Humbug?

Abraham Lincoln observed, "People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Can't we do that with a little less stuff?

Wind Through His Hair

With the passing of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, I am excited for him that he will now be able to enjoy the wind in his hair while running to score a winning touchdown.

Well done.

You Gotta Love It!

This afternoon, Daniel did something to upset Megan. Of course, Megan begins her shrill scream. As I try to help make things better, Megan in her crying states that she wants her blanket. Her blanket has been in her hands the entire time. When I point out that it's in her hands, all crying and fit through cease immediately. It just makes me laugh and I had to share.

Daniel's Breath

Last night, we went swimming at the Kearns Rec Center. Walking from the car to the building, there was a funny scent in the air. Daniel said, "Daddy, what's that smell?" I told him I didn't know and we put our noses to work trying to figure it out. Finally, Daniel said, "I see that smell! See. Look!" He exhaled near a light and a cloud of vapor was clearly visible.

I told him that was his own breath and that it smelled like dinner, not whatever we had been smelling. Daniel responded simply, "Then I'm going to make the whole pool smell like my dinner because it was really good."

I have to share!

I was reading online about bad driving habits...and the article was the embodiment of my exact feelings for so many situations. For example, if you're not going the same speed as traffic at the end of an on-ramp, you're wrong and other drivers should not make ANY adjustment for your unwillingness to accelerate.

Anyway...click here for the article.

Hooray!!!!

Today was the first day in quite awhile that the kids were able to go out and ride their bikes. They said they wanted to go around the block. Usually when we do this, it will take about 15 minutes to get around our small block, due to Megan not pedaling for more than half a pedal and then stopping. You can imagine this would take a long time to go anywhere. Today she actually pedaled. It took about 5 minutes to get around the block and Megan wanted to go again. So we did. The pictures below represent how each one felt about going around the block more than once.

Trip to the U

I took this outing with the kids a couple of weeks ago. But I only just now got the pictures off of my phone. My boss kindly invited me to go with him to the TCU v Utah game on the 6th. The next night, Julie had rehearsal and I took the kids up to the U because Daniel wanted to see where I had gone to see the game. We went to the stadium and found the gates were open. They were cleaning so we could walk right in.


The best part about this picture is that when I showed it to a BYU fan in my ward (Pat Kelly), he pulled out his phone and had the same picture of his son at the Y. We had a pretty good laugh about that.

Megan's Birthday

Megan turned 3 today. A few days before her birthday, she received a birthday card from her great-grandma. Receiving this card was the highlight of the week. She couldn't believe she received mail!

Megan blowing out her birthday candles. And yes, she got to eat the dolly head (a small portion of it.)

Opening her presents


Megan LOVES!! dresses. She always wants to wear dresses. Previous to her birthday, the only dresses she owned her church dresses. She loves having everyday dresses.

All her wonderful gifts!

Snow!!

Today was the first day of a good snow fall. The kids were soooo excited, we had to get bundled up to play in the snow. I think it took me longer to bundle them up than the amount of time they actually played outside.


We built a snowman. I'm not much of a snowman maker, but at the moment the kids don't really care what it looks like. By the time they have an opinion about my handy-work, they'll be able to build their own snowman however they please.

It's also a good thing that I didn't try too hard with the snowman. Immediately following the taking of the picture above, I walked around the side of the house to put the dog in the garage so she wasn't so cold. This only took about 20 seconds. When I came back around to where the kids were, here is what I saw: (and no it didn't just fall over, it had some help from Daniel.)

Snow angel

Welcome!

Welcome!! To all who have had to jump through extra obstacles in order to view my blog. These extra obstacles were set to better protect my family. I have had a lot of fun doing this blog and it's too bad that it takes only one person in the world to screw it up for everyone else. Thanks for visiting!!

Halloween

Daniel's preschool went on a field trip to Gardner Village and visited the witches. He had so much fun dressing up and showing off his costume.

Halloween night! Our little ghost and spiderman. If were you to ask Megan what she was going to be for Halloween she would say, "A ghost so that I can scare everyone." As an added effect, she would put out her hands and wiggle her fingers. Now, I know ghosts are supposed to be scary, but really, who could be scared of this sweet little ghost?

Our spooky Halloween pumpkin!!

Daniel's Recital

Daniel had a piano recital this past weekend. He played "Goody-bye to Winter" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb." He's only been learning the piano for a year and he did so good!!

Video Games Again!

For any of you that view this blog and are interested in coming to play video games at a LAN party, we're having one Saturday night, the 25th. It is up in Bountiful at a friend's house. We'll be playing a lot of Urban Terror, but we may also do Wolfenstein, Enemy Territory, Alien Arena, or some others.

It is a bring-your-own-computer unless your computer can't handle the games. If you don't know and you're interested, give me a call or send me an email. We'll start at 4 and stop only when we can't stand it anymore (usually close to midnight or later).

If you are interested in coming, please let me know as soon as possible. We can have about 20 people, but if we're going to have that many it's good to know before they get there so we can have tables and chairs for everyone.

Salad-Day 7 Ceasar Salad

This is will be my final salad. I believe this is by far my favorite salad. Whenever anyone asks me to bring a green salad, this is my first choice. I hope you've enjoyed my salads.

Ceasar Salad

Dressing- Mix in blender 3 hrs in advance and refrigerate. Makes 2 Cups
1 Cup Lemon Juice or apple cider vinegar
1 Cup Canola Oil
2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Pepper

Salad
2 Heads Romaine Lettuce, washed and torn in small pieces
4 Slices Bacon, cooked and torn into pieces
2 Medium Tomatoes, cut in 10-12 wedges then in half
1 Cup Swiss Cheese, grated OR Mozzarella Cheese
¼ Cup Slivered Almonds
⅓ Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Cup Croutons, add just before serving & toss

Layer first 6 ingredients in bowl. Just before serving, toss and add ⅓ - ½ Cup dressing, then add croutons
Variations: use part iceberg lettuce, sprouts, olives, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, mushrooms

Salad-Day 6 Fruit Salad

This is another salad that is a good side salad. I like to make it for bbq's as well.

Fruit Salad

1 Package (4 serving size) Instant Coconut Cream Pudding
1 Cup Milk

Combine and beat with wire whip then add:

1 - 10 oz. Can Crushed Pineapple, drained
1 - 10 oz. Can Pineapple chunks, drained
1 - 8 oz. Can Mandarin Oranges, drained
1 - 15 oz. Can Tropical Fruit Cocktail, drained
2 Fresh Bananas, sliced - optional ( add just before serving)
1 Cup Fresh Strawberries, quartered - optional
Red or Green Grapes - optional
1 Cup Coconut
1 Cup Miniature Marshmallows
1 Cup Cool Whip

Salad-Day 5 Confetti Salad

This salad is a favorite in Bryan's family. I believe Bryan's grandma made up this salad. To some the look of it is strange, but it never sticks around for long.

Confetti Salad

1 small pkg. Orange Jello
1 small pkg. Lime Jello
1 small pkg. Cherry Jello
1 small pkg. Lemon Jello
1 Cup Pineapple juice
¼ Sugar
1 Cup whipping Cream

Dissolve orange, lime and cherry jello separately into 1½ cup boiling water. Pour into 8x8 pans. Let set until firm. Cut jello into small cubes and place in a large bowl. Dissolve lemon jello in boiling pineapple juice. Add sugar. Place in fridge. Cool lemon jello sauce until consistency of egg whites. Beat whipping cream until stiff. Fold into lemon jello mixture. Fold in cubes of jello and pour into mold or leave in bowl.

Salad-Day 4 Pretzel Salad

This next salad is a great side addition to any meal. I like to make it mostly for bbq's.

Pretzel Salad

1 cup pretzels, crushed
Melt one stick butter in a 9x13 pan, add pretzels and 1/3 cup sugar. Bake in oven at 400° for seven minutes. Cool and then break up mixture.

8 oz. Cream cheese
½ cup sugar
8 oz. Cool whip
20 ox. Curshed pineapple, drained

Mix cream cheese and sugar. Add cool whip and pineapple. Chill. Right before you're ready to eat, stir in pretzels, or serve separately and sprinkle as you go.

Salad-Day 3 Mandarin Salad

Mandarin Salad

4 Cups Romaine lettuce
4 Cups Spinach leaf
1 Cup chopped celery
½ Cup chopped green onion
1 11 oz. Can Mandarin Orange segments
½ Cup Slivered almonds
3 Tablespoons sugar

Tear lettuce into pieces and mix in bowl with chopped celery and green onion. Heat sugar and almonds in a skillet over medium-low heat until sugar melts and coats almonds. Stir continually. Pour mixture on foil or wax paper and let harden. Break into pieces. This can be done ahead of time and kiept frozen until ready to use. Toss mandarin orange segments with salad just prior to serving and sprinkle with candied almonds. 8-10 servings
DRESSING:
1/3 Cup oil
¼ Cup sugar
¼ Cup white vinegar
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
½ Teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper

Mix ingredients in a bottle and refrigerate at least one hour. Pour over salad just prior to serving.

Salad-Day 2 Ranch Hand Salad

RANCH HAND SALAD
1½ Cup Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1¼ Tablespoon Ranch Dressing
1 oz. Cooked Ham, cut in strips
¼ oz. Cheddar Cheese, shredded
2 Eggs, hard boiled, chopped
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise -- see note*
¼ Cup Cucumber, large diced
¼ Cup Fresh Tomato, large diced
Bacon Bits -- for garnish

*Mash or grate the hard boiled eggs; mix in the mayonnaise; set aside. Put the chopped Romaine on a salad plate. Mix with the Ranch dressing. Add the grated cheese, top with the strips of ham & the egg/mayo mixture; sprinkle on remaining cheese. Sprinkle the diced cucumbers & tomatoes on top of the egg salad. Garnish with bacon bits.

Salad-Day 1 Oriental Cabbage and Chicken Salad

My cousin Sarah declared this first week of October, salad lovers week. Each day this week I will be posting a favorite salad of mine. For more salads, visit Sarah's Blog.

Day 1- Oriental Cabbage and Chicken Salad

2 cups chicken cooked and diced
4 cups cabbage, shredded
1 package chicken-flavored Ramen noodles
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/8 cup vinegar
1/8 salad oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 flavoring packet from Ramen noodles

Break noodles in a colnader and let sit in hot water until completely softened. Drain and combine first 4 ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine last 5 ingredients and add to noodle/chicken mixture. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours before serving.

This is a yummy salad. I like to serve it with freshly baked bread. The great thing about this salad, is that I can put it together when it's convenient and it won't get soggy. The longer it sits the better it tastes.

Learning Address

Today, in school, Daniel talked about our address and our house. When I arrived home from work, Daniel was eager to show me his work. The paper on the fridge listed our address written in crayon. I asked Daniel if he knew our address. I walked him through the number and then asked, "What circle do we live in?"

I should have known. Daniel ran into the front room, pointed into the circle, and said, "That one!"

Evening Prayer

On Tuesday nights, Julie rehearses with the Salt Lake Symphony so she's gone until well after the kids are in bed. Last night, when I was getting the kids to bed, I watched Daniel growing up right before my eyes.

The night before, Megan had refused to say the bedtime prayer. Having learned this trick already, I asked if she would pray the next night and she agreed (because it meant she did not have to do it right then). So last night, I reminded her of her commitment and she stated, as she always does, that she needs help. I now employed another trick we've learned--to ask her who she want to help her (a crying fit is the alternative if we just assign a helper). Seeing her options were limited since Julie wasn't home, Megan appointed Daniel to help her.

Now Megan does a pretty good job with a prayer and usually only needs prompting to finish. Daniel has seen us coach her before many times. But I wondered how he would handle this because his usual approach when he wants to "help" Megan is to do it for her or yell at her until she does it his way (a useless activity that only increases the overall volume in our home). So I said nothing to Megan or Daniel and motioned that it was time to say the prayer.

I kept my eyes open to observe and I got a treat. Megan said a wonderful prayer and Daniel remained completely silent until Megan gave her usual, "eh?" that signals she's lost and needs some help. Daniel gently suggested a couple of phrases, even turning the grammar of the sentence around so that when Megan reversed it, it would sound correct. Then, instead of saying, "in the name of . . ." to prompt the end of the prayer, he whispered, "Finish it."

I nearly cried. My 4 year-old had just acted with the wisdom of a parent more seasoned than I in a leadership position to which he had been appointed with no advance notice whatsoever. Wow!

Double Delight

As some of you may know, Julie got her second piano in June so that she can teach more effectively in her studio. In addition to making her studio more appealing to current and potential students, this has opened up the possibility of 4 hand, 2 piano duets. While I don't have nearly the skill that Julie does, I enjoy playing with her. But it was simply wonderful last Saturday when my parents came over. While watching Utah demolish Utah State (sorry, Aggie fans), Julie and my mom played a number of duets. The effect was a joy no matter what room you were in. It was a great night, all the way around.

We finally broke down and bought Megan a bike that would fit her. She's been riding around on a little tricycle which was outgrown. She loved that bike, but when she tried to go forward the wheel would turn but would take her no where. We are hoping that now we can go around the block in less than an hour.

Fall

When asked what my favorite season is, I would quickly respond with Spring. I have always enjoyed spring. The warmer weather, the blossoms on the tree and in the flower beds, as well as the smell of these blossoms that fill the air. The last few years I've really enjoyed the Fall and am beginning to think that maybe Fall is now becoming an additional favorite season. I can't quite put my finger on exactly why. Maybe it's the weather becoming cooler, or the leaves changing color, or the evening becoming shorter, or even the smell of Fall. Maybe it's the idea of football games where the family gets together and pigs out on all the yummy food and treats while watching the game. Or conference where all the family gets together and pigs out on yummy food and treats......or maybe it doesn't matter what the occasion as long as there is yummy food and treats to pig out on. I probably eat more in Fall then I do any other season. The Fall makes me crave these things. What is your favorite season and why?

School

What an exciting time school can be. Daniel is in his 2nd year of preschool. He has absolutely loved every minute of it. I myself have loved every minute of it. Even if it is only 4 hours a week. Daniel is always eager to attend. This morning I woke up and found Daniel all ready for school. He was dressed with shoes and backpack on. He had even remembered it was show & tell today. He had already packed is show & tell item. About every 20 minutes he is asking if it's time for school. I tell him that he won't be going to school until after lunch. His easy solution: "Let's eat lunch." (It's 9:00 and he just finished breakfast about 30 minutes previous.) I love hearing the things that he learned and the fun time he had with his friends. Daniel is so easy-going. New things are never hard for him to adjust to. I was a little worried last year with his first day of school. Not Daniel. He waved good-bye and marched right into the school. And was so excited to return the next time. I look forward to the day when Megan gets to attend school at the same time Daniel is at school. I, however, have my doubts about it being so easy going with Megan. Megan is quite the opposite of Daniel.

Anger Management

It's interesting to see how each child handles anger management. Watching Daniel and Megan handle their anger is just comical. Dear sweet Megan.....if something doesn't go quite the way she wanted it to, she growls/roars at it. As if that will make the dishwasher open, or her underwear magically cover her bum the right way.

And then there's Daniel. If you ask him to do something he doesn't want to do, he will angrily go do it while shouting back at you, "I won't ever eat dinner again." The comical thing about his comment is that whatever was asked of him had absolutely nothing to do with dinner. He apparently doesn't realize by saying this, he is only punishing himself and not me. Of course after making this comment he becomes fearful about actually not being able to eat dinner.

Ouray Colorado

Our trip to Ouray, Colorado. Ouray had nice weather, eating, hiking, relaxing, etc. There are a few pictures taken by Daniel, hence the heads being cut off.

A Princess

As I was looking around at my friends and families blogs, I found this little quiz from my cousin. When things like this are sent to me through email, I usually find the delete button fairly quickly. But in some ways, this particular quiz intrigued me. At one point in life, we all wanted to be a princess. I believe it hit most of us when we were very little. Maybe that is why this intrigued me. Megan is always walking around announcing she is a princess and asking permission for the princess to stay. So I began to wonder what princess I was. I have to admit the excitement I had on finding out what princess I am. Cinderella is my favorite Classic Disney movie. Go ahead.....don't you want to find out what princess you are?


You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Daniel's Birthday

Daniel turned 4 years old yesterday. On his birthday, he was asking when he would be turning 5 years old. I thought wanting to be older started around the teenage years.

He got a bike! He absolutely loves it and looks forward to riding it.


Opening other presents:



This is everything Daniel received for his birthday.


It is amazing how time flies. At Daniel's party, Bryan and I had put together a DVD of Daniel from our home videos. We went from Daniel being in the belly to his 1st birthday. I can't believe it's been 4 years!! We must truly take time to enjoy each phase of a child growing up.

Cleaning....

What a horrible chore! When it comes time to cleaning, I wish I were Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) and just wiggle my nose and have it magically do itself. Bryan and I have just about finished our latest project. We decided to turn the room that was a storage room/junk room into the children's play room. The amount of stuff we were able to through out was amazing! Too bad the garbage can is not big enough for it all. It will take about 3 more garbage days to actually get rid of it all. So far, the children have absolutely loved having a room that's just toys! Now it's time to move onto the next tedious chore of cleaning.......the weeds!!

24th of July

We went and looked at all the floats that would be in the parade. Here's a couple of pictures from it. Of course we had to get the U of U float.

Video Game LAN Parties

As some of you may know, I have been getting into some video gaming on the computers. Every so often, a few friends get together and have LAN parties where we all bring our own computers and play games until we can't stand it anymore. We play games like Urban Terror, Alien Arena, Age of Empires, Counter Strike, and others.

If you're interested in getting together to play games like that, please email me (bryan.n.julie@gmail.com) or call me and let me know. I'll let you know what our plans are for the next party and I can help you load the games on your own computer. Most of the games are free if you want to go download them yourself. But please let me know if you're interested in coming to the LAN parties because the more people we have, the more fun it is.

What an adventure!

As Julie alluded to, I had the opportunity to exercise some patience while she put this together. For once, she was the one on the laptop while we watched a movie. A couple of times I thought Julie was going to swear or cry, but I couldn't tell which.

What I do know is that she has put a lot of herself into this blog and she really cares about sharing what you all want to see. We appreciate your visit to our blog and hope you enjoy.

By George.....I think I've got it

After several hours, I think I've finally figured out how to navigate and place things in the way I would like to do so. I basically had to start over after spending 2 hours or so on it and have now spent another 2+ hours. Because of this there are a few less pictures, but maybe that's a good thing.

Thanks to Bryan for putting up with me during the frustrating moments when I felt like throwing the whole thing out.

Despite the frustrating moments, I have enjoyed putting this together. I will do my best to keep it updated.

Sofa and loveseat need a new home

We are trying to find a new home for this sofa and loveseat. This set has been sitting in our front room for a little bit. We have recently changed the things within our front room to more easily accommodate my teaching. Our front room has become my studio and is no longer the sitting room (which we never really used to sit in). If you or anyone you know is interested, let me know.

Bear Lake

Playing at the lake.

Burying Daddy in the sand.

A Seashell

The Pool

When we got tired of all the sand, we jumped in the pool.

Minnetonka Cave

Daniel's Summer

Daniel is anxiously waiting for his 4th birthday coming up in about one week.

He is learning how to swim.

Daniel participated in the Intermountain Suzuki Institute.

This is Sadie. Since day one of Institute, they've been good buddies.

Frustrated

okay...so I've worked all afternoon on this thing and have made some changes. As you can tell there are still many more modifications I need to make. It appears that in order to make one little change I must make 10 steps with a combination of deleting and re-enter/uploading stuff to get it the way I want it. There has to be an easier way, otherwise, why would so many people do this? Any help as to how to do this quicker? I don't have that much free time.

Father and Son Outing

Bryan took Daniel to Dog Lake for Daddy-Daniel time.

Alright Already!!

Many of you have suggested I start a blog. That way my life can be monitored by anyone interested. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing yet, but this will be an adventure. What else will I do with all my free time? So what is my family doing?