The Imperfect Is Our Paradise

Mari playing at Bountiful open Mic

2012-02-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

Rawr!

2011-10-24T22:49:00.000-06:00

The kids were out of school all week for UEA, so we decided to take the kids on a short jaunt to Vernal, Utah now that the new dinosaur quarry was open. The old one had been closed for some time as the site is on a cliff and it was threatening to slide down or something to that effect. So we've been eagerly anticipating the reopening for our grande Vernal trip. Yay! I know. I'm so very easily amused. Some visit Paris. Point me to Vernal and away I go. But come on. Who needs to spend thousands of dollars to visit the Eiffel tower and be surround by loud obnoxious gum chewing tourists when you visit this spectacular remnant of history, as well as architectural beauty in its own right? To our right in the picture below is a giant sloping wall of a mass grave of intact as well as dismembered skeletons of dinosaurs - so close, you can literally reach out and touch them.

The region was also home to the Fremont Indians who left behind petroglyphs and pictographs. And yes, those would be cat ears. I like to be ... seasonal. :)

The next day we made out way to the dinosaur museum which was one of the better ones to which we've been, barring the Thanksgiving Point one (to which nothing I've been compares so it's rather unfair). But it was a perfect size and had a good selection of educational activities and displays. Very well done.

Afterwards we went to Bar-B-Qued restaurant for lunch and got the ribs. Oh the sweet and sassy sauce was too die for! Mmmmm! That place is a keeper!

Then it was a toss between a hike to some more petroglyphs, a fish hatchery or the Flaming Gorge Dam and scenic drive. Hmmmm ...

We ended up opting for the latter.

The dam tour was unfortunately closed for the season so we will have to come back some time, but what a stunning drive it was! Rugged dinosaur terrain gave way to evergreen forests then to yellow shuddering aspens.

Still a dork, all these years later

2011-04-17T00:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went up to the Pioneer Memorial Museum, which houses all sorts of memorabilia from Utah's past, including a covered wagon and the famous golden spike that connected the east and west railroads at Promontory Point. We weren't sure how much time to leave ourselves to peruse the artifacts, having never been there, and left just after Cosette's nap, but it wasn't nearly enough time. There was a lot to see! And it was actually really cool stuff. Even the kids were excited. Tennyson loved the old fire engine and Mari loved the room filled with pioneer dolls and both kids loved the old violins.

But, alas, we only had so much time to spare, as we were to meet Julie for the last tour at the Utah State Capitol across the street. I know, I'm such a dork. This is what I do in my spare time :)

What a beautiful building the capitol building is. It won some award for being the second prettiest in the U.S. Go Utah! It was great all the symbolism carved into the minute and grand details.

To keep the kids busy, we printed out a Utah State Capitol building bingo sheet beforehand. And I even remembered to give it to them ... toward the end. Oh well, I try. They enjoyed it anyway.

My favorite parts were the old supreme court room (which reminded me of our recent adoption... everyone together... awww), the cherry blossom trees outside, and the Utah House of Representatives room, which reminded me of the one day I sluffed school senior year with a guy I liked and a couple friends and went to the State Capitol, cause again, Im such a dork, and watched the legislative session in action. lol! Yeah, something is definitely wrong with me. Should've known then. And if you are thinking, that you did know, keep it to yourself!

Next stop: Tulie Bakery. While we love Gourmandies, this bakery is so quaint and charming ... and there is available parking! I love the exposed brick and the chopping boards on the wall. Is this why I'm told I'm so easily pleased?? I'm going to ignore the looks you are all giving me ... Even being late in the day and small in scale, the selection was great and the taste was on par with Gourmandies.

Finally, dinner. Yes, we did things backwards. The treats we just bought had to wait for home. If we didn't have Tennyson who's tummy is the size of a walnut, I would have been fine with dining backwards, trusting all of us to be able to manage a decent amount of healthy food, even after starting with dessert, even Mari, who's always been a fine eater. But lil Tennyson looks at food at gets full. Sigh. Although, I have to say, he did a smashing job at eating his food at Frida Bistro. It helped he shared with Cosette. But still. We will take what we can get.

I have to say, Frida has one of the most elegant websites. They did a fine job hiring a web designer and photographer.

In reality, the restaurant, wasn't quite as elegant as I was expecting. It was still elegant. Don't get me wrong. Just didn't look quite like the pictures made you think it might, if that makes sense. But I still loved it. And actually maybe more so. It's in a very unpresumptuous area. While I was outside giving Tennyson a time-out, a homeless man trudged behind me with a shopping cart. It has a very eclectic interior, which I adore. It was fun playing a game with the kids to see which art was our most favorite. The challenge was getting the kids to pick just one. You can write on the tablecloths, which are papered, keeping the kids busy until the meal comes.

I loved my food and found a couple other menu options I'm dying to try. Mike would have preferred a more "earthy, traditional" Mexican, as he puts it. I don't usually like Mexican food as much as he does. Maybe that's why I love it. Grins. You can see from the pics that it's not your traditional Mexican restaurant fare.

Spring ... could it be? Almost, sort of, kind of?

2011-04-15T10:56:00.000-06:00

Wednesday

Tentatively, we ventured out of our holes, feeling the warm sun against our cheeks during a brief, very brief, respite from the snow, and headed out to the Maples park for some very much needed adult conversation.

If only, that darn West Jordan wind hadn't blown through and chilled us all. *Shiver* Still, better than snow and nice to be outside. Come on, vitamin D!

Caroline's article in the LDS Ensign magazine

2011-04-11T23:05:00.001-06:00

Caroline recently had an article that she had submitted to the Ensign published. It's a great accomplishment for her, as it also got published in the International Liahona magazine in many different languages around the world.

You can click on the picture to see it in more detail or follow this link to view it in text form.

http://lds.org/ensign/2011/03?lang=eng

A Tale of Tin Angels, Snowmen and Budding Virtuosos

2011-04-11T22:49:00.000-06:00

First off, is anyone else so depressed over this weather? sigh. Maybe if we hadn't had the teasing warmth where I actually had to turn on the air conditioner and roll down the windows. And then this! At first I thought, optimistically, it was a fluke. And then, the next day. Snow. And then the next day. More snow. Big frown! This doesn't look like Easter is just around the corner ... at all! Can you imagine them digging around in that for eggs!? Although, now I kind of think that would be really funny.

Ok, I'm done.

On to happier things. And at least the kids are clearly enjoying the sneaky sneaky snow.

On Friday we took Mari along with us to see a Tale of Two Cities at the Hale Center Theater. Mari's been reading the book (a children's chapter version) which I think helped her understanding and appreciation of the story.

I absolutely loved the production! Ok, I have to admit, the songs were just ok. Not up there with Les Mis or anything, not that we would expect that. But the acting, set design, direction, script, ect. I thought were WONDERFUL. I very much enjoyed it. And I couldn't stop from crying at the end. It was so happy-sad. It was all I could do to keep tears from streaming down my cheeks, which would have been a tad awkward, especially as we were front row, and it's a theater-in-the-round, so I was fairly visible (visible enough that actors have even talked to Mari about noticing her in the audience). Afterwards, when we shook hands with the main actor in the lobby (they always line up there), I told him how wonderful it was, even though he made me cry (so his fault!). He said it was alright as he cried too.

On Saturday afternoon we took Mari to Federation, which is where she plays before judges and is placed and receives comments based on how she does and her level of accomplishment.

And she received a Superior rating - the highest rating! Yay Mari! I was a little nervous this year because she's been struggling a little bit with her songs, especially one with the bowing and tone and hitting one of the notes just right. And I feel like we've been sort of waffling around the last several months - in everything, just trying to survive, let alone excel in anything! And I'm only just now starting to feel like I'm starting to return to my normal self. I'm even starting to show up on time to things again. lol.

So yeah, we haven't been quite as strong in violin as we have in the past and we're trying to get it back together and, like everything, it's all a journey and a process for us. So, for this, we weren't sure what to expect. And of course, I'd like not to care if we don't score _the highest_ but lets be honest. Especially with all the work we put into this. Even with waffling, we put a lot of work and heart into violin.

So again, SUPERIOR. Yay!

To celebrate, we took her to a way cool restaurant that somehow escaped my radar in the past even though it's rated one of the top in Utah on tripadvisor: Tin Angel. It's in a kind of ghetto area, near Pioneer Park and some soup kitchens/shelters. But I guess you can't judge. It has very cool eclectic decor, using art from local artists, which they rotate through monthly.

And the food. Ohhhhhh! I got the steak and egg special... which seems generic enough. But ooooh! *wipes drool* How can they make it that good!!?? How, I ask you??

Sorry, so blurry. The waitress came back and startled me mid-shot. *smiles sheepishly* but you get the idea... sort of

Mari's kidtini - so cute!

I knew I had picked exactly the right place for Mari when she spent the entire time gazing about at the angel artwork and talking a million miles an hour describing just how she would create her own angels at home. She was so inspired! She was born an artist. You can only do so much to create this. She has something innate. And she did. As soon as we got home, she went straight to work and made her own.

Mike and I topped the day off with a night out on our own, well with our friends John and Crystal, to see Source Code. Was a great movie and was great to see Crystal, since I see John every week for our Survivor nights, but I usually only see Crystal at our finale dinners.

Logan Minication Day 2

2011-04-06T23:29:00.001-06:00

On our second day in Logan we swung by Gossners Cheese Factory to pick up some flavored milks for the kids and cheese curds for Mike and caramels and black current raspberry juice for me. Mike was sooo dubious about my black current raspberry juice so I was very very smug when he RAVED about it at home. It was 88 percent juice and so very smooth and delicious.

Then it was off to the Logan zoo. We weren't expecting much. A zoo on 9-acres for like $5 for the whole fam (free with our Tracy Aviary membership but we paid anyway cause they could probably use the money). It was about what we expected. A small quiet tranquil stroll passed mostly birds and a few other wildlife such as a bobcat and elk. Tracy Aviary is a better value, really, and we probably won't be back, but the kids loved it, and I certainly don't regret going.

Love love seeing this stuff. Happy sigh.

Our next stop was the Hill Aerospace Museum. Or, as the kids call it, the airplane zoo.

One of our favorite exhibits is the B-24, which Mike's grandfather flew. Both of his maternal grandparents served in WW2.

The museum has a fabulous learning center for children to do hands on activities to learn more about various aspects of aerospace. The employees there were wonderful and assisted all three of our children, even Cosette with little projects.

I am not usually one to run into antique stores, but this one looked so charming, I couldn't resist. And it didn't disappoint. And it was the store that kept on giving. It just wouldn't end. There was room upon hallway upon room of everything imaginable. But really cool things I would actually want to buy. Hmm. I will have to go back some time.

Last but not least, we had to stop into a once favorite bbq restaurant that has since been bought out. I was nervous. I do have to say, though, that while it was our favorite, it's hard to find very good bbq in Utah. Not being crazy picky, there just aren't a lot of really great places. Wait? Does that still sound picky? Sigh.

Anyway. First, the decor is a big improvement. I hadn't thought of it before, but it did look a little collegey before, with the walls papered with signatures and random, not usually as funny as they try to be, comments of patrons, and it looked otherwise, a tad ... stark, i guess, especially the stage area. But now, well, look for yourself. It's so warm and inviting. Very nice. And the food is also very nice. I'm not crazy about the menu in general, though. I liked it much better before. Seems too lengthy now with too many burgers and not a lot of bbq selections but I picked the special and the bbq sauce was quite good though everyone in my family thought it was too spicey. I can't believe I'm the only one who didn't. That doesn't happen too often. The sweet potato fries were quite good. My draft root beer - Roosters - was soo good. Sweet and creamy, just how I love it. It's now called Savannah's BBQ and they specialize is Southern style.

Logan Minication

2011-04-05T00:24:00.000-06:00

We decided to head up to Logan for a couple days during Mari's spring break. We toyed with the idea of going somewhere more "exotic" or at least further and for longer. But it would mean me blowing off work and Mari's violin lesson right before her big upcoming Federation, which is where she's judged on her current abilities, and she's been struggling on a song so she really could use the lesson. And anyway, why not just slow down and take things easy and go to one of our favorite places and enjoy the rest of our time off at home just relaxing rather than running ourselves ragged like usual.

One of the things I love about traveling is seeing the local architecture. I don't know the faintest thing about architecture, but I do appreciate beautiful things, and especially beautiful things from the past.

We took a long windy drive through Preston, Idaho past Bear Lake than through Logan Canyon. It was a beautiful drive.

I'm not sure what's wrong with their faces here. lol Maybe the sun. We're all a little disheveled. We stopped by to see this cool cave where water seeps through to form this stream. The kids always like to stop by to see it when we pass through.

We decided to try out Tandoori Oven this time around. It got good reviews, and we tried to be optimistic when we pulled into the parking lot and saw that it shared a building with a gas station. But it wasn't great. It wasn't terrible. But, not great. Oh well.

For dinner we went to Elements. Cosette was crazy tired and cranky so we were very glad there were only a couple other patrons there. She was happier once the main course came for her and did well from there, thank heavens. The food experience was much better. Mike liked it. I liked it alright. I liked Hamiltons much better. Mike thinks its about on par.

Grey skies, tire dies, music repries

2011-04-03T12:21:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was one of those loooong and super exhausting but good days. We had the great fortune of scoring, thanks to Tennyson's paternal grandmother Susan, tickets to LDS general conference. Not only that, but we sat in like the fifth row cause she works for the general authority office. So many many thanks to her.

I love watching the people downtown flow like a river into the conference center. There's such a feeling of unity, a higher awareness.

Conference itself: It was such an amazing experience. I kept tearing up over and over. The spirit was so amazing there. If anyone glanced over at me, they probably wondered what was wrong with me! But the talks were so wonderful and it was such an escape from all my stresses.

We were so close to the prophet of God! I love the gospel!

The conference center is such a cool building. I should have taken a video recording of the people walking back and forth on the building. Was a cool site, only probably only I thought so, since I think I was the only one at that bottom standing there admiring the people walking back and forth along those bridges hehe. It looked choreographed. And I love love those beautiful overcast skies! What is it about dark overcast skies?? Mmmm *Smile* :) And such a perfect temperature. We're really going to miss that come June.

As we walked toward the parking lot, we passed some people offering free hugs, and some people gladly accepting them. How wonderful is that?! I love the spirit of giving and receiving!! LOL!

Me and Piper John

So we get back to the car and the tire is partially flat. sigh

So we run the car to Big O. Cause we have all the time in the world, apparently...

Then we run to pick up the kids from Tennyson's grandparents ...

After convincing them to leave their newfound bug and worm collection there ...

Run home at make cupcakes ...

fast

... Then change the kids frantically, practice them on their violins one last time and throw them in the car for Marielle's and Tennyson's violin recital.

Tennyson's Grandma Susan came, along with his stepmom Laura and his baby sister, Kitiara.

Then here's Tennyson getting his mack on with the ladies. Good job, son. Well, done.

Shalyce is moving :(

2011-04-02T23:31:00.000-06:00

Another one bites the dust. I guess I should be happy for her. I mean I kind of am. I've been hoping for her sake that her house would sell. But geez I'm gonna miss her! We spent all last year together wrangling in the lil ones in sunbeams. I'm so glad she was my teaching companion. I honestly wouldn't have wanted to do it with anyone else. I loved getting to know her, and I'm really going to miss her :( Even though she's only moving a hop, skip and a jump away. I guess I can survive with twenty or so minutes between us. sigh.

So the girls got together on Thursday night at Johnny Carinos for a girls night out. We had a great time and a lot of laughs. Just pipe down there, Cari! Sheesh! Can't take that one, anywhere!

Hawthorn's Got Talent

2011-04-02T00:13:00.000-06:00

O Pioneers!

2011-03-17T23:55:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to participate in my Relief Society's birthday celebration with a dinner theater featuring past Relief Society presidents and five modern day Relief Society sisters as themselves bearing their testimony about Relief Society.

Despite my nerves, which were just fine until I had to stand up in front of all those bright lights and amazing faces staring right back at me, it was really nice to be a part of such a beautiful program. I was really touched listening to the strength of both the past and present Relief Society sisters. I'm really awed, and dwarfed, by such greatness.

I had the pleasure of portraying Bathsheba Smith.

And if you ever wondered to yourself, just what what would Caroline look like as a pioneer, well now you know ;)

(And btw, thanks to my talented friend, Cari Jessup for lending me the skirt, which she made and the button up blouse, worn underneath my shawl)! They were fabulous and saved me when my own pioneer skirt and blouse failed to arrive on time. Argh! That was money well spent. Fortunately I live in Utah with the annual Pioneer Day and places like This is the Place and the American West Heritage Center, which has the occasional pioneer treks and progressive wagon dinners and such, and next year we're heading to the Little House on the Prairie pageant in South Dakota, if all goes well, so it will hopefully get some good use, which is why I bought it. That and dressing up is just too much fun. Guess I never grew out of that.)

Salt Lake Art Center

2011-03-16T22:14:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we went to the Salt Lake Art Center for "Family Art Saturdays," which they do once a month. It's so fabulous that places around the valley offer these kinds of opportunities for free. It's so enriching for the children, bonding for us as a family, and you can't beat the price! And afterward, we get to explore the exhibits, also at no cost.

The activity was diorama boxes: "Families create a miniature set design or installation while exploring lighting, characters, and stories—all inside a box! Based on multimedia installations in New Frontier."

Even Cosette took the opportunity to explore her own creativity.

After all that, I forgot to take a picture of the inside of their works of art. Oops. If I get around to it, I'll do so and post. Mari's was an animal scene (I think she mentioned something about it being a princess scene) and Tennyson, a bug scene. Go figure.

Then it was off to the very cool techno bug exhibit ...

Then the film exhibit downstairs. But that was fairly short-lived, as we had to run lil Cosette home for bed and get everything ready for babysitter and get us out on a hot date ;) to ...

... the sushi restaurant I've been wanting to try. Just got ho-hum reviews compared to other local sushi joints but I enjoyed my sushi roll and the decor was fun. I'd go back. Then we went to see King's Speech, which I cannot rave about enough. Loved it, loved it.

Inspirations Contest

2011-03-15T22:58:00.000-06:00

We're so proud of Marielle for doing so well in the Inspirations Art Program! She took awards in all four categories she entered. The Inspirations Art Program is the equivalent of the Reflections Program in the public schools.

But we're mostly proud that Mari rose to the challenge of entering the contest in multiple areas, learning and growing and having fun. We had been told about a week before the assembly that the winners had already been told, so we weren't expecting anything at all, and Mari was totally fine with that, so what a very pleasant surprise we all had!

Still our lesson to her has always been that it isn't about winning but the creating, the journey if you will. But even we can't deny, winning always feels great. Can't take that away from her.

The lady emceeing the event laughed as she kept calling Mari's name up over and over for the various categories, joking that she was sweeping the event. Mari would cross from one side of the room to another to stand by different lines of kids for different categories. In retrospect, I should have recorded it. It was amusing.

But great job Marielle. We love you :)

Elikya African Drums and Dance

2011-03-15T12:26:00.000-06:00

Last week we went to watch the Elikya African Drums and Dance performance at the beautiful Brigham Young Academy in Provo. It was a lot of fun watching the kids dance and express their heritage.

We adopted

2011-03-13T22:50:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday March 8, 2011 we had the great pleasure of being able to adopt our two kids, Tennyson Dailan Michael Kingsley and Cosette Elizabeth Virgina Kingsley at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City. As we have mentioned before it has been a fairly long process, but a well worth one where we did it through Utah Foster to Adopt.

Our adoption hearing was at 2 pm and we had the same judge - Judge Nolan that has followed the case with their mom and parental rights. We had an adoption attorney to help prepare us through the process but looking back it is still a mostly quick blur in the courtroom. Actually quicker than many other hearings I have been to. Basically some formalities at the beginning and then the attorney and DCFS get to state their reasons to the judge on why we would be fit parents. Just to back up a little bit in case any of you do not know the process: When the kids are in foster care they are a ward of the state. If they do not go back to their parents then parental rights are terminated, either forcibly or voluntarily (in our case voluntarily). Then they are still in custody by the state and DCFS until someone is willing to adopt. DCFS, through the process of having us do the foster care, actually plans with us ahead of time since we are willing to adopt so that if things don't work out the children can have a permanent home. In the courtroom it finally gets passed to us and the judge agrees and signs the final order.

Afterwords they gave stuffed animals to the kids and we got to take a picture with the judge. We were blessed to have my sister Shannon there to witness the hearing. We then took some pictures around the building including outside the Utah Supreme Courtroom.

We are really blessed to have Tennyson and Cosette in our lives and are also happy that the process of adoption is final. We look forward to many more adventures with our family!

The Good Life

2011-02-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

We recently joined a local produce co-op, a pool of people like us who come together to get fresh, sometimes local (depending) food at reasonable prices without the big box grocery store hassle.

I've had friends swear by it for some time, but with my life being the way it's been, it's been in the back of my mind, but I'm so glad we finally got around to it! I'm loving this!

We pick up a basket full of fresh produce every Saturday (we planned on every other Saturday but so far we've been flying through the food, so we've been going every week) from a nearby school. For $15 I got all this. I never know what I'll get each week, which, for me, is part of the fun. The kids have fun running up to the basket when I get home to see what we got. We can also purchase extras, like tortillas to make chips with fresh ingredients to make guacamole and their five-grain bread is the absolute best.

I love having such healthy food around the house all the time now. It's inspiring me to purchase the canned and boxed goods less. It seems easy enough to pick these healthy things up at the grocery store, but coincidentally enough, faced with the enormous selection, it's so hard to know what to get! I like someone taking the guesswork out of it for me. And now we're all eating so much healthier!

Another side benefit is getting out of my house and into the community. I've had some really interesting conversations with people in line while waiting for the co-op to open up. One lady today told me about the meat co-op to which she belongs.

Hmmm ...

Or even better, maybe. Go directly to the source! Several farms allow you to purchase directly from them. You can buy anywhere from one cut of meat up to a whole cow's worth ... or animal of your choice. Or you can get produce, ect. This website is a great one for finding ways to support the locals (including listing local farm websites), which we're all about, especially in this economy. Any way we can help each other out.

On a similar note, while we were out, I stumbled across this free local magazine. Inside was an article that I really enjoyed and pretty much shared my meat philosophy.

Our family activity today took us to Pioneer Craft House for an art day with the kids. I love that places like this exist to carry on wonderful artistic traditions and means of self-expression that would otherwise be lost. I think I may have to take a class here. One upcoming class caught my eye: I can learn how to turn newspapers into a tote bag or small rug! lol Sounds like something right up my ally.

Afterward we went to the Sugarhouse BBQ Company, Memphis-style bbq. The ribs were well-seasoned. I liked the sauce a lot. The decor was odd, very eclectic.

To round off the night, we had the Howards over for a game of Ticket to Ride. Lisa won. I lost. Sigh. I blame Mike. Very fun night, though, regardless. *Throws a mike a pillow and a blanket for the couch* ;)

Reaching for the Mountains

2011-02-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight my work took me to Sunset Ridge Middle School to cover the UDOT open house on the MountainView Corridor. I was feeling a tad lazy and preferred my warm and cozy home and cute kids - Tayla who just started FINALLY tottling around the house today!! I got her these cute clear jelly shoes and she kept looking down at her toes and then tromping around: tromp tromp tromp! Looking like she had a little limp. She's the most adorable thing ever! But alas I had to say goodbye, even to her sweet little kisses that she also started giving today, turning our faces toward us with her tiny sweet hands! (Mike claims she's done it before, but today was the first day I've seen and experience proof)

But once I got to interviewing the residents and hearing the presentation and listening to the Q&A, I didn't want to tear myself away. Oddly, it was actually quite interesting. I mean, we have been waiting for this thing for years, and now it's finally here! And I want to know all the details! Well, at least the interesting ones, let's be honest. Plus, I could use all the info I can get my hands on for my story, so leaving mid-stream is always a toughy.

Oh, and why I had to leave? Mike was giving a presentation on computer maintenance for the Elders Quorum's garage night and we had to do the kid switch off. :) Fun stuff

Presidents Day

2011-02-21T22:33:00.002-07:00

We met Mike's sister and little Luke this morning at Swirly Girls Gourmet Bakery at Daybreak. The bakery is adorable. Mike stumbled upon it when he picked up our produce from the co-op we just joined a couple weeks ago. I caved and bought a couple Valentine decorative dish towels. I can't help it. Can't let go of the love.

Afterwards, we took a quick detour to Taipan Trading. Mmmm I love it there. I didn't find what I came for: a pie dish, but I got a couple small bird figurines. Don't know what it is with me and birds lately. I may turn into a crazy bird lately one day. Right now, just crazy.

Then: the Living Planet Aquarium. So, when your gut says to avoid places like that on holidays, listen to it. It was crowded. Like, admissions line wrapping around the building crowded. But the kids have been begging to go for months, and we have been planning on going with Julie for maybe just as long, and it ended up being really fun and really great to see everyone.

Still, next time we'll opt for the road less traveled. I know, I know. Us? You'd never figure. Smiles.

We ended up meeting up with not only Julie but also Shannon, Mike's other sister, so all the little cousins got to see each other. Mari and Zac were walking around the whole time holding hands. It was adorable!

We get in half-price with our Tracy Aviary passes and they had a facebook deal going where we got $2 off each ticket if we "checked in" on facebook, so we ended up getting our entire family of 5 in for $7 instead of $32. Buffs nails.

On the way home: a quick run in to the bookstore to pick up the Scarlet Pimpernel for book group. I'm also listening to Bloody Jack and waiting for Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas from the library.

Happy All Hallows Eve

2010-11-01T23:32:00.000-06:00

We spent Halloween at my sister Michelle's house in Heber, along with Eric and his family, soaking them all in while they are in town. Unfortunately Kim and her clan couldn't make it :( We all had a grand time though, dining on burgers, playing in the leaves and with the many critters they own: bunnies, chickens, hampster, dog and ... was there a cat .... It was nice to just sit back and be with family since I don't take advantage of that nearly enough. Michelle's house is beautiful so I had to include a couple pictures of her decorating. She has an amazing eye for pulling things she collects along the way together.

We're for the birds, albeit haunted ones

2010-10-31T23:44:00.000-06:00

We're always trying to mix things up by doing things a little off the beaten path. Yesterday, on Halloween Eve (we celebrated Halloween on Saturday to avoid celebrating on the Sabbath this year) we decided to turn our attention skyward in our spooky festivities. This year, the road not taken lead us to the front steps of the Tracy Aviary, one of only two free-standing aviaries in the United States and home to 400 birds, a passion of Dailan's.

If you can't tell, and really, isn't it soooo obvious ;), my kids are the ghosts from Christmas past, present and future.

We met up with my brother Eric and his two year-old who are visiting from Phoenix this weekend. We don't get to see them very often so it was a special treat! The kids had a great time participating in a costume parade, watching a bird show, learning from a bird expert, viewing the many different birds, especially the ones from south America and trick or treating around the aviary.

Afterwards, we all went to Rice: Asian Fusion Cuisine and Sushi Bar. We'd heard mixed reviews so weren't sure what to expect but we loved it! Mmmmmm! Us adults all got bento boxes. Bento boxes have a special place in my heart. And if that sounds cheesy. Oh yes, I do mean it so. The food was delicious... the small amount I was able to eat... which leads me to the downside of the night...

My poor baby girl got so sick. As soon as we got there, she started complaining of her stomach hurting. We thought she maybe we just really hungry, or just a small bug. But shortly after our food arrived, we were rushing her to the restroom where she promptly threw up :( So we called it an early day. We boxed up our food (which Mike left at the restaurant and I'm still forgiving him for since I hardly touched mine, never mind I've left my left overs behind many times, but still... Pssst not really. But I'm using it as an excuse to get another bento box).

On the bright side, while I was busy holding my little girls hair up in the restroom, in walks one of my bestest friends since I was 15 years old, Brooke Heym, who I haven't seen in ages since our lives went into random directions. We'd been texting lately but hadn't managed to meet up yet, so there we go. And we plan to get together in earnest, on purpose, and not in the ladies room, very soon.

Mari spent the rest of the night huddled up in blankets by the warmth of the fireplace NOT trick or treating but instead watching tv with me while Dailan braved the rain with daddy and our next door neighbors Kam and Ella. Daddy made up for this momentous loss this morning by sending her on a candy hunt around the house. Good daddy.

Seven years and counting

2010-10-29T21:11:00.000-06:00

Had our weekly Survivor night yesterday. Our friend John Herzog has been coming over for at least seven years every week to watch Survivor. How's that for longevity? We thought when we moved from Provo he wouldn't want to drive all the way from Pleasant Grove to West Jordan, but it hasn't deterred him at all. The night has expanded to include the Office and Outsourced. Almost an overload of goodness. Good, good times, my friends.

The Sugar Factory: here today, gone tomorrow

2010-10-27T23:32:00.000-06:00

Tonight the city council voted to demolish (see previous article) the historic Sugar Factory, which volunteers had been working for years to turn one day into a regional arts campus. I had been so excited, with my budding little artist, Mari, to have such an amazing facility in our backyards. The Visual Art Institute, which is the best art school to my knowledge in Utah, was to house classes there. The drive for us otherwise is 45 minutes for Mari to take classes through them. Beyond us, what an amazing benefit to the community. It's disheartening. A piece of history, gone. The arts here, gone. Perhaps they will drum up something else. *sigh*

Parental rights

2010-10-26T23:22:00.000-06:00

Remember us? Yeah... Been a while. I feel like we've been in limbo since August. Scratch that, since February 2009 when Dailan, I'll go ahead and say his name now, was first placed with us. It's hard to imagine the future with any definitiveness and hard lines when you are living your life in such uncertainty.

Before I move further, our news: Dailan and Taila's mom voluntarily relinquished her parental rights today! Huge Huge! What this means is, the kids will be ours for sure. *Happy tearing up sigh*

As today as drawn closer, I've become increasingly anxious. I was overall optimistic she'd sign as promised. But then, she was supposed to sign a month ago, and didn't. And she has certainly been known to change her mind without any notice. If she didn't sign at the hearing today, it would go to trial next week. And then we would be facing the very slight possibility of the judge deciding the children should in fact go back to the mom, even though we all know that shouldn't happen. There's a lot to this, and if I had been faithfully blogging all along it would probably make more sense. But I've been hunkering down, adjusting to our new life.

On that note, the past few months have been difficult and emotional and straining and happy and busy and so completely utterly right. Alissa put it best when she called it "controlled chaos." Going from one to three children has been a huge adjustment. But we don't feel at all overwhelmed, although admittedly some moments have been better than others. It's been difficult, but difficult in the way that exercise is difficult but you feel amazing at the same time, and you push through the grueling moments.

The schedule has been the hardest part for me. On the average day, between 7:30-3:30 I'm home for three hours of the day. The rest of that time is in the car running kids to and from school, which mind you is usually with a screaming baby, or at the gym. Darling thing in every other circumstance, but put her in a car seat and she turns into a screaming banshee. On Thursdays, this begins at 6:20 a.m. And days I have staff, HOPE or Headstart meetings my down time at home decreases to two hours.

And it doesn't end there. Then it's homework, violin, cleaning and, depending on the day, family home evening, committee meetings, work, teaching, ect. ect.

But the dividends are enormous. I have no regrets about putting Mari in Hawthorn Academy or Dailan in Headstart. Both schools are far more valuable than my troubles. And the children themselves: every parent knows the sacrifice that goes into parenting, and how rewarding it is, and how impossible the rewards are to measure or explain. And despite the fact I didn't give birth to these children, they are in every way to me, mine. Ours.

And now, we have the immense, hmmm thats too small a word to describe, comfort of knowing, that they will in fact be ours forever.

Moments collide

2010-08-01T23:41:00.000-06:00

I feel like the last five years have all lead to this moment. Well, not all, but very important parts of them :)

On Monday, we got an email from D's caseworker wondering if we would be interested in fostering and adopting D and his 10 month old baby sister if they are brought back into care.

All I could do, was stare at the mail and repeat over and over, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"

Mari and Mike were like, What?! What?!

Mike read the mail, and in that moment our lives are altered.

We prayed and took the next hour or two to think about it, so we wouldn't make a hasty decision on something so huge. But undoubtably, it felt very very right.

Several emails between us and the caseworker later, we were at the courthouse on Friday with bio mom and bio dad and other bio dad and D's paternal grandparents. It was a hearing to remove the children. Once a trial home placement has failed, that's mom's last chance.

There's nothing quite like being with a mom who is about to lose her children ... to us. It was awkward and emotional, even for me, but we spoke with her and spoke to her fears about us telling D bad things about her (we assured her we have never and would never, that we talk about her with respect to the kids and will honor their love for her) and that she will never see them again (we told her we would like to do one to two supervised visits a year, but with the caveat that we can make no promises and it would depend on D's therapist's advice).

At that point, she retracted her request for the state to pursue kinship adoption options for the kids (having relatives take them, which looked highly unlikely anyway).

Court itself was major drama, like right out of tv.

The judge was very short and to the point. He's known for being harsh. He asked where the children were and bio mom said they were with her grandparents. He said that they were to be picked up and brought into state custody before bio mom could leave the courtroom. The harshness was hard on bio mom and she began to sob.

Judge demanded the grandparents address. Bio mom only had the phone number. He proceeded to call on speakerphone, which was wired to the room's speakers. He demanded the grandmother's address and she (grandma) pleaded over the speakerphone for the kids to not be removed. He was short with her, got the address and off the caseworker went to get the kids and we were dismissed. Bio mom had expected to have a couple hours to say her goodbyes and pack up their things. Not so.

So off we ran to prepare best we could at home. The kids arrived a short time later with only the clothes on their backs and a few diapers and a bottle for baby. The caseworker stayed for several minutes to talk with bio mom on the phone about some of our questions about baby's schedule and such, and to talk with us about adoption lawyers, ect. It was surreal, to say the least. Here we thought we had lost D forever, had had our closure. Not so. And bonus, a baby :) Afterwards, we ran to the store to buy clothes and other necessities for the kids.

Our biggest fear was the unknowns with the baby, who we hadn't fostered before. It's been a while since we've had a baby, and a baby no less that was just ripped from her mama, and who knew what her disposition would be like and how we'd manage going from one child to three in just a moment, and for forever.

But the moment I held that child, and those who know me know I don't usually get all worked up over babies, she felt like mine. She and I bonded right away. It was so unexpected. She's the sweetest little thing, all blond haired and blue eyed and quick to smile. And she's got delicious rolls of baby chub.

And D, he always felt like ours as well, and he just melted right back into our family like he was only on vacation. Mari and he have been playing non-stop since his return.

So the life turns that brought us to that point? Are you still with me?? lol

After I had Mari, I had a strong feeling that we should adopt. But, we thought we'd have one more bio child first.

Three years of trying and two heart, body and wallet-wrenching miscarriages later, no bio child and one war-weary mother. After the second miscarriage, a feeling washed over me that that child that was in my womb was not meant to be, for whatever reason. Darn the heavenly need-to-know basis ;)

At that point, we decided to move forward toward fostering to adopt, while continuing, for a time, to try to conceive.

Many many months later, we got the call about D. Mike was working and I called him with the info I'd been given. We knew, he's supposed to be with us. And that impression was only confirmed more by D's time with us, despite his leaving us.

After D left, we weren't sure what direction we'd go to grow our family. Nothing felt right and it seemed like we should stay status quo for now. In the weeks previous to the mail about D and T coming into custody again, Mike and I had, without telling each other, started to wonder if maybe we weren't supposed to have a baby or more foster children in our home because... what if D came back to us. But we both pushed it out of our minds, so as not to disturb that closure we'd had and, really, what were the chances.

But now, here we are, so many inspirations later, that thank heavens we listened to ... lol, literally. The paternal grandparents were sooo relieved that we were in a position to take them (they've wanted us to have them all along). If we hadn't followed what we felt, we wouldn't have been.

Of course, with foster care, there are twists and turns, so who knows what will happen even now, though at this time, the road to adoption is pretty clear. We'll see. But I'm going to enjoy every moment of this journey, cause I know that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.

Murder Among The Mateys (aka Caroline's birthday party)

2010-07-18T23:52:00.004-06:00

For Carolines birthday party we decided to have a very fun murder mystery dinner party. So why not go with a pirate theme? It started with our guests arriving to a room bathed in fog (with a persona already assigned) and reading their directions to see how they were supposed to act. As the host of the party I had the option to know or not know ahead of time who the murderer and murdered was. I decided to not look ahead of time to keep it interesting. Well little did I know until I opened my packet that I was the one going to get murdered!

We had a wonderful hawaiian haystack dinner, bottled (root) beer, toasted coconut ice cream, and mango sorbet.

Cari won the "Ruthless and Rich award" for having the most pirate money at the end of the night.

Dan won the "Drama Queen Award"

and Caroline won the "Dressed to Kill Award"

String Institute or bust

2010-06-21T22:33:00.000-06:00

This last week Mari attended the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute. We feel so fortunate to live near one of the nation's top Suzuki string institutes. Over 500 children attended, some coming from as far as New Zealand, and over 80 instructors from all over the country and world came to teach. The teachers truly are fantastic and have a way of making a tremendously long day exciting and fun.

Basically, the institute is a hard core camp that runs from 9-5 every day with a concert following every day at 5:15. Parents with children under 12 must attend, so I go as well. The kids get two free periods where they can take some time to practice and/or relax or they can fill the time with enrichment classes. Last year Mari took orchestra and art during her free periods, but this year we decided to take it a little easier, and left the free periods open. The schedule is given to us the first day of institute and much to my absolute amazement, we had the good fortune of having both free periods the last two periods of the day, so we basically only had to attend 9-3 pm. On the downside, we missed most of the evening concerts, cause I didn't want to hang out for two hours or have to drive back.

Mari's courses this year were Master class (where she gets one on one time with a master teacher), Repertoire, Technique and Ear Training. Each day after lunch there is also a free concert to attend as well.

MONDAY

The day started with a play-in where some of the instructors take turns leading all of the institute children on the stage in Suzuki repertoire. I was so sad I didn't bring my video camera. I am always amazed at how crazy good these little people are. We also got to hear Aaron Ashton play a fiddle tune or two.

Mari had two classes that day: Master class with Mary Straub from Las Vegas and Repertoire with Leo Kitajima from Los Angeles. Straub is so friendly, approachable and warm. The kids were so at ease with her and took her instruction well. Kitajima is young, cute and hip and the little girls loved gathering around him before class, talking to him and giggling.

For lunch Mari and I went out for sushi, a favorite of both of ours. I'm so glad Mike talked me out of doing the cafeteria again. Kudos to Mike.

Mari was attached to a little girl named Ellie by the end of Master class, and it turned out they also had Repertoire together (and also Technique as we would find Wednesday). But Ellie was tired and refused to attend that class, which was held on the stage. Mari tried her darndest for about 10 minutes to talk Ellie into going on the stage, telling her it wasn't scary and she could just look at her violin. If you had heard the conversation, it was very cute. Eventually her mom talked her into going on the stage.

So we went home. Everyone was happy and a little tired from the day.

Fast forward two hours, and Mike's parents are on the way over to see Mari before heading out of town. Mari is suddenly complaining about stomach cramps then starts vomiting every half hour or so. It was sooo bad, my poor baby. I've never seen her that sick. I wasn't sure at this point if it was the sushi or the flu. Either way, we had shared sushi and the drink, so that boded badly for me. And of all times! Not during institute! Any other time. Pleeeease. It's that important. And that expensive. Ugh. But with throwing up, I had no choice but to sequester her for the next 24 hours.

TUESDAY

Mari was totally recovered, but throwing up=24 home lock down, so home we stayed. It was my birthday, and truthfully it was kind of nice to have an excuse to just stay in and relax.

WEDNESDAY

I woke up feeling absolutely awful. I was sick. Really sick. I had to go lay down like four times just while putting my makeup on. But I wasn't throwing up, and as absolutely irresponsible as I felt about it, I didn't want Mari to have to sit out another day, so off we went.

We had missed the first day of Mari's other two classes, so it was a bit of catch up. Ellie told Mari she had missed her the day before, which was sweet. We discovered that they also had Technique class together, and also found out Mari had all her classes with a girl named Lily, and by the end of the day, Mari and Lily were inseparable. I was also becoming fast friends with their moms. Can't wait to see them next year.

Mari had Ear Training with Debby Smith from Utah and Technique with James Hutchins from Maryland. Smith had the kids learning about composers, singing notes and moving with the music. This was Mari's favorite class. Hutchins was just a character. He was really, really fun and had great suggestions.

We went to In-N-Out for lunch and attended the Fry Street Quartet concert after lunch.

I felt like I could barely hold my head up all day, though, and was sooo glad when I could finally go home and rest. It got progressively worse, though, to the point I couldn't peel myself off the couch. Words just can't express the misery. It's been a long long time since I've been that sick, but thank heavens I was back to normal by the next morning.

THURSDAY

A far better day. We were both feeling good, Mari got to lead her Technique class in playing Musette and we attended the evening concert where the fiddling classes performed as well as the Aaron Ashton Band (and Ashton also taught one of the fiddling classes). Mike met up with us for the concert. On the downside, we didn't make it home until after 7 p.m., and I had a big dinner party in two days that I had not had a chance this week to prepare for, given the long institute hours and the sicknesses.

FRIDAY

Institute was already almost over. It was the last day of Master class and Repertoire. Straub, Mari's Master class teacher, was so sweet to offer to give Mari an extra session since she had been sick Tuesday, so we stayed late after class. She was so sweet and said Mari was doing really great and whatever I was doing with her is working and to keep it up. It's always good to hear the encouragement, cause it's really hard work each and every day to keep a 6 year-old willing to practice an hour and stay excited about playing. Plus it's up to me to guide her practice sessions and I'm just sort of figuring this all out as we go along. And frankly, I'm not usually in the mood myself for the practicing, but the dividends have been more than worth it.

So we bid adieu and thank you to Straub and Kitajima and, after the hard days work, did more hard work in the form of last minute errands for Saturday's party and last minute home preparations. Really, really last minute. One day away and almost nothing was ready. Such is life. And stress.

SATURDAY MORNING

It was a half-day with the last classes of Ear Training and Technique.

In Technique, Hutchins had them do a "world tour" around the school, playing Song of the Wind.

After farewells and hugs, it was time for the final concert. Here is a selection from the concert - Minuet 2 by Bach:

Shout out to Gregg

2010-06-20T23:56:00.000-06:00

On Sunday my buddy Gregg from Texas came over. After finishing up school, he treated himself to a trip to several states to visit friends. And after Denver he took a detour to visit me before heading over to Vegas. I'm so glad he did! It was so fun to talk to him in person since it's always been through the handy dandy computer. Hopefully we'll get a chance to head out to Austin in the not-way-too-distant future like we've been wanting to for ages and see him again and also visit Clay.

But until then ... Clay, you're next, buddy! Come on over. Only 8 short hours from Denver. :D hehe.

Who's chicken? Not me

2010-06-20T22:33:00.000-06:00

A week ago last Saturday we visited my sister, Michelle, in Heber. Mari loved meeting her teenage chickens, including "Twiggy."

Afterwards, at Kenny's suggestion, we headed over to Midway to dine at Tarahumara, a restaurant with cuisine from the Chihuahua region of Mexico. The food was good and has made the restaurant number 1 at tripadvisor and earned the restaurant good marks as well from Gastronomic. I got the shark and loved it. Their salsa bar was impressive, with over 20 fresh salsas. We also took some pastries from the bakery for the road. Thanks Kenny.

Even though it was cold, windy and rainy, we couldn't help but stop to see the Provo River in Midway. It was beautiful and the water was as high as I've ever seen it. The upside of the continuously wet and cold weather we've been having is Utah seems more green and lush than ever. Of course, Midway is always beautiful.

But the day wasn't anywhere near over. After a short respite at home, we headed over to the church to prepare to put on the Newlywed Game for the ward, since we're chairs of the activities committee. I planned to stay behind the scenes keeping the popcorn refilled and my pride intact, but you guys talked me into participating, but I'm glad cause it was fun, even though we never ever win that game. I swear, I totally know Mike! Okay, we tied for second place of our group at least, but that's out of four couples :P. Thank you to the other 15 couples who got in the hot seat and to all those who attended. I hope you all had as good of a time as we did :)

Bread and jammin

2010-06-11T14:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we went up to Logan. We first stopped into Smokin Blues Barbeque for lunch. Their sweet potato fries are really good. I think they put cinnamon sugar on them. I'm gonna have to try that the next time I make sweet potato fries or chips. The service there is also really good. Had a few people making sure we were happy with our meal, and Mari was given a free ice cream. And as we all know, happy kids=happy parents. Well, sometimes, anyway.

With full bellies, we headed over to the American West Heritage Center. It was cold and windy and rainy, so we didn't make it a whole day trip, but we did make sure to get in a train ride and also stopped over to see the goats before heading over to the farmstead so Mari could jam with "Mike" (different Mike). Afterwards we all snacked on homemade bread and jam, pioneer style.

Then went back home so Mike could go back out to see Prince of Persia with John. Tonight we're going back out to see it with Chris, Ethan and Rafa.

Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven

2010-06-10T20:52:00.000-06:00

We went with Mike's family to the Mount Timpanogos Temple yesterday to do work for his late grandparents and other relatives. It was really touching and I'm grateful Mike's family included me in such a special experience. It was also nice to be back at the temple where we were married.

Afterwards we went to the Blue Lemon in Alpine for lunch, where we were joined by Rafa and adorable little Luke. I forgot how delicious the food there is. I got the butternut squash soup (to die for) and the pear and gorgonzola spinach salad. Mike got fish tacos.

Special thanks to Cari and Krista for watching Mari!

Happy Birthday Frank and Camille!

2010-06-09T16:59:00.000-06:00

In honor of Frank Lloyd Wright's birthday yesterday, Mari and I read about him together and then Mari got to work designing a dream playhouse on paper, using Wright's designs as inspiration. Afterward, she declared she wants to be an architect when she grows up.

We also made a hat for Neferti and then went to the library for arts and crafts. Mari thought it was hilarious that her friend, Jacob, was there doing art, too. She decided to make a flower door hanger and a sea snake.

Then I went out with some friends for Camille's birthday. We went miniature golfing and then out to Applebees for appetizers and desserts. I was a little worried initially with the golfing since my first putt sent the golf ball slowly up the hill ... then back toward me again. :P The next hit sent my ball clear over the first hole and down a hill off the course. Figures. I better stick to writing. But I did manage to improve my next hits somewhat and even got a hole in one. Diana was in town and came, so it was great seeing her, since she's ditched us for sunny Arizona ;) Was a great night.

Ensemble concert

2010-06-07T23:35:00.002-06:00

Mari had her first ensemble concert tonight. She was excited to have Grandma and Grandpa there. She has been working so hard on learning several new fiddle pieces and it was exciting to hear the songs come together in the concert. Here is one of the pieces: Orange Blossom Special. Mari's in the second row and is the second little blonde head to the left of the conductor. You can just see the top of her head. But it's a cute head top. :P

Fort Buenaventura festival

2010-06-06T22:09:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival at Fort Buenaventura. Mari had a rehearsal in the afternoon for tomorrow's ensemble concert. We felt the rehearsal was too important for her to miss, so we decided Mike would stay home and take Mari to her rehearsal and meet me at the festival afterwards. The plan had the added benefit of giving me a whole day at the festival, and less time up there for Mike and Mari, who don't like to spend quite as long there.

So I took the Frontrunner light rail line up to the festival in the morning. I met another lady and her two kids who were also going to the festival as I was coming off the Frontrunner. I guess we all have that "festivarian" look about us. So we took the trolley together from the train to the festival.

Fort Buenaventura is gorgeous, and is the most hidden treasure I've come across. Most people I know don't even know it exists, even though it sits on 84 acres in a metropolitan area. I only knew about it because I'm such a little tourist and am constantly on the lookout for new places to visit right here in Utah, so I pick up brochures for future possible ventures as I come across them at hotels, museums, ect. So somewhere along the way I picked up a brochure on Buenaventura, came home and googled it, and discovered they had an upcoming music festival, their second annual, which we went to last year. It has become my favorite bluegrass festival because of it's beautiful setting and laid back feeling. No need to tarp dash, just walk up when the music starts and sit down right in front. :)

I hung out by myself at the festival for about 6 or 7 hours, which might seem boring and lonely, but I absolutely loved it. Constant stream of entertainment, plenty of places to roam about and stretch the legs, venders with wares to check out (I found some great jewelry I just couldn't pass up) and you gotta love festival food. I could save money and bring my own, but I just so look forward to the good eats at festivals.

Mike, Mari and Mike's parents met up with me in the evening. They came in about halfway through the set of Driven, a new bluegrass band from Kansas. I was glad they came when they did because Driven ended up being my favorite band, and Mike's as well. Hope they come back next year with a cd to buy!

Another girl - a tweener - had an amazing voice, so I got her cd, but sadly it didn't have the song that I really loved on it.

Mari became friends at first sight with a little girl near us. Once they discovered each other, and saw that they had matching face paintings, they were inseparable. They spend the rest of the evening dancing, laughing and playing games.

Needless to say, it was a memorable day, and I think we'll be doing it again next year where I go up in the morning and Mike and Mari meet me up later, although Mike says he'd like to come a little bit earlier next time.

The turning of our wheel

2010-06-05T00:07:00.000-06:00

I hosted book group at my house last night. I picked a book I remembered loving as a youth. I was a little nervous that I would hate it as an adult, and be subjecting others to it, but much to my delight, I couldn't put it down! I think I loved it just as much the second time, but maybe I'm just a sap. Book group was really fun, and we even got a little bit of discussion of the book in there :P

Girlfriends, good reads and goat cheese (on the hor dourves): the recipe for pure bliss.

Here's a synopsis of the book:

"There are some who say that the Lady Fortune

has a wheel, and all men are fixed upon it.

The wheel turns, and the men rise, or fall,

with the turning of the wheel.

Birle has agreed to be wed to the huntsman Muir as an escape from the drudgery of life at her father's inn -- but the moment she looks into the bellflower blue eyes of the man she comes upon stealing one of her father's boats, Birle knows she cannot marry Muir. Even after she discovers the mysterious stranger is Orien, a Lord and as unreachable to an innkeeper's daughter as a star, Birle is determined to travel with him as far as he will allow.

Their travels take Birle to a world far from home, a world where Lords may become slaves, where Princes rule by fear, and where Fortune's Wheel turns more swiftly and dangerously than Birle could have imagined.

Newberry Medalist Cynthia Voigt's second novel of the Kingdom, set two generations later than Jackaroo, is a memorable combination of thrilling adventure and heart-stopping romance."

This afternoon we went to the Hale Centre Theatre production of the Three Musketeers. We were a little worried about bringing Mari again to a non-musical, and she definitely was bored in parts, but all in all, she did alright. We were really pleased with this production. Sometimes the plays there are a hit and miss for us, but this one was a really good one. Wasn't crazy about the main guy. I couldn't get over his wig, and he was a bit goofy for my taste, but that was my main quip. Mari loved the girl that played his sister. Both are pictured with Mari above.

After the play, we went to the Sandy Amphitheater for Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband and the Aaron Ashton Band, who opened up for them. I love both bands, so it was a must-see for us. Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband have to be the most entertaining band for live audiences that I have ever seen. I saw them maybe a decade ago at a much smaller amphitheater in Provo in their earlier days, so it was cool to see how far they've come. Aaron Ashton, an amazing fiddler, is also always fun to watch. I first saw him last year performing with his band at the Intermountain Suzuki Institute, where we fell in love with the song Angelina Baker.

Unfortunately, we didn't get home till almost midnight, meaning Mari didn't get to bed till then, and we have a huge day tomorrow, sooooo hopefully we won't be regretting our late night tomorrow. We shall see.

Memorial Day proper

2010-06-03T18:33:00.001-06:00

We drove home home on Memorial Day, stopping by one of our favorite stopovers - the Red Barn in Santaquin. They have THE best apple juice on this planet (second to our own, of course :P) and we just tried their new lavender ice cream, which was divine. They also sell fruit, candy, cheese and a host of gift items. Very cute store.

We had barely arrived home when it was time to head out again to the West Jordan Memorial Day event. It's one of only four major Memorial Day events in Utah that I am aware of, so it's nice to have something like that in our own backyard. I probably wouldn't have gone this year because of being so road weary, but I had to cover it for work, and we are so glad we went! This year they timed everything very well (so that the flyover didn't happen in the middle of the prayer like last year) and all the talks were a good length, and all in all it was just a really touching experience. I left Mike and Mari to wander in and around the event to photograph different moments as they happened. It's kind of nice to have an excuse to get in closer to the action.

Afterwards we joined our friends for a Memorial Day BBQ. It was fun hanging out with them and was a great cap for a perfect holiday weekend.

Memorial Day weekend

2010-05-30T20:49:00.004-06:00

Mari had her last day of school on Friday, which just consisted of a few minutes of testing. So hard to believe she's done with kindergarten and will be moving on to first grade in just a few short months. She did wonderful in her final test and we couldn't be more pleased with her progress this year and with how well her school did in its own first year.

To kick off Memorial Day weekend, we went with some friends to the Scandinavian festival in Ephraim on Friday. It was really fun hanging out with our friends and we love visiting the area, which is beautiful, but the festival itself fell short of our expectations. I mean, shouldn't there be something Scandinavian in a Scandinavian festival? There were a few food and merchandise booths, ranging from South American wares to Navajo, that braved the high winds that day, as well a Pioneer encampment. I mean, why wouldn't you have a South American booth at a Scandinavian festival? And yes, that's sarcasm. To give them a smidgeon of credit, there were swedish meatballs available for lunch, so that's what we had, and they were very good. There were also some cloggers and fiddlers. The fiddling was kind of fun to watch and they did make some effort to play ... I think one ... Scandinavian song. Mari enjoyed hearing them play Orange Blossom and Boil Em Cabbages, which she knows how to play. She and her friend Lainey danced along to the music.

After parting ways with our friends, we traveled an hour south to Richfield to spend a few nights. We drove along I-70, which was only built in the 1970's. I-70 has the distinction of being the longest stretch of interstate highway to be opened at one time, as well the first U.S. highway to be built over a completely new route since the Alaska Highway.

We got up bright and early the next morning to go to Goblin Valley and Capitol Reef. For us, our travels are all about the journey, so we took some detours along the way.

We stopped over at Ghost Rock (center) - a rock so named when an early rancher saw it through the fog, its base obscured, revealing only the white top, giving it the appearance of a floating ghost. The rock's large size became an important landmark to stockmen, who could spot it even in inclement weather.

The I-70 snakes through the San Rafael Reef (left). Navajo Sandstone climbs over 200 feet over the huge rock flat irons. Iron oxide gives the rock a red hue. Over time, water has sculpted the narrow canyons and rock formations.

Long ago, the area was a haven for hustlers and outlaws.

Flowers pictured: apache plume and common globemallow.

Goblin Valley looked like it came straight from Mars, with statuesque formations carved by wind and water, forming mushroom or goblin-like rock structures. Mari loved running from one goblin to another, and climbing up, over, under and around the strange and convoluted structures. Over and over, she exclaimed how much she loved it there. A perfect natural playground for kids.

Our next stop was Hickman Bridge. It was about a 2.5 mile hike round-trip through stunning red-rock scenery. The elegant natural bridge is 130 feet across and well-worth the hike.

Being a holiday weekend, we crossed paths with many other hikers. I was impressed with the friendliness, as nearly everyone gave us a courteous hello as we passed, and a few exchanged more prolonged jokes with us. I teased those traveling toward the bridge as we headed back down, that it was a simple hike with just one portion of rope to climb up a 90-degree angle cliff (not true). I spoke at length with one man who had gotten separated from his friends, then Mike and I later ran into those friends. Glad I asked if they happened to have lost a friend along the way. One of those men is from our same hometown. Small world.

There is something so poignant about wildflowers growing in a rugged arid landscape. Pictured here: central prickly pear, small-leafed globemallow, James’ cryptanth and hoary aster.

Another unplanned stop took us to Behunin Cabin, built in 1882 by Elijah Cutler Behunin, one of the first area settlers, for his family of 10. The parents and two youngest children slept in the cabin, while the older boys slept in a widened dugout in the cliff. The girls slept in an old wagon box. The family only stayed a brief time until the rising river washed out their crops.

The Fruita Schoolhouse was a one-room schoolhouse with 22 students from 8 families its first year. 14 year-old Nettie Behunin was the school's first teacher, with a salary of $70 a month. The roof was originally flat and dirt covered, and the walls bare and chinked logs. A peaked, shingled roof was added in 1912 and the walls were plastered in 1935. The schoolhouse closed its doors in 1941 because of lack of students.

Nearby was an old workshop or barn.

We stopped at the charming Gifford farm house-turned shop for scones with sweet potato butter and cold refreshing drinks. It was a nice respite from the hiking and the scones and sweet potato butter were delicious. I might have to learn how to make my own canned sweet potato butter.

The house was built in 1908 by polygamist Calvin Pendleton, where he lived with his family for eight years. The home, refinished and refurnished, is an example of the spartan nature of the early 1900's rural Utah farm homes.

Gravel road to Capitol Gorge trailhead

We then ventured into the heart of Capitol Reef: Capitol Gorge. The trail is relatively flat and leads narrowly between two steep walls. Before long, you can spot petroglyphs on the left wall. A little further down is the "Pioneer Register" where pioneers carved their names and sometimes the dates in half-hazzard fashion on a portion of the left wall. It was exciting to see the names and dates, as they look as if they could have been written yesterday. Time seemed to have converged.

A few flowers from the Capitol Gorge hike: apache plume, common globemallow and yellow catspaw. Mari was exhausted from all the hiking we had already done that day, so we stopped short of the end of the trail, where natural "tanks," or pocket holes in the rock, hold precious water in the desert scape. We did, however, meet an elderly woman - Marsha, who also turned back from the last part of the hike and hiked with us back to the parking area. She was from Texas and had a lot of questions about "Mormons" and shared a bit of her own story. I had a really good time chatting with her.

We ate dinner just outside Capitol Reef at Rim Rock Restaurant. A bit overpriced, especially considering the dinnerware on which the food was served, but worth the experience. Mike and I both got the game, fish and fowl special, which included a bison kielbasa, seared trout and quail. We ate indoors, but the stone outdoor patio would have been a nice experience as well.

Mari lost her second tooth Saturday morning! She was excited to have the tooth fairy visit her on our vacation. Unfortunately, Mari left her tooth baggy sitting out in the hotel room along with her dollar today. The bag, along with tooth, was thrown away and the maid mistook the dollar for a tip and when we returned from our days excursions, the dollar was replaced by a thank you note. lol. Oh well. Mari wrote a note to the tooth fairy explaining what happened and is hoping to have her dollar replaced. I have a feeling the tooth fairy is going to give her another dollar under her pillow just this once.

A few minutes outside of Capitol Reef lead us past the Torrey log school and church. Built in 1898, it is one of the few early unaltered log buildings remaining.

Today we drove to Fish Lake - a fairly secluded lake with not much traffic, especially given the holiday weekend.

This picture would be a lot more impressive if we had gone in the fall, but these quaking aspens are part of a clone colony of a single male quaking aspen, together forming a "pando," meaning "I spread." The pando shares one massive underground root system and is estimated to weigh over 6,600 tons, making it one of the heaviest known living organisms in the world. At 80,000 years old, it is also among the oldest living organisms in the world.

Fishlake National Forest encompasses 1.4 million acres and includes more than 70 streams and 60 lakes and reservoirs, as well as redrock, sagebrush, pinyon pike and juniper trees at the lower elevations and meadows with aspen and conifer trees at the higher elevations. The Tushar Mountains tower above the forest up to 12,000 feet.

We ate lunch at the Fish Lake Lodge, which was built in 1932. The service and food left something to be desired but the location right on the lake with exquisit window views was hard to beat.

After lunch, we headed down the Fish Lake Scenic Byway, which took us past the meandering Fremont River. This picture looks like an artists rendition, but it is in fact a real picture taken by my real camera.

Johnson Reservoir

Just after leaving the beautiful Fish Lake National Forest behind us, we happened upon this old ... barn? I'm really not sure, but it was worth having Mike turn the car around so I could get a closer look. It was overgrown with vegetation and was partly below ground.

Before heading back to the hotel, we decided to pass through Richfield and head 30 minutes south to the Big Rock Candy Mountain. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CW0hGhINjc&feature=related

Shortly after the song came out in 1928, local residents placed a sign at the base of the mountain, naming it the 'Big Rock Candy Mountain' and another sign by the nearby springs 'Lemonade Springs.' The names stuck and the mountain surely stands out against the surrounding mountainscape, with its yellow hues.

Happy birthday, my little one!

2010-05-11T22:46:00.000-06:00

Mari turned 6 on April 25. Is it weird to anyone else that I have a six year-old? So weird. And this fall she'll be in first grade. That's even more weird ... yet cool. Ahhh, what will I do with all those hours of pure freedom? But I digress ...

For Mari's birthday, she wanted an art theme, surprise surprise.

Invitations

While an art theme would suggest primary colors, we decided to go shamelessly pink.

The guests busied themselves with mask decorating and suncatcher painting.

And then yummy pink treats.

Thank you for all the family that came to support Mari!

And of course, present time. You can see on the walls some of Mari's artwork. What better decorations for an art party than the birthday girl's own artwork? I taped Mari's various art works all over the walls.

After Mari's cute little girly guests went home, we headed out with the family to one of Mari's favorite restaurants: the Mayan.

For those who haven't been there, it's a cool jungly, Mayany restaurant with cliff divers who walk around in loin cloths. lol. The food is just okay and overpriced, but you are paying for the atmosphere and entertainment, which is really cool if you are six years old. And Mari had a blast, and wore the clothes she got from Grandma for her birthday. So mission accomplished.

The highlight was her firework cake.

Her birthday came and went but we like birthdays that keep on giving. A few days later, we headed over to Tucanos, where Mari was asked to stand on her chair with a tamborine while the waiters sang to her. She was shy, of course, but she grinned as soon as the attention was off her.

After Tucanos, we went to Build-a-Bear for Mari's other present from us (the first was a scooter) and Mari made "Fiddle Bear."

How to Train your Mari-gon

2010-04-19T22:43:00.000-06:00

Another great weekend!

On Friday, we took Mari to see How to Train Your Dragon in 3D. I don't know who enjoyed it more, Mari or us. It is now my favorite Dreamworks movie. Great story, great animation, great humor. *sigh* Good stuff, all around.

After the movie we went to Q4U, one of our favorite bbq restaurants. Once a month they have a bluegrass band play there, so we wanted to take Mari there since we had gone without her last time. She loved watching the fiddle player.

Saturday morning, we took the light rail TRAX line into Salt Lake City to cheer on Rafa who was running in the Salt Lake City marathon. He did amazing and I have the upmost respect for anyone that can run that far. Mari also loved watching the kids run the 1k and insisted that she do it next year, so I guess we'll be back next year, but to cheer on Mari!

Of course, the TRAX ride itself was a highlight for Mari.

After the marathon, we all headed over to Mike's favorite Mexican food joint - the Red Iguana. I go just for the bottomless horchata :P

And were we done then? Noooo. Fun and good eats were still to be had, so we headed over to Vosen, a local german bakery, and picked up a marzipan loaf. It wasn't my favorite, to tell you the truth, but I'd like to try another selection there. You win some, you lose some.

Fiddling away to Logan

2010-04-11T10:03:00.010-06:00

What an amazing weekend. On Friday we took Mari to the Hale Center Theatre production of Fiddler on the Roof. We had front row seats and could have touched the actors in this theatre-in-the-round. The casting was perfect, the voices beautiful and the direction in general was great. It had a very full cast and used vertical space to make the whole production feel "full." Mari loved watching the youngest daughter ... and the fiddler, of course. I was a little bummed that we went on a night when Aaron Ashton wasn't the fiddler, but you can't have it all I suppose.

On Saturday morning, Mari performed two violin pieces for Federation, where she was judged based on her performance: Chorus from Judas Maccabeus by Handel and the Happy Farmer by Schumann. She received a 'Superior' rating. A couple of the other kids in her group were amazing. One girl was about 15 and she was adorable and crazy talented. I felt like I was at a concert just to see her. She started at about the same age as Mari. Gives one hope for what may lie in store for Mari one day. Either way, we've had a lot of fun on our violin journey so far.

Afterwards to celebrate, we headed to Wellsville, near Logan, to the American West Heritage Center for Baby Animal Days.

Mari loved riding the train at the AWHC

Mari entered the mutton bustin' competition, where she got to ride a sheep while they timed her ability to hang on for dear life. Perhaps it wasn't the best day for a skirt after all. But that's my girly girl. This experience was the highlight of Mari's Baby Animals Days experience.

Mari loved petting the baby animals.

Which of these things is not like the other...

We went to the Smokin' Blues BBQ for dinner and couldn't have found a more perfect place. We've been in a bit of a bbq kick lately and have eaten at three other bbq joins in the past couple weeks. Plus, it fit in well with the American West Heritage experience.

The food was top notch. We both ordered the rib, brisket and pulled pork combo. The rib meat was fall-off-the bone perfection, with a great rub and bbq sauce. Even better was the entertainment. The waiters double as singers, and we were able to watch a couple of them perform in the time we were there. We were fortunate to be seated at the best table in the house, right next to the performers, who were both very talented. Cool stuff.

10 minutes before leaving to Federation, we decided that it would be cool to spend the night up in Logan. So we packed in a hurry and found someone to take my Sunbeam class at church. So here, I am now, on Sunday morning in my cool hotel room kick'n it and getting back to the business of blogging. We are now about to head out on a scenic drive back home.

We're ba-ack

2010-04-11T09:41:00.003-06:00

Back my popular demand ... :P

Today, I will end my lengthy blog hiatus. Our blog became a casualty to my hectic schedule late last year, with foster care appointments six days a week, chairing two committees, work, yada, yada, yada. After this post, I will go back and try to cover some of what we have been up to the last few months, for posterity if nothing else.

In-N-Out opens in West Jordan, UT

2009-12-01T15:46:00.004-07:00

So I broke down and decided to go to In-N-Out's new West Jordan, UT location today. I just happened to be in the area around 3pm so I figured I would give it a try. When I first showed up I noticed a fairly moderate drive through line with it only overflowing into the parking lots by a little. Upon further inspection I did not see any "line wrapped around the building" like the Orem or Draper location. So I decided to go in.

Once I arrive in it looks busy but nothing worse than normal busy days in their California locations. I wait in line behind 2 people in my queue. I order and then to my astonishment no one is in line behind me!

Here they patiently await for some more customers:

All in all, pretty nice for opening day! Our first order consisted of:

2 x Cheeseburgers (animal style of course) - 1 without pickles
1 x Grilled Cheese (for Mari)
2 x Fries
1 Chocolate shake and 1 Vanilla shake

Oh, and I still can't believe we have In-N-Out's up here in Utah amongst our snow!

Although it looks like In-N-Out has kept to their tradition of ketchup only for the fries. Sorry "Utahn's" no fry sauce.

BYU Game

2009-10-20T21:35:00.002-06:00

We had the opportunity to attend the BYU vs Utah State football game. My dad owns a box in the loge and he gave us tickets for the whole box for the game! We came early enough to get parking over at the Bean Natural History Museum, so we decided to stop inside the museum for a while since we had lots of time. The kids loved seeing all the animals and bugs.

Afterward, we headed to the box where we met up with the Jessups and the Combs.

But the highlight for me? Well being the geek I am, it was the marching band! As we were exiting the stadium, the marching band was just coming around the corner. They stopped right in front of where we were and began to play. It made me so nostalgic for my colorguard days. Mari has decided that she wants to be in the colorguard to when she gets big. Good girl! I talked to a the proud grandparents of one of the colorguard girls. She used to attend Roy. They were impressed that I was in the Timpview Marching Band and said how much they loved watching the Timpview Marching Band perform (we were number one, after all *cough cough*). It's not everyday you run into someone who knows or cares about the marching band world, so it was really fun talking to them. Unfortunately, part of the way through the colorguard's performance, the granddaughter's flag came down on her nose and she ended up puddled on the floor in tears with a broken nose. It's a dangerous sport. :)

Owen's Birthday Party

2009-10-19T22:11:00.005-06:00

Mari was invited to her very first elementary school birthday party! We were so excited to meet some of her classmates and their parents and to see another local fire station. The party was held at the Emigration Canyon Fire Station, so it was an hour's drive, but it was a beautiful station surrounded by beautiful scenery, especially with the changing fall colors.

Even though it was a bit of a drive, we were happy that some of Mari's classmates had made it and I had some great conversations with a couple of their moms. I'm so excited that Mari is going to a small school and all the kids will pretty much grow up together, so I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of these kids and their parents over the years.

The entry way's stained glass windows were spectacular. Not something you'd expect to see in a utilitarian building.

Owen's neighbor is a fireman at the station, hence the ability for Owen to have a birthday at the station. He was so super nice. We had a great chat before the others arrived (because those of you who know me, hopefully that would include everyone reading this, knows that I like to be everywhere early).

They had a real firemen pole! I didn't know firemen really used those! And the kids all got to slide down it. That was definitely a highlight. Some of the moms even slid down it.

And some of them got to try on the firemen equipment. Don't think Mari will be becoming a firewoman anytime soon with how much that stuff weighs.

The Riches of Richfield

2009-10-08T20:54:00.009-06:00

So, apparently I'm going to be consistently a week or two behind on my bloggings. I guess it's just part of the juggling act I've been doing lately. Sorry, but that's just how it's going to be for a while.

Without further ado...

When we told people we were going to Richfield for a mini vacation a couple weeks ago, there were a lot of raised eyebrows, followed by the inevitable question: why? When we explained it was to watch the state fiddle competition, the eyebrows raised even higher. But let me tell you ye doubters, it was amazing.

We might not have the ability to travel across the country or the world, but exploring our own backyard is really not half-bad. We have some really cool stuff here.

First a geography lesson. Richfield is the largest city in south-central Utah, with a whopping population of 6,800. While there are many other small towns in the region, it's a 100 mile drive to reach a city with a bigger population.

When we first arrived in Richfield, we checked into our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express. It was a pretty hip hotel for such a small city.

After check-in, we headed over to Pepperbellys, a Mexican Restaurant with a cool retro diner feel and old license plates all around. When we arrived, we realized we had actually been there when we passed through Richfield on a roadtrip, possibly to Arizona. I forget. Fun place, though.

The next morning, we went to the Snow College Richfield Campus to watch the Small Fry Division (10 and under) of the fiddle competition. I figured that would be most fun for the kids to watch. Each child played three pieces: a hoedown, a waltz and a personal choice, if I remember correctly. About a dozen kids competed in the division, but there were two kids, brother and sister, who blew all the others out of the water. The girl ended up winning that division and will go on to compete in the national competition. Coincidentally, they go to Mari's school, Hawthorn Academy. Their teacher is also the woman from whom Mari first started learning violin in a community violin class, but we ended up going with a different teacher for private lessons because Susan just didn't fit our personalities. These two kids are crazy good, though. Such a pleasure to watch. When Mari first saw the girl perform last year, too bad I can't remember their names, she idolized her for a long time afterward.

After watching the Small Fry Division, we headed into Fishlake National Forest to find Fremont Indian petroglyphs and pictographs that dated between 1 and 1000 B.C.

The land in Sevier County is dry and rugged, but has a stark beauty.

The kids especially liked the 100 Hands Cave. It actually only has 31 hand prints, but who's counting?

Down the road was the Fremont Indian Museum, which had some great kids activities.

We hiked behind the museum up to numerous petroglyphs. I was surprised how close we were able to get to them, and how many there were. It was amazing seeing these pictures from thousands of years ago.

The hike up the mountain was steep at times, but the kids handled themselves well. I suspect the rock candy helped.

All that hiking worked up a huge appetite in all of us. I talked Mike into taking a side road to Monroe, a 3.5 acre farming town, for lunch. Passing fields of farms and a few typical small-town stores, Mike was really skeptical about finding a decent restaurant there. But I had seen a couple cool sounding places online. One of them was the Sagebrush Grill. When we first spotted it, Mike was incredulous. It did not look like it belonged in that town. Not that it was a 5-star restaurant, but it was a really cool place for a rural farm town, and the food was great. I got a filet mignon topped with (real) crab and Mike got salmon fish and chips.

And there was a charming little library across the street. Good food. Good books. What more do you need?

That evening we went back to the campus to watch the concert featuring the contest winners. We were really impressed with how well organized the concert was and how well it flowed. Two older gentlemen emceed the concert and they were actually really funny. The talent was amazing, which shouldn't be surprising since they are, after all, the best of the best in Utah. But still, we were really blown over by how incredible they are. I was actually getting misty eyed. And even Mike, who was just sort of going along for the ride, started planning a trip to the national competition before the concert was even done.

Before we knew it, our short weekend jaunt was over. We hustled back Sunday morning to make it to my sister-in-law's baby blessing. It was a beautiful blessing and great to see Mike's family. Mari of course couldn't get enough of her little cousin.

In the end, it ended up being one of the better vacations we have been on, which surprised all of us. After our two hotel nights were booked, I was hit with a little guilt for dragging my family to the middle of nowhere to a fiddle competition that might very well bore them all to tears. But between being entirely entertained by the incredible fiddle talent, dining at surprisingly good restaurants, staying at a beautifully appointed hotel and hiking through striking scenery past pictures carved and painted thousands of years ago, it was a truly remarkable trip. I guess you never know where you'll find life's riches.

Foster Family Camp

2009-09-23T21:31:00.010-06:00

This last weekend we went to a foster family camp at Aspen Grove near Sundance. It was absolutely gorgeous and we had the time of our lives.

We had no idea where we would be staying. We expected a rustic lodge like this where some families were housed:

But when we arrived, this is where we found out we would be staying:
Yeah, pretty cool.
We should probably consider buying D his own bag sometime soon. He actually thinks this one is great, though. It comes with a pouch for a sleeping pal, after all, and he hasn't heard the news yet that pink is for girls so he thinks pink is pretty darn cool.

We brought our own bedding. The children were excited to sleep in their sleeping bags. Mari kept falling off the bed in her sleeping bag the first night while she was sleeping, though, so they decided to bunk on the floor the next night.

We went on some beautiful walks and hikes.

[I'm bummed because we lost a whole bunch of pictures when iPhoto froze during transfer, so no photos of the next phase]

Ironically, the part of the trip of which I was the most wary ended up being the most fun: team building activities. We joined up with two other families in a friendly competition against other teams. Each activity was timed and were a good balance of challenging, both mentally and physically, enough to keep us adults engaged but easy enough for the kids to participate. I'm normally not very competitive, but I was pretty psyched that we came in first or second on every activity. Unfortunately, they never announced the winners so we'll never know, but we all felt confident that we would have had it in the bag.

Afterward the kids played in a tiny western village.

That night, we all enjoyed a magic show in front a stunning view of Mount Timp. The kids were very impressed with the magic, and it's hard to pull one over Mari's eyes.

The next day, us parents had three hours of childless time so that we could take a recertification class. The kids were grouped by age and went off in different directions to do activities. Mari was in the bobcat group and came back looking like one with her face all painted. The kids were both thrilled with the activities they did.

The entertainment that night was a talent show, and guess who won the cutest talent award and a $50 gift card?

So, the violin left our room in-tune, and it's a good violin so it usually stays in tune for quite a while. However, I forgot (still learning here) how very cold temperatures can quickly turn an in-tune violin out of tune, and I failed to carry the tuner out with me. So, with that caveat, enjoy:

I missed the cutest part in the video, though. I was a bit distracted by my little girl going up on the stage. The lady introduced her and then stepped to the side to let Mari play. Instead of playing, though, Mari walked over to her and whispered something in her ear. Then Mari went over to the microphone and introduced her piece, song name and writer, who, by coincidence has the last name Foster. You probably had to be there, or be her parent.

Two days and nights of lodging, activities, classes, meals, new friends and an experience we will always remember, all for $40. Not bad.

From Bluegrass to Baby

2009-09-18T14:11:00.002-06:00

Last week we went to the Murray Park Amphitheater for an acoustic music festival, which featured Danny Stark (country folk and bluegrass), Second Hand Band (Appalachian Old Time) and Ridin' the Faultline (traditional bluegrass). It was fun seeing Danny because we had met him at a previous bluegrass festival. He had been the sound guy for the children's band scramble. He sang straight from the heart and it was wonderful to hear him. I wasn't sure what to think of Second Hand Band at first. It was unlike anything I've ever heard - sort of a cross between Appalachian Old Time and Blues. But I really grew to like their unique sound. Jim Agutter is the leader singer and has a really cool voice. We only heard a couple songs from the last band, which is a shame, because they were the only Bluegrass band, but alas, it was a school night. But they sounded great from what we heard, and we're anxious to hear them again sometime at Joe Morley's BBQ, where they often perform on Friday nights.

The rest of the week was crazy, trying to get writing in for my deadline in between foster care visits, school, violin lessons, ect. I barely got my stuff written in time, and probably could have done a much better job, but oh well.

By that weekend, I needed a break.

I ended up going to a friend's cabin in Midway for a girls night out. It was so great to get away. My kids stayed at home with Mike so I was freeeee. And I love Midway and the cabin was in a cool area, tucked in the hills. The getaway was a God-send after such a hectic week. Thanks Diana! So much fun.

Then early this week, D's mom had her baby. We took D to the hospital to see his new baby sister. She is a gorgeous and teeny little thing. I think she was 5 pounds 15 ounces. I have to say one thing for D's mom: she makes some great looking babies. The caseworker decided to let the mom have a trial mom placement with the baby. I have to admit, it made me a little baby hungry. Just sayin'.

Kindergarten

2009-09-12T20:01:00.004-06:00

My little girl just finished her first week of kindergarten! I should say that I hate to see my baby go, but I was so excited for her to take this big step. With every new stage, she blossoms and grows more into the person she is and will become, and I feel like I am getting to know her better and better. I feel so honored to be her mother. She is the most nurturing and creative person I know.

The only small shadow of sadness was when she came home and she wasn't spilling over with details about her day at school, and it hit me how I will no longer be privy to everything about my sweet little girl and everything that is happening in her life. But I know that God has granted her to me only for a time to help develop her into the best woman she can be, and I'm excited for the challenge, the opportunity and for every moment she is with me.

As for Mari, she is loving school and making friends. Her teacher is fabulous. We're so glad to have her, and there is only 18 kids in the class. Every month we're given a calendar showing what Mari will be learning and every day we are required to sign off on reading with our child 20 minutes a day, which we do anyway, and we're also given a question every day to ask our child to spark conversation and reiterate what was learned that day in school. We've been cautioned not to be concerned when the children don't bring home a lot of worksheets. The school prides itself on being challenging without creating a lot of busy work. So far, so good.

Mari was really excited about the Golden Eagle that was brought to school on Friday and she learned about how "bug spray" (DDT) is hurting the bird's population. She's also been learning a lot about school safety, including fire and earthquake drills, which is good because despite our efforts at home, Mari insists on hiding under the covers when the fire alarm goes off. Poor thing.

Checking out the school and classroom at the open house

First day of school!

Red Rooster Waffle Company

2009-09-06T19:26:00.004-06:00

We went to the new Red Rooster Waffle Company in Jordan Landing with Julie, Rafa and Luke yesterday. The restaurant puts a hip twist on the usual breakfast diner and boasts the Southern pairing of chicken and waffles.

I couldn't resist my curiosity and ordered the "original" which was the chicken and waffles with orange butter, with the option of strawberry or maple syrup. I got both and preferred the maple. I am now a believer in eating chicken with maple syrup. (Funny they found a way to make fried chicken even more unhealthy).

That said, while the chicken was quite good, I felt the waffle fell short, especially considering it came from a self-proclaimed waffle house, although it was redeemed quite a bit by the delicious orange butter. I thought the prices were a bit hefty, too, for a breakfast, with most entrees costing in the $10 range and children's meals were about $5, though the latter did include a lot of food.

In short, it was a good experience and we may be back, but we won't be running. Rumor has it that this chicken/waffle marriage is becoming increasingly popular with similar restaurants popping up in various locations, at least throughout California. We may have to try at least one other location to compare.

Mari's 15 Minutes of Fame

2009-09-05T20:54:00.002-06:00

We got our Suzuki Assocation of Utah fall newsletter and look who we saw ...

Palisade State Park

2009-08-31T21:42:00.006-06:00

We went with some friends to Palisade State Park in Sterling for the weekend. Instead of camping in the park, we decided to stay at a bed and breakfast just outside the park. While that may not seem adventurous, if you had seen the place, it was adventurous in its own right, with our sloping balcony, hole in the bathroom wall and crumbling baseboards. Sure it may have been great in its early twentieth century hayday, but a little tlc and replacement of the bright orange carpet wouldn't hurt anyone. On the other hand, the price was right, the breakfast was delicious and we didn't have to sleep in a tent. And even more importantly, the kids had their own room. And Saturday was our seventh anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than out of town at a b&b and with our favorite peeps just around the corner.

Palisade State Park was a perfect retreat with small crowds, a small lake with a smattering of canoes and paddle boats, a generous grill and a playground for the kids. After a short jaunt with Melissa and Cari to the charming boutique around the corner, we spent the rest of Saturday morning playing at the lake. Afterward, the men headed to the golf course and the others went back to the lake. I stayed back at camp with the kids to play a round of crocket and salvage some time for violin practice, for as Dr. Suzuki says, you only need to practice on the days you eat.

The weekend was over too soon. With a strict checkout time behind us and a long drive ahead of us, we decided to head out Sunday morning. But before leaving town, we had to stop by the Manti Temple which is one of our favorites.

We decided to take the Energy Loop: Huntington/Eccles Canyons Scenic Byway through the Manti-La Sal National Forest to get back home. It took about an hour and a half longer, plus a few stops along the way to take in the view. We were so glad we took the extra time. We passed by coal mining operations, ghost towns, lush forests and the Electric Lake. Very cool.

We decided to take one more detour to show the kids our former home in Provo. A lot has changed in the neighborhood, but the slow farmtown feel of the area remains and made us nostalgic for those bygone days.

Time Keeps on Slipping Into the Future

2009-08-26T22:31:00.011-06:00

We recently attended a birthday party at Boondocks. Mari's friend Michael turned 6 years old! It was a great birthday party and we all had a lot of fun (shhh ... don't tell Mike that a boy held Mari's hand). At the end, Mike and I went on a 3D ride which was surprisingly fun. Good times for all.

A couple days after the party, I took Mari to the doctor for yet another ear infection, but the infection was almost worth the trouble when Mari realized she was able to get the kids room at the doctors office, complete with a fire truck and dalmation!

Last week we had the privilege of watching baby Tyson. Mari was over the moon and insisted on helping me with EVERYTHING involving Tyson, including feeding and diaper changing. She even ran down to the basement of her own accord several times to bring a baby swing, bouncer and butterfly mat all the way to the top floor. She also tried to calm the tired baby with a violin serenade. Worked only for a couple minutes. But the swing worked like a charm and put him right to sleep.

Another big event for the kids was the sighting of a leaf bug on our door.

We went to Lagoon this last Friday. We met up with our friends Jeff and Casherie. We had so much fun, and even though D was too scared to go on most of the rides, even the little kids rides, he did brave two water rides and a haunted house, although I don't think he would have done them again had he known.

And we finally convinced Mike to go on a roller coaster ...

Teehee.
On Sunday we had dinner with family and friends, some of whom I haven't seen for years and years. It's hard to believe so much time has passed. It reminds me of how much I have grown up. Am I really 30 with a husband and two kids (sort of)?

You Spin Me

2009-08-11T18:52:00.003-06:00

Right Round baby, right round like a record player, right round round round.

That's how I feel. The last few weeks have had us spinning and spinning.

About five weeks ago, D's mom unexpectedly got unsupervised visits. We left a foster care meeting with a strong impression that D was maybe going to go back to his mom. His grandparents had the same impression and were also taken back.

The next week, we got a call that his one year-old half-sister was being removed from her father, and a lawyer to the state looked at D's mom's file and felt she should have her parental rights terminated for all her kids, except they want to keep the case open to bring the other half-sister baby into custody when she is born. Oh, and if we weren't willing to take in these two half-siblings, D might be removed from our home and placed together with his half-siblings who he has never lived with. Panic. And seriously, go from one child to four under the age of five in less than a year!? Really? We decided not. And we made some calls and found they would probably not take D from us after 6 months. And honestly, displacing him right now would not be in his best interest.

We get a call the following week that D's one-year old sister is being placed back with her dad.

Next week there is a family team meeting where us, bio parents, caseworker, therapists, health worker, lawyer, everyone involved in the kids' cases meets together. It was an emergency meeting to meet before the trial in a week from that time. A bombshell was dropped at that meeting by D's lawyer that the 6 month review trial was actually a permanency trial, meaning that either D would be close to going back to his mom's or move toward adoption. The caseworker, who didn't forsee this, scrambled and decided to recommend D's mom's reunification services end and the goal be changed to adoption. Everyone seemed in agreement. We tried so hard not to get excited. But how can you not?

This week. Today, in fact. Everyone is expecting the judge to grant the recommendation. He doesn't. He gave her another three months and set a permanency trial for November 10. Then he said that while she was making some slow progress, he didn't think she was going to get D back unless she starts to make giant strides. Everyone looked at us as if someone close to us had just died. We're terribly bummed. But on the other hand, we knew this was a possibility. On the bright side, D's mom was supposed to have until January 10, but now she has until November 10, unless she is granted another extension. I also wonder if the state lawyer wasn't pushing as hard as I think she could have because they have wanted to keep the case open so they could take the baby into custody.

I'm really not looking forward to another three months of visits and appointments. It's a lot harder when the end of it was dangled in front of us. Then snatched away. And D was dangled in front of us. Then snatched away. Who knows what will happen now. Sad. But we're not devastated, not yet, and I don't regret taking him in for anything.

And yes, unpredictable is the name of the game in foster care, but from what we've heard, this case is anything but normal.

One step in front of the other. Step. Step. Step.

The Good, the Better and the Best

2009-08-09T21:45:00.006-06:00

We recently went to the Ogden Nature Center. It was a very hot day. Note to self: go in early spring or late fall next time, oh and leave the heels at home. Lol. But it was fun. The kids were given activity booklets to find spy certain critters and animals, do rubbings of plants and bark, and drawings of flowers. Mari, of course, loved the artistic element.

For Pioneer Day, the kids joined a neighborhood parade.

We met our newest nephew, Luke, son of Mike's sister Julie and her husband Rafa. Mari loves little more than holding and helping with babies so she was in heaven. He's adorable and has the cutest cheeks. And Julie did a fabulous job with his nursery.

And last Sunday, Shannon's baby Tyson was blessed. Mike and Mari went but D and I had to stay home as D wasn't feeling well, or was claiming not to feel well, but either way, we couldn't have him around two newborns. I was way bummed but Mike and Mari had a great time and brought me back a delicious rich chocolate cake.

We love to go to the Salt Lake City library, but we had never taken D there so we finally did a few days ago. It's such a beautiful and functional building. The kids love the glass elevator and all the nooks and crannies on the kids' level. We love the rooftop garden, the cafe, shops and the overall design. It feels like a really great bookstore, but the books are all free! Unless, of course, I incur those pesky overdo fines :p

The kids had their last day of summer swimming last Friday. They did two rounds of lessons. Mari passed level 1 with flying colors, but didn't quite get past level 2. D took tots 2 twice but still isn't ready to move forward. I just don't think he's there yet maturity-wise. But the classes were inexpensive and a huge benefit to both kids. Their teachers saw them make great strides, became more comfortable in the water and learned water safety. Most importantly, they had fun. But we're done for now. We need a little more down time in our schedule, especially with school right around the corner.

And for a finale, I AM SO PROUD OF MY LITTLE GIRL!

We went to the Rockport Bluegrass Dam Jam yesterday. It was just people gathering together and jamming. I'm always sad that when we go to bluegrass festivals, we need to leave to get our cranky kids home to bed before jamming in the campgrounds start, and that's my favorite part. But this was all jamming, for three days straight. Although I'd love to go for three days, I think a couple hours was enough for our five and three-year old. Maybe next year, although then I might have to camp and well...

We debated bringing Mari's violin but ended up bringing it just in case she wanted to jam a little. You never know, and I do like to be prepared. We kept it in the car at first. But after a while, Mari wanted to play, but away from jamming circles. So there she was, pint-sized and playing her little fiddle songs. As people passed by, they would slow down and smile. Then people started to nudge each other and stop to listen. Before we knew it, she had drawn a small crowd.

A little while later, we were listening to some jamming in another area. A woman who had listened to Mari earlier said to those with her that they had to hear this little girl. They asked her to play for them. So we went a little ways from the other jammers and played. This time, she drew a bigger crowd.

Toward the end of our visit, we were sitting in a beautiful old one-room chapel listening to some other jammers, and they invited Mari to play. She was too shy at first, but after a couple songs, she found her nerves and joined the circle. They were super nice people, as bluegrass people tend to be, and they played the songs she knew at her speed, letting her start off each one. I wish I had my video camera. It was so cute!.

Just as we were leaving, a man with a giant hotdog hat stopped us and offered to trade a magic trick for a fiddle song. Mari was more than happy to comply, though later she said she could tell the man's magic trick wasn't real magic.

My girl's growing up so fast!

Utahns of Today and Yesterday

2009-07-19T23:00:00.004-06:00

Last week we went to a concert at Liberty Park featuring the Vietnamese Lion Dance by the Vietnamese Volunteer Youth and a Filipino dance by LIKHA: The Filipino-American Ensemble of Utah. The concert series takes place on Mondays in the summer and is a fabulous way to sample Utah's multiculturalism. Mari thought the Filipino dancers were very pretty and D liked the "lion."

On Saturday, we went with Mike's mom to the American West Heritage Center near Logan. It's a favorite of ours and a great way to slow down and experience a simpler time. There were so many great activities for the kids, including horse rides, pioneer games and yarn spinning. It was also a fun way to celebrate the upcoming Pioneer Day, but before the crowds.

Summertime

2009-07-12T19:33:00.012-06:00

I've been in blogger hybernation this summer as kids and life have kept me busy, so here is a little catch up to what we've been up to.

A visit to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts with Grandma and Grandpa Kingsley ...

Meeting our nephew and cousin, baby Tyson ...

Clowning around at my summer work party ...

Arting around at Utah Arts Festival ...Enjoying the birthday that keeps on giving at Tucanos. We went with Lance, who also had a June birthday, and his family. The servers had us stand on our chairs while they sung to us. Lance enjoyed his tambourine way too much.

Afterwards, we went to Discovery Gateway. Hmmm. Where did the kids go?

My niece Leanne came to visit us for a week, just in time to experience the Western Stampede rodeo and carnival. To say the kids were enamoured with her would be an understatement. I hope she has recovered from their constant and incessent attentions.

On the fourth, the kids and I were able to ride on the Valley Journals float in the West Jordan Parade again this year, which was really fun.

I enrolled D and Mari in swimming classes. While Leanne was visiting, we went to the outdoor pool after the lesson. Leanne held Mari close to her as a huge bucket of water doused them.

President Obama on Charter Schools

2009-07-07T09:56:00.002-06:00

Poor little "fishy"

2009-07-01T21:56:00.005-06:00

Today D. got a goldfish from his mom. We didn't really want to take it on as it was kind of imposing on us and we didn't really have the resources to take care of him well. I know that you need a tank and filtered water to keep the fish going. They just had him in a little jar though and shortly after we got him home, he died :(

So we decided to bury him

A moment of silence please ...

Jumping Horse

2009-06-30T20:18:00.002-06:00

Intermountain Suzuki String Institute

2009-06-23T23:58:00.008-06:00

Disclaimer: the post and videos that follow are lenthy and not for the ADD of heart.

Last week Mari went to the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute. I had heard it is wonderful and one of the best Suzuki institutes around, but I had no idea what to expect. The classes ran Monday through Friday from 9-5 p.m. with an hour lunch break and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. (optional) concerts every day. At first the days felt long and intense. My poor little five year-old was not used to the schedule and neither was I. We missed most of the concerts to catch our breath. But by mid-week we were both adjusted and in the swing of things. By the end of the week, we were both so terribly sad it was almost over. You really start to feel bonded with some of the other parents, students and teachers, and it's just incredible and unlike anything else to be so immersed in that musical and uber-talented environment.

Teachers came from all over the nation and the world, including Sweden (my motherland), Belgium and Singapore. Students also came from all over the nation and world. I was surprised that even in Mari's young little classes, there were kids from all over. We feel so blessed to have an amazing institute right here in our backyard.

The other cool thing is that some techniques that Mari has been really struggling with finally clicked with her last week. It's been an ongoing battle, but in that one week, she finally "got it," although we still have a ways to go before they are in her muscle memory. I don't know if it was due to any or all of her classes in particular or being in an environment where playing and playing well was such an intense focus.

Mari took a master class, technique class, repetoire class, dalcroze, orchestra and art. The last two were electives.

Final concert

Funny story on the final concert. Kids were called into the hallway one song before they were to perform, but we weren't supposed to accompany them because there would be teachers in the hall directing them and they didn't want it more crowded and chaotic than it needed to be. Shortly before Mari's turn to go into the hallway, we kept pointing out the door she was to go through to get to the correct hallway.

When Mari's turn actually came, she ran down our aisle, then ran not toward the hallway but straight down toward the stage with her little violin. I got up quickly and made my way down are our aisle to try to catch her and redirect her. But still, I thought she was only going to run in front of the stage and around toward the hallway door. Nope. By the time I got to the end of our aisle, she was going up the stairs onto the stage and she started wandering around in front of the kids who were about to perform. Our aisle was quite a way back from the stage, so all I could do was watch in awkward horror, muttering, "Oh no, oh no, oh no." The guy at the end of our row that I stood next to thought the whole thing was terribly funny. Mari had been waiting the whole concert to perform and I guess she was just so excited to get up there!

After the longest couple of minutes, a teacher on the stage gently directed Mari into the wings. Fortunately, they managed to get Mari into the right group of kids in the hallway and she came out at the correct time. Mari and I went to the restroom after the concert and the woman in line ahead of us said she saw my daughter on stage. I replied, "I think everyone saw my daughter on stage." Ah, these are the things of which memories are made.

Orchestra concert

Miss Hadlock came in character, complete with fake ghetto teeth, a wig and a fake accent. I have no idea what she actually looks or talks like, but she was hilarious and Mari thought she was great.

Mari was within the requirements for orchestra 1, but we still weren't sure about how she would fare. And by "we" I mean Mike. ;) But by the end of the first day, I was having serious doubts as Mari struggled to keep up with the note reading. But by midweek, things started turning around and she really started to get it. It actually ended up being a cool thing. It was a really basic class and they talked about the different kinds of clefs and notes and worked on reading music. Mari started to really enjoy the class. It helped that note reading comes really easy to her and she's had lots of practice at home and during her lessons. When Mari showed off what she had learned in her concert, Mike came on board, too.

Keep in mind, however, when viewing the video that these are very young children in their very first orchestra and they had four classes to learn the material, so don't judge :^p

A sampling of Mari's classes

Suzuki play-in at the very beginning of the week. I took it using my regular camera and apparently shot the whole thing sideways? Oh well. You'll just have to turn your head ... or lie down.

Aaron Ashton and those who took the fiddling elective. This video makes me incredibly happy whenever I watch it and reminds me of what we're working for. This was one of the few concerts we went to and it was worth getting home late.

Caroline's 30th Birthday Extravaganza

2009-06-21T21:20:00.003-06:00

This year for Caroline's birthday we decided to go on the Heber Valley Railroad Bluegrass and BBQ train. It was an awesome experience that we had. At first we were not sure what to expect. We had been on the train in the past but not one of the special event packages. We took our good friends the Jessups and boarded on the train in Heber Valley. Once the train started we were on a great adventure down the lines. Luckily we had a break in the weather as it has been raining on and off for the last several weeks.

The train then stopped at Soldier Hollow to let us off for a BBQ dinner and some Bluegrass music. The food was pretty good, more than I would expect for something like this. The band was fun to listen to, not the most professional but a local group from the area. (We are bluegrass snobs ;) Then we boarded back on the train to travel along the banks of Deer Creek Reservoir. All in all it was a fun night!

For Carolines actual birthday day I got her a delux Chocolate Mousse Cake from a great bakery in Salt Lake called Gourmandise. The pictures do not do it justice but lets just say I usually do not like Chocolate Mousse. This cake however was very tasty with a nice Dark Chocolate topping.

Caroline also received a Canon EOS Rebel XS camera for her birthday. She had been wanting a nicer camera for awhile. It will be nice to have a camera that takes nicer and quicker pictures. Now we get to deal with the whole world of Camera lenses just like a photographer!

Demos and Delicous Doughnuts

2009-06-14T22:31:00.003-06:00

Mari was invited to be a demo student for a class of teachers learning Suzuki violin teaching techniques. She was one of four young students. She played Allegro and got some great feedback for improving her playing. She was uncharacteristically talkative, in a good way, and piped in with all sorts of answers and comments to the teacher's questions for the kids. When the teacher asked the girl next to her if she had a brother, Mari piped in that she had a brother, too. I thought that was so sweet that Mari really considers D her brother.

After the demo, we went to Beyond Glaze in Draper which has the most amazing doughnuts we've ever had. Mike said it replaces Mini's Cupcakes in Salt Lake City (they are like delicious works of art) as his favorite dessert place. I'm torn. They are both so wonderful. Mari and D loved their peanut butter and raspberry doughnut (pb&j) and peanut butter swirl, respectively. I got a caramel apple doughnut and a german chocolate doughnut. Mike got a blueberry bliss doughnut and a raspberry mango doughnut. We're going to have to go back sometime to try some of the other flavors.

Foster care update

2009-06-14T21:44:00.004-06:00

D has been doing wonderfully in our home. He fits in like he's been here all along. He plays really well with Mari, adores her and often copies her. They get along well most of the time but have their sibling squabbles, which I think is a great thing.

We spoke with his therapist last week. She said he's been making a lot of progress and probably won't need to continue his twice a week therapy preschool sessions through the fall, which would be nice. It will save me about an hour and a half of driving a week. She was intrigued to hear that in the last few weeks he's been waking up crying nearly every night. When we go in to comfort him, he stops crying immediately and is ready to go back to sleep. It shows, she said, that he's re-babying himself, which means he's attaching himself to us in a big way by going through the motions behaving like a baby and letting us comfort him. She encouraged us to continue comforting him at night and to hold him in our arms like a baby and swaddle him after baths. We've started doing this and he absolutely loves it. She said most kids fight when adoptive parents re-baby their kids for attachment, so it's interesting he's inititating it on his own. But it will be really hard for him if he goes back to his mom, in which case he may end up really acting out to test his mom's love.

His 1 year old sister was going to come into care, and they asked if we would take her. After a lot of thought, prayer and fasting, we decided not to, but it didn't matter because it looks like she's not coming into care after all. D's mom is pregnant with a little girl (previously thought to be a boy, but was recently discovered to be a girl) and is due in September. When she is born they will test her for drug exposure. Even if the mom didn't do drugs herself, if she was around anyone who did, it will come up positive, and in that case, she will come into foster care. We will then get first dibs on her. I'm admittedly getting pretty baby hungry, but it's a huge decision considering her mom's poor prenatal choices and we don't want to get in over our heads, so we will again approach it with lots of thought, prayer and fasting.

Not much else is happening in D's case. As far as we understand, his mom has not made any progress on the plan she has to follow to get D back. His caseworker said cases have usually moved to unsupervised visits by this point, but D's still in supervised visits. But the mom still shows up to visits and most of her drug tests are coming back negative and the ones she fails, she has prescriptions for those drugs.

I'm especially nervous because another foster family will be babysiting D this week while Mari and I go to violin camp all day every day this week and they will be taking him to his visits. Mike is going to try to be there when he goes into his visit on Monday though, in case he becomes traumatized and they have to stop the visit. I would hate for him to need us and to have this person he barely knows there instead.

So that's the latest.

A Weekend to Remember

2009-06-07T23:52:00.005-06:00

If only every weekend were as wonderful ...

On Friday we met up with Julie and Rafa for dinner at Pago, a new restaurant in Sugar House which prides itself on using products from local farms, and the taste showed it. So good. I had the Moroccan Spiced Lamb and Mike had the Roasted Salmon. We always like to support our local businesses when we can, and it definitely paid off this time. Afterward we went to Gourmandies in Salt Lake City for dessert. Yum.

On Saturday we went to the second annual Ogden Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival. It was held at Buenoventura Park, which I had never heard of (in fact, most of the Ogden residents to whome we spoke hadn't either) but which was gorgeous. It is a historic 84-acre park, complete with a replica fort, tepees, canoe pond and campgrounds. A perfect setting for a bluegrass festival.

Being in its infancy, the festival was still rough around the edges. We arrived a little over an hour before the festival began and scored a large space right at the front - something that would never happen in the well-established Telluride festival where you have to arrive at dawn and then run for your life to throw your tarp down in a decent spot. So I think the word is still getting out about the festival.

It had more of an Odgen crowd, not your typical pot-smoking hula-hooping gypsy festivarians, which was a nice change in a way. By the end of the night, though, there were probably between 1,000 and 1,500 people - still small, but hopefully enough to keep the festival going. It was great having a much more quaint atmosphere, but it would be nice to have a better selection of venders and better organization.

The kids band scramble was particularly poorly organized. They said any age welcome and if you don't play an instrument, but have always wanted to, there will be a limited number of instruments available to use. So we figured, Mari is young but she at least plays better than someone older with no experience at all, so we signed her up and arrived at the kid's stage at the scheduled time. An hour later, we were still waiting around, along with a sibling set of four teenagers. Nobody showed up to tell us what to do. Eventually, we found the woman in charge and got things rolling. The teenagers were incredibly sweet and played their first number - Boil 'Em Cabbage Down - with Mari since it was the only fiddle song she knew. They organized the song around her: they started off at Mari's pace then sped it up to normal speed with various instruments being spotlighted, then ended with Mari playing the whole song through solo. Seriously, I can't say enough about how great these kids are.

Below I included the band scramble Boil 'Em Cabbage down and another video with a few short snippets of three of the bands. The last band - Cold Creek - was my favorite :)

Fit as a fiddle

2009-05-31T20:46:00.003-06:00

The kids have been having fun at our neighborhood music class. Mari performed two songs for solo day this last Wednesday: Long Long Ago and Allegro.

Mike and I have been working on getting into shape with the help of our new Wii game, EA Sports Active. I like it a lot better, in general, than the Wii Fit, though it does make use of the Wii Fit balance board. We definitely break a good sweat using the game.

My Sports Active counterpart

Memorial Day

2009-05-28T20:40:00.004-06:00

We spent Sunday at my sister Kim's house and had some amazing food, including brie with caramelized apples - delicious!! It was so nice to be able to spend more time with family. I don't know the last time we've spent this much time with my family ;)

On Monday we attended the West Jordan Memorial Day Celebration at Veterans Memorial Park. Sen. Orrin Hatch was among the speakers. But apparently we should have shown up earlier, as we ended up in the nosebleed section with rowdy kids splashing around us in the reflecting pool. I felt like the grumpy old lady asking the kids next to me to please be a little bit more quiet. But it was a great celebration from the bits we heard. The kids kept busy coloring Memorial Day themed pages I printed out earlier. They especially loved climbing aboard a real Apache helicopter with the help of a National Guardsman and they also loved seeing the fire truck. The only real downside to the experience was that the timing of the helicopter flyover was off - or rather, some of the speeches ran long - so the helicopter flew over in the middle of a prayer, and then half the audience started cheering for the helicopter, still in the middle of a prayer. But it was otherwise a really nice experience and a great reminder of to whom we owe our freedoms.

Art by Marielle

2009-05-28T20:31:00.001-06:00

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

2009-05-24T19:05:00.012-06:00

Let not your heart be troubled ...
In my Father's house are many mansions;
If it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you ...
That where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14: 1-3

My uncle lost his battle to cancer last week. He was the husband of my mom's sister and was a great man and will sorely be missed.

His funeral was held in St. George this weekend, so right after Mari's graduation party, we hit the road with my mom.

We went to a car wash at the beginning of our drive. It was D's first time through a car wash. He thought it was fantastic. The kids stayed really busy on the way down with various activities (again, two kids are sooo much easier than one). We stopped by the Big Red Barn at Southridge Farm in Santaquin to grab some snacks for the road. It was our first time there and we came away with some fantastic items, including fudge and the best apple juice I've ever tasted. The only other noteworthy occurance on the drive was a fairly sizable fire right off the freeway near Scipio. It was alarming at first until we saw the "controlled burn" sign.

I was in charge of booking the hotel rooms for the family. I found the Inn at Entrada, which had just barely switched to the low-season prices, so we all rented casitas there. We stayed with my mom in a two-bedroom casita there, which was stunning. The whole place was stunning, and was in fact, much to my niece Leanne's giddy amazement, the location for High School Musical 2.

Above: High School Musical 2
Below: Mari going to the pool (left) and the not-quite-so-musical Larson family (right)

The funeral service was really lovely. A lunch was held afterward at the chapel and it was really nice to catch up with family. It's too bad it takes such tragic circumstances to bring us together, but it certainly lit a fire under us to spend more time together from now on.

We ate at a great restaurant located at the inn (above left and center). Mari and D bonded with their cousin Leanne who is sooo great with them (center). My nephew Joshua in his blazer is a spitting imagine of my brother David. I'll have to find a picture of young David in his Buckley blazer (bottom right). Mari performed a couple of her latest violin pieces (right) and we all enjoyed spending some time together at our casita (bottom).

On the way home on Saturday afternoon, we stopped by the Days of Camelot festival in Hurricane, for which I dressed D as a knight and Mari as a peasant (sort of). I always like to be prepared. Overall, the entrance fee wasn't worth the experience inside, but Mari and D did make out with a bride doll and dragon figurine, so all wasn't lost.

In closing, we will miss you Jim, but we know at least that you are in a far better place than we are. Our hearts and prayers go out to Ann and your children.

Preschool Class of 2009

2009-05-23T22:04:00.006-06:00

My little girl is a preschool graduate! We're so proud of her!

Then and Now
Graduations 2008 and 2009

I can't believe how much she has grown this past year! She's no longer my little preschooler.

The graduation was held at Bingham Creek library on May 21. Afterward, we went to Miss Dorene's house for pizza and slip n' slide. It was wonderful that my mom was in town and was able to attend. It meant so much to Mari to have her there.

She didn't get a report card this year. I guess a lot of parents complained about the marks their kids got last year. She was a tad harsh. LOL. Mari got a C in large motor coordination last year, which is hard to imagine since Mari spends all day every day cutting and coloring. It hardly matters anyway, but Miss Dorene told us a little while back that Mari is one of the classes best readers this year, so this we know at least.

Mari is so excited to go to Kindergarten this fall, and keeps asking me when we're going to buy her school uniforms. She will be attending Hawthorn Academy - a local International Baccalaureate k-9 charter school. I can't believe we had an elementary age child! But I'm not the least bit sad. It just gets better and better.

Another day in the Kingsley household

2009-05-20T22:07:00.005-06:00

Busy day today. Started the day with music class at the church. Then it was off to the very last day of preschool for Mari!!

Last day of preschool carpool!!

Right after preschool, D's new caseworker came over for a few minutes. Then it was off to D's visit with his mom. It was only an hour long appointment so we killed time by lounging on the grass by the parking lot and enjoying the giant lollipop given to Mari by D's maternal grandma.
We had some more time to kill after the visit, so we headed to the "pet zoo" at PetSmart. D couldn't get enough of the fish.

Then it was finally time to pick up my mom from the airport! We were all starved so we went to the Oasis Cafe for dinner. It's one of our favorite restaurants. It has such a relaxing atmosphere and, even better, has an adjoining bookstore. It's pretty new agey, but we like its charm. And better still, every meal eaten at the Oasis Cafe feeds a child in Africa, and with every purchase at the bookstore, an African child is blessed with a gift or education - all through the Reach the Children charity with which the Oasis Cafe works. And look how pretty my food looks:

Survivor

2009-05-20T21:31:00.003-06:00

We had the Herzogs over for a little Survivor finale bbqing fun on Sunday. The kids all bonded over the popcorn popping and played very well, despite age differences, while us bigger folk cheered our favorite, JT, to victory. Yeah, JT!

Tradition, tradition! Tradition!

2009-05-18T22:52:00.004-06:00

On Saturday we went to the Living Traditions Festival at Washington Square downtown. It was so amazing. The festival celebrated all the different cultures and ethnicities in Utah. Yes, we do indeed have more than one kind of folk here. :) We're big on multiculturalism in our family, so we try to hit events like this when we can.

We only stayed two hours, since: a. that's how long our free parking lasted; b. the kids seem to have exactly two hours anywhere we go before their good behavior deteriorates into tears; and c. we needed to get back for a picnic with friends. But next time around, I'd love to make it an all-day affair, which is really what is required to truly experience it.

But we packed a lot into those two hours. We watched a Brazilian music demonstration, Mari learned the "fighting dance" capoeira, the kids colored and learned how to make tissue flowers, we met a "lost boy of Sudan," we watched a woman from Mexico paint a clay vase and many others from around the world do crafts from their countries of origin, we listened to yodeling and other Swiss music, we ate Tibetan momos and Lebanese flatbread sandwiches and Hawaiian skewered beef. We also got to meet Courtney, a host of our favorite radio station, KRCL 90.9. She offered to put my voice on the radio, but shyly, I declined.

Later, we met up with some friends at Copperton Park for picnicing and frolicking. It was cute watching D ride around on his hand-me-down pink bike with pink streamers. It was even more entertaining watching Lance ride the tiny pink scooter. Pink is the new blue, it would seem.

All in all, a good full day, as it should be.

American Fork Idol

2009-05-15T22:43:00.002-06:00

So, we weren't too impressed with the Desert Star production of "American Fork Idol." But then, we're not high on satirical plays, so we weren't expecting much. And hey, it was free (got tickets through my work). The after show, however, was great and totally made our night. That and we were able to hang out with our friends, Wendi and Jeff. :D

Surprisingly, our food was really good (We've been told to expect otherwise). Mike and I both got wraps, his southwestern and mine cranberry chicken. And we topped it off with sarsaparilla ice cream. Yum.

The "cabaret style" setup of the playhouse was really cool, but they really squeezed a lot of very small tables in there. When we found out we were sitting at table 99, I thought it was a misprint. Surely they mean 9. Nope. 99. I was so glad we were there with friends because it would have been a mite too cozy sharing that toddler-sized table with two people we've never met before. On the up side, having a table and food available while watching a play is very cool.

All-in-all, it was a really good night. No kids. Good friends. Good food. A few good belly laughs. Priceless.

Celebrating the Mamas and the Papas

2009-05-14T14:27:00.006-06:00

Last Saturday I attended my sister-in-law Julie's baby shower. She's going to be having a little boy in July. It's her first baby and we're so excited to meet him!

You can see my other pregnant sister-in-law Shannon who is due in just a few weeks. Also a little boy; her second. The two cousins are scheduled to arrive only five weeks apart.

And now I just found out one of my best friends is pregnant and the word is officially out so I'll say CONGRATULATIONS MELISSA! Whew. I think I'll get my fill of babies just from being around all of you.

And since we're on the topic of celebrations: my dad got married in Hawaii last week, so congratulations Dad.

Anyone else?

On to Mother's Day.

So I really wanted to spend Mother's Day this year with my two older sisters. Michelle and I, along with our families, went to the Zermatt Resort and Spa in Midway for a Mother's Day brunch. The resort is gorgeous and the brunch selection was amazing. We filled up on crab legs, steak, waffles, chocolate mousse pie, ect. until we could eat no more. It was so nice to spend the time with my nieces, as well.

Afterward we drove to Park City to spend time with Kim and her family. Mike and I hadn't seen her new house before. It's a great house with a lot of charm and is of course decorated beautifully. There were a few more people there than we were expecting. lol. But we had a good time. We love all you guys!

The problem with teeth, the sun and long arduous journeys in a small envelope

2009-05-09T21:49:00.004-06:00

D had dental work done yesterday, and my jaw hit the ground when I heard what they had done: four crowns, four fillings and one root canal! He's three years old! Poor little guy. But I trust he needed the work done. On the up side, sort of, he loves his four new sparkly silver teeth. They're in the back on the top so it's not noticeable to anyone who's not asking him to open wide and crouching down so they can see the top of his mouth - thank heavens for that.

As for me, I sat on the deck for hours yesterday, just enjoying the warm weather and de-stressing from the last few weeks. Apparently I shouldn't have done that - at least not without slathering sun screen all over. I don't know what I was thinking. Usually I'm a lot more careful. But I didn't and now I'm considering a part-time job guiding Santa's sleigh delivering belated presents. Oh yes, I glow in the dark.

For happier news, the ants for Mari's ant farm arrived. The kids are so excited about it! She got the ant farm for Christmas, but we didn't order the ants until now so they wouldn't die from the cold - literally. Ant farms are so different these days. Does that make me sound ancient? I am ancient - almost 30! Haha. Instead of dirt, the farm is filled with a green gel that is both edible (for ant folk) and diggable. It also glows with the plug in light it came with. The news isn't happy for everyone, though. One poor little ant perished on the journey to our home. His comrades carried him to the discard pile of dug-out gel where he now lies buried. Burial ground? Maybe tomorrow we'll hold a moment of silence for our dearly departed ant.

Look how hard they've already been working! No rest for these weary travelers.

Oh, how we're going to Miss Saigon

2009-05-07T23:14:00.005-06:00

Wednesday night we saw Miss Saigon at the Pioneer Theatre up at the U. It was an amazing production, as anyone who has seen before can attest. Miss Saigon was created by the same people that made Les Miserables so it has some touching and memorable music to it.

I had seen it before on Broadway in New York and L.A. so I was a little apprehensive to see it here, but also really excited as I never really expected to get a production like that out here. Well it was well done and they kept exactly to the Broadway soundtrack. It is the same basic story as Madame Butterfly but made more modern into a musical with the Vietnam War as the story behind it.

I highly recommend it to anyone.

Z is for Zoo

2009-05-07T22:49:00.003-06:00