Angels In Zion

Coalville Stake YW Charm School

2011-11-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful adventure last night in Coalville. The YW leaders invited me to come give a one-night "Charm School" for the YW of their Stake. I was expecting maybe 50 YW, and we had more than 100 attend! We had so much fun learning to walk in high heels and be gracious. It was SO fun! I hope I get to go back again some time. Those YW are amazing. I promised them I'd post an "ugly duckling" picture of myself in 7th grade, which I will do as soon as Trent scans it. But for now, here are the tips on dressing and walking in heels from last night, as well as a picture of everyone (I'm in the middle in a black shirt).

Think of one person who everyone loves to hang out with. This is someone makes everyone feel good, someone who brings joy into the room when she walks in. Give me some words to describe this person. People who make others comfortable have grace and poise.

You can be the person that everyone loves to be with. Want to know the secret? Make others around you feel comfortable. Smile, eye contact, dress and act appropriately.

Want to be that person? The first step is to build your own confidence and put others at ease. How?

Attitude and Conversation:
1. Always give eye contact and smile when you are talking to people.
2. Be positive. Find something good to say to everyone you talk to.
3. Ask thoughtful questions to encourage others to talk about themselves. Avoid asking opinions about other people. This will make others worry that you’re talking behind their backs, too.
4. Listen twice as much as you talk. God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason. When you let other people talk, you show them they are important.
5. Match your conversation partner’s tone of voice. If she’s excited, be excited. If she’s quiet, speak quietly. Let the other person set the tone of the beginning of a conversation.
6. Don’t put anyone down…including yourself! Give sincere compliments without giving a reason or putting yourself down to do it.
7. Say thank you and accept compliments.

Now for your appearance. Ever walked into a party or event totally under or overdressed? I have. It’s hard. So…
1. Choose your clothes carefully. This is not to impress people, but to make others feel comfortable around you. Make sure your clothes and shoes are appropriate for the occasion. For example, don’t wear high heels and a pencil skirt if you’re going golfing or bowling. Don’t wear ripped jeans to a formal dance. Your goal is to be comfortable in your surroundings.
2. Wear the right shoes. Will you be standing all day, or will you be sitting most of the evening? How long can you comfortably walk or stand in your shoes? Do you need to chase little kids? Will you be lifting or carrying anything? Will your shoes get wet or muddy? You don’t want to be worried about your shoes.
3. Ever been accidentally “flashed”? How did it make you feel? Make sure you’re “covered.” Reach up, touch your toes, bend over, sit down. Think about getting in and out of a car. If you are exposed, you may not notice but others will…and that makes other people uncomfortable. If you’re not covered, add layers or change outfits.
4. Be clean and well-groomed. You don’t have to cake on the makeup, or make sure every hair is perfect. You are beautiful. Whether you shine best in natural beauty or in full makeup and accessories, show that you can take care of yourself. Shine!
5. SMILE!

Now that you have the right clothes for your situation, you need to know how to hold yourself in those clothes.
Standing
1. Stand up straight
2. Shoulders back
3. Smile!
Walking in a dress
1. Stand up straight
2. Shoulders back
3. Limit your stride based on your skirt cut
4. Be careful bending over or squatting!
Walking in heels takes muscles!! You’ll be sore in your abs, legs, and feet
How To Walk in Heels:
1. Abs in
2. Stand up straight
3. Shoulders back
4. Weight on the ball of your feet (use the heel as a balance, not a walking surface)
5. One foot in front of the next
6. Swing your hips
7. Keep knees soft
Walking down stairs:
1. Eyes up, abs in, stand tall, bend knees
2. Stay on the ball of your foot (may need diagonal foot placement on the stair)
3. Float down the stairs slowly, controlled movement
Sitting in a dress/skirt
1. Back of legs touch the front of the chair
2. Lower yourself down
3. Sit forward, slide back
4. Legs together (think of a “code word” to remind each other)
5. Tuck in skirt

Hope this is a good refresher! Thanks, Coalville, for having me!

Today's Adventure Update: Dec 2010

2011-05-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

December 1, 2010 The door to my office was left unlocked, and my little ones grabbed a few mascaras out of my inventory. They decided mascara would be a great way to decorate the basement stairs. Mascara all over the carpet and walls. I am the master of stain removal. It's a gift from my very creative children. LOL.

December 5, 2010

My favorite lipstick went missing, and I went searching for it. I found beautiful wall murals all over my kids' room drawn with...YOU GUESSED IT! My favorite lipstick.

December 10, 2010

My 5-yr-old left her salt water taffy in the car, and it froze. So she decided to leave it (unwrapped) on her heat vent overnight so "It would get soft." Brilliant. Except it hardened and dried out and is stuck in the carpet...

December 15, 2010

I couldn't figure out how all of my homemade rolls disappeared so quickly. I just thought my kids inhaled them all...but it turns out we have a 3-yr-old who thinks he's a squirrel. I moved the couch cushions and found toys, crayons, and stale rolls.

December 18, 2010

Yes, another wonderful December adventure...Sharpie all over my grandmother's antique Queen Anne chair. After many hours of scrubbing, I saved the chair.

Jan 11, 2011

Our 10-year-old came home today sobbing. I could hear him wailing as he approached the door, so I ran outside, thinking he had been beat up. He looked up at me through tear-filled eyes, thrust his hand at me, filled with the broken pieces of his yo-yo. Poor guy. He was messing around after school, and he threw his backpack (which contained his yo-yo), and it shattered. The problem is that it was a light up one, so there are batteries and wires and stuff that aren't fixable. He discovered that it still works as a yo-yo and he's okay now. it was a very emotional evening.

Buon Giorno!

2011-02-23T14:01:00.001-08:00

Here's our journal from our trip to Europe. It's the email I sent to our parents while we were abroad. I didn't post anything online until we got back because our kids were here with a babysitter, and I'm paranoid about safety. I'll post the journal a few days at a time. More photos will follow later.

31 Jan 2011

Buona Sera (good evening)! Hope you are doing well. I’ll apologize right now for my strange English writing. My brain has been working overtime to translate things (Italian is far more like Spanish than I expected, so I’ve been the one doing the talking and translating). It has made my English a bit stilted, since I’m having to think in Spanish, try to relate it to Italiano, then change to English, and back to something coherent in Italiano. My brain hurts, but it has been so fun.

Sorry it has taken so long for us to send this, we expected Internet Access to be easier to find here. It costs over $10 for one hour of use at the hotel, so we waited until today to do all of our business online. It has been a grand adventure so far.

We took the red-eye flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia and were able to sleep for about 3 hours of our 4 hour flight. We got to Phili and hit the ground running, knowing we needed to beat the weather if we wanted to see the sites of Old Town.

I guess you already know of our excitement in Philadelphia. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, ate a Phili Cheesesteak Sandwich, and walked much of old town, all in the snow. We saw the Park Rangers use street sweepers to clear the snow, then use large push brooms to clear the slush off the sidewalk gutters. Everywhere we went people commented on how we looked so at ease in the snow, and would marvel that we didn’t seem cold or unhappy in the blizzard. One security guard even asked if we were from Minnesota. J I got to answer yes! He said, “I thought so. You look far too happy in the snow to be from anywhere else!” We had a wonderful day touring the city, and had a close call in getting back to the airport, since the snow and ice were accumulating on the tracks and the trains were closing one at a time. We sat at the train station watching one train after another be delayed or cancelled. We were very fortunate to get on one of the last trains back to the airport that afternoon. Then as we got back to our gate, we began to notice the cancellation of flights. When we asked at the info desk they said that the only flights being cancelled were those that originated in NY or NJ, since those airports were closed and the planes couldn’t get out. So our flight was “safe” since our plane was already on the ground in PA. So we got on board, relaxed in our huge Envoy seats, and were served drinks while we waited (it was very rough…hehe). We pulled out from the gate, got de-iced, pulled to the runway, waited, returned again to be de-iced, then back to the runway. After sitting on the tarmac for almost 3 hours, the FAA finally cancelled all flights for the night. By then, all Phili hotels were booked, the trains were not running, and we were handed a pillow and blanket, a phone number to call to reschedule our flight, and told “good luck.” So we found some food before the restaurants sold out, ate some dinner, got on the phone to reschedule, then found a wonderfully hard spot of ground to sleep on. About 6am, Trent noticed we were sharing our quarters with a small mouse who was gleefully dining on all of the crumbs left by various passengers. Never thought I’d be able to say that we shared a “bed” in Philadelphia with a local mouse. It sure makes for a good story, but I wouldn’t want to do it again. So we were able to sleep about 5 hours on the floor…a grand total of 8 hours in two nights. We found a family restroom and cleaned ourselves the best we could, since it had been two days since I had met a shower, and we had been in very dirty places.

We found the airport information desk for our airline and stood to get our boarding passes reprinted. She saw our tickets and asked if we had been to the Envoy lounge yet. I told her that the airline employees at our gate had informed us that it was closed the night before. She said it opened at 5:30am, and our tickets would give us free access. So we scooted up there and made some wonderful friends and sat for 14 hours in comfort. They had snacks and drinks, TV, Internet, locked storage for our baggage, and lots of interesting people. Our favorite people were an old couple (80 and 87 years) who were from Valley Forge. They were very well traveled, and told us stories all day of their adventures. He was a retired Navy Fighter Pilot. They were on their way to the islands south of Spain for their annual two month holiday there. She reminded me (in looks) of grandma Avalie, and in personality of MamaCarol. It was so fun to be with her. We sat and talked to them, watched their luggage while they ate, and then helped her find a wheelchair to get down to her gate. It was hard to say goodbye to them. I gave them our address and email, and I hope they stay in touch. We got to our second gate and were met by a huge mob of people, all as tired and stinky as we were. They were crowding the gate, and were not happy when the flight attendant called for Zone 1 and we began to push our way through. One Italian guy made some comment, and I looked at him and said “Envoy!” which I think sounded a lot like “I go!” in Italian, to which he laughed and said “Oi, Si!” (oh, yes!). Another older lady made a super rude sound when we passed her, probably assuming that two kids like us wearing backpacks could never be in First Class. I kind of wish I could have seen her face when the flight attendant kindly took our cards, scanned them, and was very gracious in helping us board. I can honestly say that if I never have to see the Philadelphia Airport again, I will be ok.

We slept about 6 hours on our red-eye flight to Rome. It was much more comfortable than our airport floor, that’s for sure. But the 6 hours was all too short, considering we had a grand total of 14 hours for the three nights. We deplaned, got out, and began one costly mistake after another with the phones in the airport. First we bought a map, but it didn’t cover the area where our hotel was. Then we tried to call the hotel, but couldn’t figure out the phone, then we asked for help and tried the phone again (turns out it wasn’t us, the thing was broken….we watched three other people try it without success). Then we tried to buy a phone card so we could make calls (thinking that would be better). The machine took our 20 euro ($30) and gave us nothing. We tried to call the help line, but the machine was supposed to give us a code to call if there was a problem, and we didn’t see it. We went to the Tourist Info desk and got instructions for the train, but it ended up being only 1 euro cheaper than the shuttle, so then we tried to call the shuttle (broken phone). I was ready to cry. We blew almost $40 just trying to get ourselves to the hotel. We finally went to the airport information desk, and a very nice lady there used her cell phone to call our shuttle. We ended up spending 20 euro to get to our hotel. But at that point, I was done and needed to get to a bed. It was a very expensive day of learning, which I had not budgeted for (and which stressed me out a lot). We got to the hotel and checked in, unpacked, took a shower, and decided to tour the hotel, eat lunch at the hotel restaurant, and find the nearest supermarket. We walked down the hill to Todis, the neighborhood supermarket. The prices were so cheap, we were thrilled. We tried sesame pretzel sticks, pear nectar, “Ranger” candy bars, flat bread, mozzarella, chicken deli meat, wafer cookies, apples, bananas, pears, breakfast cookies, and yogurt. It was delicious and cheap. So awesome. What a Friday. We slept very well that night it our comfy bed, and prepared for a day of touring.

Saturday came with a vengeance, and we were determined to conquer the public transit system. Hehe. In the morning we walked from our hotel to the nearest metro station, bypassing the bus stop because it was so unreliable. Route 128 is notorious for being late and unreliable. So we thought we were so smart and would hoof it to the station. Yeah, we won’t do that again. J It was a 40 minute walk, down narrow roads with muddy shoulders. We felt like missionaries. We got to the metro station and were so proud. Then, when the train came the door we were trying to use wouldn’t open (must have been broken like the airport phone…or it doesn’t like tourists). So we had to wait another 30 minutes for the next train. All together, it took us 2 hours to get from our hotel to the city. Another wonderful adventure in the world of public transit. We scrapped our plans for the morning, and headed straight to the Borghese Gallery (we had a 1 pm appointment). We saw Bernini’s great sculptures, amazing paintings by Boroque artists, and stood in the middle of one of the world’s most famous private collections of art. It was breathtaking and awe-inspiring. We stood in front of the sculpture of Daphne and could sense the softness of the pillow she sits upon, gazed upon Persephone and her captor from the underworld and witnessed how Bernini sculpted marble like most artists shape clay. It was truly a privilege to see it. Then we spent the afternoon in the well-kept (now public) Borghese Gardens. We watched a Saturday afternoon game of Soccer played by local teams (those guys with silver hair can really move!). We watched ladies pedaling by on rented carts (like bikes that seat 4), saw locals walking their prized dogs, and even a big brother chasing his “princess” 3-year-old sister around while carrying her Rapunzel Barbie doll. Our time in the gardens felt like our first glimpse into the everyday lives of today’s Romans. It was nice. On our way out, we saw two guys playing Bocce (lawn bowling), and it reminded Trent of his mission. So we pulled up on a bench and began to watch. They seemed to be father and son, and the white-haired father took the game very seriously, but was being badly dominated in the game by his adult son, who seemed to play to humor his father. It was so fun to watch. I got the guts to ask them if we could take a picture, and they agreed. It was wonderful. We hopped on the bus and began our search for Campo de Fiori, which we never did find. We tried to learn to read the Bus Stop signs, and use our city map to divine the bus routes, but it was almost impossible. After walking up and down Via Po, crossing the street, searching all the bus stops, we finally just took one and luckily it dropped us close to where we wanted to go. We were looking for Campo de Fiori, but we found the Piazza Venizia instead, so we began there. We strolled along the Argentinian ruins, witnessed the grandeur of the Pantheon with its massive dome (a 142-ft diameter ball would fit perfectly inside), saw Piazza Navona with its Egyptian Obelisk, threw coins into the famed Trevi Fountain to ensure a wish granted for each of us (“please help us find the right bus home” was what I was wishing!). We stopped at a little restaurant called Bar Orchidea near the Piazza Venezia for dinner. We ate Pasta Carbonara and Pizza Capriciosa (artichokes, pancetta, salami, onions, and mushrooms). It was delicious, and we had fun trying to communicate with the staff. I find more and more each day that my Spanish is extremely helpful in trying to get around in Rome. I understand about 30 percent, and in restaurants, the percentage is higher…maybe because I’m so hungry). A lot of people do speak English, but we’ve been touring and eating off the beaten path (cheaper and more authentic experience), so fewer people speak English away from the main streets. After our tour, we stopped and got our first gelato. Delicious! We stopped at a little gift shop and picked up a few things, and even saw some LDS missionaries running for the metro at the same time we did. It was a productive and fun day. We got safely from the metro to our bus stop, where we waited 45 minutes for our unreliable #128 to arrive, and we made it home “sin problema” (without a problem).

Sunday morning came early (once again), and we left for church at 7am. We got directions printed out at the Concierge desk (they have been SO helpful since we arrived), and walked out to meet the bus. We turned the corner to find it was pulling away…five minutes early. Aargh!! So we stood there, but were happily surprised when another bus came just 25 minutes later. We took the bus to Basilica San Paolo Metro station, rode the blue line to Termini, then changed to red line to Battestini station. From there we walked uphill (and what a grand hill it was) to the top of Via Bra, turned the corner, walked down the hill halfway, and saw the church. It was surrounded by a large fence, and is a split-level building. The entry is on the street level. Then you walk down a half-flight of stairs to the chapel (which also houses the baptismal font). The classrooms for Primary and RS/Priesthood are upstairs. We enjoyed Sacrament Meeting, which was about serving a mission. My brain hurt really bad after translating for Sacrament. So we found two missionaries from Utah, as well as two ex-pats from Colorado who volunteered to help us during our combined RS/Priesthood meeting. We sat in Primary during 2^nd hour and were disappointed to find that they do not have sharing time or singing time. The only piano is in the Chapel, and they didn’t seem bothered by lack of music. So we sat in the class with all 6 Primary children (4 boys, 2 girls), and watched them be silly and squirrely, just like at home. You don’t need to know the language to watch kids misbehave and play. The funniest part of the class was when one of the girls sneezed and then coughed. She got them all giggling, and then suddenly all of the kids needed to cough. The teacher was good natured and had a sense of humor, but got annoyed after a few minutes and firmly said, “Basta! Stop!” I laughed at the English word thrown in for good measure. We showed them the video of our Primary kids and they couldn’t believe we had almost 200 children in our Ward. They watched the singing with almost confusion. Probably wondering why we were singing, since they don’t. They kept asking why we have so many children, and I kept answering in Spanish, “Tenemos familias muy grandes” (we have very large families). How else do you explain it to a kid halfway across the world? I realized I should have said we do a lot of missionary work. LOL. So I did, and they nodded. We also shared our salt water taffy, and the kids weren’t sure what to make of it. But the adults in Primary were thrilled to get some, and the missionaries and ex-pats were very excited for us to share. The lesson in third hour was on keeping the Sabbath Day holy, and as we returned to our hotel, Trent and I contemplated the meaning for us as tourists. We ate lunch and rode the metro and infamous bus 128 back to the hotel. We took a much needed nap, and now we’re here preparing for tomorrow, and another day full of adventure.

We’ve taken Flat Stanley with us everywhere, and he has inspired us to take a lot of silly pictures. It’s so fun to have him here. He’s the best travel buddy on the planet.

We love you so much!

Buona Sera (good night)!
Love,

Avy and Trent

Winter Firepit

2011-01-20T12:34:00.000-08:00

We had a December without snow, so we decided to build a fire in our back yard to make s'mores during Winter Break from school. Thanks to our neighbors who loaned us their fire pit.

It was even warm enough to swing on the swingset!

Dad working with K on starting the fire...

Another ride on the swingset while we wait...

All the wood ready to burn.

Our fire in all its glory.

It was so fun to be sitting outside between Christmas and New Years having a fire in the backyard. Good memories.

Now we just need some chocolate!

Cool flames

Happy family time comes from such simple moments as this. Work together, learn together, time together.

Oh, and lots of marshmallows and chocolate!

Ready for the snow! Which fell four hours later and covered our backyard in an 8-inch thick blanket of winter.

Latest Family Picture

2011-01-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

We visited my little sister and decided to take a picture in our church clothes. It's crazy to think how fast our kids are growing. We're just enjoying the ride as best we can. :)

Family Night at PTA Skating Night

2011-01-20T11:47:00.000-08:00

Our school had a PTA Family Skate Night this month. It was so fun!

Even our little guy wanted to play on skates. Dad was so patient with him...

As he tried to stand, walk...

and just hang out (check out the tongue out in concentration).

Lots of friends there to play with us!

Trying big sister's skates on.

He even wanted to wear skates on his hands.

It was so hard for little guy to sit and watch. He SO wanted to skate on the rink, but he was just too little. So Dad kept him company and I took plenty of pics of his cute face.
Cheese!!

Tickle monster returns.

K is going for a speed skating/DJ pose on this one. He finally got proficient at skating on this trip. It was fun to watch him try to dance to the music as he skated. So awesome.

Our sweet neighbor Jessika helped our little H as he learned to skate. My back was burning, so I needed a break.

The skate place rented these cool PVC rolling stands for kids who are learning to skate. T loved hers.

I even strapped on my blades and went rollin with my little guy in his stroller. He got impatient and wanted me to go faster. :) It was another successful event with the PTA!

Winter Dance Open House

2011-01-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

Pictures from our Dance Studio Winter Open House

Adult Tap

Modern 2

Hip Hop 2

Jazz 1

H&T and me getting ready for performance

We had a wonderful Open House performance at the dance studio. Nana and Papa joined us, and we had a great time watching everyone perform.

T & B Dancing with their Mini Hip-Hop Class...

Fun Human Rights Day

2011-01-20T07:45:00.000-08:00

We chose to spend our day off going to the movies and out to eat with our kids. The cold weather let up a bit, and we were even able to take a few pictures outside next to the fountains...without coats!! We saw "Tangled" and loved it. What a fun way to spend our day together. The kids worked their hearts out on Friday and Saturday to get extra chores done so we could go. It was awesome.

Today's Adventures

2010-08-19T16:10:00.001-07:00

Our lives are full of adventure each day with four busy kiddos. I once had a very wise mentor tell me "You can either have nice things, or nice kids. One will ultimately destroy the other." I had no idea how LITERALLY she was discussing the destruction my future kids would wreak. Here's a little sample of my daily experiences as a mother.

May 17, 2010 Today's Adventure: It's snowing in my laundry room! Oh, no, wait. That's the 5 LBS of Tide Powder laundry detergent that my two year old sprinkled all over the hampers, clothes, floor, and every other surface in my laundry room. That's what I get for leaving the detergent box on the floor this morning.

May 20, 2010 Last night's adventure:
Discovered that my fabulous angels found the Gatorade stash in the food storage. They decided to have a "picnic" in the basement toy room...on the AIR HOCKEY TABLE. And guess what happened? Yep, you guessed it. The baby spilled his Gatorade all over the air hockey table. I cleaned it up after we found it two weeks ago. But went to play air hockey yesterday and had to do another scrub.

May 21, 2010 Today's Adventure: Our 7-year-old son looked out a 2nd story window today and realized the screen was off. So he decided to open the window and play on the roof. When I asked him WHY he went out there, he said, "I wanted to know what it was like out there." Yikes. He took his sweet time coming in, too. I was in a skirt and had no desire to climb out there in a skirt on a windy day.

May 24, 2010 Four pair of snow boots, three runny noses, two sets of pinkeye, one ear infection...and a partridge in a pear tree!

May 24, 2010 I need feedback: At what children's age can I replace my carpet and be confident that my children won't destroy it after one week? I want new carpet, but don't know when it will actually be worth it...

May 25, 2010 Large Lemonade=Happy Girl!

May 28, 2010 We're grieving the loss of a pet chicken. It's hard to hold an animal while its dying. I had a very precious moment with our 7-year old, who was with me when our beautiful Lacey passed. He grieved with me, and then shared his sweet testimony that the chicken's spirit was in heaven, even though her body is still here.... I am so grateful for my faith in our Savior who overcame death.

May 31, 2010 Happy Memorial Day! We will be honoring our deceased family members at various cemeteries today. I love this family tradition! We'll clean headstones, weed around them, and add beautiful flowers. It's a very special day to remember Trent's dad and many other loved ones. Our kids learn to work, honor their family, and remember those who have sacrificed for our freedom. What a beautiful day.

Today's Adventure: Hunter fell out of Oma's cherry tree. Now we're at Instacare to see if anything's broken. He stopped crying, but still says it hurts. Happy Memorial Day to me.

Hunter's arm is broken. He broke the left radius near his wrist. He's got a good attitude, but I'm distraught because I know what it means to have a cast for the first half of summer! No swimming for us today. :(

June 4, 2010 HELP! My house has exploded. I need suggestions. We get one room picked up (which is quite a feat with my kids) and other toys, clothes, and clutter have magically migrated to other rooms, the garage, and even to the backyard. How do you keep your house picked up during the summer? I finish each day with a cluttered house, and no energy left to work on it. We're having fun, but I wake up dreading my house.

June 11, 2010 Today I'm grateful for awesome friends and neighbors who save me from crazy days with my children; and now a cloudy morning, no school, and kids who ran themselves so tired yesterday that I got to sleep in this morning until 7am. That is a thing of beauty, folks. Love it.

June 12, 2010 Trent is home from 6 days at WoodBadge. There's balance again in my universe. I love my husband and am SO much a better mom when he's around. Yay for great hubbies!

June 14, 2010 Tonight was a beautiful evening for baseball practice. I love this town!

June 29, 2010 Today's Adventure: My 2-year-old boy decided it would be fun to sprinkle sugar all over my kitchen floor. And then, since that wasn't enough adventure for one morning, he covered the 2nd step on my CARPETED staircase with a big pile of sugar, too. Heaven forbid Mommy take a shower in the morning! Thank heavens for vacuums.

Today's Adventure Part 2: My daughter discovered my nail polish stash and opened up 2bottles. One for her, one for her 2-year-old brother. So nice to share...my bathroom floor is covered in pink nail polish, and now my linoleum is permanently stained with a faint tinge of pink. Amazingly, my baby boy is almost completely clean, just some paint on his toes where he tried to paint his toenails. Gotta love my kids.

July 4, 2010 Neighbhorhood Parade at Nana and Papa's House

July 13, 2010 Webelos Day Camp was SO fun!

July 14, 2010 5-Year-Old daughter's birthday party today. We're playing in the water in the backyard. Never realized how bossy 5 little girls can be. Makes me grateful for just one. :)

July 15, 2010 I survived my 5 yr old daughter's birthday party yesterday and now the guests are arriving for my 10 yr old son's party. Yipes. Good times at my house. Wish me luck! Video game party with a bunch of 10 year old boys. Should be quiet.

July 24, 2010 Back from an INCREDIBLE 4-day pioneer Trek with the youth. Airing out our tent, sleeping bags, and everything else. I am grateful for running water, dry bedding, and shade! Ah, the simple things in life. I LOVE the youth in our area. They are reverent, kind, and such fun. I feel so blessed.

July 28, 2010 If you ever want to feel REALLY popular, take care of young children and try to go to the bathroom or take a shower...

July 29, 2010 Overstatment of the day: "I NEVER get to play with my friends!" -Spoken by my 5-year-old daughter today (after playing outside for 2 hours with neighborhood kids, having three different friends over for almost 4 hours, and playing at a friend's house). She landed herself in her room. I feel much better. :)

August 5, 2010 AAARRGH! My three year old is following me around, dismantling everything I put away or work on. That's what I get for trying to do canning today. He's like a little shadow of chaos.

August 9, 2010 Today's Adventure: Mysterious powder sprinkled all over the floor in the basement. My husband is guessing its Gold Bond, I think it's some type of food (flour or something), or it could be makeup. Not sure the origin, but it's clear that the culprit is our almost-3-year-old son, aka "The Sprinkler."

August 11, 2010 Yesterday's Adventure: My 3-yr-old son was quietly singing "Make a mess, make a mess, make a mess, make a mess, MAKE A MESS!" (to the tune of "I'm the Map" from Dora) ALL DAY. And guess what?! Yep. He made a mess everywhere he went. Sprinkling sugar, lemonade, and other delighfully sticky elements in my kitchen.

Yesterday's Adventure II: Our 3yr old quietly crept into the kitchen during dinner prep (when Mom is most distracted), and swiped my new food processor blade off of the table (I was getting ready to use it). He runs upstairs and begins weilding it like a sword, slicing himself and his 7-year-old brother in the process.... Bloody mess. No stitches or severe cuts, but very annoying (and potentially dangerous).

Yesterday's Adventure III: Our same little guy ran out on the front porch and found my bottle of weed killer (I was getting ready to spray my yard), grabbed the "gun" attachment, pointed it at me, and began to spray weed killer all over me, including in my face. There was definitely screaming at the Muhlestein house last night...first shock, then pain (mine), then anger, then my child's fear.

August 11, 2010 Today's Adventure: I moved my van outside so my oldest could get his bike for Scouts. He left, and my 7-year-old decided to do an impromptu car wash on my van while I was trying to wash my kitchen floor. I went outside to find my kids using bathroom scrubbing brushes and almost straight car soap on my now very warm van doors. Do you know how long it takes to wash dried soap off of a car? I do.

August 12, 2010 After a few days of what I'd now refer to as "The Trail of Tears," I decided it was time to do something for myself, so I went and experienced my first good can-whooping at Zumba last night. So much fun! And I SO appreciate those endorphins that are flowing through my body now as I embark on a brand new day full of adventure with my 3-yr-old.

Today's Adventure: Attack of "The Sprinkler" continues...little guy poured an entire cup of flour all over the floor (no surprise there). But here's the great part: I began to clean it up, and he said, "No, Mom! Ice skating!" and then pushed his feet along the floor as he "skated" around the kitchen.

August 17, 2010 Yesterday I enjoyed an intense game of kickball with the neighborhood kids. My baby boy enjoyed kicking and running the bases (the big kids let him play without getting him out). The kids were all worn out and hot when we were done. It was awesome.

Today's Adventure: Broken bedroom window. My oldest child decided it would be a good idea to throw a rubber suction-cup ball at his window. I think he threw it a bit harder than necessary. Then the "town crier" (my daughter) came running down the stairs informing me of the mishap. Now I have a spider-cracked interior window on the front of my house. Good times.

My 3-year-old helping me make scrambled eggs today. Note his cute apron. He loves to help. If I could just keep his energy focused like this all the time, we'd be in a good place.

Yesterday's Adventure: Red Sharpie on my back door window while I was teaching the older boys to mow the lawn (an adventure in itself).

Yesterday's Entertainment: Two easily distracted boys working together (sort of) to mow the lawn. They're each too light to do it alone, so they have to push together to make the lawnmower move. It was the most beautiful zig zag pattern I'd ever seen. Shouts of "Look! Long grass!!" were followed by a sharply turnin...g lawnmower. They worked their little hearts out, and I have one wicked crazy pattern in my lawn. But I'm so proud of them.

Fun with the Jensens

2010-05-10T20:57:00.001-07:00

So this posting is WAY overdue. We got to spend a fabulous weekend in Heber at the Jensen's lodge. The Jensens are awesome friends from BYU-Hawaii days. We haven't spent time with them in years, so we decided to get together with our families and play for a weekend. We had so much fun! Snowmobiling (yes, I DID drive a snowmobile...I'm wearing the black jacket and blue scarf), hot tubbing, sledding, movies, video games, fusball, ping pong, watching cartoons while laying on a ginormous love sac, karaoke...our kids thought they were in heaven (and we were!). Thanks Em and B for such a great time!! It's so incredible to have friendships that run so deep that even after years apart, we can come together and it feels like no time has passed. We are so blessed to have the Jensens as friends. Here are our pics...

Spring Is Here!

2010-05-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Thought for the day:

Does anyone else feel like their small children leave a wake of destruction in their path?

A little background to our excitement. Trent was called into the Bishopric on April 11, I was released as RS President (I had served for 6 months, serving as YW President for the 2.5 years before that...so I was used to being gone, with Trent acting as SuperDad since our youngest was born). Then on May 8 he was called as a High Counselor. I think this is probably the shortest calling he's ever had. :) We're excited for more adventures serving in the Church. Meanwhile, I've been busy trying to play SuperMom...and here's what happened. Just proves that the Lord has a sense of humor, and that he has sent angels to protect my little "angels" throughout their antics.

We've had many adventures this past week, I thought I'd share a few.

Sunday's Adventure: We were walking out of church, and my two-year-old made a run for it. I thought he'd run to the sidewalk and stop. He didn't. He ran over the sidewalk, past the park strip, and into the road. I dropped everything and sprinted (in my heels) to scoop him up. Traffic stopped and waited for us. When I grabbed him, he was giggling, and had a paper in his mouth from Primary. I pulled it out of his mouth and read it. It said, "I Will Obey." Hehe.

Tuesday's adventure: I was backing the van out of my house to pick up T from preschool. I checked behind the van before getting in, but just peeked around to see if there were any kids. It looked all clear, but evidently there was a blind spot. I backed up and heard a huge shuddering sound, with a big clunk. I jumped out of the van, my heart in my throat. I ran around the back, expecting the worst. I saw a tiny bike, all bent up under my van. I searched under the van, and realized the bike was simply parked there, no kid riding it. I was relieved. But then I realized I was going to have to track down the owner and replace the bike. It was the bike of a friend's son, and she was awesome about it. I felt horrible. We found a replacement, and all is well. But, as you can imagine, I walk all the way around my van now before backing out.

Wednesday's adventure: Chocolate rice. Our 2 year old boy decided it would be fun to get into my bulk food bins and add about 4 cups of hot cocoa mix to my 25 lb container of basmati rice. Bust out the vacuum!! Say goodbye to my rice. :( I sucked out the top layer of rice, along with the cocoa mix. We saved most of the rice.

Thursday's Adventure: Miss T decided to take the neighbor's dog for a walk (with permission). The owner told her to LET GO if the dog started running too fast. To which my sweet T replied, NO WAY! I'm NOT letting go! So the Golden Retriever got excited and took off...my daughter held on for dear life and got dragged quite a distance before she fell off the leash. I didn't know you could get road rash from walking a dog. She's got the scabs to prove it.

Friday's Adventure: Oil change at the car dealership with two and four year olds...including a disappearing act by my two year old (I turned my back to pay the bill and found him in the service department under a car with a mechanic). The mechanic came out looking annoyed, and kept repeating, "Kid under my car!" Why do I continue to try to take my children places?! You'd think I'd have learned by now...

Friday's Adventure Part II: Sharpie marker all over my side-view mirror on my van. Not sure which of my two delinquents did it, but I have a feeling it's my daughter. My two year old wouldn't have stopped at the mirror...it would have been all over my paint, too. Off to go clean it off with dry-erase marker. Hope my... weekend goes better than my week has gone.

Friday's Adventure Part III: Sharpie marker on the side door, too. I didn't notice it before. It came off with a bit of dry erase marker and elbow grease.

Saturday's Adventure: Our 7-year old son got ahead of us on the trail at Thanksgiving Point. As we herded the rest of the kids up the trail, my oldest son came back yelling, "MOM! He's stuck on a rock!" I went to investigate, and we found our 7-year old stuck on a ledge at the source of the large (North America's largest man-made) waterfall. I scrambled up the bank, inched my way out along the ledge, reached for him and pulled him back to the safety of the rocks (away from the raging water). We're still not sure how he got himself out there...he said he magically appeared. We got down, and got an enthusiastic round of applause from a gathering crowd. One guy yelled emphatically, "Yeah Mom!!" I've never been totally mortified and totally proud at the same time before that moment. Very interesting conflict of emotions. What a week.

I'm Gettin Nuthin for Christmas

2010-01-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

Here's the video of our cute first graders singing the version by Smashmouth. You can look for our little boy in the orange PJs and blue hat (the kid whose head is usually going the wrong way). Enjoy! And yes, that's a lot of first graders (over 150) at our school. Lots of friends for our little guy. :) We love it.

More Christmas Fun

2009-12-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

We had fun getting ready for Christmas. Class parties and visits from Santa...

Fun with boxes...Ziploc boxes make great hats!

Setting out the cookies for Santa! We even saved him Thin Mints from the Girl Scouts (they stay in our freezer for Santa!)

Oma's Christmas Crafts with the Cousins

2009-12-29T18:54:00.000-08:00

Oma sponsored a Christmas Craft day at her home this year. We had a lot of fun with cousins and came home with some great projects. It was fun with glitter, paint, felt, glue, gingerbread, candy, and other wonderfully messy stuff! So glad Oma volunteered her house!! ;)

Elementary School Choir and First Grade Concerts

2009-12-29T18:41:00.000-08:00

Here's our oldest's first Choir Concert. They sang their little hearts out. It was awesome. Nana and Papa joined us for the fun. It's inspiring to see our big guy loving music so much.

Yep, that's less than half of the choir. We have a wonderfully huge school (over 1000 students), and this is an optional choir program, open only to 4-6 graders.

And next up...the First Grade Christmas Concert. SO cute. They wore their pajamas and sang some fun songs, including Smashmouth's version of "I'm Gettin Nothin for Christmas" (hence the beanies and sunglasses). So fun to watch.

Halloween Fun

2009-11-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

This year was a fun one for Halloween. Trent got into the act with his very own costume...one that was three weeks in the growing (that was one heck of a beard!). Check it out!

Trent with hair and beard. First, shave the head....

Then shave the sides of the beard...add french hat and glasses and voila!

Trent as Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters.

He said the hardest part of the costume was not smiling.

In case you're not familiar with Mythbusters, here's a picture of the guy:

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2098108160/nm1367178

Oma came to visit and have dinner with us. It was so fun to have her here!

When Trent answered the door like this for some trick-or-treaters, he saw some very frightened moms. We realized that if he wasn't smiling, he looked a bit like an ex-con.

Our princess was VERY proud of her new white gloves.

We had Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Obi Wan, and Sleeping Beauty. Very fun.

Our little guy was supposed to be Yoda, but he wouldn't keep the ears on. I think he made a perfect Jedi.

Learn the ways of the dark side, my young padawan...

Or hang out with your mom, that works, too.

Trick-or-treat! We had beautiful weather this year. We visited Nana and Papa, uncle Brett and aunt Janae, as well as many of our friends from our old ward. Trent got stopped and stared at quite a bit...one of our friends even commented. "You know what's scary? How little you look like YOU, and how much you look like Jamie Hyneman!" It was a fun evening for all. We got to bed late, and had way too much sugar. A perfect Halloween.

The Lodge

2009-11-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

We got to go to the Bates Lodge in Idaho again this year. Our kids really look forward to this trip, and we have a great time with family. Here are some pictures.

We also hit Yellowstone while we were there. Most of the Park was shut down due to a big fire, but we still got to see Old Faithful and some beautiful waterfalls.

Hunter earned his first scouting badge...the Junior Ranger at Yellowstone. He was very proud.

This was where we saw elk and coyote. We drove a little farther and spotted two bald eagles. It was a fun trip.

On the way back to the lodge, we saw a diesel trailer with a big sign that said, "Free Potatoes, Take 'em all!" So the boys climbed in and we brought home some delicious Idaho spuds. Here they are in the potato trailer.

Back to the lodge, and time to use our good weather. We were forcasted snow for the next day, so we spend the whole day outside. Hiking...

Relaxing...

Playing on the four wheeler...

We even piled in the truck and drove down the dirt road to the creek. Fun with water and rocks!

And over the bridge...

Back to the Lodge.

The cousins

Miss T playing kickball. She kept dribbling the ball instead of kicking it. I just wish she would have done that during soccer season!

Time for our campfire! And s'mores.

Snowed In! The weatherman was right (for once), and we had snow in September at the Lodge. We were SO glad that we had so much fun outside the day before. So we hung out inside.

Games, homework, toys, reading, and movies in the basement. So much fun!

Yes, sweet girl. That is snow.

The snow stopped, and we attempted one last hike and ATV ride. But it was VERY cold. The kids didn't want to do that again (and neither did we).

Goodbye until next year, Bates Lodge!

Decorating for Christmas

2008-12-02T21:05:00.001-08:00

So we were concerned about having a Christmas tree with a little man who is learning to walk. He's cruising on everything now, and loves to pull up and lean on furniture. I could just imagine the crash and cry when the tree toppled over on him. So my friend, Lindsay, suggested putting the Christmas tree in the pack-n-play. So here it is... :)

Keeps baby out of the wires, tinsel, and balls, and lets big brother enjoy the tree.

We all had a great FHE setting up the Christmas tree, and listening to Johnny Mathis Christmas music. I'll never forget the Christmas we put the tree in the manger!

Baby's First Birthday

2008-12-02T20:37:00.001-08:00

It was our baby boy's first birthday, and we were all sick. So we had a little cake at home...
Whose birthday is it? Mine!!

Seriously, Dad. You're giving me a candle. Are you sure?

It looks so fun.

Can I touch it?

Bummer. No more candle, but this cake looks interesting...I'll just poke it.

I wonder what Dad will do if I put some in my mouth...

Wait! I'm eating this, and no one is taking it out of my mouth.

Here Mom! Do you want a lick? It's chocolate!

Great cake, Dad! Thanks for the great birthday! And look, I'm still handsome even when my face is covered in frosting!

The Lodge

2008-11-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

We had the incredible opportunity of being invited to the Bates Lodge in Driggs, Idaho. Thank you, Pynes, for including us in your family trip! We had a great time!

It was a long drive, but we're HERE!!

H was SO excited to ride the 4-wheeler!

K was working on LOTS of Boy Scout stuff, and he proudly earned his Chess belt loop while we were at the lodge. Thank you, Grandma Pyne and Shaundra, for playing with Mr. K!

Relaxing out on the front deck was a favorite way to pass the time.

We build campfires and had s'mores. YUM!

We watched movies...

Made crafts...

Played on the swingset...

Rode scooters on the front porch...

Enjoyed the beautiful view...

Rode Kennen and Shaunge's 4-wheeler...

Made more s'mores...

Played marbles...

Explored the stream...

Found wood and made our own bows and arrows...

Enjoyed time together as a family...

Went hiking in the woods...

Threw rocks in the water...

Explored the fields and old farm equipment...

Went hunting for berries on the 4-wheeler...

Got our feet very wet...

And played some more chess...

Played some baseball...

and called it ONE GREAT FAMILY TRIP!

Scarecrow Festival

2008-11-13T07:01:00.001-08:00

We visited the Scarecrow Festival at Thansgiving Point, and had a great time over UEA weekend. I rode the inflatable slides with the kids, and had a blast.

Trent and I enjoyed the climbing wall.

Miss T is our little thrill-seeker. She ran up the slides over and over. She slept great that night.

H ran the gauntlet over and over. He did very well.

K, cool as a cucumber in his sunglasses, enjoyed the slides, too.

Here's the evidence. I forgot how fast you can get going on those slides. It was so fun!

My little thrill-seeker again.

T waiting her turn at the go-carts. We had a great day!

Halloween

2008-11-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

Here's the pictures from Halloween. It was raining, so I didn't take any outside. I didn't have enough hands to carry my daughter's candy, an umbrella (so she didn't get too wet in her princess dress), and the camera, so this is the best we've got! :) The kids dressed up as Blue and Black Power Ranger, Snow White, and Tigger. I had my Snow White costume on for the ward party. It was fun to match my daughter!

Welcome!

2008-11-13T06:13:00.000-08:00

I feel a personal challenge to make everywhere I live a Zion...a place where people are of one heart, of one mind, and where there are no poor among them. So it is in my home. We work to achieve a wonderful place where our family can grow together in a loving, nurturing atmosphere. And for those of you who know me well, you also know that we love to have FUN! So here it is, my blog dedicated to my family. Enjoy!