little Alex even helped. I laughed so hard when I saw him crawling through the dirt, one small rock clenched in his fat little fist. I wasn't sure he knew what he was doing until I saw him pull himself up using the bumper, and then he placed his treasure among all the other rocks in the back of the jeep. He then lowered himself down and crawled off to find another rock. I am just always amazed at how quickly a one year old can figure the world out.

Updated Pictures

In 3 separate sittings, we managed to capture the faces of our family as a whole, as our two little boys, and we got Alex's one year pictures. Check them out. Thanks, JCPenney Portrait Studio!

RSL Game

I know the team name is technically "ReAL Salt Lake," but I've never been a big fan of that. So, on Saturday, Lisa and Brett treated us to our first RSL game. I honestly thought I'd be bored to tears, but since Lisa and Brett are moving to Georgia in a couple months, I wasn't about to pass on the experience. Turns out, it wasn't too bad. I've learned a lot from going to the Blaze games that sports isn't just about scoring. Often, it is about all the work that went into even getting a decent attempt. That, combined with my recent experiences playing a version of indoor soccer with my ward, helped me to enjoy watching all the mid-field action that rarely even ventured near a goal. The fun part, though, was the few moments when the ball actually neared the goal. You could feel the excitement at the prospect of a goal. It didn't hurt, either, that RSL won the game 3-1.

It was also really interesting to learn a bit about soccer fans. Lisa had been telling us on the ride there that soccer fans get really annoyed if a fan does anything to mess with the game. Since the clock doesn't stop for anything, the fans get really upset with any delay of game. She explained that you're not allowed to keep a game ball if it goes into the stands, and that if you try, the fans will turn on you, because they need that ball on the field to keep the game going. Well, sometime during the first half of play, a fan in the section next to us threw a cowbell onto the field. Security came to handle the situation, which turned out to be pretty easy, because all of the surrounding fans were pointing to the guy who did it. When security escorted him out, the fans in that section sang very loudly, "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye," and everyone cheered.

Another thing I really liked was an advertising campaign Lisa told me about where individual RSL players shared a list of their accomplishments and ended with, "Who am I? I'm a ReAL Salt Lake Player," never calling attention to their individual identity. I've often ranted about the current trend in the NBA where the players seem far more interested in themselves than in their team. It gave me hope to think that maybe a sport still exists where the team comes first. Lisa commented that this attitude is one she'd like to see in her future children, and that she considers most of the RSL players to be worthy role models. It's nice to know that still exists.

All in all, the weather was great, the game was well played, and the company was fun. It was a great way to spend our Saturday.

You're Gonna Miss This

There's currently a song playing on country radio called, "You're Gonna Miss This." I've heard it before, but never really listened to the words beyond the first verse. The other day, I was apparently in a sentimental mood, and I really listened to the words for the first time. The first verse talks about a teenager who can't wait to make her own money and her own rules, but her mom points out that she is going to miss these years and want them back. The 2nd verse talks about a young bride anxious to start a family whose father points out that she will miss the time she has to spend with just her husband. It was the 3rd verse, though, that really caught me:

"Five years later, there's a plumber working on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin', one kid's cryin', and one kid's screamin'
She keeps apologizing.
He says, 'They don't bother me. I've got two babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23, huh, it's hard to believe,
You're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.
These are some good times, so take a good look around
You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this.'"

I'm not much of a cryer, but I was really caught off guard by the emotion as I thought of my two boys. Most days seem so hectic, and more than once I've found myself longing for the days when I don't have to wipe anyone's bum but my own. But this song really helped me to put all the stress into perspective. Someday my boys are going to grow up, and I will wish I had the days back when Adam babbled constantly about who-knows-what, and when Alex's only word was "Mom." I will miss watching Alex's chubby little body crawl right on top of his brother to give him a big, open-mouthed goodnight kiss. I will miss trying to explain to Adam the differences between the words "why," "when," "what," and "where," although at this point, I'm not sure we'll ever get to that point. I will miss looking into my rearview mirror and seeing either two huge smiles or two sleeping kids. Maybe not every moment is great, but enough of them are that I know I'm gonna miss this.

Stardust - Movie Review

A week or so ago, Kirk and I finally found the time to sit down and watch "Stardust," which we had borrowed from Marie. Neither of us really knew anything about it, except that Kirk's brother Mark told everyone at work that it was "magical." (To get the fully humorous effect, try saying 'magical' with a gay accent.) By the time the movie got to the title screen, we were hooked. If you have not yet seen this movie, give it a try. I've heard mixed reviews from some of my friends and family, but we loved it. It was unlike anything we've ever seen, except that its style was similar to "The Princess Bride." Thanks to the makers of "Stardust" for a unique movie watching experience.

Adam and the Movie House

I've always teased Kirk for calling the movie theater the "movie house," but apparently I'm now stuck with it, because he has taught Adam to call it the same thing. On Memorial day, Adam got the opportunity to attend his first movie at the "movie house." He's never had much of an attention span, so we had to wait until he was good and ready and had proved that he'd be able to make it through the show. We went to "Chronicles of Narnia," which turned out to have a lot of fighting for a 3 year old, but he did really well. Kirk & I both enjoyed watching him watch the movie. He generally had one piece of popcorn wedged between his fingers, suspended in mid-air somewhere near his mouth as he stared at the screen, enthralled by the movie. He had to leave twice to go pee, but other than that, he never caused a disruption. Now I can't wait for "Wall-E" to come out so he return to the movie house again.