And here's a picture of Grandma Ranquist with all the great-Grandkids (being surprisingly cooperative!)
And lastly, a cute picture of Ethan and Wyatt, because they're cute:
Monday, July 30, 2007
Great Grandma's 80th Birthday
We all got together at my Aunt Karla and Uncle Richard's house this weekend for my Grandma Ranquist's 80th birthday. It was a lot of fun to see so many family members that we haven't seen in a long time, and we all loved hanging out in the Hjorth's backyard (so beautiful). I'm short on time tonight, but I wanted to post a video of the grandkids doing a 4 person "duet" (okay, so I know four people is techincally a quartet, but there was some part sharing going on). Major props to my mom for patiently and painstakingly teaching each one of these kids his or her part, and then getting them together to practice. Considering how hard it is to keep grown-ups in time, it's quite a feat to get kids to do such a great job. So excellent work to the grandkids and the grandma! Here they are:
And here's a picture of Grandma Ranquist with all the great-Grandkids (being surprisingly cooperative!)
And lastly, a cute picture of Ethan and Wyatt, because they're cute:
And here's a picture of Grandma Ranquist with all the great-Grandkids (being surprisingly cooperative!)
And lastly, a cute picture of Ethan and Wyatt, because they're cute:
Thursday, July 26, 2007
I should not be eating marshmallows
especially when I went to the gym and did a cycling class taught by a really nice girl (woman, lady, person) in my neighborhood named Stephanie. Stephanie has awesome legs, as you might expect from a person who teaches cycling classes. It was my first time doing the class and I really liked it, except for the fact that the bike seat hurt my butt. Do bike seats always hurt everybody's butt and people just get used to it, or am I doing something wrong? Really, I'd like to know. But it does seem kind of like a window into my personality that I would go to a cycling class and then come home and eat five marshmallows. I remember back in the day when we thought fat was the only enemy and therefore marshmallows resided on approximately the same nutritional plane as, oh, carrot sticks. Those were the days.
I also just read a newspaper article that people who drink at least one can of pop a day are more likely to get diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and basically turn into all around fatties, and it doesn't matter if the pop is diet or regular. Here's the link: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-soda24jul24,0,3841323.story. Bah, I say to that. And humbug. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that people who just can't give up their Diet Coke--even with all the peer-pressure from the highly moral water-drinking crowd who look just a bit askance at a pop drinking habit, even a diet one (and don't get offended, you righteous water drinkers, you know you do it)--also eat five marshmallows when they come home from working out.
I did drink water during my workout. Putting Diet Coke in my water bottle would be pushing it, even for me.
So here are some random items from the week. First and most noteworthy is that my parents just bought a totally kickin' motorcycle. Yes, Grandma and Grandpa Sweat are ratcheting up the Grandparent cool quotient a couple of notches. I'm glad for them, though. They both love it--my dad had been a motorcycle cop back in the day--and they're still young enough to enjoy it. So I say good for them. My dad came over last night and gave us all a ride and even spinning around the block was exhilarating. Here's a picture of Elise with Grandpa:
And here's a picture of the boys with their water guns, just so they won't feel like they're not getting any blog time.
Finally, we are 98% done with our "forest corner" in the back yard. (Still some wood chips to put down and a few other cosmetic adjustments). Here's the finished product, complete with the little burbling fountain Forrest installed. I'm lucky to have a hubby who's so good with landscaping, no?
And last but not least, here's a cute video I took of Wyatt last week.
Oh! He went to his six month check up and weight a strapping 16 lbs. 2 oz. and is in the 15% for weight and the 75% for height. Ethan had his check up, too, and was the 15% for weight and 50% for height. So hopefully both of them will stay away from the Diet Coke and marshmallows and they can retain such admirable body fat ratios.
I also just read a newspaper article that people who drink at least one can of pop a day are more likely to get diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and basically turn into all around fatties, and it doesn't matter if the pop is diet or regular. Here's the link: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-soda24jul24,0,3841323.story. Bah, I say to that. And humbug. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that people who just can't give up their Diet Coke--even with all the peer-pressure from the highly moral water-drinking crowd who look just a bit askance at a pop drinking habit, even a diet one (and don't get offended, you righteous water drinkers, you know you do it)--also eat five marshmallows when they come home from working out.
I did drink water during my workout. Putting Diet Coke in my water bottle would be pushing it, even for me.
So here are some random items from the week. First and most noteworthy is that my parents just bought a totally kickin' motorcycle. Yes, Grandma and Grandpa Sweat are ratcheting up the Grandparent cool quotient a couple of notches. I'm glad for them, though. They both love it--my dad had been a motorcycle cop back in the day--and they're still young enough to enjoy it. So I say good for them. My dad came over last night and gave us all a ride and even spinning around the block was exhilarating. Here's a picture of Elise with Grandpa:
And here's a picture of the boys with their water guns, just so they won't feel like they're not getting any blog time.
Finally, we are 98% done with our "forest corner" in the back yard. (Still some wood chips to put down and a few other cosmetic adjustments). Here's the finished product, complete with the little burbling fountain Forrest installed. I'm lucky to have a hubby who's so good with landscaping, no?
And last but not least, here's a cute video I took of Wyatt last week.
Oh! He went to his six month check up and weight a strapping 16 lbs. 2 oz. and is in the 15% for weight and the 75% for height. Ethan had his check up, too, and was the 15% for weight and 50% for height. So hopefully both of them will stay away from the Diet Coke and marshmallows and they can retain such admirable body fat ratios.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Cousins in the hizz-ouse
Is that how you spell rapper slang? I'm not altogether sure. (And I am altogether sure that rappers don't say altogether sure.)
I'm sitting here in my office listening to six giggling kids in the basement. They are supposed to be going to sleep, of course. It's 10:38 and I'm giving them 15 minutes before I go downstairs and be stern Mom (or stern Aunt), but for now I'm letting them unwind. Giggling kids is a happy sound until maybe 11:15.
I have my brother Tony's three girls (Lauren-8, Reagan-6, and Jane-4) staying here until Saturday. Their little brother Eli, who is two, is staying with their Grandma Bowman. Tony (a seminary teacher, for you blog readers who don't already know) is serving as Grand Poobah of an EFY at Utah State and they want the wives to come along, so their kids have been hangin' with the relatives all week. Forrest had marked the week off of his calendar so he could be here to help me but--of course--he was asked at the last minute to be on some kind of a team that was having an important meeting in MN this very week, so I'm doing the Mom of Seven thing all alone. So far, though, it's been fun. They're such good kids and they've all just been playing and enjoying each other. We went swimming; crashed the popsicle celebration after the Primary "Red, White, and Blue" parade (I didn't have seven modes of transportation for the kids, nor did I want to tape crepe paper and balloons all over the six modes of transportation I did have while holding Wyatt in the Baby Bjorn, so we decided to skip the parade part and walk across the street for the popsicle part. Grand idea!); had varying levels of success in eating our tacos; pulled out the halfway-broken and probably hazardous hideabed in the basement, popped popcorn, and watched "Never-Ending Story."
("How long is this movie?" Lauren asked. "It's neverending," Elise replied.)
I love that my kids get to spend time with their cousins. I kind of missed out on the whole cousin thing. I didn't have any my age, and the ones who were close to my age were BOYS (ack!)--so I always felt more like a babysitter than a friend when family got together. I guess that's what happens when you're the oldest grandchild on both sides. Poor Ethan is in exactly the same boat. Don't we all have our sad stories? Luckily, he really likes Lauren. Even though she IS a girl. But she's a cool girl and she'll play Ethan's elaborate role-playing fantasy games he concocts, so she's on his good list.
Okay, so they're settling down. One final funny thing. The kids were downstairs watching their movie, but Jane, the four year old, had come upstairs because it was kinda scary. (It's hard to be the littlest.) So she and I were snuggling on the couch, which I loved because there's nothing better than a snuggly four year old, as I was watching "So You Think You Can Dance." While we were watching, Janie sighed and said, "My mom just hates belly buttons."
"What?"
"Belly Buttons. She hates them. Like that girl." (She points to the scantily clad dancer on tv.) "She would hate her belly button a lot. It's not very modest."
Ahh, four year olds. Love em.
Now I gotta go downstairs and make these chitlins go to sleep.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Wyatt Dean, Sitting Machine
Wyatt has started sitting up like a big kid and it makes him seem so old to me. Here's a shot of his prowess--please excuse the drool and spit up. He's sitting on the floor in my office, the room in the house he hates above all. Every time I even walk through the office holding him he cries. Isn't it funny? He knows I need to answer email/edit manuscripts/work on my novel/blog (okay, so I don't need to blog, but sometimes I WANT to :-). Babies are too smart.
I do have to give Wyatt props for being a good boy at Yuba this weekend. We went with four other families in the neighborhood and had a wonderful time, and even though Wyatt spent most of the day in the baby Bjorn, trucking around the beach and contemplating the water, he enjoyed himself too. The big news of the weekend, though, was that Ethan and Elise both got up on skis! Jonas gave it a really good try, too--he's close. The look on Elise's face the first time she got up was priceless. Pure joy. And not only did Ethan get up, but when he fell he got up all on his own in the middle of the lake without any help. So I'm proud of the kids.
And last but not least, 15 years ago today a barely-20-year old college sophomore and a 21-year-old who'd been home from his mission for three whole months climbed into their 1976 Plymoth Volare and drove into the sunset of wedded bliss. :-) Seriously, though, I couldn't be luckier to have the husband I do, a guy who makes me laugh and trusts me and loves me for who I am. It's a cliche to say that your husband is your best friend . . . but he really is my favorite person. Happy Anniversary, hon.
(So young, so much hair product . . .)
I do have to give Wyatt props for being a good boy at Yuba this weekend. We went with four other families in the neighborhood and had a wonderful time, and even though Wyatt spent most of the day in the baby Bjorn, trucking around the beach and contemplating the water, he enjoyed himself too. The big news of the weekend, though, was that Ethan and Elise both got up on skis! Jonas gave it a really good try, too--he's close. The look on Elise's face the first time she got up was priceless. Pure joy. And not only did Ethan get up, but when he fell he got up all on his own in the middle of the lake without any help. So I'm proud of the kids.
And last but not least, 15 years ago today a barely-20-year old college sophomore and a 21-year-old who'd been home from his mission for three whole months climbed into their 1976 Plymoth Volare and drove into the sunset of wedded bliss. :-) Seriously, though, I couldn't be luckier to have the husband I do, a guy who makes me laugh and trusts me and loves me for who I am. It's a cliche to say that your husband is your best friend . . . but he really is my favorite person. Happy Anniversary, hon.
(So young, so much hair product . . .)
Monday, July 09, 2007
Today I am the same age . . .
my mom was when I started dating Forrest.
Ahhh! The big 3-5. I know it's a cliche to be surprised at how old one is getting, but I'll admit it. I'm surprised. I wonder when I'll feel comfortable, for example, being called a "woman." I have a hard time calling anyone a "woman" who isn't at least 10 years older than me (e.g. "A woman in my ward," and so on.) But "girl" is so un-p.c. and has condescending overtones. So what am I? A human of the female persuasion? Who happens to be 35??
Just wait until people start referring to me as "middle aged!!" AHHGGHHGHGHG!
There's been a lot to report on, but I'm going to have to do a quick run-down.
1. Had a great 4th. Went to a big neighborhood fireworks party that was a lot of fun, and made even more fun by the use of illegal fireworks from Wyoming (not by us . . . we were innocent bystanders, just enjoying the illegal fireworks of others!!) and the appearance of the coppers. Yes, it was high drama on Snow Peak Lane when a nice guy from around the corner hopped on his bike and rode over to tell us that the cops had been seen in the neighborhood and to cease and desist. Pretty soon the whispers started that the cop was hiding behind a truck, biding his time, but we were on to him. The kids found it all quite thrilling. Even the grown-ups did. He finally came out of hiding after about 10 minutes when it was apparent that we were going to continue to pretend that we only had sparklers, poppers and little green tanks until he left. Good times.
2. Elise had a great week learning to ride horses. Her horse was named Buddy and was a beautiful animal--sleek and shiny and very well taken care of by his owner, Megan, who was Elise's "mentor" all week long. (She was only 10, but very mature and did a great job showing Elise the ropes.) Here's a few pictures from Elise's week:
3. My Grandpa Hiatt treated us to a production of Les Miserables, and not only was the musical fabulous (especially the female leads--what voices!!), but we got to enjoy the added drama of a power outage occurring during the brothel scene. We waited for almost an hour for the power to return, and a few minutes before 9:00--the time when the director said we'd have to give up and go home--the power came back on and everybody cheered for joy. Even though I was up waaaay past my bedtime, it was so much fun. I also ran into my high school choir director, Mr. Moore, an amazing man and one of my most influential teachers. He's still at Cyprus, still dragging high schoolers around the valley during snowstorms at Christmastime and to places like California and Hawaii on tour. I owe some of my best high school memories to him. And he looks great. In high school I'd been in awe of his wife, a beautiful lady who'd been a ballerina with Ballet West, and she still looks like she's 30. (Not even 35! So now I'm officially oder than she is.)
4. Saw two movies: Ratatouille (how in the world is that spelled??), with Grandma and Grandpa Sweat and Tony & Cindy and kids, and Live Free or Die Hard with Forrest on Saturday night. Both were quite good. Ratatouille was gorgeous to look at and well written--enjoyed by all the adults but probably not as adored by the kids. And Die Hard was fun, too. I've always been a Bruce Willis fan. I know he's a little smug, but I've always liked guys who have some smirkiness about them. Oooh, and I also recently saw 1408, a John Cusak horror movie based on a Stephen King story. Very, very scary and fun. I like scary (not gory) movies, and this was one of the better ones I've seen in a while. I got to go because my Dad wanted to see it, but my mom thought it would be too scary for her so she offered to babysit so Forrest and I could go with him. I'll take her up on that anytime! So I've seen a lot of fun movies lately. Nothing better than an air conditioned movie theater, a Diet Coke and some Junior Mints at the height of summer.
5. Last night Forrest made a delicious chocolate cake from scratch, with rasperry filling and an actual ganoche frosting and invited both sides of the family over to sing happy birthday. Mmmm.. . . . the cake was delish. Reminded me of something out of Ratatouille!
Okay, so that wasn't so short, but we had a lot of catching up to do. Now I'm going to have to dig into my novel, which I just got back from the publisher with edits. I told Forrest I'm going to have to get a hotel and stay somewhere overnight, alone, just so I have the silence and the time to get this book done the way I want it. And, as a bonus, I would get to sleep through the night. Ahhh, luxuries.
Ahhh! The big 3-5. I know it's a cliche to be surprised at how old one is getting, but I'll admit it. I'm surprised. I wonder when I'll feel comfortable, for example, being called a "woman." I have a hard time calling anyone a "woman" who isn't at least 10 years older than me (e.g. "A woman in my ward," and so on.) But "girl" is so un-p.c. and has condescending overtones. So what am I? A human of the female persuasion? Who happens to be 35??
Just wait until people start referring to me as "middle aged!!" AHHGGHHGHGHG!
There's been a lot to report on, but I'm going to have to do a quick run-down.
1. Had a great 4th. Went to a big neighborhood fireworks party that was a lot of fun, and made even more fun by the use of illegal fireworks from Wyoming (not by us . . . we were innocent bystanders, just enjoying the illegal fireworks of others!!) and the appearance of the coppers. Yes, it was high drama on Snow Peak Lane when a nice guy from around the corner hopped on his bike and rode over to tell us that the cops had been seen in the neighborhood and to cease and desist. Pretty soon the whispers started that the cop was hiding behind a truck, biding his time, but we were on to him. The kids found it all quite thrilling. Even the grown-ups did. He finally came out of hiding after about 10 minutes when it was apparent that we were going to continue to pretend that we only had sparklers, poppers and little green tanks until he left. Good times.
2. Elise had a great week learning to ride horses. Her horse was named Buddy and was a beautiful animal--sleek and shiny and very well taken care of by his owner, Megan, who was Elise's "mentor" all week long. (She was only 10, but very mature and did a great job showing Elise the ropes.) Here's a few pictures from Elise's week:
3. My Grandpa Hiatt treated us to a production of Les Miserables, and not only was the musical fabulous (especially the female leads--what voices!!), but we got to enjoy the added drama of a power outage occurring during the brothel scene. We waited for almost an hour for the power to return, and a few minutes before 9:00--the time when the director said we'd have to give up and go home--the power came back on and everybody cheered for joy. Even though I was up waaaay past my bedtime, it was so much fun. I also ran into my high school choir director, Mr. Moore, an amazing man and one of my most influential teachers. He's still at Cyprus, still dragging high schoolers around the valley during snowstorms at Christmastime and to places like California and Hawaii on tour. I owe some of my best high school memories to him. And he looks great. In high school I'd been in awe of his wife, a beautiful lady who'd been a ballerina with Ballet West, and she still looks like she's 30. (Not even 35! So now I'm officially oder than she is.)
4. Saw two movies: Ratatouille (how in the world is that spelled??), with Grandma and Grandpa Sweat and Tony & Cindy and kids, and Live Free or Die Hard with Forrest on Saturday night. Both were quite good. Ratatouille was gorgeous to look at and well written--enjoyed by all the adults but probably not as adored by the kids. And Die Hard was fun, too. I've always been a Bruce Willis fan. I know he's a little smug, but I've always liked guys who have some smirkiness about them. Oooh, and I also recently saw 1408, a John Cusak horror movie based on a Stephen King story. Very, very scary and fun. I like scary (not gory) movies, and this was one of the better ones I've seen in a while. I got to go because my Dad wanted to see it, but my mom thought it would be too scary for her so she offered to babysit so Forrest and I could go with him. I'll take her up on that anytime! So I've seen a lot of fun movies lately. Nothing better than an air conditioned movie theater, a Diet Coke and some Junior Mints at the height of summer.
5. Last night Forrest made a delicious chocolate cake from scratch, with rasperry filling and an actual ganoche frosting and invited both sides of the family over to sing happy birthday. Mmmm.. . . . the cake was delish. Reminded me of something out of Ratatouille!
Okay, so that wasn't so short, but we had a lot of catching up to do. Now I'm going to have to dig into my novel, which I just got back from the publisher with edits. I told Forrest I'm going to have to get a hotel and stay somewhere overnight, alone, just so I have the silence and the time to get this book done the way I want it. And, as a bonus, I would get to sleep through the night. Ahhh, luxuries.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Does it get any manlier?
We went to Yuba this weekend with Tony & Cindy and my mom & dad and the cousins and had a great time, despite high winds, sunburn, a dead boat battery and the wakeboard of death. Here's a picture of my daring darling after attempting a 180 in choppy water, catching the edge of the wakeboard on a rogue wave, flipping over face first so hard I heard the "SMACK!" even though I was in the boat with the engine droning, and getting grazed on the non-smacked side of his face with the corner of the wakeboard when his legs flipped up behind him under water.
I was pretty worried when I saw him bobbing out there in the water with blood streaming down his head, but he was very masculine and nonchalant about the whole thing. He was even waving off the need for stitches until after we came home and he was chatting with a neighbor while he cleaned out the boat and noticed blood seeping out from under the bandage. (oops.) Luckily, he didn't need stitches, just that super glue for skin, and he should be good as new. With maybe a little scar up high on his forhead to show how even at 36, nothing slows him down.
So it's officially summer! The kids had their last day of school, and here's the obligitory sitting-on-the-front-steps picture that I like to do. It's the first time since Kindergarten that Elise hasn't come home sobbing. (Although she tells me she did cry at school).
All three of the kids had a great year. Now we have seven weeks off--lucky D trackers! the B & C trackers only have three--and before we know it we'll be back to the races again. Elise is starting her summer off with a bang at horse training camp. I just found the camp last week--the one I had wanted to do was full--and I decided to sign her up, even though I would have liked for her to do it later on in the summer when she was bored. But she's been wanting to do this for so long, and she had a great time today. I went to pick her up and she was all dusty and sweaty and beaming, chattering 100 miles a minute about her horse "Buddy" and riding bare back. She has a "horse show" on Friday, the last day of the camp, for family members, so I'll take pictures and share.
Oh, and I just have to include this pic of Wyatt looking cute in his bumbo seat on the beach. I also have to thank my friend Michelle for the hat. It's the only one I have that doesn't fly off of his head or fall down into his eyes. Wyatt would thank her too, I'm sure:
I was pretty worried when I saw him bobbing out there in the water with blood streaming down his head, but he was very masculine and nonchalant about the whole thing. He was even waving off the need for stitches until after we came home and he was chatting with a neighbor while he cleaned out the boat and noticed blood seeping out from under the bandage. (oops.) Luckily, he didn't need stitches, just that super glue for skin, and he should be good as new. With maybe a little scar up high on his forhead to show how even at 36, nothing slows him down.
So it's officially summer! The kids had their last day of school, and here's the obligitory sitting-on-the-front-steps picture that I like to do. It's the first time since Kindergarten that Elise hasn't come home sobbing. (Although she tells me she did cry at school).
All three of the kids had a great year. Now we have seven weeks off--lucky D trackers! the B & C trackers only have three--and before we know it we'll be back to the races again. Elise is starting her summer off with a bang at horse training camp. I just found the camp last week--the one I had wanted to do was full--and I decided to sign her up, even though I would have liked for her to do it later on in the summer when she was bored. But she's been wanting to do this for so long, and she had a great time today. I went to pick her up and she was all dusty and sweaty and beaming, chattering 100 miles a minute about her horse "Buddy" and riding bare back. She has a "horse show" on Friday, the last day of the camp, for family members, so I'll take pictures and share.
Oh, and I just have to include this pic of Wyatt looking cute in his bumbo seat on the beach. I also have to thank my friend Michelle for the hat. It's the only one I have that doesn't fly off of his head or fall down into his eyes. Wyatt would thank her too, I'm sure:
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